These are the Best Gluten-Free Waffles. Crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and perfect for anytime a waffle craving hits.
If you are like my family, you take breakfast seriously. My husband grew up on freezer waffles (hello, 80's child). In fact, he used to keep a toaster in his barracks room when he was a single soldier so he could heat them up because he liked them better than the ones they served at the chow hall.
Needless to say, when we got married and moved in together, this habit filled us, not for long, though. I can't tell you how confused my husband was when we got a waffle iron for a wedding present. It was pretty funny for him to ask why we needed that when we have the toaster, lol.
He quickly realized homemade waffles ran circles around thin frozen waffles, and his waffle obsession grew from there. Of course, I had to tweak my usual waffle recipe to be gluten-free, but I've taken it one step farther and made these totally grain-free.
Don't worry, though; they are still incredibly delicious with their crispy outsides and light and fluffy centers giving you all the waffle feelings you love!
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Gluten-free waffles that actually taste good!
A good waffle is slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. If you are making waffles isn't that hard to do. When I first went gluten-free, I made a delicious recipe with rice flour that could easily rival their gluten-filled counterparts. However, since those grains seemed to still cause issues for me, I decided to make these grain-free. Not as easy of a feat as I thought it would be, but worth all the trial and error because these are so good. They are the only waffles I make anymore, no matter who I am making waffles for, and they are always a hit.
These are:
- gluten-free
- grain-free
- nut-free
- can be made dairy-free
Ingredients that make these the BEST!
- Cassava Flour
- Arrowroot Starch
- Psyllium Husk Powder
- Sugar
- Butter or dairy-free alternative
- Baking Soda
- Cream of Tartar
- Eggs
- Milk of Choice
- Avocado Oil or Light Cooking Oil
- Vanilla
Notes on ingredients.
Cassava Flour - I get many messages about people not liking the texture or a recipe is not acting like it should as written, and here is where the problem probably lies.
How to Measure Cassava Flour
Cassava flour settles A LOT. Here is my trick if you do not want to have to bring out your kitchen scale to measure it. Whisk, whisk and whisk some more. What does that mean? When I measure cassava flour, I always do the following steps.
- Whisk the flour in whatever container you are storing it or the bag.
- Spoon the desired amount into a measuring cup to measure.
- Pour that into a larger bowl or measuring cup and whisk it again. You will notice when you whisk it, the amount increases. This is because the cassava has settled, so you measured more than what you wanted for the recipe.
- If you have more, merely remove the excess and repeat until you have the amount you need.
Psyllium Husk Powder - This might be a new ingredient for you, but trust me, it makes a world of difference when it comes to getting the right texture in grain-free cooking and baking. It helps absorb just enough extra liquid in recipes that make them act slightly more like gluten-filled foods.
Make them more allergy friendly.
I've had luck making these with dairy-free margarine and my favorite coconut milk. I do not suggest using ghee for this recipe because it makes them oilier and not as fluffy.
You are in luck; they are already are!
I have had luck using both an egg replacer and using a flax egg in these waffles.
Let's Make Waffles
- Mix the dry ingredients.
- Add the butter to the dry ingredients. You want it to look like wet sand but do not combine the butter. Leave a few clumps here and there.
- To the butter and flour mixture, add the wet ingredients and whisk just until they are combined.
- Let the batter sit while you heat your waffle iron.
- Pour batter into the waffle iron and cook until golden brown.
- Add your favorite toppings and syrup, and enjoy!
Note: My waffle iron gets hot. I find these waffles work best, just a little over medium on my waffle iron. If it's too hot, I find it gets cooked on the outside faster than it gets cooked all the way through. So you might need to play with the adjustments on your waffle iron.
More Breakfast Fun
- Grain-Free Pancakes
- Huevos Rancheros
- Skillet Breakfast Potatoes
- Pancakewich
- Country Breakfast Skillet
- Gluten-free German Pancake (dutch baby)
📖 Recipe
The Best Grain-Free Waffles
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Cassava Flour 140 grams.
- ⅓ Cup Arrowroot Starch
- 1 Tablespoon Psyllium Husk Powder
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Butter Or Dairy-free Alternative at room Temperature.
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Eggs or equal egg replacement.
- 1 Cup Milk of Choice
- 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil Or Light Cooking Oil.
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients into a bowl.1 Cup Cassava Flour, ⅓ Cup Arrowroot Starch, 1 Tablespoon Psyllium Husk Powder, ¼ Cup Sugar, ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar, ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- Add the butter to the dry ingredients and break it up until the mixture looks like clumpy wet s and. Make sure you leave some butter chunks.½ Cup Butter
- Once the butter is incorporated, add the wet ingredients into the bowl and whisk just until it's combined.2 Eggs, 1 Cup Milk of Choice, 1 Teaspoon Vanilla, 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
- Heat your waffle iron.
- Pour batter into your waffle iron and cook until it's done. Amounts and timing will vary depending on your waffle iron.
- Top with your favorites and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Whisk the flour in whatever container you are storing it or the bag.
- Spoon the desired amount into a measuring cup to measure.
- Pour that into a larger bowl or measuring cup and whisk it again. You will notice when you whisk it, the amount increases. This is because the cassava has settled, so you measured more than what you wanted for the recipe.
- If you have more, merely remove the excess and repeat until you have the amount you need.
Vanessa says
These look delicious! Can you use a chia egg instead of flax egg? Any other ideas besides margarine for dairy free? I try to avoid Margarine as well.
Gwen says
These were the absolutely best grain-free (or GF) waffles I've ever tasted!! However, the first one came out perfectly but after that they all stuck to the waffle iron. I brushed both sides of the iron each time with oil but ended up having to pull and unattach each one after that first one.
Any ideas?
Sara Vaughn says
Gwen, I am so glad to hear you loved these waffles. What kind of waffle iron were you using? I've used a few over the years, and I've noticed that some don't actually like being greased because as it warms up, the grease makes the surface sticky. I've noticed the waffle irons that flip can handle being greased more. The ones that just open and close don't. Another thing I've noticed is that sometimes gluten-free waffles do better when the waffle iron is not completely full.
I would try reducing the amount of batter per cavity to give it more air to cook and try not greasing the waffle iron. Also, make sure the waffle iron is completely warmed up. Waffle batter needs the heat to start cooking immediately, and a cold waffle iron can cause the batter to take longer to cook and stick.
Hope that helps.
Gwen says
Thanks, Sara!
I've got the kind that flips and I preheat (it has a light that indicates it's hot/ready. I'll try putting less batter in and not greasing the first one.
Like I said earlier, these were amazing!!