Pumpkin Spiced Waffles With Cinnamon Caramel Syrup

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 11/24/21
Pumpkin Spiced Waffles With Cinnamon Caramel Syrup

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 8 servings

It isn't fall without pumpkin and your day can't start without breakfast, right? Begin a crisp autumn morning on the right foot, with a hot cup of coffee and a stack of these delicious pumpkin spice waffles! These waffles are made with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, then topped with a cinnamon caramel syrup that's so good, you'll want to enjoy it on everything from pancakes to cinnamon rolls. You could honestly just eat the topping with a spoon, but the crispy, fluffy waffles are perfect for soaking it all up. Add chopped pecans or other nuts to add a little crunch and whipped cream for the perfect finish.

Ingredients

For the Syrup:

  • 2 cups brown sugar

  • 3/4 cup salted butter

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Waffles:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 3 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree

  • 3/4 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup salted butter, melted

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional:

  • Whipped cream

  • Chopped pecans

Steps to Make It

Make the Syrup

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Pumpkin Spiced Waffles With Cinnamon Caramel Syrup ingredients

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter and brown sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon every few seconds until butter has melted.

    butter and brown sugar in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Slowly add heavy cream, being careful as it will foam quite a bit. Stir it in with wooden spoon and allow to boil for 1 to 2 minutes.

    heavy cream added to butter and brown sugar in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  4. Turn off heat, stir in vanilla extract and cinnamon and set aside ready to serve. You can also keep the syrup warm over extra low heat if you wish.

    cinnamon carmel syrup in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Make the Waffles

  1. Heat waffle iron as you're mixing batter. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and soda, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

    dry ingredients for waffle batter in a bowl

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. In a liquid measuring cup or other medium-sized bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract.

    pumpkin puree, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract in a bowl

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack 

  3. Add wet mixture to dry mixture. Whisk until combined, being careful not to over mix. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and then begin cooking waffles.

    combine dry and wet ingredients to make the pumpkin spiced waffle batter

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack 

  4. After batter has rested, add about 1/4 cup of batter to waffle iron at a time. Cook until fluffy and crispy, according to waffle iron instructions.

    waffles in the waffle iron

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack 

  5. Once all waffles are complete, drizzle with cinnamon caramel syrup and top with chopped pecans and whipped cream, if desired.

    Pumpkin Spiced Waffles With Cinnamon Caramel Syrup on a plate

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack 

Tips

  • Make the cinnamon caramel syrup ahead of time if you wish. It will thicken when it cools, but just heat it up in the microwave or on the stove top in a small pan and it will loosen back up and be ready to pour.
  • To make sure the waffles stay toasty until you're ready to serve them, heat your oven to 200 F and place them on a tray inside as you finish to keep them warm and crispy.

Recipe Variations

  • If you don't have the nutmeg and cloves, you can substitute "pumpkin pie spice," which is a premade spice mixture that often contains these spices.
  • Feel free to make only the syrup and then put it on plain waffles or make the pumpkin waffles and then top them with regular syrup. Both the syrup and the waffles are a little more involved than the basic version of each respective dish, but they are both well worth it and delicious together.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
962 Calories
52g Fat
120g Carbs
9g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 962
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 52g 66%
Saturated Fat 27g 134%
Cholesterol 159mg 53%
Sodium 621mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 120g 44%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Total Sugars 86g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 2mg 9%
Calcium 238mg 18%
Iron 3mg 19%
Potassium 320mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)