Chaffles are the latest, low-carb, keto, food craze – made with only two ingredients and ready in minutes. But, are they healthy? I share my views, plus some tips on how to nutrition-up this trendy dish.
Have you heard about the chaffle rage? This low-carb twist on traditional waffles is all over Instagram, Pinterest and other social media sites. You might hear them referred to as keto waffles, and it’s also popular with those that follow a grain-free and gluten-free diet.
If you know me, you know I’m not one to jump on trends, and I definitely don’t follow a keto diet. Having the majority of my daily calories come from fat – as the keto diet requires – isn’t even close to my thing. No offense to those that choose a keto lifestyle. I just don’t believe it’s the most nutritious way to eat, and nutritious eating and living is my jam.
Still, with so much rage, I had to give them a try.
Chaffles are made with only two ingredients – eggs and cheese. I like cheese, and I absolutely love eggs. I’m in! It sound like a high-protein meal to me. My only hesitation was the thought of cleaning my waffle maker after cooking. I’m serious. I hate wiping down each and every divider in that thing after I use it. I actually avoid making regular waffles at all cost. To me, making cheesy eggs this way seemed like unnecessary work. I could just use my sauté pan.
Still, I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about, so into the waffle iron my mixture went.
How To Make Chaffles
There are a lot of fancy waffle makers out there, but there was no way I was buying a special one just to make this recipe. Not yet anyway! My mom bought me a Belgium waffle maker a few years ago for Christmas, so that’s what I used to make this recipe.
Like I said above, you only need two ingredients – cheese and eggs. It doesn’t get much easier. I bought finely shredded cheese for this recipe. I thought it was my best bet in assuring the cheese would be completely melted by the time they finished cooking.
All you do is whisk two eggs together in a bowl, then add 1 cup of cheese. Stir to combine the ingredients evenly. Pour the batter evenly into a pre-heated waffle iron, close the lid and cook for ~6 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, remove the chaffle from the waffle iron and put on a plate. Enjoy!
The Taste
Now, for the real test – the taste! I’ll be honest, I did not expect to like this recipe. I have some texture issues – mostly with soggy foods, like bread or over-cooked pasta. The thought alone….yuck.
I have to admit, chaffles are actually good! I expected an eggy flavor, but not even close. They have a crispy outside and the inside was not soggy at all. The flavor reminded me of the baked cheese that oozes out of a grilled cheese and cooks to the outside of the sandwich. Yum! If you like that taste, you’ll love chaffles.
Are Chaffles Healthy?
Chaffles may be low in carbohydrates, but they are not low in calories, sodium, cholesterol, fat or saturated fat. In order for the recipe to turn out, you need a to use a lot of cheese – 1 cup, in fact. Some recipe suggest more. That equates to ~4 ounces of cheese. It’s not that cheese can’t be part of a healthy diet; it’s just that 4-ounces contributes a lot of sodium and fat for one meal. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends taking in no more than 2300 mg of sodium for the entire day, with 1500 mg/day being the ideal amount for most adults. Eating 1 chaffle is almost 50% of that recommended daily intake.
For that reason, I definitely wouldn’t refer to them as a health food, but they are not necessarily unhealthy, either. Both cheese and eggs are a great high-quality protein source, and cheese is a great source of calcium. In fact, this one chaffle provides 80% of the daily value for calcium. That’s really good.
It’s really the portion size and lack of nutrient variety that prevents me from calling this dish healthy. That said, if a keto or low-carb lifestyle is one that you prefer to follow, these definitely have a place on your plate.
Tips For Eating Chaffles And Living A Healthy Lifestyle, too
The recipe I’m sharing is slightly lightened up from others, because I used reduced-fat, mild cheddar made with 2% milk. That substitution reduced the fat grams coming from cheese to 24 grams, compared to 36 grams if I had used full fat cheese. It also reduced the saturated fat from 20 grams down to 14. I have to say it does slightly increase the sodium, so be mindful of your own preferences and go with your own needs.
If you’re a keto follower, you might welcome the higher fat content from using full-fat cheese. But, I’m a healthy living bogger, not a keto advocate, so I’m all about balancing out your plate. That balance includes carbs.
If you want my advice on how to make this meal better, use reduced-fat cheese and add some fresh berries, herbs and spices to the mix. Doing so increases the nutritional value, and provides a better balance of macronutrients. Don’t be afraid to add a drizzle of maple syrup, too. That’s how I ate mine, and it was delicious and nutritious!
What do you think? Have you tried chaffles, or are you ready to try them? Do you have a favorite way to make them, or a favorite seasoning? I’m sharing my recipe below.
Belgium Chaffles (Keto; Low-Carb)
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Turn on waffle iron to heat
- Whisk to eggs in a bowl, then add cheddar cheese. Continue stirring until well combined.
- Pour mixture into hot waffle iron and cook for ~6 minutes. Serve
Notes
- Recipe makes 1 Belgium Chaffle
- Nutrition Facts: 460 calories, 2 grams carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 33 grams fat, 17 grams saturated fat, 490 mg cholesterol, 44 grams protein, 890 mg sodium, 80% DV for calcium
Hi, I’m Heather – a registered dietitian, busy mom, consultant, adventure junkie and travel addict who has mastered living healthy on the go. My blog is where I share simple recipes and healthy living tips to help and inspire others to live their best life.
Huh, this was a great read! I could visually see you cleaning the creases in the waffle iron.
Haha, it’s dreadful! But I will always waffles if the kids ask.
You’d be surprised! I’ve been making AT LEAST one chaffle a day for several months, and my chaffles pop out of my $10 waffle maker like a dream EVERY TIME! I put down a sprinkling of cheese on the top and bottom, and when they are done steaming, EVERYTHING lifts right out in one piece, with NOthing left in creases to clean! I’ve been eating keto for almost two years, so I’m good with the fat, and feel AMAZING! There’s no doubt that my body prefers burning ketones to glucose! After being a sugar and carb addict for well over half a century, I no longer crave cabs and sugar, and have never felt SO GOOD!
You have motivated me to keep going. I’ve only been doing low-carb 2 weeks and my sugar craving are declining.
I like the idea of this for a fun ‘waffle’ like omelet. I’m also not keto but this could be an easy way to spice up a brunch, and make a different omelet quickly.
Thanks, Marjorie. I totally agree!
I haven’t tried chaffles yet, but the video I saw toeday showed the portion size as ONE egg and between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese as the portion size. (Smaller if other things were added, like pepperoni, almond flour, salsa, pork rinds). They were little chaffles.
Yes, that’s right. This recipe is just a double portion from what you saw in the video since it’s made in a Belgium waffle maker. You could use 1 egg and 1/2 cup of cheese and try to keep it in only 1/2 of the waffle maker.
All the recipes I use are 1 egg and 1/2 cup of cheese. It makes 2 mini chaffles and can be used in place of bread or buns or pizza crusts. I use different spices depending on usage. My favorite is everything but the bagel.
Yes, this recipe is just double the portion you use, which works better if you use a Belgium waffle maker like I did. The mini waffle makers are super cute though, if you have one.
Can’t wait to try this. My diabetic husband loves bread and I was searching for alternatives when I stumbled across your site. So far, loving everything I’ve read.
I use one egg, and about 1/3 cup cheese -with some of that sprinkled on the bottom and top creating a crunch. I also vary it in a zillion ways!
My sister manages her epileptic seizures with keto Another sister has reversed her kidney damage, and taken herself off of so many meds on keto. I have more energy than ever before, with enhanced brain funciton (more mitochondria and increased BDNF – brain derived neurotrophic factor) since living keto!
For me, keto isn’t a fad – it’s SCIENCE! Amazing science!
I make these often. The standard recipe is 1 egg, 1/4 cheese (divided- save one tablespoon for sprinkling on the waffle iron underneath and top of the batter for crispness), a tablespoon of almond flour, and whatever seasoning or herbs (scallions, garlic, everything but the bagel seasoning, indian spices, etc) which makes 2 chaffles. While there are a lot of variations, I have never heard of as much cheese as you did. The goal is to have a bread or waffle substitute and for it not to taste like cheese.
Hi Maryanne, Yes, there are tons of variations. This recipe is specific to a Belgium waffle maker. You certainly can reduce the ingredients to 1 egg and 1/4- 1/2 cheese, even though in some toppings, but it won’t be enough to fill the entire Belgium waffle griddle. 1 egg and 1/2 cup cheese is standard for making smaller chaffles. It really depends on what size waffle iron you use, and whether or not you care about having it “look” like a Belgium waffle.
Discovered these. I use a tiny waffle maker making it with part skim fine shredded mozzarella with egg whites only! I added a tsp of almond flour to make a more waffles texture. Yum!!!
I love Chaffles… got my family hooked. I add chopped spinach, onions, bell peppers, and chopped chicken=delicious. Great with or w/o a drizzle of syrup!
Could “egg beaters” be used along with low fat/ low sodium cheese? If not, no good for me!
These chaffles look yummy and healthy! Can’t wait to try these out.
I use 1 egg, 2 egg whites 1/2 cup of cheddar – – simply delicious and filling !
I prefer the Chaffle with added almond flour and a smaller portion.
New to the Chaffle-Craze and enjoying the usage diversity !