Spiced Clementine Chocolate Chip CRAZY GOOD Waffles (Vegan, Gluten-free)

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Spiced Clementine Chocolate Chip CRAZY GOOD Waffles (Plant-based, Gluten-free)

Yield: 1 large Belgian waffle

Author: Abby Steketee, literallyupsidedown.com

These waffles are a dessert worth splurging for...except you don't have to splurge, at least not nutritionally. They're a feat of wholesome decadence...except they're too easy to make to be considered a feat. See notes below for tips on clementines and chocolate.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cashew or almond milk (125-130 mL)
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 clementines (140-150 grams total) - too much fruit will lead to soggy waffles
• 1 cup rolled oats (100-105 grams) - also known as old-fashioned oats
• 2 teaspoons maple sugar (yes, that's maple SUGAR, not syrup)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of ground ginger (scant 1/8 teaspoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons semi-sweet dark chocolate chips (miniature or small chips work best)
• Cooking spray (or oil) for the waffle iron

Instructions

1. Pour ½ cup of cashew milk and 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar into a large blender. Let the milk-vinegar sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. (Ta-da! You now have vegan buttermilk!)
2. Meanwhile, peel 2 out of 3 of your clementines, and slice all three clementines into thin wedges.
3. When the "buttermilk" is ready, add 1 cup oats to the blender and process until the oats are ground into flecks.
4. Add the three sliced clementines (2 peeled, 1 with peel), 2 teaspoons maple sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, scant 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger (just a dash!), and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and blend until smooth.
5. Turn on the waffle iron. Let your batter sit undisturbed while the iron heats.
6. When the iron is hot, gently stir 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips into the batter.
7. Oil the iron with cooking spray. Immediately pour the batter directly from the blender onto the iron. Close the lid and follow your iron's instructions. That being said, don't open the iron until it has completely stopped steaming. These fruit-based waffles may take longer than regular waffles to cook. Rely on the steam and aroma--rather than an indicator light on the iron--to know when the waffle is ready. If the outside of the waffle isn't crispy and deep orange-brown when you open the iron, simply close the lid and let it cook for a few more minutes.

Notes

• Clementines versus mandarins: Clementines are seedless and smaller than mandarins. They’re actually a hybrid of mandarins and other sweet orange varieties. Because mandarins are larger than clementines, use only two instead of three. By the way, “halos” and “cuties” are brands of clementines.

• Not a chocolate lover (hello, Mom!)? No problem. Thanks to the spices, these waffles pack a flavor punch even without the chocolate. If you’re skipping the chocolate, consider peeling all of the clementines (instead of peeling only two) OR zest only a bit of peel into the batter. The skin adds a subtle bitterness that harmonizes with the chocolate but is a little much on its own.

• My favorite plant-based chocolate chips (no sponsorship or affiliation): Pascha. I recommend their 55% cacao “barely dark semi-sweet” chocolate chips for these waffles. The flavor, texture, and ethical sourcing make them worth every penny. Plus, the Pascha chips are small (I consider them “mini” even though the package doesn’t describe them that way)—you’ll get a dab of chocolate in each bite of waffle.

• My favorite maple syrup (again, no sponsorship or affiliation): Barred Woods. The powdery texture blends smoothly into the batter. The maple flavor adds a richness that white and brown sugar lack.

• Meal-prepping? Completely cool the prepared waffles on the counter. Once cooled, place the waffles in a single layer (not touching each other) in the freezer for 1-2 hours. (It can be tricky to find plates or baking sheets that’ll fit in your freezer…be determined, get creative, stack cookie racks, etc.) After 1-2 hours, remove the waffles from the freezer; stack them between pieces of parchment paper in an air-tight, freezer-safe container; seal the container, and store them in the freezer.

• Making more than one waffle? Keep the prepared waffles warm by placing them on a wire cookie rack on a baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Steve took a bite. I watched him chew.* “What word comes to mind?” I asked.

“Grateful,” he said. 

Grateful. That’s how I felt, too.

Rose, April 2025, photo by Steve.

Gratitude, unlike cardamom, doesn’t come in a little glass jar. You can’t peel it, like a clementine, and add it to a blender; or pour it into a teaspoon, like vanilla; or spear a golden square of it with your fork. And yet, there it is…gratitude, wafting through and around you like the steam swirling off the waffle.

 Is this alchemy? The material of the batter transmuting into a seemingly immaterial, soul-filling, “subjective” experience? Scientists and philosophers and theologians have pondered subjectivity and objectivity, the mind and body, the existence of the soul, and whether everything (from gratitude to maple syrup) can be reduced to measurable particles. I’ve done my fair share of chewing on ontological questions. And what I can tell you is that I’d rather chew on a waffle.

Specifically, I’d rather share a waffle with my beloved, basking in whatever beautiful emotional resonance that batter begets.

(Speaking of emotional resonance, this simple poem by Wendy Copeland hits just right every time: “The Orange” (1:00 video).)

 *No chocolate for dogs. Rose’s gratitude will have to come from roasted sweet potato. The sweeping loops of her fringy tail make it clear that she’s grateful.

Other recipes in the CRAZY GOOD waffles series—gluten-free, vegan:

Banana Oat (the original CRAZY GOOD waffle), Apple Cinnamon (Steve’s favorite), Ginger Pear