Easy Gluten-Free Waffles (Dairy-Free)

These delicious and easy gluten-free waffles are crispy and golden on the outside, and light and airy on the inside. Inspired by my fluffy gluten-free pancakes, these waffles are perfect for a luxurious breakfast, brunch or even as dessert! They’re dairy-free too.

Waffles for Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert or Dinner!

Apart from a big stack of fluffy pancakes, waffles are the perfect breakfast or brunch food in my opinion. Whenever I have some spare time during the weekends, I like to take out my waffle maker and make some gluten-free waffles for Juan and myself to enjoy.

There’s nothing that feels more luxurious than waking up to a plate full of waffles, but I know that waffles can also be enjoyed as dessert (with a big scoop of ice cream!) or even dinner (think breakfast for dinner). It’s totally up to you when you choose to eat your waffles, no judgment here!

Perfect Gluten-Free Waffles

I’ll tell you straight off the bat that these gluten-free waffles were totally inspired by my fluffy gluten-free pancakes recipe.

Juan and I had just finished up yet another pancake breakfast one Sunday morning when I thought that since the pancake batter was so darn good, it might probably work as waffle batter too, and lo and behold, I was right!

How to Make Gluten-Free Waffles

First up you’ll need to prepare your mise-en-place (a fancy French word for “ingredients” which I learnt during cooking class many years ago).

For these waffles, you’ll require a couple of eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, gluten-free all-purpose flour, xantham gum (only if your flour blend doesn’t have it), baking powder, salt, and non-dairy milk (I used my 5-minute homemade cashew milk, but feel free to use any non-dairy milk you prefer).

Begin by combining the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl, and whisk them together until you you a frothy yellow mixture.

Next up, add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk some more. Finally pour in the milk and whisk well until you get a thick and pale yellow batter.

When cooking waffles, make sure to heat up your waffle maker well before pouring in the batter.

I like to brush my waffle iron with oil so the batter cooked waffles don’t stick to the iron, and to help make they get a gorgeous golden brown and crispy exterior.

Once the iron is hot enough (there should be an indicator light on your waffle maker to tell you when the iron is hot), pour enough batter to fill approximately 3/4 of the surface of the iron.

You can choose whether you prefer square or round waffles. I personally find small round waffles prettier – and used about 1/4 cup of batter per waffle to get 8 waffles.

Secret Trick: How Do I know When the Waffles Are Ready?

You may wonder why I don’t tell you to use the indicator on your waffle maker to determine if the waffle is ready, and that’s a completely valid question. However, in my years of making waffles, I’ve realized that the indicator light almost always lights up way too early (and sometimes I need almost double the time).

Don’t fret, here’s the trick to perfectly cooked waffles that are crispy outside and cooked inside as well: waffles that won’t break apart as you open your waffle maker. As the batter cooks, you’ll notice that steam will begin to arise from the waffle maker.

The secret trick to making perfectly crispy waffles is this: make sure you let the batter fully cook until there is no more steam being emitted. I can’t remember where it was that I read the tip about watching for when the steam stops, and once I tried the trick, there was no turning back for me! And I believe you’ll find this tip very useful too.

Keeping the Cooked Waffles Crispy

Depending on how large your waffle maker is, you’ll definitely have to make them in various batches. My waffle maker allows me to cook up to 2 waffles each time, so I have to cook 4 times to use up all the batter.

While cooking the rest of the waffles, place the already-cooked waffles on an oven rack in the oven at 300F to keep them warm and crispy. This way, once your last waffle is cooked, you can take it straight off the iron and serve it alongside the other waffles – all warm and ready for your to dig in!

Optional Add-Ins:

Since this is a basic gluten-free waffle recipe, feel free to play around with adding some cacao powder to get chocolate waffles, or ground cinnamon for extra taste, or even apple pie spice or pumpkin spice when fall rolls around. You could even throw in dried blueberries or chocolate chips in the batter if that’s your thing!

Have fun and test out different flavor profiles if you prefer. Or you can eat these directly as they are with fresh berries and a big drizzle of maple syrup!

Can You Freeze These Gluten-Free Waffles?

I’m glad you asked, because yes, you can totally freeze these waffles! In fact, I think it’s a great idea to make a few batches of this waffle recipe if you’ve got time, then separate the cooled waffles with parchment paper and place them in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. These will last up to 3 months in the freezer.

To defrost and reheat the frozen waffles, simply remove them from the freezer and pop them in your toaster and heat them up until they are warm and toasty again (goodbye Eggo waffles!! These gluten-free waffles will beat you hands down).

If You Enjoyed This Recipe, You’ll Also Love These Breakfast Recipes:

• 10 Delicious Gluten-Free Brunch Recipes
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Waffles
• Mashed Potato and Spring Onion Waffles (Gluten-Free)
• Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes (Dairy-Free)
• The Easiest Corn Flour Pancakes (Dairy-Free)
• Grain-Free Coconut Flour Pancakes
• Gluten-Free Strawberry Crumb Bars (Dairy-Free)
• Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms (Gluten-Free, Vegetarian)
• Sweet Potato and Kale Breakfast Skillet (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Easy Crustless Spinach Quiche (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

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