Easy Gluten Free Oat Waffles
These crispy and fluffy oat flour waffles are the very best! They're light, healthy and gluten free. Best of all, they only require one flour—oat flour!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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.
Watch How to Make Gluten Free Waffles
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.
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.
If you, like me, have been disappointed by other gluten-free waffle recipes in the past (or waffle recipes in general, really), give these a try! They’re just right. Please let me know how they turn out in the comments.
Oat Waffle Variations
You can also make flavored versions of these waffles—check out my Gluten-Free Banana Oat Waffles and Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oat Waffles.
Oat-Based Pancake Recipes to Try
If you don’t have a waffle iron at home, you can make oat pancakes in a regular skillet. Try these recipes:
Easy Gluten Free Oat Waffles
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 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.
Make it egg free: You can 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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’m kind of shocked by this genius recipe. I subbed eggs with 90 grams of applesauce, used Miyoko’s plant butter, and replaced about 1 tablespoon of (oat)milk with coconut yogurt for extra rising power. I have a stovetop waffle iron with and an electric glass stove. Heat dial at 3 was perfect for me, cook 3 min, flip, then 3 minutes more made crispy, golden, and cooked through waffles. Toddler approved ❤️
Thank you for sharing, Angela!
Delicious! Grainy and crispy on the outside, moist inside. Great waffles!
I’m glad you are enjoying them!
Is there a substitute for the Maple syrup I don’t want them to taste like Maple syrup because I want to build a used them for multiple things.
Hi Shanti, you need the maple syrup here. Sorry I don’t have another option. I hope you try these as written!
Google “recipe for fake maple syrup”. Most of them are similar, just leave out the maple flavoring. When we lived in a tiny Alaskan village we always had sugar but never bought enough syrup to last the winter. My kids still like the fake syrup better than the real sort.
My mom used to do that when I was a kid. ❤️
Google “recipe for fake maple syrup”. Most of them are similar, just leave out the maple flavoring. When we lived in a tiny Alaskan village we always had sugar but never bought enough syrup to last the winter. I hope this helps!
Is the oat flour measurement different if I use commercial oat flour instead of grinding my own from regular oats?
Hi Susan, It shouldn’t vary, unless there is something other than oat flour in it. Let me know what you think!
Someone asked before but the nutritional values are if you are eating all 6 waffles? Or is it per waffle.
Hi Sarah, the nutritional information is per serving. More on my Nutrition Disclaimer
The waffles are AMAZINGLY DELISH!!!!
However, I too am wondering if the nutritional value is per waffle or all six.
It does not answer the question in the disclaimer.
Hi! This is per serving. So one serving. If that makes sense?
These are the best waffles, I love making them on the weekend.
But I’m not happy with my waffle maker and want to upgrade. Could you please share which brand of waffle maker you use? Apparently ceramic coated ones are really good. Thanks Kate
Hi. She has a link to it in the notes section. :)
Fabulous waffles! Thanks for refining and sharing the recipe. :)
You’re welcome, Heidi! Thank you for sharing.
I made the waffles as described in your recipe. Worked perfectly.
Absolutely delish! Never going back, thanks for sharig,
Hey!! Great waffles! Really enjoyed the hearty texture, and wholesomeness. I used butter instead of coconut oil, because that’s what I had on hand. Going to try these with coconut oil sometime though, because I will definitely be making these again. Thank you!
I’ve made these three times now and they always turn out perfectly! I’ve tried with very finely ground oat and with them a bit bigger – a different outcome but always very yummy and very crispy. Most recently I subbed canola oil for the recommended coconut oil because that’s what we had in the cupboard and it worked great :)
That’s great, Caitlin! Thank you for your review.
My friends came over and we decided to make breakfast for dinner. I found this recipe, decided to make it on a whim, and it came out so well! Probably one of my favourite waffle recipes if I’m honest. I made my own oat flour (which was surprisingly fun) and used almond milk. The only change I made was subbing the maple syrup (didn’t have any) for golden syrup. We topped them with coconut yoghurt and berries. 10/10 would recommend :)
I can’t wait to make these!! Can you sub avocado oil for the coconut oil/butter?
I recommend this with the oil listed for best results. I hope you try it!
Best healthy waffles!! Crisp and delicious! Repeat list for sure. I don’t have oat flour so I used rolled oats and just whizzed it all up in the blender. Simple! Because the weight of oat flour per cup is different to the weight of rolled oats, I used the weights listed on this website and calculated 145g of rolled oats. I was worried it was not thick enough after resting but the waffles came out perfect! Best part, my picky toddler gobbled them up… win!
Thanks Kathryne for another amazing recipe!
That is a win! Thank you for sharing, Holly.
I actually found the coconut oil in the microwave after we had eaten the waffles so I can attest to the fact that they are still great without the oil!
Great to hear, Holly!
Thank you! I will try it longer. I had them at max heat. I never made waffles before this attempt. The taste was good just missed the crunchy texture.
I made them today. They were rubbery. Not crispy at all.
Hi Michele, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy these. You may want to increase the heat on your waffle maker or leave them in for a little longer.
Hello! Thanks for sharing recipe! May I know if the oat flour needs to be finely blended? Should I sift the flour? Thank you!
Hi! It should be finely blended. Measure as you would whole wheat flour. I hope you love them, Steph!
Eating this now very tasty wow!! Next time adding chocolate chips
That sounds like a great idea! Thank you for your review.
Hi. I’m lookong at the nutritional information. If this recipe makes 6 Belgian waffles is that 2 waffles per serving (259 calories per serving)?
Thanks for your help. I love all of your recipes.
Hi! The nutritional information is below the notes section. This makes 6 waffles.
Made these today (breakfast for supper), used eggs and coconut oil, and water instead of milk and they turned out great! Thank you for the recipe! Husband approved!
You’re welcome, Cathy!
Hi Kate
What is the brand of your new fancy pants waffle iron? I am readsy to buy a new one.
Love your recipes!
Hi! It’s not actually that fancy. It’s a calphalon from years ago and isn’t available anymore. I do know some like their All Clad waffle maker.
These are delicious! I subbed flaxseed for the eggs, used almond milk and coconut oil, and added carob chips. Perfectly crisp and amazing!!
Great to hear, Angie! I appreciate your review.
This recipe is AMAZING!!! I absolutely love these waffles so so much. Wondering if I can make pancakes with this recipe too?
Hi Kristen, I would recommend my Blender Oatmeal Pancakes.
First off, I love every recipe of yours I have tried and I have tried many. Second, can you substitute flax eggs? I know it says I can omit them but I figure for a binder and a little extra nutrients, it might be worth it.
Hi Kim, I haven’t tried it, but I believe others have and liked the results. Let me know if you try it!
I used flax eggs this morning, and they turned out great!
Made these this morning and everything went great except a lingering after taste of the baking powder. Double checked my measures. Everything should have been good. Thoughts?
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you used aluminum free?
Yeah I did. Its the only kind I have but I may try them again and double check all my measures.
Great gluten free waffle recipe!! You cannot notice it is gluten free. I add 3/4 teaspoon of Xantham gum.
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Irma!
Waffles stuck to surface of waffle maker, albeit my mothers, probably from the 70’s. Wondering if I need to mix oat flour with all purpose flour? What would be the amounts of each for making up the cup and a half required? Read somewhere may need more gluten. Also plan on getting new waffle maker like the one you indicated. It’s out of stock right now. Thank you
for healthy recipe. Eating much better these days. Grace
Hi Grace, I’m sorry to hear that. Try greasing it next tim. This has turned out perfectly every time for me. I have made them quite a lot.
How much batter would you pour into a round waffle iron for making 6 individual round Belgian style waffles?
Hi! I’m not sure. I would add some and then add as you feel like you need more.
Ok, thank you so much!
I made waffles for the first time using this recipe. I didn’t have coconut oil so used regular oil. They turned out great.
I was wondering if a recipe like this would work. I’m so glade it does.
Do you think it’ll work for baked waffle sticks. My toddler only eats foods in muffin or stick form
If you were going to mix oat flour and all purpose flour to equal 1 1/2 cups, what would be the ratio? 2 to 1 oat flour? Thanks!!
Hi Grace, I recommend these with oat flour for best results. I haven’t tried it mixing, sorry!
I love this recipe! Big hit with the hubby and kids. Can these be stored at room temp for 1-2 days?
Hi Nichole! I’m delighted these were a hit. These are best stored in the freezer or refrigerator.
Would this recipe work with Chickpea Flour instead of Oat Flour?
Hi, this was specifically designed to be made with oat flour. I’m not sure if it will work with something else.
This is an amazing gluten-free recipe, thank you so much for it. We make it almost every weekend. However, every weekend I make the same mistake – I follow the grams instructions (128g) and get a runny mess. Then each weekend I remember that the grams instruction is wrong as 128 grams is equivalent to 1 full cup, not a cup and a half. That would be 166g from what I measured. Would be so good if you could update/correct that. Thank you
Hi Lana, I’m sorry you are having issue? Are you allowing it to rest for 10 minutes? I have made this recipe several times and haven’t run into an issue. More on oat flour if that provides some context. I’m happy to hear you are still making them though and do what works best for you!
Great recipe! I made it vegan and left out the eggs which left them very airy. Next time I’ll be reducing the amount of oil considerably note to those who have reflux issues reducing the amount of oil in recipes is key to keep the acid in your stomach.
I’m a Yank transplanted here to central Germany 7 years ago and it has taken awhile to translate things into useable kitchen language. This recipe is wonderful! It ticks several boxes for us. I have type-2 diabetes, and a close friend who visits regularly has coeliac disease.
These waffles mean no quilt, no danger.
Then, there’s the fact I just bought a fancy new Krups waffle machine and your recipe was used in the trial run:) Everybody in the house is grinning ear-to-ear. Thanks!
Perfection!! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoy these waffles, Sarah.
We have been making this recipe for a few years now and it has become our family recipe for waffles. The only modification is I use 1 cup of milk instead of 3/4 cup. These are our favorite waffles, better than any other by far. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe..I can’t imagine what it would be like without it. We love these with fresh raspberries on top, and maple syrup.
Hello Kate,
I have made the waffles with all the same measurements but mine turned out bit dense and slightly uncooked, Not sure where I made the mistake. And the batter is bit thick. I have used 5 table spoons of melted butter. Can you please let me know.
Hi, How long did you let it sit? How did you measure your oat flour? The longer it sits (after 10 minutes) it may thicken some. Be sure to spoon and level the flour and not just scoop as you can get too much.
Tried this recipe for my husband and I today I just wrote it on a recipe card to use over and over. I’m gluten intolerant, but can handle regular oats. Always use almond milk, since I also try to go dairy free as much as possible. These were great!!! Am sharing with friends and family!
The best GF waffle recipe around. I add a few things that I like myself, like almond butter and applesauce and lots of blueberries.
My batter was not pourable, had to put spoons of batter on waffle iron. It was tasty but not waffle look.
Joe
Hi Joe, I’m sorry to hear that. How did you measure the flour? How long did it set for?
My new favourite waffles!
Topped them with almond butter, sliced bananas and a drizzle of maple syrup. Delicious!
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes.
You’re welcome, Chantal!
These are delicious as written!
I will admit that my favorite variation on these is subbing half of the oat flour for quinoa flour and adding enough water to make the texture look about the same.
I’m glad you love them! Thank you for sharing, Kelly.
I, too, was shocked by how good these are. I did separate the eggs and beat the whites. They are more filling than regular waffles which works for me. I’m excited to have my husband try them as he doesn’t eat wheat. For me and my daughter, I think we will use our old recipe with wheat flour some of the time, but I am thrilled to have a recipe that I think will make everyone happy!
Delicious waffles! I have never made them before but I will definitely make them again. However, I did tweak the recipe. I used apple cider because I didn’t have lactose free milk and I wasn’t sure if the person had nut allergies.
I cut them into heart shapes for Valentine’s Day.
Hey! I LOVE this recipe because of the ingredients and the flavor is always perfection. But I make it in my mini waffle maker and it turned out a little dry. Do you think that’s because of the mini waffle size? Like, should I invest in the full size waffle maker to help with this? Or did I just need to add more liquid. Thanks for your advice!
Hi Kelsea, I would try adjusting your heat and possibly the amount of batter adding to the iron.
These waffles were delicious!! I didn’t have eggs today so I used 2 flax eggs instead, which sadly made the waffles fall apart. I also used olive oil in place of the coconut oil or butter. The combination of flax, oats, and olive oil made an amazing texture and flavor. Next time I think I will just add a flax egg or two to the recipe, to keep the flavor, but make sure to have eggs as well so the waffles don’t fall apart. I might also decrease the oil by 1-2 tbsp — it turned out a bit too oily for my liking. However, overall I enjoyed trying some new things in this recipe and will definitely make it again!
These do need eggs to stick together and personally didn’t have luck with flax eggs. I know some have tried no eggs and they worked, just a lot more delicate. I hope you make them again!
Delicious! They became our every Sunday breakfast!
Wonderful to hear, Ioana! Thanks for your review.
These are so good! Thank you for the recipe. It’s been a struggle to find recipes my son can eat with all his food intolerances. This is one the whole family loved.
I have a waffle iron that was begging to be used. This recipe did not disappoint! I added chocolate chips to the batter and omitted the maple syrup. Turned out delicious! I topped of the waffles with a bit of ricotta, fresh blueberries, and of course a drizzle of maple syrup. PERFECTION!
Thank you for sharing, Mariam!
These are the absolute best! My daughter says they taste like the donuts at the fair!! We bathed them in maple syrup and felt like we were having dessert for breakfast (in the best possible way!)
I am OBSESSED with these waffles and I am not saying that lightly. I have been making double batches of these, freezing in pairs and having every single day for breakfast. I toast in a toaster oven and the texture is amazing, crispy outside and fluffy inside. I actually prefer the reheated version because of the crisp factor. Little salted butter, maple syrup and sliced strawberries :)
That’s wonderful, Sarah! I appreciate your review.