Let me clear the air, I love the simpleness that frozen food brings. You take it, pop it in the toaster or microwave and within a couple minutes you can have a decent tasting waffle. The problem is that many, or most of frozen foods have ingredients that are thought to be unhealthy.
Don’t let Eggo Waffle product placement sway you!
Eggo waffles is well known for paying food bloggers big money for sponsored posts. A sponsored post is when, for example, a company pays me to write a review of their product. Many times food bloggers give honest reviews in these situations, however, it’s just difficult to critique a company that’s paying your bills.
For the most part, health food bloggers in the Keto, Gluten-Free, Low Carb, or Paleo realm will not give in to companies wanting to buy a positive review. However, it’s still common to see posts paid for by food companies.
Bloggers normally do openly say when it’s a sponsored post, but it’s not always obvious. Eggo throws massive amounts of money at bloggers and most recently at product placement.
Eggo is a sponsor of the Netflix Sci-Fi show Stranger Things. Now, I love Stranger Things, but I don’t like seeing people eating Stranger Ingredients from Eggo waffles!
What’s so bad about frozen waffles?
I don’t like the ingredients! I try not to eat foods with dyes because some studies show dyes are potentially harmful. I also try to avoid soy lecithin. Soy lecithin is in so many things and some studies indicate that too much soy can be harmful. Frozen waffles also have soybean oil, which is more soy. When the waffles aren’t organic, they’ll likely contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) which I also try to limit since there is no way to know the long term effects. Maybe GMOs don’t do a thing, but there’s no way to know for sure.
Another ingredient that I try to avoid at all costs are dyes. Some dyes are supposedly safe to ingest, and almost all foods have dyes in them, but it doesn’t mean that you can ingest them without consequence. Many frozen waffles also contain a preservative called TBHQ. TBHQ allows frozen waffles to stay “fresh” in the freezer for long periods of time.
Ingredients for the top 5 Frozen Waffle Brands
We looked at five of the top frozen waffle brands that are available at most grocery stores across the country. To stay consistent, we only selected plain waffles. No waffles that were multigrain, whole wheat, or flavored were looked at.
Aunt Jemima Homestyle Waffles
Aunt Jemima may make incredible pancake and waffle syrup, but they also make frozen waffles. Its ingredients are below.
Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Sugar, Whey. Contains 2% Or Less Of: Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate [Soy Lecithin]), Whole Eggs, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Chloride, Salt, Corn Syrup [Solids, Corn Starch, Colored With (Yellow 5, Yellow 6), Fortified With (Reduced Iron, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Cyanocobalamin [Vitamin B12]), Natural And Artificial Flavor (Dextrose, Corn Starch, Natural And Artificial Flavors), Soy Lecithin.
Ingredients in Eggo Homestyle Waffles
Who doesn’t love Eggo waffles? I do! Still, the ingredients in Eggo waffles make me want to take a second look at whether I should be eating these things!
Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Vitamin B1 [Thiamin Mononitrate], Vitamin B2 [Riboflavin], Folic Acid), Water, Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Palm and/or Canola Oil), Eggs Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Contains 2% or Less of Sugar, Salt, Whey, Soy Lecithin, Beta-Carotene for Color. Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Reduced Iron, Niacinamide, Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B12.
Van’s Gluten-Free Waffles
Van’s website didn’t work, but I was able to find the ingredients on Wal-Mart! Still, although it’s ingredients are decent, it still contains some scary sounding ingredients!
Water, Van’s Gluten-Free Mix (Brown Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Soy Flour), Canola Oil, Van’s Natural Fruit Juice Blend (Pineapple, Peach, and Pear Juice Concentrates), Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Calcium Phosphate), Salt, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum.
Whole Foods Homestyle Waffles
These waffles aren’t the best, but they had some of the best ingredients. Still, soy is prevalent in this product.
Water, Organic whole wheat flour, Organic enriched wheat flour (organic wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, ascorbic acid [vitamin c]), Organic expeller pressed canola and/or organic expeller pressed soybean oil, organic evaporated cane sugar, Leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), Organic wheat bran, Organic soy lecithin (emulsifier), Organic pear juice concentrate, Sea salt
Nature’s Path is actually one of my favorite waffles, still, it contains some ingredients that I wouldn’t normally want to ingest.
Water, brown rice flour*, potato starch*, corn flour*, soy oil*, tapioca starch*, cane sugar*, potato flour*, leavening agent (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, and monocalcium phosphate), soy lecithin*, pear juice concentrate*, natural flavor, sea salt. *Organic. Contains soy.
Frozen waffle Frequently asked questions
Do Eggo Waffles have Eggs?
Yes! Eggo waffles have eggs in them. Judging by the place on the ingredient list, it’s not much at all. So if you have a slight egg intolerance, it may not be a problem.
Do Eggo Waffles have Dairy?
Yes, Eggo Waffles contain whey protein, which contains a small about of lactose in them. However, whey protein is really unlikely to cause an issue for people that are lactose intolerant. This is because whey contains such a small amount of lactose. So, if you don’t eat milk because you’re a Vegan, then you should stay away from anything that has whey in it (but you probably knew that already!).
Are Eggo Waffles Bad for you?
Not necessarily. There is no one food that is either bad or good for you. You have to take many other factors into consideration.
So, are frozen waffles bad for you?
Not necessarily. There isn’t any one food that’s “bad” for you. But why eat frozen waffles when you can make better waffles at home?
Who wins the frozen waffle contest?
Nature’s Path is the clear winner when only looking at ingredients. Although soy oil and soy lecithin aren’t ingredients I want in my waffles, the ingredient list is much less than the others. Still, I always prefer waffles that only have the ingredients that I put in myself.
The real winner is – Homemade Waffles!
Why make waffles at home?
1. You control the ingredients
I know the quality of the ingredients and I can use what fits my budget. I can add or change the recipe whenever I want based on what’s in the house.
Read our post on How to use a waffle iron, which includes a basic recipe for homemade waffles.
Or if you’re on a specific diet, try these Paleo Waffle recipes.
2. These waffles are filling
Since they’re made with protein, fat, and I can limit carbs and added sugar. For extra protein, I add plain nonfat Greek yogurt as a topping. For sweetness, I go with strawberries.
3. Fits your time and money
These are ingredients I use for other meals throughout the week, buying them works better in our grocery budget. It also makes it easy to do the more you do it. The first time may be a little annoying, however, once you do it a few times, you’ll pick up a recipe you’re comfortable in no time.
For a top-of-the-line waffle maker, check out these best waffle makers.
For a multi-functional waffle maker that does much more (and also has ceramic plates) – Check out the George Foreman Evolve Grill.
So, are Eggo Waffles Healthy?
Conventional frozen waffles, like Eggos, are full of stuff we wouldn’t put in homemade waffles, so why eat it? I just can’t see myself adding sodium aluminum phosphate, soy lecithin, or soybean oil to my food.
Therefore, I have a choice, and I choose to make homemade waffles that are healthy, filling, and delicious. The time it takes to learn a recipe well and get used to a waffle iron is time that is well spent. Whatever waffle iron you buy and recipe you learn will benefit your family for years to come.
3 thoughts on “Are frozen waffles safe to eat?”
Just wanted to clarify that Eggo homestyle waffles do have dairy in them. Whey is dairy. It also literally says contains milk in the contains statement
Hi April,
Whey is found in dairy but contains such a tiny bit of lactose that many lactose-intolerant people can eat whey protein. For example, my wife is very sensitive to dairy, yet she can drink my whey protein powder and it doesn’t affect her at all. However, I updated the Q&A to reflect your point!
I buy those huge boxes of Eggos at Costco. Compared to the other food I buy at Costco, these things sound like the healthiest part of my diet. Not sure who would want to live forever on this messed up planet, maybe people who don’t track how close we are to an autocratic red-hat calamity.