Gluten-Free Vegan Waffles (Freezer Friendly!)
These Gluten-Free Vegan Waffles are incredibly light, crispy, and best of all – easy to make! They’re gluten-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, paleo-friendly, and can be frozen for a quick breakfast. Thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post!
If it comes down to waffles vs. pancakes, I’ll choose waffles over pancakes every day of the week (sorry banana blueberry pancakes, you’re still great).
I’m all about crispy edges and waffles have PLENTY of crispy edges. But, for the LONGEST time, I didn’t have a waffle maker and stuck adamantly to not wanting any more kitchen appliances.
Once I finally caved and bought a $4 waffle maker from a thrift store, the waffle making was ON. I tested a few recipes without great success before nailing this version – and it happens to be gluten-free, paleo, and vegan.
These gluten-free vegan waffles have a tender, fluffy inside with a crispy, golden-brown exterior. The recipe uses two flours – blanched almond flour and tapioca flour – from Bob’s Red Mill to create the perfect texture while keeping the recipe paleo-friendly. I always use Bob’s flours since they’re always the highest quality and make such perfectly textured treats! The waffles are just barely sweetened with a bit of coconut sugar, which helps us achieve that beautiful golden crust.
These paleo vegan waffles are easy to make too! Just stir together all your ingredients, wait a few minutes for the batter to thicken, and let them cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions.
Tips & Tricks for Waffle Success:
- Make sure you have a good waffle iron! That doesn’t mean it has to be new or expensive. I bought one at a thrift store, and it was burning and sticking and I was getting SO frustrated trying to test recipes. I bought a slightly nicer one at a garage sale and all of a sudden, the recipes were working perfectly. So, if your waffles keep sticking or browning unevenly, think of investing in a better waffle iron. I use this griddler with the waffle plates.
- Make sure you let the batter rest for a few minutes to thicken before using. Allowing the ingredients to absorb will result in a better texture.
- The waffles are usually done a few seconds after steam stops coming from the waffle iron. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn!
These gluten-free waffles are so versatile when it comes to serving, too. I personally love them with vegan butter, fresh berries, and pure maple syrup. Sauteed apples and a drizzle of nut butter would be a great topping for fall. Be creative! You could even reduce the amount of coconut sugar to 1 tablespoon and make them savory.
One of the best things about these waffles, though? You can freeze them to heat up when you need a quick breakfast!
How to Freeze Gluten-Free Waffles:
- After cooking, let the waffles cool completely in a single layer so none of them get soggy.
- Place them in a resealable zip bag or an airtight container and seal.
- Mark the waffles with the date made.
- When you’re ready to eat, toast at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through and crisped to your liking.
- Add toppings and serve!
I hope you love these gluten-free vegan waffles as much as I do! Enjoy, and be sure to tag me on Instagram @bakeritablog and #bakerita if you try them!
Want more gluten-free vegan breakfast options?
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Blueberry Banana Pancakes
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal
- Double Chocolate Pancakes
- 5-Minute Acai Bowl
Gluten-Free Vegan Waffles (Freezer Friendly!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
Description
These Gluten-Free Vegan Waffles are incredibly light, crispy, and best of all – easy to make! They’re egg-free, dairy-free, Paleo-friendly, and can easily be frozen for a quick breakfast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 ounces) almond milk, or dairy-free milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup (50g) coconut oil or avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 cups (192g) Bob’s Red Mill Blanched Almond Flour
- ¾ cup (90g) Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Optional additions
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Plug in your waffle iron to let it heat up while you prepare the batter.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the dairy-free milk of your choice and apple cider vinegar and let stand for 3 minutes. Whisk in the oil and coconut sugar. Add vanilla extract if using.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, sea salt, and cinnamon if using.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Let the batter stand for a few minutes to thicken up.
- Lightly grease the waffle iron and add enough waffle batter to fill the waffle cavity. Cook according to waffle iron’s directions, until golden brown and crispy. The batter is relatively thick so you may need to spread the batter out a bit when you first put it into your waffle iron.
- Repeat until all of the batter is gone, adding more coconut oil (if needed) between each waffle.
- Serve with your desired toppings while the waffles are still warm.
- To freeze the waffles, let them cool completely before placing in an airtight container or zip bag and freezing. Reheat at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through and crisped to your liking. Best used within 3 months.
LOVE that these are freezer friendly because sometimes I want waffles during the week but just don’t have the patience to make them! Sounds fabulous, Rachel!
Yess exactly! Thank you lovely friend!
Such a comforting and easy to make recipe for waffles!
It’s my new favorite! Thanks, Harini :)
Hi!
Just wondering how thick the batter is? When you put it on the waffle maker, does it spread out on its own or is it thicker and needs to be spread with a spatula?
thanks!
Hi Sally, it’s relatively thick – it will creep into the crevices a little bit but I like to spread it out just a touch with a spoon. Thanks for asking – I’ll update the recipe to reflect that!
thanks Rachel!
They stuck to my waffle iron and fell apart. Suggestions?
Hi Niccole – my guess is it might be the waffle iron. I was testing with one where the waffles stuck really badly, and I switched to one with a better non-stick coating and more even heating and they worked great. I know it’s not an easy fix, but with waffles, that’s usually where things go wrong!!
Hi these look great! How much does it make?
Hi, it depends on the size of your waffle maker! For me, it made 8 to 10 smaller waffles.
Hi Rachel,
This recipe looks amazing! Just wondering if you know of any subs for the almond flour as hubby is allergic?
Thanks and enjoy the day!
Natasha
Hi Natasha! Cassava or oat flour should work well in it’s place :)
AWESOME! Thanks Rachel
Hi there,
Just wondering if the coconut sugar is needed as I’m trying to cut out sugar all together? Thanks
Hi Lucy, it does add a bit of crunch to the texture, as it helps them crisp, but should still be okay without.
Hello, do you know an alternative to cream of tartar? It’s hard to find in Sweden and I’m really wanting to do these since they are perfect for my vegan lectin free diet! Thanks :)
/Lina
Hi Lina, you should be okay to just leave it out!
What is the use of the apple cider vinegar. I can’t have apples. Will regular vinegar work or can it be omitted all together? Looks so good!
Hi Suzanne, it helps activate the leavener and gives extra lift. You can definitely use any vinegar you have, white will work just fine for this, or use lemon juice!
The best vegan and gluten free waffle recipe I’ve tried! Truly tastes like a classic waffle with minimal, good-for-you ingredients! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Thank you, Torie!! So glad you’re loving it :D
Can i make pancakes with this recipie?
These are perfect!!!!
So glad you love them, thanks Heather!
Ah these were SO GOOD. Best waffles I’ve had in a long time. We did a double batch and it made 4.5 waffles in our iron. My parents and husband, who have no dietary restrictions also agreed they were delicious! 5 stars for sure. Would make again! Just a note about the coconut oil- we had to melt it and add it in last. We added it earlier in the process twice and it was too clumpy so we scooped it out and tried again. Worked perfectly at the end though.
Sorry forgot to add the stars
Woohoo!! So glad you and your family loved them, Melina.
Love these and all your recipes !! Just have a question about the coconut oil and adding it to the nut milk, do you heat it up the coconut oil? If I don’t and add it to the nut milk it is hard to mix in bc it hardens due to nut milk being cold. If I heat it up and then add it even if it cools it’s hard to mix in. I heated it up and added it directly to the flour mixture and that was better, any suggestions?
Hi Kila! I do use melted coconut oil, and try to get the rest of the ingredients to room temp to avoid the solidifying of the coconut oil that you’re describing. Usually just microwaving the milk for 15 seconds or so is enough to prevent that from happening. I hope this helps!
Ohh good idea!!! Thank you so much!!!
Of course :) enjoy!!
The waffle recipe was perfection! thank you so much we’re gonna use it over and over again in our Belgium ceramic waffle maker❣️
So glad you loved it!!
Bakerita has become my go-to for finding delicious recipes for my gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free way of eating. Once again, this recipe did not disappoint! I made these waffles for a group of people who do not eat like me and the waffles were devoured. Thank you AGAIN, Rachel, for another outstanding recipe!
Such a compliment – thanks so much Ginny!!
These are so good! My one year old is allergic to eggs and it’s hard to find good egg free waffle recipes but these turned out amazing!
So glad you’re loving them, Elizabeth!
My kids and I loved these! They cook quickly and get nice and crunchy. We will definitely saving this recipe to make it again. I love that the ingredients are simple and would be perfect for a dry mix to keep on hand.
So happy you’re loving them, Kelli! Thanks for the feedback.
Loved this recipe! Super easy to throw together and made the crispiest waffles with just the right amount of chew. My husband who isn’t GF also loved them. I omitted cream of tartar since I didn’t have any, and no issues. Used avocado oil instead of coconut oil since I didn’t want to dirty a dish to melt the oil lol. Turned out great!
One question/note on the coconut sugar. I was going by weight, spooning the sugar into the liquid. It seemed like a LOT so I stopped at 38 grams. I decided to use a tablespoon measure in a separate bowl to see how much I had added. It was already less than 38 grams when I measured 3 tablespoons! Can coconut sugar vary in weight a lot? I’m glad I stopped because 5/6 tablespoons would have been way too much!
So glad you loved them, Maddie! Thanks so much for the feedback and for sharing your changes. For the coconut sugar, it can vary in weight depending on how it’s packed! I actually generally tend to just measure with measuring spoons for coconut sugar. Going to remove the weight measurement for that one, thanks for the feedback there :)
Just now tried this recipe- so good! I am not vegan so I swapped butter for oil. The waffles have great flavor and the perfect texture you want with waffles.
Sounds great, Janis! So glad you enjoyed them :)
No idea what went wrong but this recipe killed my waffle maker. It’s stuck together and I cannot get it open.
Off to muffins! The batter tastes delicious.
Hi Hannah, was your waffle maker well greased or non-stick? Sorry that happened, hopefully you were able to salvage!
I haven’t had a waffle since before 2019.
These worked out great – I didn’t have cream of tarter, but decided to go ahead and try this recipe anyway. What is the benefit of the cream of tarter?
Thank you for this recipe. Going to try the gluten free bread recipe next.
Hi Jenn, it helps to activate the baking powder in this recipe!
Just made these. This is the best GF vegan waffle recipe I have ever tried. Turned out perfect.
So glad you’re loving them!
Was so hopeful for this third (& final?!) attempt at making waffles!! The first two times, using different recipes, were disasters with waffles sticking badly. Alas, this time was no better!! Disaster which took forever to prize badly stuck and split batter from maker – despite a thorough dousing of coconut oil with pastry brush beforehand. Could it have been because I substituted coconut sugar with maple syrup in recipe? About to give up on waffles and chuck this darn machine in the bin!!! (Machine is K-mart brand flip style with non-stick (haha) coating.)
Hi Heather, using maple syrup instead of coconut sugar could have been part of the cause – it changes the liquid ratio in the recipe which can throw off the texture. Also, if you’re having trouble with multiple well rated recipes, it may be worth looking at the machine. Has any recipe ever turned out with it?