Are Low-Carb, Keto Chaffles Healthy? - Heather Mangieri Nutrition (2024)

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.