Whole Grain Pumpkin Spice Waffles

Spiced pumpkin waffles that are crispy on the outside & fluffy on the inside. This easy, gluten-free pumpkin waffle recipe's secret ingredient is oat flour!

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gluten free pumpkin waffles recipe

It sure looks like fall outside. The trees are lit up in yellow, orange and red and leaves are swirling around in the streets.

This year, like every year, I’m feeling conflicted about the falling leaves—simultaneously sad to see them go, but awe-struck by their blazing glory on the way down. Sweaters, scarves and holiday cheer will be here before we know it.

healthy pumpkin waffles ingredients

These gluten-free, oat flour-based pumpkin waffles are a fun breakfast for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or any weekend from now until then.

These waffles freeze beautifully, too, so you might want to make a big batch and treat yourself to pumpkin waffles are busy weekday mornings. Just pop them in the toaster and you’re good to go!

how to make pumpkin waffles

These whole grain pumpkin waffles are a riff on my basic oat flour waffles recipe. “Basic” doesn’t begin to do them justice—these waffles are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, light but hearty, and hold me over until lunch time.

In other words, they are basically perfect. I know a few commenters who can back me up on that! It took me a few tries to get the ratio of liquid/fat/pumpkin just right for these waffles, but I finally nailed it with the version below.

pumpkin waffle batter

Don’t worry if you don’t have oat flour in your pantry. You can easily make your own oat flour in a blender or food processor, like I did for these waffles. See my oat flour tutorial for details.

pumpkin waffles recipe

Pumpkin spice waffles (gluten free)

More Pumpkin Treats to Enjoy

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gluten free pumpkin waffles made with oat flour

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Healthy Pumpkin Spice Waffles

  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 large waffles

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 116 reviews

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These delicious, gluten-free pumpkin waffles are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This pumpkin waffle recipe’s secret ingredient is oat flour! You can easily make your own oat flour at home (check the recipe notes for details). This recipe yields 4 round, 7-inch Belgian waffles. Note: when I say “scant,” I mean just a couple teaspoons shy of the measurement listed.

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ cups (200 grams) oat flour*
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves
  • 3 large eggs
  • Scant ⅔ cup milk of choice (I used plain, unsweetened almond milk)
  • Scant ½ cup melted coconut oil or 7 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup (122 grams) packed pumpkin puree
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Suggested toppings: more maple syrup, nut butter and/or toasted nuts, coconut whipped cream…

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and all spice or cloves. Whisk to combine.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Then add the milk, coconut oil or butter, pumpkin purée, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
  3. Pour the liquid mixture into the oat flour mixture. 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.
  4. Once 10 minutes is up, give the batter one more, gentle swirl with your spoon. The batter will be pretty thick, but don’t worry! Your waffles will turn out great. Pour batter onto the heated waffle iron, enough to cover the center and most of the central surface area, and close the lid.
  5. 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 and serve with desired toppings on the side.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my gluten-free oat waffles recipe.
*Make your own oat flour: Simply blend old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats in a food processor or blender until they are ground into a fine flour. You’ll need to blend about 2 ¼ cups oats to make 2 ¼ cups flour.
*A note on gluten free oats: Be sure to buy certified gluten-free oats or certified gluten-free oat flour to ensure your waffles are gluten free.
Freeze it: These waffles freeze beautifully. Just store in freezer-safe plastic bags and pop individual waffles into the toaster until warmed through.
Recommended equipment: This fancy-pants non-stick waffle maker. I love that it has a large cooking surface, which means I can cook an entire batch of waffles with just two presses.

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.

Kate and Cookie

HELLO, MY NAME IS

Kathryne Taylor

I'm a vegetable enthusiast, dog lover, mother and bestselling cookbook author. I've been sharing recipes here since 2010, and I'm always cooking something new in my Kansas City kitchen. Cook with me!

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Comments

  1. Jaime Albino

    This recipe is an all time favorite. We’ve made them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and just as an afternoon treat to go with our coffee. I just have one question regarding the “nutritional facts”. Are the macros listed for 4 waffles or each waffle? I am in prep for a bodybuilding show and want to know if I can eat these in place of my boring morning oatmeal…lol

    1. Kate

      Hi Jamie, The nutritional information is per serving I hope this helps!

  2. Marie

    I know this recipe is old but I am looking forward to trying it. I noticed that it has quiet a bit of oil in it. I currently have to limit oil in my diet is there a way to use less or omit all together? Will they still turn out?

    1. Kate

      Hi Marie, You will want the oil for these. I applesauce can be used in some situations to replace oil, however I haven’t tried it with these so I can’t say for sure. However, it does appear that one reader made it with applesauce and didn’t mind the result.

  3. Jennifer Rocca-Sexton

    Thanks for the recipe! Who doesn’t love pumpkin waffles? To make grain free, I used sorghum flour instead of oat flour. This made the batter a bit thicker and slightly bitter, so I added 1/4 arrowroot flour, an extra 1/4 cup of pumpkin, and an extra 1/2 cup of almond milk. Also subbed one egg for 1 flax “egg”. Delicious! Huge hit with the family plus grain and almost lectin free.

    1. Kate

      That’s great to hear, Jennifer! I appreciate you taking the time to review and share what you did.

  4. Karen S Wirmia

    The pumpkin waffles turned out great. They were delicious and I made oat flour since I could not find it. Very easy recipe and great ingredients. I will make them with oat milk for my niece and sister family since she cannot have nuts.

  5. Ashley Blackwood

    I made these with my 2 yr old completely in the blender (I dont need extra dishes, lol!) I made the oat flour first, then added all the dry ingredients and then wet and blended for a minute before adding butter/coconut oil and blended for another minute. They were delicious and quite filling! Definitely a keeper!

    1. Kate

      I’m glad you loved it, Ashley!

  6. Denise Stumpel

    What a delicious recipe! Had some leftover pumpkin puree and was craving something warm for breakfast on a snowy chilly morning.
    Was able to make 8 waffles out of one batch. Topped it with banana, yoghurt, walnuts and a little maple syrup.
    This recipe is a keeper! Thank you : -)

  7. Sara

    Would this work with a silicone waffle mold that you put in the oven?

    1. Kate

      Hi Sara, I’m not too familiar with that. But, I would be curious what you think!

  8. Sher

    My family and I LOVE your “basic” oat waffle recipe, so I was excited to try this. I accidentally forgot to add the milk, and these pumpkin waffles were STILL delish! I made some quick apple compote to top them with to add moisture after my mistake and YUM! One of the reasons I always come back to your site is that your recipes are literally foolproof in addition to healthy.

  9. Jennifer

    Wow these were delicious! Perfect addition to pumpkin season! Thank you!!

  10. Laura

    These turned out delicious! I used coconut oil instead of butter. They go great with applesauce on top, and my one year old loved them too! For me, the recipe made 3 1/4 large Belgium waffles.

  11. Rose

    This recipe was a complete bust for me. They stuck awfully to my waffle iron (the worst on any waffle attempt) and the flavour was pretty boring. Could hardly taste the pumpkin.

  12. Yanic

    These look and taste amazing!

    1. Kate

      Thank you!

  13. Sandra L

    Love these waffles. My go-to recipe when any of my grandkids visit. Filling, nutritious, and oh so tasty. And never stick to my waffle iron.

  14. Nancy

    These waffles are the BEST!!!! They tasted good, and make my whole house smell like a fall bakery. I love to top them with unsweetened applesauce. Yum!

    1. Kate

      I’m happy you enjoyed them, Nancy!

  15. Shannon

    I didn’t obey the “wait 10 minutes rule” the first time and they fell apart. I then followed the rules and they were delicious!

    Warm applesauce and fresh blueberries are the best toppings for this. It reminds me of thanksgiving pies.

    1. Kate

      I’m glad you waited and loved them, Shannon! I appreciate your review.

  16. MS

    3/4 teaspoon was too much, they were too salty! Otherwise tasty though.

    1. Kate

      You can always adjust the salt next time. Thank you for your feedback, MS!

  17. Caleb

    Are there any egg alternatives you recommend that would work well for this recipe?

    1. Kate

      Hi! I haven’t tried it, but others said flax eggs work well for them.

  18. Kay

    I don’t like cloves or allspice, but I do like more cinnamon. How much more cinnamon can I use in it’s place?

  19. Claire

    Could I skip the maple syrup? I’d like to give them to my baby but trying to avoid added sugar. Obviously they would be less sweet, but would it affect the texture or anything?

    1. Kate

      Hi Claire, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. The maple syrup adds flavor, but also moisture.

  20. Becky

    These were delicious and extremely filling! Thanks so much for a great recipe especially for fall! They did freeze really well too.

  21. Jen

    wow these are delish!

    1. Kate

      Thank you, Jen!

  22. Sarah

    Tasty recipe! I used water instead of milk because my friend is dairy free and they still worked great. I made them a couple times and I liked it best making them ahead of time and then reheating them in the oven so they were crispier

  23. Marisa

    These waffles are so delicious. We absolutely loved them. Topped with maple syrup and chopped walnuts are amazing!!

    1. Kate

      Sounds like a great way to start the morning!

  24. Alice J

    Love pumpkin season and love love love these waffles! Great texture and really delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe and for making our fall weekends cozy with pumpkin waffles :-)

    1. Kate

      Thank you for your review, Alice!

  25. susan

    we like these so much we have them weekly! but i am wondering about reducing the fat, since we have them so often. what are your thoughts on subbing half the coconut oil for applesauce or banana puree?

    1. Kate

      Sorry, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.

  26. Sarah

    These are amazing! Thankyou so much! Question have you ever used this recipe to make pancakes. Wondering if I would need to change anything?

    1. Kate

      Your’e welcome, Sarah!

  27. Susan Henry

    I have made the waffles several times now and they have come out perfectly every time. I have not made any change.

  28. Laura

    This is my favorite waffle recipe! I blend up oats with the dry ingredients and then pulse the wet ingredients in the blender too so it’s fast and easy. I like to make a triple batch so I can use a whole can of pumpkin. My big family goes through them pretty fast!

  29. Brian

    These are really good! We milled our own oat flour in a food processor and I was worried that it was a little too gritty – but nope. The extra texture was actually a benefit. We used eggs, butter, and macadamia nut milk.

  30. Donna

    Hi there. Just wanted to comment on this recipe. I made it for the first time a few months back, and as I didn’t have oat flour on hand, I made my own by grinding oats in my food processor. I obviously didn’t grind my oats up fine enough, as the texture of my waffles was grainy and gross. Since that first attempt, I now have some dietary restrictions which require me to be on a gluten-free and egg-free diet, so I decided to revisit this recipe. I made these this morning with store bought, gluten-free oat flour and WHAT a difference!!! The texture was lovely – just like regular waffles made with wheat. I used flax eggs instead of the 3 eggs the recipe called for (3 tbs of ground flax…I prefer golden flax as it has a much more subtle flavour, plus 9 tbs of water…stir and let sit for 10 mins to thicken up).

    I made a couple of other adjustments – I used 1/2 cup of mashed ripe banana instead of pumpkin puree, added 1/2 cup of chopped pecans, and omitted the ginger and allspice/cloves.

    This recipe was DELISH, and is my new go-to for waffles!!! Thank you Kate!!!

  31. Toni

    this is such a knockout recipe, I’ve made it so many times and love it more and more with each try! perfect texture and flavors, and love any use of oat flour for our gluten free household.

  32. Jen

    WOW! Oh my goodness – amazingly delicious. I am gluten intolerant as well as nightshade intolerant (potato flour) and I have tried so many different recipes and flour blends for waffles. None come close to this recipe and I am THRILLED that you posted it. I ended up subbing out some of the oat flour for rice flour – ’cause I ran out of oats – and it was still delicious. (I did need to add more liquid (water) because rice flour soaks up everything but it all turned out delish!) I also subbed out Cardamom for the Ginger (again – out of that ingredient.) You gave me the basis for everything. Thank you.
    Next time I’ll just use oats. Thank you so very much.

    1. Kate

      Thank you for sharing, Jen! I’m glad you were able to make something work for you.

  33. Kali

    I love these waffles! I’ve made them several times and they always turn out great. I usually replace some of the oat flour with vanilla protein powder to make them even more filling. Thank you for a delicious recipe!

  34. donna

    Wonderful! It was easy to follow your instructions, and I’m so pleased with the result. I used 3 tablespoons butter and then subbed with canola oil. Also used agave syrup as I didn’t have any maple syrup.

    Thanks so much!

  35. Allison

    Delicious! I made these this morning and I wish I would have doubled the recipe! I will definitely make again and freeze

    1. Kate

      That’s great, Allison!

  36. Steph

    Thank you thank you thank you! My twin 4 year olds love these waffles. It’s so hard to find yummy recipes they like with less wheat and more fiber as their doctor recommends. I made several batches with a cute $12 mini pumpkin shaped waffle iron from Target and stuck them in the freezer. Tastes great frozen and warmed up too. Breakfast is solved for weeks

  37. Bev

    Delicious and filling! Used half the amount of nutmeg due to personal preference otherwise, made exactly as written.

  38. Saaniyah

    WOW this was amazing!!! I followed recipe to the t except aged regular chopped milk and vegetable oil instead, also added chocolate chips to the batter. Amazing!!! ❤️

    1. Kate

      I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Saaniyah! I appreciate your comment.

  39. Karen H

    In my family we have a ‘friendly’ cooking competition with my adult children every Christmas. This year, we all made gluten-free waffles, and I used your recipe. I won!

    The waffles weren’t as crispy as I wanted, but they did have a crust. Also, they really didn’t taste much like pumpkin or maple–it’s possible that I just ate too many waffles to tell or that I used real maple syrup, which is thin and may have affected the recipe.

    They were yummy!!!

    1. Kate

      I’m sorry to hear they didn’t get as crispy as you wanted. I’m excited you still enjoyed them!

  40. Paul Baker

    OMG! Made. Mini-waffles this morning. Not only were they delicious with a super texture but the aroma that spread through the house is so comforting and warm. Another winner, Kate!

    1. Kate

      That’s great to hear, Paul! Thank you for your review.

  41. Vee

    Love your recipes and can’t wait to make this! Can I substitute white whole wheat flour for the oat flour?

  42. Steffers

    These taste delicious!. Not sure if it was the different flour I used (I only had 1/2 c oats in hand so used 1c spelt, 1/4 c almond, 1/2 c coconut, 1/2 c oat) but I needed way more liquid to make these spreadable in the waffle maker. So good, and freeze well so they’re toaster ready in the AM. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Steffers! I appreciate your review.

  43. Liz

    I was wondering about the Nutrition Information. Is this for the entire recipe or for each individual waffle?
    Thanks!

    1. Kate

      Hi! It’s for each serving.

  44. Anne

    Can’t wait to make these for my whole family with one gluten free person, and please everyone at once! Looks great!

  45. Julia Simonelli

    Hi! If my sons are allergic to eggs, can I replace with flax egg?

  46. Linda Giordano

  47. Bethany

    I love lots of recipes from your website. So thank you for all your recipes! These however, between the tablespoon of baking soda and the salt, were straight up salty. It’s quite the bummer since I made a triple batch to store some in the freezer. I’m no expert but I’d lessen the amount of baking soda and maybe scratch the salt all together. For people reading before trying the recipe, I could have easily halved both and/or skipped the salt completely.

    1. Kate

      I’m sorry to hear that, Bethany. I appreciate your feedback.

  48. Julie

    Made these today and they’re delicious. I can’t wait to pull one out of the freezer for a quick and yummy breakfast. Thanks so much!

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Julie!

  49. Jen

    I made these and they were amazing. So good we made them again the following weekend.

    I decided to build this recipe into MyFitness Pal app and one waffle is approximately 450cal with 22grams of fat (using butter)!

  50. Dominique

    Great recipe like every one I try from Cookie and Kate. I added a little more pumpkin because I love pumpkin and a dash more milk to thin it out. More dense from my usual waffle recipes, but probably because of the WW flour and doesn’t take away from the deliciousness! Toddlers loved them.

    1. Kate

      That’s to hear, Dominique!