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.
First time waffle maker here and wanted an alternative to oat porrage and this will be it. I didn’t have maple syrup and forgot to replace it with something else. Also no baking powder so used bicarb soda and cream of tartar and it worked quite well. Turned out a bit dry but I think that’s due to me not following the recipe and only leaving for 5 mins as i was inpatient. Thanks for a great dish.
I’m glad it worked with your substitutions, Emma! I appreciate your review.
Just made them and they were fantastic! A really amazing recipe. Only thing I changed was I used date paste (blended dates with coconut milk) instead of maple sirup.
Thank you for that recipe just perfect!
These are amazing. Thank you so very much
I’m glad you loved them, Jen!
I’m excited I found this recipe, thank you! I was thinking of making this for a brunch – can the batter sit out for an hour or two okay? I was thinking I would put a pitcher of it in a bowl of ice (knowing there is egg and milk in it) to keep it a little cool. Thanks for any input!
I would’t recommend letting it set out too long. You could try to keep it cool, although some of your ingredients might start to solidify.
Absolutely fantastic waffles. I left out the maple syrup and it still worked perfectly. Thanks heaps.
Seco d try. Better than the first. Nice and crispy. Grandkids love them
I made these today and they were delicious.
Hi! I’d like to try making these but I was wondering if it’s ok to use any other kind of flour.. rice flour, maize flour etc..?
Hi! These are specifically designed for oat flour. Sorry!
Great recipe! Just made for my gf partner and we both really enjoyed our waffles. It’s a good amount as well, great for 2.
Thanks for sharing, Mary!
I’ve made these a few times, including just now. They are perfect.
I’m glad you love them, Julia!
Hi I looked at your rec and tried it out I had to substitute a couple of items flax meal flour and canola oil and I needed some more fluid so added 3/4 cup water and they really tasted good the rec is a keeper
Will this batter keep for a few days in the fridge?
Loved these waffles!
I’m happy to hear that, Lori! Thank you for sharing.
This recipe is better than any white flour waffle I’ve had. I replace the syrup with honey because I’m cheap and it tastes amazing. I also add about a table spoon of cinnamon to a double batch and it gives it a great favor.
Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re welcome, Ken!
Delicious and fluffy waffles. Batter was a little thick for an upright waffle iron, will experiment with slightly more liquid to manage my iron. Fantastic addition to breakfast options
Making this recipe for the third time! You would never know this is gluten free! They do freeze well, since certain members of my family eat them almost every day. Thank you!
I love to hear that, Liz! Thank you for sharing.
Hi!
I am just wondering, if I omit the egg, since we’d get rashes if we eat eggs, should we add more liquid?
Thanks.
I really appreciate it
Hi Dori! I have a note on making it egg free below the recipe instructions. I hope you love them!
Amazing waffles! I just made them and they are absolutely delicious. Thanks for another great recipe
You’re welcome, Holly! Thank you for your review.
Awesome! Best waffle recipe I’ve ever made. Didn’t change a thing. They came out nice and crisp and were delicious. Thank you so much for sharing.
Perfect and delicious
Delicious & easy!! Thank you!!
Awesome waffles! I used extra virgin olive oil, as I just ran out of coconut oil. When they first came out of the waffle maker they were still floppy, but after a few minutes in a 200°F oven they were perfectly crispy. So good, thank you for the recipe!
They were great ❤️
Although I made a slight change I added 1/4 buckwheat flour and a little more almond milk to balance
They were a hit !
These were SO GOOD! I wanted to reduce the fat for my own personal goals, so I substituted coconut oil with mashed banana and they still turned out really well! Delicious and fluffy. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Such a good idea! How many mashed bananas did you use?
Thank you! I think it ended up being a whole small banana. I mashed it up and then measured 1/4 cup and 2 tbsp to make sure it was right :)
Made this many times but once on accident put baking soda instead of baking powder and it was a total disaster, not edible at all.
Tried today and they are very good!
This recipe is perfect. I’ve tried others online and they weren’t so good. I’m attempting gluten-free and I actually like the oat flavor better than wheat. They are delicious. I did add a little chopped walnuts, dates and some coconut for nutrients and was very pleased. Thank you so much for working out the ingredient amounts so well, and for sharing this great recipe with us. Bon appetit!
Really good waffles! My kids and I loved them! I made a 1.5 recipe and got 4 waffles in my waffle iron. Will definitely make these again!
The leftover batter cannot be refrigerated, mine became hard.
Hi, I’m sorry you had a bad experience but this wasn’t left to set. The oats will soak up the liquid. But, these do freeze really well once made.
I’ve made this recipe a few times, and its easily my favourite oat flour waffle recipe. Tonight I topped them with coconut cashew cream and bananas. I am in heaven.
This is an amazing recipe!!! I made them for the Senior Center for a breakfast they loved them!I had some and they were all you said and more !
Great to hear, Susan! Thanks so much for your review.
If you can’t eat oat flour what would a good alternative be?
Hey Maya, I’m sorry, this may not be the waffle recipe for you. Here’s my whole wheat waffle recipe, and buckwheat waffle recipe (buckwheat is gluten-free if that’s important to you).
Excellent recipe. The oat flour really works in these. The texture is perfect. Will make them again this morning.
Hope you are keeping well!
Hi Kate, my waffles turned out bitter. Is there something i did wrong? I added honey instead of maple syrup.
Oh no! The honey should be ok. Did you use aluminum free baking powder? Was your baking powder fresh or maybe old?
I figured that my oatmeal flour was old. Maybe it’s because of this. I will try one more time again and comment here about the results:)
These are hands down the best waffles I’ve ever made in my life. SO good. The kids have requested that I only make these from now on. Thank you!
My sister-and-law loves this recipe! I don’t have a waffle maker. Wonder if this batter would work for pancakes?
Hi Jenny! I’m not sure these would work, but I do have other oat pancakes on the blog. Here is some you could try! https://sooka.info/banana-oat-pancakes/#tasty-recipes-23259%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Absolutely delicious waffles!!!! I made them exactly per the recipe and they are just as you described – crispy on the outside and light on the inside. My husband has celiac and he loved them as well! Thank you so much for the recipe and for including flour weight in grams!
Hi! Great waffles, but next time can i make it with
cacao powder for chocolate waffles?
Hi Shade, that sounds interesting! I haven’t tried it so don’t know how it would work or how much. Sorry!
I used half coconut oil/half butter & half each chia and flax in place of egg. I added a slash more milk because my batter tightened up a little too much. This is a fantastic, simple recipe. Perfect amount of sweetness, they reminded me of oat scones. Delicious. Thank you!
I made them for Easter brunch and added a handful or 2 of fresh blueberries. They were amazing. The best GF waffles my 4-year-old son and I have ever had!!
Is it 265 calories for the 6 waffles or 265 cals for each single waffle?
Hi Lu! That’s per waffle. Each waffle is quite hearty!
I made this recipe and I really like it. I am happy that I give it a try. I didn’t have maple syrup so I replace it with honey.
I will be making it every two weeks.
Love your website
xoxo
I’m making them right now. Can I add flaxseeds meal mixed with water instead of eggs? 1 tablespoon flaxseeds and 3 tablespoon water
Hi Olga! You can actually just omit the eggs. The waffles will be slightly more delicate, but they’ve turned out great for me.
Oh my gosh, these are my new everything! I thought I’d go ahead with an entire recipe and freeze them for the future. None of three made it to the freezer!
I used fresh cashew milk, coconut oil, and “flax eggs” and didn’t find them delicate, and the flax added great flavor too. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Great to know! I’ve made these a few times for myself, and loved them! But I want to make them for my brother who is vegan and was wondering who tried it without the eggs, or egg substitute. Great to know the flax eggs works well
Go-to waffle recipe! Love how filling it is and how good it is with any toppings – my favorite: strawberries, bananas, homemade coconut whipped cream, and maple syrup. Equally good with PB, syrup, and chia seeds. I like my waffles fancy, but these are also good with just maple syrup!
We use almond milk and make our own oat flour (so easy & cheap! -thanks for that tutorial).
Thanks for this great recipe that tastes better than gluten-filled waffles (and I love gluten-filled treats). Super easy to freeze and crisp up perfectly in our toaster – we’ve started doubling the recipe so we have enough left over!
First I want to say that these are delicious. I did have a bit of a problem creating a fine enough flour, but that could be my food processor, so even after the 10 min. waiting period I ended up having to add about 1/3 – 1/2 cup regular flour. I wonder if I had measured rather than weighed the flour what difference that would have made. As I wanted to have these for snacks I added chopped onion and bacon bits, if you’ve never tried it this way, do as they are so good especially with maple syrup!!
Hi Barb! You want to make sure you have this super fine, like regular flour for it to turn out just right.
We love this recipe! We make it every weekend and now have a new Breville Belgium Waffle maker and are super excited to try it!
I love it! Thank you for your review, Laura.
Kate! These waffles are fabulous! I am also very picky about the taste and texture of waffles and this is my new go to recipe, it is quick and easy. I’ve never added cinnamon to waffle batter, a pinch is not detectable in the final product but I am sure it added the warmth of flavor I loved in this recipe! I The flavor of these was outstanding and I loved the whole grain crunch of the oats, and I feel so good I am not eating white flour so I did not get that heavy bloated feeling after eating! I threw out my Krups waffle maker when the nonstick coating started to peel and found a way to somewhat simulate a waffle by using a cast iron griddle pan, it’s sort of a waffle/pancake hybrid, but the grooves on the griddle pan simulate the texture of a waffle! Just curious, what brand waffle iron are you using? I am looking for a new one. I am trying to stay away from non stick coating and they are hard to find!
Hi! I’m happy you love them. Calphalon, is the one I have. I love it! But, I don’t think it is still available.
You are right, Kate. This “Easy Gluten Free Oat Waffles” recipe was the best. Crunchy, like you said and they freeze well. I don’t have a toaster, but put them in the toaster oven & they came out crunchy. I used Almond milk and coconut oil. I was very pleased with this recipe. Thank you!
I made these for my 13 year old and we both absolutely loved it. I followed the recipe precisely and the waffles were soft and tender. It’s my go to recipe for breakfast now.
I have a picky husband. These waffles were dinner tonight.There all gone in a flash. None to freeze guess it is a double batch next time. Thanks a bunch. Kos
That’s winning! Thank you for sharing, Kos. I appreciate it!
Just made these for the first time and they are amazing!! I have a waffle stick maker, so I was not sure how it would work. I got 16 beautiful waffle sticks! Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe ❤
Not sure what I did wrong. Followed recipe but after letting batter sit for 10 min ALL of the liquid had been absorbed. I did end up needing to grind up about 1 and 3/4 cup oats to make 1 and 1/2 cup flour even though the recipe said you’d like have extra flour… It was very thick like consistency of cookie dough. I added another 1/3 cup milk or so to make it runny. But it still only made two 6 inch square waffles. Taste was alright just very dense. Suggestions?
Hi Jamie! I think I know what happened here. I suspect that you didn’t grind up the oat flour finely enough—once it’s properly ground, 1 1/2 cups oats should yield enough for this recipe. Your additional oats absorbed extra moisture, which is why your batter became so thick. I have a full post on oat flour if you’d like to read more about its intricacies. Hope that makes sense!