- Prep10 min
- Cook15 min
- Freezer friendlyyes
A bacon cheeseburger waffle is burger night with the bun swapped for a crisp, cheesy waffle. Bacon and beef mince go on top, then more cheese, then a couple of minutes under the grill.
It’s low-spoon: a blend, a waffle maker and one pan. Buy the bacon pre-diced and the chopping’s gone. Easier still, make extra and freeze the waffles and the mince separately. Next time it’s toaster, microwave, grill, done.
Can I manage this today?
- Spoon rating: 🥄🥄 Low-Spoon
- Hands-on time: about 25 minutes (10 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), with no long waits
- Main effort: blending the batter and cooking the waffles
- Chopping: a little. Only the bacon, and pre-diced bacon removes it.
- Standing and attention: at the frying pan for the bacon (3–4 minutes) and then the mince, a short stint at the waffle maker, then 1–2 minutes at the grill
- Washing up: one blending bowl or jug, the waffle maker, a frying pan and a baking tray
Quick spoon check
- No-spoons version: use your freezer stash. Toast the frozen waffles, reheat the mince mix until steaming hot all the way through, top with cheese and grill for 1–2 minutes.
- Low-spoon version: pre-diced bacon and bagged grated cheese, then follow the recipe as written.
- As written: blend the batter, cook the waffles, cook the bacon and mince, then top with cheese and grill.
Kerry’s notes
I make a double batch whenever I can. Waffles go in the freezer flat, the mince goes in two-serve containers, and everything gets labelled, because future-me never remembers what’s in the unlabelled ones.
Two tips. Cook the beef right through, until there’s no pink left, before the BBQ sauce goes in. And don’t skip the grill. Those two minutes turn a pile of mince into a burger.
This one’s Ninja Approved. Marty would’ve had the first waffle off the iron before the mince hit the pan.
Want more protein in the mince? Leigh has a whole guide on hemp seeds in meatballs. I’ll put the kettle on while she explains the numbers.
What’s that ingredient?
Almond flour and almond meal. Ground almonds. Flour is finer and made from skinless almonds. Meal is coarser and usually includes the skins. The recipe takes either. Find it in the baking aisle at the big supermarkets, or in the health food section. Available all year. Keep an opened pack in a sealed container in the fridge. Easiest swap: whichever one you’ve got.
Sugar-free BBQ sauce. BBQ sauce made without added sugar. Check the label for carbs per serve. Look in the sauce aisle or the health food and low-carb section. Keep an opened bottle in the fridge, as the label says. Easiest swap: regular BBQ sauce, which pushes the carbs up.
Why this recipe works
- A bacon cheeseburger waffle crisps at the edges, so the toppings sit on something firm. Think of it as a chaffle with extra veg. Our basic chaffles are the simpler version.
- Bacon, beef and sauce all cook in one pan. No separate sauce to make.
- The grill finish is 1–2 minutes. An air fryer does the same job if your oven has no grill.
- Almond flour and cauliflower rice stand in for wheat flour, so there’s no wheat in it. Check labels on the sauce and bacon.
Ingredients at a glance
- Tasty cheese: goes in the waffle and melts over the top.
- Eggs: hold the waffle batter together.
- Cauliflower or broccoli rice: the base of the waffle, with the cheese.
- Almond flour or almond meal: stands in for wheat flour.
- Parmesan: salty, savoury flavour in the waffle.
- Garlic and onion powder: savoury flavour with no chopping.
- Beef mince: the burger part.
- Bacon: smoky and salty, cooked with the mince.
- Sugar-free BBQ sauce: stirred through the mince as the sauce.
No Spoon Swaps
- Pre-diced bacon pieces: skip the chopping. Use 100 g. The pieces are uneven, which doesn’t matter once it’s stirred through.
- Pre-grated cheese: skips the grater and one more thing to wash. Use the same weight.
- Stick blender in the mixing bowl: one less processor bowl to wash. A food processor works too.
- Frying pan instead of a waffle maker: you get a flat, browned round instead of ridges. It still holds the toppings.
- Air fryer instead of the grill: same result, no grill needed.
- Freezer stash: toast frozen waffles, reheat the mince, top and grill. No chopping and no raw meat.
Substitutions and allergens
- Cauliflower rice and broccoli rice are interchangeable.
- Almond flour and almond meal are interchangeable.
- No waffle maker? Use a frying pan.
- No grill? Use an air fryer.
- Dairy-free, egg-free and nut-free versions haven’t been tested.
Allergen notes
- Egg: in the waffle batter.
- Milk: in the tasty cheese and the parmesan.
- Tree nuts: in the almond flour or meal.
- Gluten: there’s no wheat flour in the recipe, but some BBQ sauces and bacon contain gluten ingredients. Check the labels.
- Other allergens: check the BBQ sauce and bacon labels.
Equipment and easier alternatives
- Waffle maker: a waffle iron or a Mini Dash waffle maker. No waffle maker? Cook the batter in a frying pan until well browned on one side, flip, and brown the other.
- Blender: a stick blender or food processor makes the batter.
- Finishing: the grill, or an air fryer if your oven has no grill.
Storage, freezing and reheating
- Fridge: cool within 2 hours, then keep the waffles and the mince mix in separate airtight containers at 5°C or below. Eat within 3 days.
- Freezer: yes. Freeze the waffles and the mince mix separately for up to 3 months. Add the cheese after reheating, not before freezing. Thaw the mince in the fridge, use it within 24 hours and don’t refreeze it. Waffles toast from frozen. See all our freezer friendly recipes.
- Reheating: toast the waffles until crisp. Reheat the mince mix until steaming hot all the way through, adding 10 seconds at a time if it isn’t, and only once. Then top with cheese and grill for 1–2 minutes.
Serving ideas
- Lettuce, sliced tomato and pickles, the classic burger toppings.
- Mustard or sugar-free ketchup on top.
- A spoonful of Keto Bacon Jam on top.
- No spoons left at all? Try the Keto Cheeseburger Soup, same flavours, no waffle maker.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a frying pan instead of a waffle maker?
Yes. Cook the batter until well browned on one side, flip it, and brown the other side. You get a flat round instead of a waffle, and it still works as the base.
Can I make the waffles ahead?
Yes. Freeze the cooked waffles and toast them from frozen until crisp. In the fridge, they keep for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze it already topped?
That hasn’t been tested. Freeze the waffles and the mince mix separately, then top with cheese and grill when you’re ready to eat.
What if my oven has no grill?
Use an air fryer for the cheese finish.
Is it gluten free?
There’s no wheat flour in it. Labels vary, so check the BBQ sauce and the bacon for gluten ingredients.
Bacon Cheeseburger Waffle (No Bun, No Worries)
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
- Mini Dash Waffle Maker
- Stick blender or food processor
- Frying Pan (or BBQ)
- Baking Tray
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
Ingredients
Waffles (the bun)
- 125 g grated tasty cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup cauliflower or broccoli rice
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 4 tbsp almond flour or almond meal
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
Mince and bacon topping
- 125 g beef mince
- 100 g bacon
- 4 tbsp sugar-free BBQ sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
To finish
- 125 g grated tasty cheese
Instructions
Make the waffles
- Put the cauliflower or broccoli rice and the first 125 g of cheese into a large bowl.
- Add the parmesan, eggs, almond flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Blend with a stick blender or food processor until it forms a thick paste.
- Heat the waffle maker.
- Spoon the batter into the waffle maker.
- Cook until crisp and golden. No waffle maker? Cook in a frying pan until well browned on one side, flip, and brown the other side.
Cook the topping
- Chop the bacon into pieces about 1 cm across, or use pre-diced bacon.
- Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes.
- Add the beef mince. Break it up with a spoon and cook until no pink remains and it reaches 75°C in the middle.
- Stir in the BBQ sauce, then take the pan off the heat.
Top and grill
- Heat the grill.
- Put the waffles on a baking tray.
- Divide the mince mixture evenly between the waffles.
- Sprinkle the second 125 g of cheese over the top.
- Grill for 1–2 minutes, until the cheese has melted. No grill? Use an air fryer.
Notes
Nutrition
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A final spoon-saving note
Make the full batch next time. Waffles flat in the freezer, mince in two-serve containers, both labelled. On the day you can’t face the stove, it’s toaster, microwave, grill, and dinner’s done. Give it a go.
