Easy Einkorn Waffles - Snacking in Sneakers (2024)

Break out the waffle iron and whip up these tasty einkorn waffles, perfect for a family breakfast or brunch!

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Lately I’ve been feeling the need to clean and declutter excess junk from the house. Something about the start of the new year a few weeks ago elicited an urge towards a more minimalistic, calm living setting. {Is anyone else with me on that?}.

But the one place I pretty much never have to purge? My kitchen. I may have a lot of appliances and gadgets, but they most definitely don’t sit collecting dust. On the contrary, I use just about every gadget in my kitchen often, from the food processor to the stand mixer to the waffle iron.

Ahhh, the waffle iron. The source of my joy on many weekend mornings. There’s just nothing like a freshly cooked Belgian waffle.

If you’ve also got a waffle iron hanging around your kitchen too, you’ll want to bust it out for this delish dish: einkorn waffles.

What is einkorn?

Einkorn is a strain of wheat that’s an “ancient grain” – in other words, it’s the form of wheat that was around hundreds of years ago. Interestingly, it was actually close to being nonexistent just a few years ago. It has lower yields compared to modern wheat and is more difficult to harvest/mill, so many people started to lose interest. But it’s since been revived by a few companies and researchers.

Why einkorn waffles?

I grabbed a package of whole grain einkorn flour on Amazon a few weeks back, and was amazed at how light and fluffy the whole grain waffles turned out using it. And topped with some warm, juicy berries? It’s just a perfect way to start your day.

The best part is that this recipe is quite light, and the entire Belgian einkorn waffle will run you just about 300 calories. Add in a cup of berries on top and you’re still clocking in under 400 calories total. Plus, if you do top it with fruit, you’ll have absolutely no added sugar in your whole breakfast! All the sugar comes naturally from the berries.

Of course, you can also go traditional and top it with some fresh maple syrup. That’s perfectly sweet and delectable.

Is einkorn flour more nutritious?

Einkorn flour may have a step up nutritionally compared to commercial wheat. It has more protein and less starch compared to the wheat we traditionally eat. It also has a higher phytochemical content (source). There may also be some additional benefits as far as cardiovascular disease risk and anti-inflammatory benefits – but with limited research in humans, this is unclear (source).

And while there’s no hard scientific evidence, some people with gluten sensitivities believe they can tolerate einkorn flour better than commercial wheat flour. (This does not apply to those who have celiac and need to eliminate gluten completely.) There are a few theories behind this:

–> The genetic differences between einkorn and traditional wheat may affect how well it is digested. Einkorn has just 14 chromosomes, while traditional wheat has 42, and there are many potential rabbit trails of change that this could lead to as far as digestion/nutrition.

–> Differences in gluten breakdown may affect digestion. All wheat has gluten, which is a family of proteins. The two main proteins in gluten are glutenin and gliadin. While the total amount of gluten in einkorn is comparable or higher than commercial wheat, the breakdown between those two proteins is a bit different. Einkorn has a great proportion of gliadins over glutenins. Specifically high-molecular-weight glutenins were very rare in einkorn according to a research analysis. Perhaps those with gluten sensitivity have an issue with these high molecular weight proteins.

–> Possible difference in starch composition could affect digestion. It may not be related to gluten at all, but rather differences in the overall and specific starch breakdown in einkorn versus commercial wheat.

Again, there is very little research right now on this, so I’m still skeptical to draw any conclusions – but I wanted to share all the ideas I did come across as it’s fascinating to consider!

To be clear, I don’t personally have any issues with using commercial wheat as far as health goes. I don’t think it’s the devil that some authors like to portray it as, and I think it certainly fits into a healthy diet. (I use it in these tasty acorn squash waffles!).

And though there’s a common misconception about our commercial wheat being full of GMO’s, that’s not true. There is no genetically modified wheat on the market these days.

The wheat we have now has been hybridized over the years, meaning that traditional plant breeding methods have been used to elicit the best crop outcomes. Some of these changes created more structurally sound plants, stronger gluten, and higher yields. But it’s certainly plausible that some of the tradeoffs for more yield have resulted in a product that’s a bit different than its ancient counterpart.

All sciencey stuff aside – einkorn waffles taste darn delicious, and that’s reason enough to give ‘em a whirl. They’re great for a family breakfast or brunch, or a tasty post-workout treat for the runners and triathletes in the house. Grab some einkorn flour online (again, here’s the stuff I buy on Amazon) or see if there’s any available in your local grocery store, and put these on your meal plan asap! 🙂

Share with me: Have you ever used einkorn flour? What did you make with it? Do you think you’d love these einkorn waffles?