KANSAS CITY — Waffles boosted with protein may sound like a niche category, but many major baking manufacturers are turning to the trend as a way to bring added value to a segment that historically hasn’t been associated with nutrition.

One of these baking manufacturers is Chicago-based Kellanova, which spun off from The Kellogg Co. in October 2023. The company launched a line of Eggo waffles in May 2024 called Eggo Fully Loaded Waffles. Each two-waffle serving of Eggo Fully Loaded contains 10 grams of protein, the highest protein offering for the brand. Eggo Fully Loaded comes in two flavors: chocolate chip brownie, which features a fudgy chocolate-filled batter packet of chocolate chips, and strawberry delight, which features a tart taste from strawberry flavor-infused batter.

Milbridge, Maine-based frozen fruit company Wyman’s also launched waffles with protein in 2024. As part of the company’s fourth new product launch in four years, Wyman’s introduced its Fruit First waffles in November 2024. The wild blueberry waffles come in boxes of six and contain 10 grams of protein per waffle.

“At Wyman’s, we’re passionate about helping people live healthier lives,” said Tony Shurman, president and chief executive officer at Wyman’s. “Creating exceptional new products that make it easy for people to incorporate fruit into their diets is a big part of that effort.”

Elsewhere, Emeryville, Calif.-based food manufacturer Premier Nutrition has partnered with North Little Rock, Ark.-based waffle producer De Wafelbakkers, which is owned by Chicago-based baking manufacturer Hometown Food Co., to add frozen waffles to their Premier Protein brand, containing 13 to 15 grams of protein per serving.

“Premier Nutrition is thrilled to introduce three new delicious frozen varieties to our innovative line of protein-filled breakfast options,” said Nick Stiritz, general manager of Premier Protein US. “Protein is an essential nutrient that helps your body build and maintain muscle. Plus, it helps you feel fuller for longer, which can make sticking to your daily nutrition goals a little bit easier. Our brand mission is to provide delicious, protein-packed products and flavors that customers get excited about — ultimately bringing joy to their health journey.”

Brooklyn, NY-based breakfast food company Belgian Boys also launched waffles with protein last year — but in a smaller package. In September 2024, Belgian Boys launched Breakfast All Day boxes. The on-the-go breakfast options come in three varieties but all feature mini butter waffles with 2 grams of protein per serving.

“As our stress-free, mess-free breakfast options have grown more popular, we’ve heard from our consumers that they need an even easier on-the-go solution,” said Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys. “These new options have everything you need in one convenient package.”

Chicago-based frozen waffle startup Evergreen also sold waffles with protein last year. In January 2024, Evergreen launched a reformulated miniature waffles product line, now with higher amounts of fruit and vegetable powder than previous iterations as well as swapping honey for maple syrup as an unrefined sweetener and adding avocado oil. Each serving of three waffles contains 4 grams of protein. The waffles come in many flavors: peanut butter banana bread, apple cinnamon cobbler, mixed berry cobbler, zucchini carrot cake and chocolate zucchini bread.

“As a mom, foodie, and founder, I want to feed my family a breakfast that is simple, delicious and made with real ingredients,” said Emily Groden, founder and CEO. “We know mornings are hectic, but we wanted to show how much easier, fun and even nutritious they can be with Evergreen in your freezer.”

Reno, Nev.-based waffle manufacturer Marson Foods last year said it planned to add more protein to its products as part of its strategy to move away from traditional waffles and focus on the better-for-you (BFY) market.

“It’s establishing that criteria that we want to go after, and then keeping those criteria general enough that it meets more than one need,” Marson said.