Oat Flour Waffles (Easy, Crispy and Gluten Free!)

The best oat flour waffles recipe that is naturally gluten free, dairy free, easy to make, high protein from almond flour and absolutely delicious!

Waffles are a classic breakfast staple. From the pour your own waffle bar at dingy hotels to fine dining brunch buffets, waffles are always there. So what happens when you’re still craving those carbs but looking for a gluten free, healthier option? Well, you can work your way through the bevy of unimpressive gluten free waffle mixes on the market or make your own!

In fairness, there are some decent mixes out there, but making your own is simple and allows you to control what goes in. Its no secret that I’m an oat flour advocate and once again, I found an oat flour blend that fits the task at hand – oat and almond flour!

Why should I make this gluten free waffle recipe?

These waffles aren’t just for gluten free folks (although they’re perfect for you if you are). Many people these days are just trying to cut back on gluten and explore other options. Oats are full of fiber and protein already, but this waffle recipe uses a blend of both oat and almond flour to add some more plant based protein into the mix.

Protein is one of the critical elements needed to make standard unhealthy breakfast foods more nutritious and filling. Normal waffles leave you hungry an hour later, but protein packed waffles, not so much.

Similarly, limiting the sugar helps avoid a crash so the energy you get from your breakfast can keep you going. This recipe uses a tablespoon of pure maple syrup which isn’t very much at all split between 6 waffles.

 You’ve heard me preach about protein nonstop, but it’s so incredibly important to get protein in the first meal of the day! I love sweet breakfasts, but I hate being hangry an hour after eating one.

Don’t be scared of the calories. Each waffle has 12 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Yes, calories are important, but what you get for those calories is even more important. Is it junk or is it going to fuel your day? Let’s choose the latter… most of the time.

What do I need to make these oat flour waffles?

First and foremost, you can’t make waffles without a waffle maker of some kind. You can choose a standard round style, square, Belgian, heart, or even Micky Mouse shaped. The options are truly endless, but you need something. 

Similarly, a bowl is a must. You can probably fold together using a spoon, rubber spatula or other utensil, but a whisk is preferred. 

Here’s a complete list of everything you’ll need:

• Waffle maker
• Bowl
• Whisk
• Oat flour (or oats and a blender or food processor) 
• Almond flour 
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Coconut oil 
• Almond Milk
• Eggs (or flax egg if vegan)
• Vanilla extract
• Maple syrup (the good stuff)
• Cooking spray (I use coconut or avocado oil spray)

What is oat flour and is it gluten free?

For anyone wondering what oat flour is, I’ll break it down for you…. wait for it…drum roll please… it’s ground up oats. Plain and simple. Nothing fancy here, just flour made from oats instead of wheat. 

Don’t go buying special oat flour for twice the price. Just pulse oats in a blender food processor and create your own oat flour. Easy as that. You can either do it just for this recipe or grind a big batch and store it in the pantry. 

If you’re not using oat flour in baking, you really should be. There’s nothing better than downing some delicious oat flour waffles and feeling great about it since its pretty much like a bowl of oatmeal right? In this case, an elevated bowl of oatmeal since there are lots of other nutrient filled ingredients in this oat flour waffle recipe. 

And are oats gluten free? They naturally are but oats typically get contaminated through being produced in factories that also process glutenous flours. If you want to ensure your oats are gluten free, make sure to buy oats that are labeled, “gluten free,” especially if you’re baking for someone with celiac disease or a strong gluten sensitivity. 

What is the difference between almond meal and almond flour?

When it comes to almond flour, there are typically two choices, almond meal and blanched almond flour. Almond meal is just ground up almonds. It is typically cheaper and results in the final product you use it in having a grainier texture. Almond flour is made from almonds that are blanched to remove the skins, finely ground and then sifted into a finer texture. 

While you can use either in this or any other recipe, almond flour usually has better texture. It is more expensive than almond meal but worth it in recipes like this. 

How to make oat flour waffles

If you don’t have oat flour specifically, you start out by grinding up oats to make a fine flour. You can use a blender or food processor, just make sure to scrape the sides a few times to get an even grind.

Although I’ve found that 2 1/4 cups of rolled oats typically results in about 2 cups of oat flour, the exact amount you get will depend on how thick your oats are and how fine you grind them. Either way, this recipe doesn’t need to be that precise and it will work even if you’re slightly off on the oat quantity.  

Once you have the oat flour, you dump all dry ingredients into a bowl together and stir. Then dump in the wet ingredients and fold to mix together. The trick with oat flour is letting the mixture sit for 7-8 minutes to absorb the  liquid. Don’t let it sit longer than 10 minutes though or it may get too thick. Remember that the batter will continue to ‘sit’ as you make batches of waffles and you don’t want your last waffle to be un-pourable.

The batter will be thicker than your standard waffle batter and you don’t need to add extra liquid. If it gets too thick to pour at the end though, you can add a *tiny* splash of water or almond milk to thin it out just enough to pour. 

Storing oat flour waffles

If you make these oat flour waffles on the weekend, you can easily reheat throughout the week for breakfast in either the toaster oven or microwave. You can even freeze them for up to three months to preserve them even longer. 

Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days in an airtight container or on the counter for 2 days. To reheat, separate the waffle sections and then microwave for 20 – 30 seconds. 

To freeze, put them in an airtight bag or container to freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place in the toaster for 3-5 minutes (actual time depends on the temperature of your toaster) or break into sections and microwave. 

These gluten free waffles don’t reheat to be exactly the same as when you make them fresh, but what does really? They are not bad reheated for a quick weekday breakfast and are filling enough to keep you full until lunch, which is all I really care about on weekdays.

On the weekends when they’re fresh, I manage to eat the whole thing. When reheated throughout the week though, I normally call it good after about three waffle sections. I am not a dainty eater by any means. I can put down some serious food. These waffles are that filling though that I really don’t feel the need to.

Other oat flour recipes 

There are plenty of gluten free recipes out there but some of my favorite ones are made out of oat flour. It/s one of the only flour types that can operate on it’s own without being part of a blend of flours or with just one other flour type.

There are a few recipes that I find myself making again and again – first and foremost, these peanut butter oat flour muffins are one of my  my most popular recipe to date. People love those muffins. I bet you will too! Here are some other tasty options:

• This decadent oat flour chocolate cupcake is to die for. Sooo good!
• These banana almond butter muffins are a great alternative to the peanut butter ones.
• These carrot muffins are nutty and taste a bit like carrot cake.
• Oat flour chocolate chip cookies are just as good as the ones made with flour!

Or, if you don’t care about the flour type, these delicious almond pancakes and my protein yogurt pancakes are definitely worth trying. Or try a crustless quiche if you’re looking for a low carb alternative. Whatever you eat, take time to savor that brunch and enjoy!

Originally published January 16, 2017. 

Recipe

Recipe

5 from 5 votes

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Oat Flour Waffles

Created by: Christy Gurin

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Print Recipe

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

6

Oat flour waffles are naturally gluten free and have an added protein kick from almond flour and almond milk for energy to fuel your morning.

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 2 cup oat flour (about 2 1/4 cups rolled oats, finely ground)*
• ▢ 1 cup almond flour
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• ▢ 1 tsp. salt
• ▢ 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup plain almond milk (or milk of choice, room temperature*)
• ▢ 2 eggs (preferably room temperature)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup (plus extra for serving)
• ▢ cooking spray

Instructions

• Turn waffle maker on to allow it to preheat.
• Mix all dry ingredients together. Add coconut oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup and stir to combine or pulse with a hand mixer and just combined. Do not over mix or your waffles will be dense! A few lumps are okay.
• Let batter sit for 7-8 minutes.
• Spray inside of waffle maker lightly with cooking spray.
• Pour enough batter into center of waffle maker that it will spread out to the outer parts without overflowing (amount depends on size of waffle maker). Cook in waffle maker until golden and crispy.
• Remove from waffle maker and either plate and serve immediately or keep warm in a preheated 200 – 225 degree oven while other waffles are cooking. Do not stack waffles or they will get soggy!
• Repeat steps 4-6 for remaining batter.* Serve with syrup or other favorite toppings.

Notes

• The exact amount you get will depend on how thick your oats are and how fine you grind them.
• If milk is cold, warm in microwave for 30 – 45 seconds.
• If batter gets too thick to pour at the end, add a *tiny* splash of water or almond milk to thin it out just enough to pour.
• Store waffles in refrigerator up to 4 days in an airtight container or on the counter for 2 days. To reheat, separate waffle sections and then microwave for 20 – 30 seconds. 
• To freeze, put them in an airtight bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place in toaster for 3-5 minutes (actual time depends on the temperature of your toaster) or break into sections and microwave. 

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 431mg | Potassium: 417mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Calcium: 254mg | Iron: 3mg

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