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.
Made these for dinner :) I added a huge pinch of cinnamon and subbed grape seed oil for butter/coconut oil. Success! Already looking forward to leftovers for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks for easy and tasty recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Shelley! I really appreciate the review.
Made these with oat flour and butter and they turned out fab. Thank you.
You’re welcome!
I followed the recipe, except added half milk and half sugar free gingerale. I did not add quite as much melted fat, and used butter. They came out great, light and crispy. Definitely did not taste the usual gluten free. Thanks for a great recipe!!!
Great to hear!
Oats or oat flour aren’t gluten free :/
Actually, Liza they are! If you are concerned about cross contamination, make sure you look for certified gluten free. Hope this helps!
In Australia & New Zealand oats are not classified as gluten free. Coeliacs are not to eat oats which is very tricky. Would love to see another recipe or an alternative flour.
They are – – IF YOU PURCHASE CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE OATS. Trader Joes has them and many other places now ;)
Thank you for the recipe, I’m type 1 diabetic so this waffle recipe definitely fits my diet!
I’m happy to hear that! Thanks for your review, Christina.
I love this recipe and make it at least once a week now! I cannot stop eating these fluffy waffles. It’s perfect. Thanks Kate :)
I love to hear that, Jodi! Thanks so much.
These waffles are so good! I make waffles a lot but I have some guests coming who are gluten-free and wanted to try out a recipe to make when they’re here. One of them also doesn’t like baking powder so I did leave that out. I beat the egg whites instead to give it a little lift. The waffles were absolutely perfect and I think I’ll be using this in my regular waffle rotation, not just when I have gluten-free guests. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Facciata! Thanks so much for you review.
My kids loved them! Thanks! I used whole oats and placed all of the ingredients in the blender to mix the batter(and chop the oats) and subbed agave for the maple syrup.
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer! Happy your kids love them. I appreciate the review.
I made these waffles and froze a bunch of them for easy breakfasts. They have become my absolutely favorite.
Love to hear that, Christine!
I made these the other day, just halved the recipe and it worked out to be a lovely brekkie for me and my boy :) thank you so much for these delicious recipes! Theyre so quick to whip up, I cant wait to have it for brekkie again tomorrow!
These are great leftover for sure! They freeze well too. Thanks for your review!
Last year I made “regular” waffles as a birthday treat for my youngest’s class but I think this year I’ll make these instead. The teacher prefers healthy treats to all those sugary cakes parents usually brings and she told me last year the waffles are a great idea because they require no cutting and they don’t make a mess all over the classroom (my baby turns 5 in november, kids in Belgium start school at age 2,5).
Thanks, Julie! Let me know what the class thinks. :) They should be a hit!
My entire family loves these waffles SO MUCH!!! We don’t ever make standard flour-based waffles anymore. This is my go-to recipe for waffles every time! Thank you!!!
I love that! These are great to freeze, too.
This is THE BEST waffle recipe I have ever tried, gluten or not. My adjustments were:
1 TBsp maple syrup, because I prefer less sweet
1 to 1 GF flour blend instead of oat flour, Western Family brand from Save-On-Foods
3 Tbsp reserved water from an opened can of chickpeas to replace the eggs
I could eat these all day. Perfectly crisp and soft all at once.
Thanks for sharing a great recipe, C&K
I could eat them all the time, too! Thanks for sharing, Janice.
These waffles are amazing! I made these for my family’s semi-annual breakfast we have when we watch our Church’s General Conference. Everyone loved the texture and flavor. I doubled the recipe and accidentally added 1 cup of coconut oil, so they were extra crispy.
One note on the recipe, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon is 1/3 cup.
Thank you for sharing! I’m so happy you love this recipe. It does freeze well too!
TY sooo much for a simple GF waffle recipe! I’m so overwhelmed w my new GF life and also hate kitchen time. I was relieved recipe was in cups NOT grams!
Was so happy to find this it made me cry and made my day!!
Do u have any meal plans?
Hi Judy! I’m glad you liked this recipe and has helped you in your transition. I do try to provide gluten free substitutions when possible. Check out the notes below recipes instructions for other recipes! :) I don’t have meal plans, but I do have a resource. Check out this post: https://capital-fly.pro/2016/help-with-meal-planning-is-here/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Amazing recipe!!! First time ever using a waffle iron and these turned out beautifully. Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome, Veronica!
Thank you for the waffle recipe :)
I would love to know if Coconut flour could be used as replacement for the Oat flour and would they turn out the same ?
Unfortunately, coconut flour wouldn’t work well here. Thanks for the question!
This is similar to a recipe I already have for oat flour waffles. I ran out of eggs and milk and there wasn’t enough time to make almond milk so I used 2 tablespoons ground flax seed mixed with 6 tablespoons of warm water instead of eggs and simply used 3/4 cups of filtered water. I used around 1 cup of wild blueberries, which are much smaller in size. I also ground cinnamon sticks and used a pinch of that. I forgot the vanilla extract but the waffles came out great. My waffles maker isn’t the best so I had to cook them for awhile. I put the rest in the fridge and the next day cooked the leftovers in the toaster and they were perfect. If your waffle maker isn’t doing the job stick them in the toaster to crisp them.
Thanks for sharing, Janiece!
They had way to much baking soda I think or they just tasted horrible. I used the oatmeal flour and love it when used it before but this recipe tasteed horrible with it.
Oh no! I’m sorry you didn’t like them. This recipe actually calls for baking powder, it makes all the difference!
Can I add banana instead of the egg?
I haven’t tried it with this recipe! Egg really helps keep it together. But, you can omit the eggs if you need to. See the vegan notes.
These are fantastic! Thank you for another amazing recipe Kate!
You’re welcome, Lindsay!
These waffles are the best! The house smells amazing when I make them and I love that the ingredients are so simple. Easy to make. We always keep them stocked in the freezer.
Love that you keep them in the freezer at all times. Thanks for your review, Ame!
Thanks so much for this recipe. Things are getting desperate here with my menu choices shrinking monthly.
Now it is no wheat or gluten anything.
We tried these and like them better than what we were having as a recipe before(Bisquick). It really lifted my spirits to be able to eat a waffle.
I’m glad these helped you, Lynn! Most of my recipes can be adapted to gluten free, just check out the notes section below the recipe for suggestions. Good luck!
These are the best waffles I have ever made and I’m HOOKED! Thank you so much for the recipe Kathryne.
I’m glad you’re hooked, Esha! You’re welcome. Enjoy!
I just made these for dinner and they are the gluten free hit in our house! I used only 1 T. of sweetener in the batter and beat the egg whites separately. Topped with guava syrup they were just too good. Thanks for such a great recipe.
That’s wonderful, Pattie! Thanks for sharing.
Can I skip the maple syrup?
That should still work just fine, although I’m not sure the flavor will be the best.
These waffles were excellent! They were light, airy, buttery (yes I used butter), with a crispy outer crust. My husband prefers French Toast and he even devoured them. They reheated beautifully in the toaster. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Wonderful, Jessica! Thanks so much for your review.
These are so easy to make and they are delicious! They are definitely the best we have so far! Thank you for sharing the recipe :)
You’re welcome, Melina! I’m glad you love them.
These stuck to my waffle maker, unfortunate.
Hi Linda, I’m sorry to hear that! Do you typically use any non-stick when you use your waffle maker with other recipes? I know waffle makers can vary. Although this shouldn’t have stuck to yours if it was non-stick and you let it go long enough. Sorry you weren’t happy with this one!
I used hemp milk added protein powder otherwise I knew there wouldn’t be enough protein to get me through the morning. Fabulous!
Hi Kate, we are planning on making these for breakfast tomorrow but have a query, is the butter 1/4 cup + 5tablespoons, or just 5 tablespoons?
(Sorry getting a bit confused working out what is the coconut oil and what is the butter)
Thank you :)
I’m sorry for my delay! For butter, it’s just 5 tablespoons. I hope that helps!
Yummy!!! Love the flavor :)
Thank you, Leah! I’m glad you loved this recipe.
Why didnt you put the nutritions? Like Fat? Or Carbs, protein, and calories. Im disappointed, I was using this for a school project, as a breakfast entree, and I wrote all the ingredients and turns out I cant use it because it has NO NUTRITIONS SHOWN
Hi, I’m sorry for your frustration. We were having an issue with our nutrition facts plug-in, but it is working now. If you still have issues, be sure you allow cookies in your browser as this acts like a pop-up.
Recipe did not work. They were soggy and and couldn’t even hold together. So annoyed that they sucked
Hello, I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work well for you! That hasn’t been my experience with testing and making these a ton. Did you blend your own oat flour? You need to make sure they flour is fine enough and you let the batter thicken.
These are so good! I was looking for recipes to use up almond milk that was also gluten and dairy free for my grandsons. I made these using coconut oil and, after sampling one, froze them for the next time they come. They’ll be thrilled!
I’m glad you found something that will work! Be sure to let me know what they think.
These waffles were fantastic! I made my own oatmeal flour using 1/2 old fashioned extra thick oats and 1/2 quick cooking oats. Used 1/2 coconut oil and 1/2 butter as well. At first the batter was very thin, but thickened right up! (next time I’ll use just the quick oats, and save my extra creamy stuff for oatmeal.) I got 3 and 1/2 – 8″ large belgian waffles out of the recipe, so now I know to double the batch and freeze. Easy and delish, thanks!
Thanks for sharing what you did, Deb! I appreciate the review.
Hi! I just made these and love them! I do have questions. How many waffles should this recipie yield? Thanks!
Recipe yields 3 to 4 round, 7-inch Belgian waffles, or 6 small, square Belgian waffles. I’m glad you love them!
Hi!
I just tried. Smell so good. Taste is not bad. One of my guys loves them.
Mine didn’t turn out crispy. Gonna try again.
I didnt have maple syrup so I used condensed milk instead…could that be why they weren’t crispy?
That would likely be a reason as that would impact the batter. Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant recipe! It’s now on my kids’ wish list, I make it at least once a week. Works every time. Easy, tasty, lovely texture. Thanks!
Thank you, Katalin!
I liked this recipe! I’ve been trying to find more recipes for the use of oat flour. This one worked well. I omitted the cinnamon(allergic), exchanged the 2T of white sugar for the syrup and added an extra teaspoon of vanilla. I’m going to try sugar in the raw for the sweet component next time just out of curiosity. Yum!
Try it with the maple syrup. It adds wonderful flavour
Thanks for sharing, Heather!
These are truly amazing waffles!
I was looking for a recipe that was gluten free and never anticipated finding one that yielded a delicious waffle with wonderful texture and taste.
Thank you for sharing it!
I will continue to make these for ourselves and our guests.
I’m so glad you love them! They are so good.
This recipe’s final product was so good that I added it to my phone’s home screen! I prepared it exactly as written, and it came out fantastic. It will become a part of the menu I serve when guests stay.
That’s so funny! That would make me hungry every time I looked at my phone. Thanks for your feedback, Laura!
I’m celiac and I used this recip this morning! I did not put the syrup in though. They were delicious! My husband who is not celiac loved them!thank you for a delicious breakfast!
I’m glad these were perfect for you, Bernie!
Love love love the look of this receipe. Question I have a Tupperware cylicone waffle Baker that I plan to use instead of a waffle iron. Will this change anything?
Hmmm, I honestly haven’t cooked with one of those before so I’m not sure. My concern would be the crispy texture these get in the iron.
Can these be baked in the oven in a waffle silicon pan? If so, what temperature and how long?
Thank you!
Hi DeeAnne, I didn’t know that silicon waffle pans existed. I assume the batter would work in this scenario, but can’t say for certain. I would follow the pan’s guidelines. Please report back if you give it a try!
I tried these waffles this morning as my first waffle making experience. My kids loved them! I omitted the eggs because of food allergies which meant they were delicate to get out of the waffle iron. Will gelatin eggs work as a good replacement for chicken eggs?
They worked well when I omitted the eggs, but delicate as you noted. Maybe flax eggs? I would recommend checking the comments to see if others have dried a non-egg option.
We love these waffles! My husband has celiac disease but the rest of the family can eat gluten so it’s hard to find GF recipes that please everyone. This one is a winner and I love that by using oat flour the waffles are a little more healthier than those made with white wheat flour. The waffles are dense and filling but also crispy. We serve them with whipping cream and homemade blueberry sauce for a decadent breakfast or brunch!
I’m glad these can make the whole family happy, Sandee! Thanks for sharing.
Hello,
I am just about ready to make this recipe but would like to know if the cup measurements are US or UK/AUS please?
The measurements are US.:)
I just made it today. It was great. My wife really enjoyed it. I used oat milk and added a cup of frozen blueberry. 128 grams of oat meal came to just a little more than a cup, therefore 180 grams is about 1.5 cup.
Thanks for sharing, Terry!
I was running tight on time this morning so I threw all the ingredients into my blendtec on *batter* which is about 30 seconds and I’m happy to report they turned out just as perfect ;). Just make sure to wait that ten mins for the baking powder to do its magic.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hooray! I’m glad it still worked out so well.
So good! Really enjoyed the maple and vanilla flavor.
Thank you for your review, Joy!
Best gluten free waffles I’ve tested yet!!! (And I’ve tried a handful of recipes and mixes now. We are an oat loving family and these are now going to be my go-to. I doubled the recipe, but made no other changes. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hooray! I love that you double this. Thanks for your review!