Easy Pumpkin Waffles (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

These delicious and easy pumpkin waffles are bursting with the flavor of pumpkin and tastes of fall, and are the best way to start any fall morning or celebrate a special occasion. Gluten-free and dairy-free too.

Pumpkin Season

Whenever fall rolls around, the shorter days, cooler weather and falling leaves are always accompanied by an abundance of fall bounty at our local supermarkets.

The first time we experienced fall in the US, when we were still living in the West End neighborhood in Washington D.C., was also the first time we had a taste of full-on pumpkin season. At our local Trader Joe’s, I was thrilled to see an entire section dedicated to all sorts of squash (from spaghetti squash, acorn squash, yellow squash, butternut squash, delicata squash and kabocha squash).

The entrance of the supermarket was also surrounded by pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors! I’ve never seen so many pumpkins (so large and so small) in my life; and I honestly had no idea that so many varieties of pumpkins even existed! I even forced Juan to snap a photo of these cute adorable pumpkins just sitting around and waiting for a home.

Cooking with Pumpkin

To be completely honest, up until that fall in 2015, I’d never even cooked with some of these squashes yet, nor even heard of some of them before. It was also the first time I cooked with pumpkin. And I was beyond excited to try out all the different pumpkin recipes that I’d been pinning before that.

So I made all things pumpkin, literally. From homemade pumpkin puree, to sweet desserts such as pumpkin muffins, pumpkin scones, no-bake pumpkin cheesecake, crustless pumpkin pie, and pumpkin bread, to savory dishes such as creamy pumpkin soup, easy pumpkin gnocchi and pumpkin risotto.

Waffles Hot off the Iron

I’m a huge fan of waffles and I’ve made quite a few different types over the past few years. From these basic gluten-free waffles, gluten-free oat waffles, as well as these 5-ingredient banana flaxseed waffles, and even these savory mashed potato waffles, I love them all!

And now I’m sharing this recipe for gluten-free pumpkin waffles because what’s any season without a big plate of these waffles? These hot-off-the-iron pumpkin waffles that are oh-so-delicious with a drizzle of honey and a generous serving of freshly whipped cream. Gluten-free and dairy-free, these amazing pumpkin waffles are perfect for breakfast, brunch or even dessert.

Ingredients You’ll Need + Notes/Substitutions

• Pumpkin Puree: I always recommend using fresh homemade pumpkin puree because it is tastier and does not contain the additives and preservatives that come with the canned version. However, if you only have access to canned pumpkin, it will work just as well.
• Eggs
• Coconut Oil: I prefer using refined coconut oil when cooking as it has a more neutral taste and smell compared to extra virgin coconut oil. If you don’t have coconut oil, you can also substitute it with equal amounts of neutral vegetable oil. If you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use melted butter or ghee instead. 
• Honey: I’ve used honey in this recipe, but feel free to substitute honey for equal amounts of agave nectar or maple syrup if you prefer. 
• Vanilla Extract
• Almond Milk: I like using my 5-minute homemade almond milk, but go ahead and use any other non-dairy milk such as cashew milk, soy rice, rice milk or walnut milk if you prefer. 
• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Nutmeg
• Baking Powder

How to Make These Waffles:

1. Preheat

Preheat your waffle iron. This will take a few minutes until the indicator light comes on to indicate that the iron is ready to be used.

2. Mix Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract and milk and mix well.

3. Whisk Dry Ingredients

In another bowl, whisk the the the flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and baking powder together until combined.

4. Prepare the Waffle Batter:

Stir in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until a homogeneous batter is achieved.

5. Cook the Waffles

When waffle iron is ready, brush the waffle iron with a bit of melted butter, and pour about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of batter onto the iron (enough to cover up 90% of the surface area) and close the waffle iron. Let cook for 4 to 5 minutes of until no more steam is released from the waffle iron.

Remove pumpkin waffles from iron and repeat until all batter is used up. While cooking the rest of the waffles, keep cooked waffles in a pre-heated oven at 220 deg. Fahrenheit (100 deg. Celsius) to keep them crispy.

6. Drizzle and Serve

Serve these gluten-free pumpkin waffles warm drizzled with honey or maple syrup and a spoonful of freshly whipped coconut cream.

The Steam Indicator Trick:

While most waffle irons come with an indicator light to tell you when the waffles are ready, I’ve found that it’s often inaccurate as each waffle batter is different and has varying amounts of liquid, which means each waffle batter takes a different amount of time to be fully cooked.

In my experience, the best way to ensure that you get a crispy exterior and a fully-cooked interior is to let the pumpkin waffles cook until no more steam is emitted from the waffle iron. Only then do you open the waffle iron and remove the waffles.

Recipe FAQs:

Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Also Love:

• Homemade Pumpkin Puree (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Crustless Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread (Dairy-Free, Vegan)
• Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones
• No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

Other Waffle Recipes To Enjoy:

• Easy Gluten-Free Waffles (Dairy-Free)
• Gluten-Free Oat Waffles
• 5-Ingredient Banana Flaxseed Waffles (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Mashed Potato and Spring Onion Waffles (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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