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.
Usually Cookie and Kate recipes are great, but this one falls short. I couldn’t even get the waffle out of the waffle maker without it falling apart completely. It just crumbled. It’s a sad morning. What did I do wrong?
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you use eggs? Does your waffle maker need oil prior to adding the batter?
We made these and found an after taste, but I think my daughter mistakenly put 4 teaspoons of baking soda instead of baking powder…so, people, don’t substitute those 2. I still think 4 teaspoons of baking powder is a little too much? Otherwise, they would have been good because they are really crispy and soft at the same time.
I recommend this best as written. I’m sorry you didn’t love this. Be sure you are using aluminum free.
Finally, a gluten-free recipe that doesn’t call for a blend that contains rice flour, which I’m allergic to. I made these for the first time today and they were delicious! I used buttermilk which made it thick but not doughy. Followed the rest of the recipe as written, using melted butter and Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oat flour. I am allergic to chicken eggs, but I can use duck eggs instead. Yielded 9 – 4” round waffles. Used Pampered Chef medium scoop and placed 2 scoops on waffle iron. Baked 5 – 5.5 minutes. I’ll be searching your blog for more gluten-free recipes. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing, Cindy! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Cookie+kate is one of my favirite recipe sites, but this one needs revisited. I followed the recipe, and am a seasoned cook. The waffles crumbled as I tried to remove them from my (well-oiled) waffle maker, and were unpleasantly bitter. This isn’t one we’ll make again.
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you add the egg?
I did!
I made these for the second time today (egg version), and second time round was much better!
I did add a little less Coconut oil (personal preference) which made the texture a bit better :) really nice with blueberries on the side! Thanks for the recipe :)
You’re welcome, Jane! I’m glad you enjoyed these waffles.
I love the recipe thank you for sharing
Thank you for your review, Beto!
These are my FAVORITE waffles. In response to the recent comment abou them falling apart- they are a little delicate. You just have to get a fork under and remove them quickly in one swoop. I don’t mind at all, I freeze all of the waffles and then reheat by toasting for breakfast each day with a little maple syrup and sliced banana. They are even better toasted later on! Best texture and taste. I’ll never go back to “regular” waffles.
I used avocado oil instead of coconut oil (for ease) and buttermilk because I had some that needed used up, and they turned out just fine!
I love this recipe. I’ve been doing for over a year and it never fails.
I do have one question. In Australia where I live I cannot get gluten free oats. My sister is visiting and she’s gluten intolerant. Is there any other type of gluten free flour I can use instead?
Hi Veroca, You could try using a gluten free flour. Although I haven’t tried it myself.
Oats are naturally gluten free, unless they are processed in a mill that also processes wheat where they can pick up the gluten.
You can get gluten free oats at Coles. They are the red tractor brand and just in with the normal oats. For next time…
i used regular gluten free flour, the self raising kind. turned out really good. did not add nay baking soda though.
These waffles are amazing…
I’m excited you enjoy them, Anne! I appreciate your review.
Love this recipe! I’m always looking for more whole grain options. I blended my own oats, even leaving it a somewhat coarse blend, and let the whole batter soak for about 10 minutes, as you instructed. Tasty and SLIGHTLY crunchier than a normal cake-like waffle. It came out of the waffle-maker perfectly and was delicious! Even my husband, who doesn’t necessarily seek out healthy food, loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
I set my waffle maker to be a darker setting, and it made it slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. No problems at all with anything falling apart. Perfectly set.
Thank you for sharing, Kelly! I Appreciate your review.
Worked perfectly! FYI, I used 100g of oat flour + 30g of vanilla protein powder (1 scoop) instead of 128g of oat flour and it worked like a charm!
That’s wonderful to hear, Liv! Thank you for sharing.
Very easy and very delicious. I added almond extract to the batter. I topped my waffles with strawberries & maple syrup. Thank you for your creativity!
Great to hear, Nandi! I appreciate your review.
I made waffles with this recipe twice, they turned out quite soggy… today I made them with added sour cream and chia seeds, then turned out beautifully!
These waffles turned out GREAT! For the oat flour, I used Gluten Free oats from Trader Joes and ground them in a Magic Bullet. I used peanut oil. I used water instead of milk. I did not use any maple syrup or sweetner since I knew I would be putting some jam on later. I read the other comments—my waffles were not crumbly at all. Thanks for a super recipe!
I’m glad you loved it, Barb! I appreciate your review.
I made these waffles this morning. They are the best waffles I ever made. These are also the best waffles I ever ate. I am so happy to have come across your website. I also tried one of these cold and I loved it. I will be making more to freeze and toast. You are awesome ! Thank you.
Can I replace the oatmeal flour for wholemeal flour and leave everything the same?
I believe others have used wheat flour and didn’t mind the results. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
If I were to swap to wholemeal flour would it be the same amount of flour and would I need to use self raising flour or wholemeal plain flour. Many thanks
Good recipe. Everything fell into place perfectly and the outcome came out even better
That’s great to hear, Rene! Thank you for your review.
Great recipe! I added a giant tablespoon of apple sauce and half a banana to sweeten it up a bit, turned out so good! Thank you!
Great to hear, Falon! I appreciate your review.
I’m very pleased with this recipe and I’ve made them twice with great success, both times. The waffles are moist and have a good texture if you eat them the same day you make them. However when I store them in the refrigerator and then heat them up in the toaster oven, they become extremely dry. That’s unfortunate because I like to make a double batch and eat them as a snack the following days. Is there anything I can do to avoid this and maintain the perfect texture after the day I make them? Thank you!
Great to hear, Joe! I appreciate your review.
I followed your recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. Light and delicious. I used almond milk and coconut oil. I have fresh blueberries from my garden to enjoy with them. Thanks for the recipe!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Merrie.
A weekly weekend treat, our go to recipe! So delicious, we always make double and freeze some for lunchboxes.
Thank you for your review, Kristina!
Pretty darn good! Doesn’t taste gluten free at all.
We love waffles at our house (2 adults, 3 kids)! I recently became gluten free and haven’t had success with gluten free waffles *until* we splurged on a breville waffle maker. The waffles would stick to the maker or fall apart, it was so frustrating. Switching to a high end waffle maker has made a huge difference, I second what you put in your write up!!
I’m glad you loved it, Colleen!
I used chia eggs in these and they turned out great! This is by far my favorite waffle recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Amy!
I make these waffles ALL the time and they are a favorite in our house! I usually make them exactly as written and they’re perfect. But I’ve also been able to make small substitutions and they still turn out so good. I keep them in the freezer and reheat in the toaster in the mornings, with some PB and chia seeds added on top! I’ve never had an issue with them being delicate or crumbly.
Hooray! I’m excited they are a favorite. I appreciate you sharing, Laura.
Just tried these out and WOW!!! Fantastic recipe. They were fluffy with great texture and flavor.
Thank you for your review! I’m glad you enjoyed these waffles, Flower.
I love gluten free recipes that use oat flour!!! These waffles were delicious – I’m sharing this recipe with a friend! Fun fact: regular flour waffles made a bit of a mess in my waffle maker, but this recipe made perfect waffles No mess at all, and super easy to remove from the grill! Love how there’s a bit of coconut flavor too – don’t leave out the cinnamon!!
I’m excited you enjoyed these too, Veronique!
I was attracted to recipe because it used just oat flour (I love oat pancakes) and seemed easy. Terrible flavor and consistency! Not tasty as a traditional gluten waffle, AND I would not call these crisp! Very dry and thick… not crisp at all. I even experimented with thinning the batter as I cooked…none came out tasty. I guess if you have to eat gluten-free, this might be better than nothing. I have much better gluten-free recipe for waffles that taste like traditional crispy gluten waffles! I will never use this recipe again! Don’t make this if you have other gluten free flours at home. Look for recipe that says “no one will guess these are gluten free” such as from Bette Hagman’s cookbook, “buttermilk waffles” recipe.
Hi Martha, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you make your own oat flour or did you buy it? How did you measure it?
Was craving these this morning so pulled up the recipe and decided I should comment and say how much I love this recipe!! I make a batch and freeze most of them and they toast up really nicely. I think the people who are having trouble aren’t letting them cook long enough. I go about a minute longer than my waffle iron says to, they just need a bit more time. And if yours has a temperature setting, put it quite high. Mine is at 5 out of 6. Anyway, thank you Kate!
I’m excited you commented, Lisa! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
This is the 2nd recipe I tried in my waffle maker and turned out so much better than the last. These were delicious! I used home made oat flour and almond milk with coconut oil. 128g flour measured just over a cup so I added a bit more. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, they were perfect!
Great to hear, Caroline!
Made this morning. Didn’t have coconut oil so used olive oil and vanilla flavored almond milk, reduced maple syrup to 1 tb. Turned out great, easy to remove from waffle iron. Served with warm blueberries. Will definitely keep this recipe. Thank you
We x3 the recipe. We found the first few waffles were a little salty and kind of crisp. We added x2 bananas, and that was an all time favorite. Thank you
Quick question, I only have a regular waffle maker, not Belgian. Do you think that will work just as well?
Thanks!
Sure! You number of waffles may vary.
This recipe always works well for me, I love it! I’ve been using it for several years and it is my favorite gluten free waffle recipe. I use rolled oats and just put all of the ingredients in the blender, then I pour it out into a bowl so it doesn’t thicken up in the blender. It’s important to follow the recipe as written for best results, changes do change the outcome(leaving out the sweetener for example makes them more crumbly).
I love to hear that, Katie! Thank you for your review.
This recipe always works well for me, I love it! I’ve been using it for several years and it is my favorite gluten free waffle recipe. I use rolled oats and just put all of the ingredients in the blender, blend well, then I pour it out into a bowl so it doesn’t thicken up in the blender. It’s important to follow the recipe as written for best results, changes do change the outcome(leaving out the sweetener for example makes them more crumbly).
Great to hear, Katie! Thank you for your review.
I’ve been making these for years. Really love these. Don’t go in thinking this is going to be your box waffle mix; it won’t be. These are more hardy (keeps me full for a long time), but not too dense and quite tasty. My go to weekend breakfast!
I love to hear that, Brittany! Thank you for coming back to review.
Absolutely love these! I’ve recently had to give up gluten and these waffles make me not miss it at all! Not sure why others are having trouble getting them out of the waffle iron, I just sprayed it with some oil and they came out perfectly. Will be adding these to my Sunday brunch rotation!
I love to hear that, Laura!
I doubled the recepie , but found the batter to be very thin with just two thirds of the wet ingredients added. Is this normal? Should the batter be thicker?
I’m sorry to hear that. Are you sure you measured correctly? Did you let it rest for 10 minutes?
Great recipe. Waffles came out perfect. I used olive oil instead of coconut oil. I also used unsweetened almond milk.
I make these regularly, my kids and I love them! I just top with strawberries, a drizzle of maple syrup and a few sprinkles for the kids. So easy to make and delicious!
I’m glad you love these and make them often, Lauren! I appreciate your review.
Made these waffles for breakfast today and they were the best gluten free waffles I’ve ever had! Thank you for sharing your recipe!♥️
You’re welcome, Jo!
Used this recipe as a guide and all was wel!! Only differwnce for me was no vanilla used and exchanged oil/butter with mashed banana. Yum!
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing, Belinda.
Absolutely delicious! Crispy, light, super yummy flavor.
So yummy, Kate!! We loved these.
That’s wonderful to hear, Jessica!
Turned out well. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Used buttermilk and 2 flax eggs. Would definitely make again. Only problem I had was it did not make enough. Made 3 smallish waffles in my Nordicware waffle maker.
Great to hear, Kyle!
Made these this morning and they were sooo good! I made a blend of oats and oat bran flour and added some pumpkin spice to it. I also used half butter / half coconut oil. I will say they needed to sit in the waffle maker for twice as long to brown and crisp up. Super easy to whip up and they taste awesome! Husband approved lol.
Easy recipe! We like a textured in our waffles…so I added chopped pecans and a little corn meal for added interest.
This recipe is really tasty, but sometimes the batter is really thick and doesn’t pour. Do you know why that may be?
Hi Jackie, If you let it sit longer, it can thicken up. Or, if you use sprouted oats I notice it gets a bit thicker.
These are the best waffles ever!!
I’ve been making healthy oat waffles for years, and decided to try a new recipe today. I added in some chopped frozen raspberries, and they are fluffy-crunchy delicious!
I love to hear that, Tallulah!
Can I use liquid stevia instead of maple syrup in these? If yes,how much?
I’m not sure without trying. Sorry!