These vegan cornmeal waffles with tomato peach salsa are a wonderful option for a savory summer breakfast or brunch. They have a crispy exterior and a light, fluffy interior. Top them with the sweet, refreshing salsa in this recipe, or with avocado slices, guacamole, or any other garnish you like!

I really love breakfast, but it’s probably the meal that I eat most repetitively. When the summertime comes and I tire of toast, açaí bowls, and berry parfait, I turn to these savory vegan cornmeal waffles.

The waffles have a crispy exterior and a very light interior. They are versatile and different—a wonderful base for legumes, sauces, and guacamole.

If you’ve never made cornmeal waffles before, you’re in for a treat! I’ll tell you more about why.

Why put cornmeal in waffles?

Homemade vegan pancakes and waffles are probably my favorite breakfast food when I have a little time on my hands. In the years since buying a waffle maker, I’ve really put it to use!

Favorite waffle recipes include my fluffy pumpkin waffles, apple cinnamon waffles, and vegan peanut butter waffles.

These cornmeal waffles are a little different!

While none of my other go-to waffles are especially sweet, these ones are decidedly savory.

In addition, the waffles incorporate cornmeal, as well as flour, into the batter.

This has a marked effect on the consistency of the waffles. It gives them a very light interior, matched with a super crispy exterior.

If you’re wondering what type of cornmeal to use here, I recommend a medium grind cornmeal. This will create a touch of pleasant texture in the waffles.

A sweet and savory waffle topping

One of the distinctive features of this waffle recipe is its vibrant, colorful tomato peach salsa topping.

I love this salsa recipe not only for the waffles, but as a sweet and savory condiment for summer. Use it for dipping tortilla chips, for garnishing vegan tacos, or for spooning over your favorite salad. For example, I love to add it to my corn avocado salad.

The salsa becomes especially juicy and flavorful when you use heirloom tomatoes, along with fresh and in-season peaches, to make it. However, beefsteak tomatoes or even grape or cherry tomatoes work well in the recipe, too.

How to make vegan cornmeal waffles

Step 1: Make the salsa

The tomato peach salsa can be prepared up to a full day in advance of making the cornmeal waffles. In fact, the salsa is even more flavorful once the ingredients mingle a bit.

If you don’t wish to make it in advance, then you can simply prepare it right before making the waffles.

The salsa is really as simple as mixing the ingredients in a mixing bowl, tasting, and adjusting salt, pepper, and lime juice as you like.

Step 2: Heat your waffle iron

I often forget to give my waffle iron time to heat up, so I’m listing this loud and clear as the second step in the cornmeal waffle recipe!

On that topic, it’s worth saying that the recipe will work for a few different waffle iron shapes.

This batter ought to yield four 4-slice Belgian waffles, three or four square Belgian waffles, eight mini round waffles.

As a sidenote: the Dash mini waffle maker is great if you enjoy making and freezing waffles for quick snacks!

Step 3: Make a flax “egg”

A flax egg is just a tablespoon of ground flax meal, whisked together with three tablespoons of water.

The nature of flax is such that it becomes gelatinous when mixed with water. That gel texture helps it to behave similarly to egg in vegan recipes.

Prepare your flax egg in a small bowl, then allow it to thicken while you work on the waffle batter.

Step 4: Make the batter

To prepare the cornmeal waffle batter, you’ll first whisk together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Those are all-purpose flour, medium grind cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Then, make a well in the center of this whisked mixture and add the wet ingredients.

The wet ingredients for this recipe are vegan buttermilk—this is unsweetened, non-dairy milk combined with a source of acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar—and avocado oil.

Mix until the batter is mostly smooth and without any streaks of dry flour. A few little lumps are fine!

Step 5: Cook the waffles

Next, you’ll add the batter by the half cup to the hot waffle maker.

Cook the waffles on high for about 5 minutes per waffle, or until the waffle is very crisp and golden. The waffle maker ought to give you an indication when each waffle is ready.

If you like, you can hold cooked waffles in an oven preheated to about 200F until they’re all ready, if you’d like to keep them warm. Otherwise, transfer them to a cooling rack as you go and repeat the process with all remaining batter.

You should should get four Belgian waffles, each about 7-8 inches in diameter.

Step 6: Top with salsa and enjoy

Finally, the fun part!

Spoon nice heaps of the juicy, sweet, colorful salsa over your waffle tops. Rip those pieces apart, or dig into them with a fork and knife, and enjoy.

Meal prep & storage

If you’d like to make these part of your vegan meal prep breakfast rotation, that’s no problem.

The salsa will keep in an airtight container in the fridge four up to three nights, total.

Waffle batter can be prepared a day in advance and stored in the fridge, covered, overnight. Stir it in the morning, adding an extra splash of milk if it’s too thick to be easily scooped up. Then, get to preparing the waffles as directed.

Once made, the cornmeal waffles can be frozen for up to eight weeks and defrosted overnight in the fridge.

Whether fresh or defrosted, the waffles can be crisped up in a toaster before enjoying or heated on a baking sheet in a 350°F / 175°C oven for 5-10 minutes, till warm.

Can I make the cornmeal waffles gluten-free?

Yes, absolutely! To make these waffles gluten-free, you’ll simply use a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend in place of all-purpose flour.

I love the King Arthur Measure for Measure flour for this and all gluten-free vegan baking.

Other savory topping ideas for cornmeal waffles

If the tomato peach salsa isn’t calling to you, that’s OK! You could top your waffles with any of the following:

• Avocado slices
• Guacamole
• Texas caviar
• Tofu scramble
• Chickpea scramble
• Smoky vegan refried beans
• BBQ lentils
• Orange juice avocado dip
• Butternut squash hash with tofu
• Slow cooker tomato white beans
• Brussels sprout hash with coconut bacon
• Colorful, crunchy turmeric slaw

Alternatively, you can add your own favorite sauce or side dish to complete thee meal. It’s hard to go wrong with these delightful waffles as a base!

Enjoy this hearty, colorful, and fresh breakfast!

xo