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Italian pizzelles with the same classic flavor and texture, but vegan! This recipe uses seven simple ingredients to make a beautifully delicate and delicious waffle cookie that everyone will love.

overhead image of pizzelles on a cooling rack dusted with powdered sugar

Pizzelles were a staple every holiday season in my Italian American household, so it was only fitting that I made a vegan version. If you’re unfamiliar with pizzelles, they’re waffle-style Italian cookies traditionally made from eggs, flour, butter, and sugar. They can be made crispy and crunchy or soft and fluffy, but we prefer them crispy!

stacked pizzelles dusted with powdered sugar

With the advent of products like Just Egg, making pizzelles 100% plant-based is now easier than ever. Everything from the taste to the texture is spot on to what I remember as a child. I am so glad, too because I couldn’t picture Christmas without this classic Italian cookie. We hope you love this pizzelle recipe as much as we do!

overhead image of pizzelle ingredients

Here’s What You Need to Make Pizzelles

  • Flour: We use all-purpose flour for our pizzelles. Sifting in the flour helps keep the batter clump-free resulting in the perfect consistency. If you are looking for flour recommendations, we like to use this one.
  • Butter: Using dairy-free stick butter is ideal for this recipe. We recommend either Earth Balance buttery sticks or Country Crock Plant Butter. We recommend using melted butter when adding it to the mixture.
  • Sugar: To sweeten up our pizzelles. We like to use organic sugar to ensure that it isn’t processed through bone-char. If you are unsure about what sugar to buy, we like this one.
  • Eggs: The perfect liquid egg substitute for this recipe is Just Egg. If you aren’t familiar with Just Egg it’s a plant-based egg made primarily from mung beans and cooks and bakes just as chicken eggs would. It’s definitely a game-changer!
  • Vanilla: Adds the perfect subtle vanilla flavor.
  • Baking Powder: This will help with the texture of the pizzelles get thicker and puffier.
  • Star Anise: This is an optional ingredient, but it’s in my family recipe, so I had to include it. I honeslty love the way it tastes, but if you aren’t a fan of a subtle black licorice flavor, you may want to leave it out.
  • Powdered Sugar: Another optional ingredient, but we like to dust our finished pizzelles with powdered sugar. This will give them a beautiful look and also an extra pop of sweetness
finished pizzelles dusted with powdered sugar

Additional Equipment

  • Pizzelle Press: I know this is a very specific appliance, but it’s pretty difficult to make pizzelles without one. We have an electric one we purchased last year, but my mom also has a cast iron one that is heated on the stove top.
  • Scoop: This is used to measure the batter as it’s scooped onto the pizzelle press. The maker we have came with the perfect-sized scoop, but if yours doesn’t, a tablespoon works great.
  • Hand Mixer: This is used to cream together the egg and sugar. If you don’t have a hand mixer, you can whisk them vigorously to achieve the same effect. You can also use a stand mixer.
  • Large Bowl
  • Cooling Rack
  • Flour sifter or mesh strainer

Exploring Flavors

There are a variety of different flavor options when making pizzelles. Each one is just as delicious, so it comes down to personal preference. As mentioned above, my family always makes them with star anise. Other options include flavoring them with lemon, orange, vanilla, or cocoa powder. You can even drizzle them with chocolate and top them with nuts like pistachio. Another delicious option is to shape your pizzelles into bowls and scoop ice cream into them. I want to perfect rolling them into cannoli shapes and fill them with cream. This recipe may come next year, so keep an eye out. However you choose to make your pizzelles, you can’t go wrong!

overhead image of pizzelles on cooling rack with parchment underneath

Fun Facts about Pizzelles

  • Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie.
  • They originated in Abruzzo, Italy.
  • The village of Colcullo was once over run by snakes and once they were cleared, people celebrated with pizzelles.
  • The word pizzelle comes from the Italian word pizze which means “flat” and “round”. Pizza is also originates from this word.

Source: https://www.biscuitpeople.com/magazine/post/pizzelle-traditional-biscuit

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stacked pizzelles dusted with powdered sugar

Vegan Pizzelles


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5 from 1 review

  • Author: Chris @ Sweet Simple Vegan
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 28 cookies
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Italian pizzelles with the same classic flavor and texture, but vegan! This recipe uses seven simple ingredients to make a beautifully delicate and delicious waffle cookie that everyone will love.


Ingredients

  • 9 tablespoons liquid egg substitute (We use Just Egg)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 3/4 cup (232 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Pinch of salt 
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon star anise, crushed
  • Optional: powdered sugar, for dusting

Equipment


Instructions

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the liquid egg substitute and sugar with a hand mixer or whisk. Add in the melted vegan butter and vanilla, then continue to mix. 
  2. With a sifter or mesh strainer, sift your dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Using the hand mixer, mix until a thick batter forms. Add in star anise and mix through. 
  3. Turn on your pizzelle maker and allow it to heat up. We like to keep ours around setting 3, but it may vary depending on the pizzelle maker being used. 
  4. Using a tablespoon (or the spoon that came with your pizzelle maker), scoop the batter into the center of each pizzelle mold and close the press. Allow them to cook for 30-60 seconds, depending on how crispy you want them. 
  5. Remove them from the press gently and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.  
  6. Once fully cool, dust with powdered sugar if desired and enjoy. 

Notes

  • We crush out star anise with a rock, but you can also use your hands or a knife. 
  • Using a non-stick pizzelle press is highly recommended. This is the one we used!
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Italian

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Meet The Bloggers

hey there! we’re jasmine & chris.

Hi, we’re Jasmine and Chris! We share fresh and fun recipes to show you that vegan cooking is easy, approachable and delicious. When we’re not blogging, you will probably find us enjoying live music, tending to our backyard garden or playing with our dogs Berry and Louie

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13 Comments

  1. These stuck to my iron horribly. I don’t know why. I even tried oiling the iron which I have never done in the past. Did this recipe work for anyone? I am so disappointed.

  2. My vegan batter keeps sticking to the nonstick plates. Did you do anything to season the plates before first use AND do you periodically oil the plates during use?

    1. The Pizzelle maker we used was nonstick, so we didn’t have to use any oil to prevent sticking. I am not sure what you are using, but I would definitely try to heat it first and then add a light coating of oil in between each being made if they are sticking. Sorry you are experiencing this and I hope this helps!

  3. Just made these absolutely Delicious!!! Crispy and tasty . Only difference you must at watch closely ,They stick to the iron. But otherwise thy are just as good as non vegan

  4. Something wrong with this site – I’ve tried in three different browsers and recipe instructions cut off

  5. I’ve been trying to make vegan pizzelles for years. I’ve failed every time. I tried over the weekend and failed again. I almost threw the pizzelle maker in the trash. THEN I found your recipe. It’s perfect! I actually ended up with pizzelles and they’re really good. Thank you!