What has 40g of complete protein, 190 calories, and tastes like light and fluffy angel food cake? These angel food cake protein waffles, of course. Featuring a silky meringue batter and a luscious vanilla flavor, you’ll want to have these for breakfast every day (and you should!).
Jump to RecipeBaking scares me – can I still make these angel food cake waffles?
If angel food cake immediately makes you think of fickle, tedious meringue, you’re not alone! Luckily, anyone can achieve glossy stiff peaks using this simple, if somewhat blasphemous, recipe – no stand mixer required. The secret? Use whatever blending apparatus you’re comfortable with (food processor or blender).
How on Earth do these protein waffles have so much protein and so few calories?
These waffles are the macro-friendliest ever, probably. They pack 20 grams of complete protein from 100 calories of egg whites (approximately one cup’s worth), and another 20 grams of protein from vanilla whey isolate (I prefer ISOPURE, which has 88 calories per 20g of protein serving). Add in some zero-calorie sweetener (I prefer 2 tbsp of Swerve confectioner’s sugar and 2 truvia packets), a dash of vanilla extract, and you’re golden. These protein waffles have twice the protein density of the average protein bar, and they taste way better, because they don’t contain weird fillers.
I heard that liquid egg whites from a carton won’t whip due to the pasteurization process. How does this recipe work?
This recipe uses carton egg whites which have been pasteurized for safety. While they generally won’t work for traditional meringues, the protein powder used in this recipe provides the egg whites with the structural integrity needed to form a stiff, fluffy meringue batter.
What equipment do I need?
Grab your favorite large blending device (food processor or large capacity blender), waffle iron, kitchen scale (if you have one), and a few plastic bowls for measuring out ingredients.
Let’s get cooking!
Angel Food Cake Protein Waffles (190 cal, 40g protein)
Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy1
servings5
minutes10
minutes190
kcalDelightfully sweet and fluffy high-protein waffles inspired by angel food cake. Keto friendly (zero net carbs!), macro-friendly, and easily customizable. Experiment with different protein powder flavors (chocolate anyone?), mix-ins, and toppings. Have fun!
Ingredients
184g liquid egg whites
25g vanilla flavored whey protein powder
2 tbsp confectioner’s erythritol (or other sweetener)
2 stevia packets
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
will to live
Directions
- Measure out 184g of egg whites using a trusted kitchen scale. If you don’t have a kitchen scale (blasphemous), pour approximately 1 cup of egg whites into a small bowl and leave it for about 2 hours to come up to room temperature. If you’re feeling particularly impatient, you can place the bowl of egg whites into a shallow dish of warm water for about 15 minutes (obviously being extra careful to not get the egg whites wet).
- Add your room temperature egg whites to a food processor (or a large blender if you’re feeling a little crazy, or just don’t own a food processor). Add 3/4 tsp cream of tartar (which is about 3.5g if you’d prefer to weigh everything) into your blending apparatus of choice with the egg whites.
- If you’re using a food processor, turn it on and let it whip the living sh*t out of the egg whites for about 5 minutes. They should increase in volume and start to get very frothy. If you’re using a blender, do 5 blend cycles of 1 min each, stopping each time to open the lid of the blender (this will prevent a buildup of pressure that could potentially result in an explosion).
- Add your protein powder, sweeteners, and vanilla extract to the whipped egg whites. Traditional baking wisdom advises a gradual addition of dry ingredients to avoid overwhelming the delicate meringue, but it honestly doesn’t make much of a difference here. Feel empowered to dump everything in at once.
- Continue whipping using your blending device for 5 mins (stopping to open the blender every minute if you’re using one). When finished, you should have a nice glossy and “stiff” meringue batter that holds its shape and won’t drip off a spoon (or your finger, if you’re sneaking a little taste). During this blending period, you can get your waffle iron prepped (or just watch the egg whites in amazement).
- Pour or spoon the meringue batter onto your waffle iron very carefully, making sure it’s not too hot, close the lid, and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Cooking time varies greatly depending on the size and strength of your waffling machine, so use common sense and be very vigilant to avoid burning your protein delight. If you’re using a small waffle iron, check on the waffle more frequently (about every minute or so) by gently opening the lid.
- Carefully remove your waffle, and…voila, congratulations! Top with sugar free (or real) maple syrup, protein whipped cream, fruit, sprinkles, whatever.
Notes
- I used ISOPURE Zero Carb vanilla protein powder for this recipe because that’s what my local Costco sells. Use whatever protein powder works for you.
- Know your waffle iron – if it’s not of the nonstick variety, grease it!
- If you’re a serious baker who happens to own a stand mixer, you can whip the egg whites that way if you prefer. I use a blender because it makes pouring the batter easier and I generally make less of a mess.
- Experiment with different flavors! I’m definitely trying chocolate next. This recipe is very forgiving (unlike traditional meringue) so don’t be afraid to tweak it as you see fit.
- You may have heard that pasteurized carton egg whites don’t whip – while that’s generally true, adding protein powder in the second round of blending gives the eggs enough structure to hold a stiff meringue shape without issue.
Nutrition Facts
1 servings per container
Serving Size225g
- Amount Per ServingCalories190
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
1g
2%
- Saturated Fat 0g 0%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 5mg 2%
- Sodium 450mg 19%
- Potassium 874mg 25%
- Total Carbohydrate
17g
6%
- Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
- Sugars 0g
- Protein 40g 80%
- Vitamin A 35%
- Vitamin C 15%
- Calcium 25%
- Vitamin E 25%
- Vitamin K 15%
- Thiamin 25%
- Riboflavin 25%
- Niacin 16%
- Vitamin B6 25%
- Vitamin B12 110%
- Folate 18%
- Pantothenic Acid 40%
- Phosphorus 20%
- Magnesium 20%
- Zinc 30%
- Selenium 25%
- Copper 50%
- Manganese 20%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Why does this recipe have carbs? I thought it was keto.
Sugar alcohols are carbohydrates not metabolized by the body for energy. The 17g on the nutrition label come from the sweeteners used. If you prefer real sugar, that will definitely work here as well. Happy waffling!
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