I’m pretty particular about my waffles. I want light, whole grain, crisp-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside, Belgian-with-deep-pockets, quintessential WAFFLES. No soggy waffles allowed! Bonus points if they freeze well so I can pop them in the toaster like Eggo’s.
These waffles meet all of the aforementioned qualifications. After tweaking five batches of these waffles, I can confirm that oat flour waffles are the waffles I’ve been searching for all along. Oat waffles are the waffles of my dreams.
Best of all, these waffles are gluten free! That means that I can share them with all of my friends.
This gluten-free waffle recipe is so simple that I have it memorized. It only requires one flour—oat flour—which is the easiest flour to make at home. Just toss some old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats in your blender or food processor and blend until they are a fine flour.
The secret to these waffles’ success is letting the batter rest for 10 minutes while your waffle iron heats up. The resting time gives the oat flour time to soak up some of the moisture, so you get crisp, fluffy waffles when it’s go time. I learned this trick with my banana oat pancakes, a recipe that has quite a few fans.
If you, like me, have been disappointed by other gluten-free waffle recipes in the past (or waffle recipes in general, really), please give these a try! They’re just right. Please let me know how they turn out in the comments.
I love these waffles so much that I included this recipe in my cookbook. I’m re-sharing the recipe today with better photos in case this recipe has slipped by you over the years.
You can also make flavored versions of these waffles—check out my gluten-free banana oat waffles and gluten-free pumpkin oat waffles.
If you don’t have a waffle iron at home, you can make oat pancakes in a regular skillet. Check out my blueberry oat pancakes, banana oat pancakes, pumpkin pancakes and caramelized peach oat pancakes.
Easy Gluten Free Oat Waffles
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 Belgian-style waffles 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: Gluten free
These light, crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside, gluten-free waffles are my favorite waffles! They’re heart healthy, too. This waffle recipe requires just one flour, oat flour, which you can easily make yourself (see note). Recipe yields 3 to 4 round, 7-inch Belgian waffles, or 6 small, square Belgian waffles (the size shown here).
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (128 grams) oat flour*, certified gluten-free if necessary
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of cinnamon, optional
- ¾ cup room temperature milk of choice (light coconut milk, nut milk, cow’s milk)
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: oat flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, melted coconut oil or butter, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, gently heat the wet mixture in the microwave in ten seconds intervals, until it melts again.)
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a big spoon until just combined (the batter will still be a little lumpy). Let the batter rest for 10 minutes so the oat flour has time to soak up some of the moisture. Plug in your waffle iron to preheat now (if your waffle iron has a temperature/browning dial, set it to medium-high).
- Once 10 minutes is up, give the batter one more swirl with your spoon. Pour batter onto the heated waffle iron, enough to cover the center and most of the central surface area, and close the lid. Once the waffle is deeply golden and crisp, transfer it to a cooling rack or baking sheet. Don’t stack your waffles on top of each other, or they’ll lose crispness. If desired, keep your waffles warm by placing them in a 200 degree oven until you’re ready to serve.
- Repeat with remaining batter. Serve waffles with maple syrup and nut butter, or any other toppings that sound good!
Notes
Recipe based on my oat pancakes and coconut waffles recipes.
*Make your own oat flour: Simply blend old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats (be sure to buy certified gluten-free oats if necessary) in a food processor or blender until they are ground into a fine flour. You’ll need to blend roughly 1 ½ cups oats to make enough flour for these waffles (you will probably end up with a little extra). Once you’ve blended the flour, measure it using the spoon and swoop method to make sure you have the right amount.
Make it egg free: You can actually just omit the eggs. The waffles will be slightly more delicate, but they’ve turned out great for me.
Make it dairy free: Use non-dairy milk and coconut oil.
Make it vegan: Use non-dairy milk, coconut oil and omit the eggs.
Freeze it: These waffles freeze beautifully. Just store in freezer-safe plastic bags and pop individual waffles into the toaster until warmed through.
The best waffle iron ever: I had no idea how much of an improvement my new fancy-pants waffle maker would be over my hand-me-down waffle iron. This thing cooks crispy waffles that never stick to the surface area. The best part is that it has a large cooking surface, which means you can cook an entire batch of waffles with just two presses.
Aimee
These are amazing! My whole family loves them. I used butter and savored every bite! Thanks!!!!!
★★★★★
Fran
Easy recipe, made great crispy gluten free waffles!
Would it still work to let the batter eat more than 10 minutes, perhaps even overnight?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Fran! I’m not sure letting it set for too long will get you the desired results and be mindful for refrigeration.
Ingrid Druwe
I have been looking for a gluten free waffle recipe and came across this one. It needed to be kid approved and so I followed every step and I am thrilled to say I was not disappointed! These are delicious AND my kids LOVED them!
★★★★★
Geoff
1.5 cups of my oat flour weighs 180 grams, not 128. Should I go by volume or weight here?
Kate
Hi Geoff! It sounds like you aren’t leveling it off. I would go with the weight to ensure a good result.
Tess
These were so good!
★★★★★
Mark
Love these! I am gluten free, my family isn’t but still loves these!
★★★★★
Rachel
Absolute perfection!!! Put the oats and then the rest of the mix in my food processor. Only difficult part is waiting 10min to cook them… Didn’t manage to get a picture yet. But considering contacting Cuisinart to get this recipe in their waffle maker booklet (no GF recipes currently). Thanks a million.
★★★★★
Isela
May I substitute honey for maple syrup?
Kate
Hi! I find that syrup works best here to combine.
Carolyn
These waffles are wonderful. I’ve made them several times and each time they were great. I decided to double the recipe using your calculator and the batter came out too wet thus changing the texture. If it is too wet, should I add more flour? Thank you.
Kate
Hi Carolyn! I’m sorry to hear that. So you doubled everything in the recipe? How long did you let the batter rest? It should have came out the same. I make these in a double batch without issue.
Carolyn
I let it sit for 10 minutes plus the time it took for my iron to heat. Total, between 12 and 15 minutes.
Carolyn
20 minutes and the double batch was awesome. Thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Carolyn! Thank you for your review.
Sandy
I have followed your recipe and never had a problem. Make them i ce per week. I substituted eggs for flax eggs today and they came out awful. Stuck to the waffle maker and mad a huge mess. Any recommendations?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Sandy! I’m sorry to hear that. I believe just omitting the eggs works better for this one. Checkout my vegan and egg free notes.
Kat
The best waffles, ever. SO so good
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kat!
Sheila Lankford
Delicious! When I made the first waffle it stuck horribly and fell apart when I tried to pry it free and I thought “oh no it’s not going to work for me”! But I increased the heat on the iron and oiled it aggressively and the the remaining waffles came out great! (Side note i really tried to get my flour from rolled oats fine but they still ended up coarse but it didn’t seem to affect the final product) I will definitely make these again!
Kate
I’m happy to hear they ended up great for you! Yes, the temperature of the waffle iron matters.
MJ
Made it for the second time with coconut milk this time and they’re even better. They taste really good.
★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved them, MJ! Thank you for sharing.
Barb
These waffles are amazing!! I have been looking for a good GF waffle recipe and these exceeded my expectation! They are soft in the middle and crispy on the outside unlike most GF recipes and which seem to be soggy! Thank you so much Katie for this recipe
★★★★★
Barb
These waffles are amazing!! I have been looking for a good GF waffle recipe and these exceeded my expectation! They are soft in the middle and crispy on the outside unlike most GF recipes and which seem to be soggy! Thank you so much Kate for this recipe
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved them, Barb! Thank you for your review.
Tami
Superb! I added a little more cinnamon. Perfect texture to freeze & pop in toaster for quick breakfast.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing! Yes, these are a great freezer option to have on hand for weekdays.
Rose Hercher
First time I have made waffles from scratch. Made the oat flour – it couldn’t have been easier. Used coconut oil and added pecans. They turned out fantastic. My husband ate four of them!
★★★★★
Kate
I love it! Thank you for letting me know this was a hit for your family, Rose.
Ruth Wallace
Great waffles!!! First time i ever made them. I bought a tiny little waffle maker for 8 dollars at Walmart i used oat and brown rice flour,coconut oil and the rest of the ingredients you listed. They are so much healthier than the store bought frozen waffles, i will never buy them again! Thanks so much he grest reciepe!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Great, Ruth! I’m happy you loved them.
Pamela Dennison
These waffles are amazing and so is everything else healthy recipes I have made on your site. Really really love your recipes. I would say that you are my favourite resource for tasty meals. Thank you so much..Pamela
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Pamela! I’m delighted to hear that.
Suja Menon
Hi Kate,
Love your recipes. Your banana bread, pancakes and waffles are my go-to recipes yielding successful results every single time.
A request. Could you make cookies and banana bread with millet? I’ve substituted wheat with a combination of millet flour (finger, pearl and sorghum with oats in equal parts) in your pancake recipe and the kids never knew the difference. Planning to do the same with waffles. Will let you know how it turned out.
Thanks. Keep up the fantastic work and good luck!
Kate
Hi! I can’t make promises but I will take note of your request.
Suja Menon
Love this recipe. Tried it today with a variation. Used a combination of oat flour, finger millet, pearl millet and sorghum flour. It came out perfect. Tasted great too!
Yuliya
Great recipe. Due to inability to eat much fat, I modified by adding only 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Works just as well! Thank you for this healthy and tasty alternative to waffles :)
★★★★★
Ray
Hi Kate
I made these waffles this morning but since I didn’t have gluten free oatmeal I used the regular kind. I will be buying gluten free oatmeal today and try it. I followed your recipe as u wrote it and the waffles were very good except for the oatmeal.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Ray! Thank you for your review.
Adrienne Cobb
Luv your recipe! I have always made waffles using oats. My problem seems to be the waffle. I also turned in my old maker for a new one, but this one has a dial ranging from 1-5. Oat waffles take longer to cook, but the higher dial numbers only make them crispier, doesn’t increase cooking time and the inside is not cooked all the way. Any suggestions?
Kate
Hi Adrienne! I’m sorry you are having issues. Maybe try on a lower setting for longer if they are getting too crispy on the outside and not cooking on the inside. Let me know!
TashaBelle
Made these for the first time this evening… they turned out exactly as you said – crispy and golden outside, fluffy on the inside. I tripled the recipe and they came out perfectly, making 10 decent sized waffles and a baby one to sample ;-) perfect to freeze and toast as needed. Many thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Tasha! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Laura
Wow! I was skeptical that they would be good with just oat flour. They have a very nice texture and they are quite tasty. Thank you! Next time I will 3X and have leftovers to toast up for the week.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your comment, Laura! I’m delighted you loved them.
Gladys Higgins
I recently changed my diet and was looking for a gluten free waffle I could make. These were delicious! I used unsweetened almond milk and vegan butter melted and OOOOOOH MY GOODNESS!!!!! So delicious. It is very important to let the mixture rest for a few minutes. They were so fluffy and flavorful. I added the cinnamon as well and love it. My husband loved them too. This is now my go to recipe. I made extras and placed them in the freezer. That way I can just warm one up in the morning and top with strawberries. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I just subscribed to your blog and I look forward to finding new delicious recipes! God bless ❤️
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m excited you loved them, Gladys.
Jackie
These turned out wonderful! My toddler ate two. He loves waffles and I’m happy to have a recipe we can make together with more nutrients than regular flour. My little guy went heavy on the cinnamon and they smelled like Christmas while cooking. My family enjoys several of your recipes. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Jackie!
Michelle
Delicious and filling without the bloated swine feeling. Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Makayla
Hi Kate,
My kids LOVE these pancakes. Is there another type of flour I can substitute the oat flour with? My husband can’t have oats. Thanks!
Makayla
Kate
Hi Makayla! I believe others have made this recipe with whole wheat flour. Or try this other recipe.Gluten-Free Buckwheat Waffles
Jessica
Hi! Can I sub almond flour for the oat flour?
Kate
Hi Jessica, I’m sorry to disappoint but I won’t give you the same result.
Anne Marie
I read the ingredient list but with four little helpers I didn’t even scan the steps before plowing in and they still worked fabulously.
I scooped and filled the measuring cup for the dry goods but the wet measurements were done with a visual “sure why not” as kids were going all in at this point, and I guess looking at the recipe now- I added my melted vegan butter after wet:dry were mixed and it still incorporated wonderfully. (Slow pour and whisk well)
I also used a mix of oat milk and milkadamia unsweetened for this with Mykonos? vegan butter in a All clad Belgian on setting 1. I let this batter sit for 20 minutes as we had kids being kids but it looked lovely after 10 minutes as well. The only thing I’d say is a little different than expected is that in our 4×1” machine it came to 9.5 waffles when we doubled the recipe.
★★★★★
Belia Ordonez
I used table salt, 1/2 tsp as per recipe but these turned out so salty! Unless I added more under distraction…is this right? No one else got too salty?
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. You can adjust to your taste if you like next time.
Sandra
They turned out better than I expected. Win win! My family and I loved it
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Sandra! Thank you for your review.
Karen Hudson
We haven’t had waffles since I went gluten-free to help eliminate inflammation. I’ve used several of your other recipes and was excited to find this one. My husband and I tried them this morning and they were great- 5 stars. We drizzled a little maple syrup on them and I warmed some blueberries to sprinkle on top. I had downloaded a few other recipes but after eating your Oat Waffles my husband said to throw out the other recipes. Your Oat Waffles will be a once a month Sunday morning treat.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review! I’m glad you were able to enjoy this recipe, Karen.
Cal
Best waffles ever!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love them, Cal!
Alex
So good! I bought the Aldi waffle maker that goes on the stove and these rock my socks! Great recipe!
Beth
Most waffle recipes have recommended separating the eggs and beating the whites. Is that not necessary here or can i still beat the egg whites for more fluff?
Kate
Hi! No need for this recipe. I hope you love it!
Brenda W.
Since Kellogg’s discontinued their GF waffles, I wanted a good oat waffle since theirs was made from oat flour. I am making them right now and keep snitching edges. So delicious! Can’t wait for breakfast! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Brenda!