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Home » Pancakes and Waffles

Gluten-Free Waffles

Apr 5, 2023 · 18 Comments

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It’s easy to make gluten-free waffles. Simply whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Heat your waffle iron and cook until brown. Serve with your favorite toppings. Or make a batch, freeze them, and then reheat them for an easy-on-the-go gluten-free breakfast.

The recipe includes egg-free and dairy-free variations. And if you love breakfast foods, try my recipes for gluten-free pancakes or almond flour waffles.

Stack of gluten-free waffles with butter and syrup on a plate.

This recipe makes a classic breakfast waffle: crispy on the outside; tender and light in the center. And the style is up to you! Use the batter to make traditional (thin) waffles or thick Belgium-style waffles. 

Gluten-free waffle ingredients.

Ingredients.

  • Gluten-Free Flour. This recipe starts with a premade gluten-free flour blend. For the best results, use a gluten-free blend that contains either xanthan gum or guar gum. Without it, the waffles can turn out dense and heavy. If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan or guar gum, add a half teaspoon to the flour before using.
  • Granulated Sugar. One tablespoon of granulated sugar helps the waffles brown.
  • Baking Powder. Baking powder gives the batter a rise and gives the waffles a nice texture.

    Note: Always use fresh baking powder. If you’re unsure about its freshness, test it. Stir one teaspoon of baking powder into a half cup of hot water. The mixture should bubble immediately.
  • Salt. Gluten-free waffles made without salt taste bland. This is because salt is a flavor enhancer. A half-teaspoon of salt gives them a nice flavor without tasting salty. Use table salt (fine salt). It mixes evenly throughout the waffle batter. 
  • Milk. Both traditional and dairy-free milk work in this recipe. If you prefer the flavor of buttermilk, use an equal amount to replace the milk.
  • Eggs. Two large eggs add protein (think of this as structure) and give the waffles a nice flavor. To make the waffles egg-free, see the note below. 
  • Melted Butter or Oil. A touch of melted butter or oil adds richness. If you’re using coconut oil, melt it before adding it to the batter.
  • Vanilla Extract. A little vanilla extract adds a lovely flavor. You can also add a ¼ teaspoon almond extract for a little extra flavor.

How to Make Gluten-Free Waffles. Step-by-Step.

Gluten-free waffle ingredients in a bowl.

Step One: Make the batter.

You only need one bowl to make this waffle batter. First, whisk together the gluten-free flour with the other dry ingredients. This helps mix the baking powder and salt evenly throughout the gluten-free flour. It’s a small step that makes a big difference.

Then add the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir until the batter is smooth and thick. I like to run a rubber spatula along the sides and bottom of the bowl. This way, if there’s any flour clinging to the bowl, you can mix it into the batter.

Step Two: Let the batter rest.

After mixing, let the batter rest for 10 minutes. This gives the gluten-free flour time to absorb the liquid, making the waffles less gritty. While the batter rests, turn on your waffle maker. It’s important to cook gluten-free waffles in a hot iron. Remember to grease the iron with nonstick cooking spray or brush with melted butter–even if it’s a nonstick iron. 

Gluten free waffle batter in a waffle maker.

Step Three: Cook until brown.

Spoon the batter into your hot and greased iron. Most waffle irons use about a half cup of batter per waffle. Since they’re all different, it’s best to check the manual to see how much batter to use. 

Cook the waffles until brown. If you’re making the recipe as written and including dairy and eggs, the waffles brown nicely. Waffles made without dairy or eggs don’t brown as much. Look for the waffles to be crispy. The cook time will vary by waffle maker.

Variations.

Gluten-free waffle on left. Gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free waffle on right. The gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free waffle is much lighter in color than the gluten-free waffle.
On left: Gluten-free waffle. On right: gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free waffle. The gluten-free waffle made without eggs and dairy is lighter in color.

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Waffles.

Use your favorite dairy-free milk. If you’re making dairy-free waffles, they might be a little lighter in color than those made with milk. Some brands of dairy-free milk don’t brown as nicely as others. (See photo above. Dairy-free and egg-free waffle is on the right.)Note: Full-fat coconut milk is very rich and makes for dense and somewhat heavy waffles. While it works, it’s not my favorite. 

Gluten-Free and Egg-Free Waffles. 

Gluten-free and egg-free baking is challenging. I’m happy to report this recipe works without eggs. I tested the recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer. When made without eggs, the batter is very thick. Don’t add additional liquid or the waffles will turn out gummy. Gluten-free and egg-free waffles tend to be a little heavier than waffles made with eggs.

How to Freeze and Reheat Gluten-Free Waffles. 

Frozen waffles make a quick gluten-free breakfast. Here’s how to freeze and reheat them. 

How to Freeze Waffles

  1. Make the waffles as directed. 
  2. Cool on a wire rack. This allows steam to escape. 
  3. Place cooled waffles into a freezer bag or container. 
  4. Freeze for up to three months. 

How to Reheat Homemade Gluten-Free Frozen Waffles.

  1. Thaw waffles overnight in the refrigerator or on the thaw/defrost setting of the microwave. 
  2. Heat the thawed waffles in a toaster oven, air-fryer, or oven until crispy. 

Recipe Note.
This recipe was first posted in 2015. It’s been updated to include new photos and now uses a gluten-free flour blend. Here is the link to the original recipe for classic gluten-free waffles.

Stack of gluten-free waffles with butter and syrup on a plate.
5 from 9 votes
Print

Gluten-Free Waffles

These gluten-free waffles are crispy and light with a delicate interior. To make things easy, this one-bowl recipe uses a gluten-free flour blend. (Egg-free and dairy-free variations are included.)

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups gluten-free flour blend (8 ¾ ounces; 248 grams.)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (½ ounce; 14 grams)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ cups milk (10 ounces; 283 grams)
  • 2 large eggs (about 3 ½ ounces; 100 grams)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil (1 ¾ ounces; 50 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt. Add milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until the batter is smooth. Let batter rest for 10 minutes.
    Gluten-free waffle ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Heat waffle iron according to manufactuer’s directions. Grease with oil and cook waffles until crispy.
    Gluten free waffle batter in a waffle maker.
  3. Serve with butter and maple syrup or other toppings of your choice.
    Two gluten-free waffles on a plate.

Recipe Notes

Gluten-Free Flour. This recipe was created with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. Use a gluten-free flour that contains xanthan or guar gum. If it doesn’t, whisk ½ teaspoon xanthan gum into the flour and then make the recipe as directed.

Variations

Dairy-free. Replace the milk with an equal amount of dairy-free milk. 

Egg-Free. Replace the eggs with 2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer and 4 tablespoons warm water. Whisk the mixture together until smooth. Allow to rest until thick, about five minutes. When made without eggs, the batter will be very thick. Don’t add additional liquid or the waffles will turn out gummy and heavy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Negrita says

    February 07, 2016 at 8:44 pm

    Baking powder contains wheat flour, so this recipe is not truly gluten-free, therefore should not be fed to people with celiac disease. If you’re going to label something “gluten-free”, please make sure that it really is.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      February 08, 2016 at 9:29 am

      In the United States, most baking powders are totally gluten-free and are labeled as such. I hope that helps!

      Reply
    • Negrito says

      July 13, 2021 at 2:53 pm

      5 stars
      If you’re going to criticize something, you should probably make sure you know what you’re talking about first.

      Reply
      • Anastasia says

        September 28, 2021 at 3:46 am

        5 stars
        Whoa. You literally came back 5 years later to say THAT?
        Excellent recipe. I use it all the time. I carefully read labels.

        Reply
    • EclecticCeliac says

      July 18, 2021 at 8:04 am

      I have Celiac’s and I love this recipe. I buy my ingredients reading the label and if it has wheat, I won’t buy it.
      This recipe is a direction on how to make something. It’s on us to use judgement and not use ingredients that are not good for us.
      I suggest you ask how to replace the ingredient that in your country contains wheat or gluten so you can use this recipe.

      Reply
  2. Andrea says

    December 03, 2016 at 12:21 pm

    Excellent recipe!! Approved by all 4 kids and husband! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  3. Holly says

    August 26, 2017 at 10:10 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Elizabeth, I’m a huge fan of yours both here and at Serious Eats. I read the entire post about replacing the fours but is there a suitable replacement for the cornstarch? I know often times people substitute arrowroot or tapioca but I definitely want to keep the crunchiness of these waffles. Any suggestions? Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      September 07, 2017 at 3:28 pm

      For these, I’d use tapioca starch. I think it would keep the crunch while replacing the cornstarch nicely. Enjoy!

      Reply
      • Brendon says

        February 02, 2020 at 12:47 pm

        This is a really solid foundational recipe for waffles. At some point I started substituting tapioca for the cornstarch and Topo Chico for the milk and it works really well.

        Reply
  4. Holly says

    September 06, 2017 at 8:58 pm

    Hello…I left a comment asking a question here about this recipe and it’s now gone. It was waiting moderation for 2 weeks now it disappeared…What’s up with that? Help!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      September 07, 2017 at 3:33 pm

      Hi Holly! Your first comment went to my spam folder. Sorry about that! Thanks for letting me know it wasn’t approved. I found a few other comments in there.

      Reply
  5. Pamela says

    October 20, 2018 at 12:40 am

    5 stars
    Hi! I love this recipe, but I changed it a bit – used raw buckwheat flour and arrowroot starch. Other ingredients are the same – everything seems to work.

    Reply
  6. Lilia says

    December 30, 2019 at 3:18 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!!!

    Reply
  7. Patricia Peters says

    June 28, 2020 at 9:40 am

    5 stars
    These waffles are so light and airy. This is a great recipe that will be my go to waffle recipe for a long time.

    Reply
  8. Rosebel says

    August 09, 2020 at 12:22 am

    5 stars
    what can I substitute the sweet rice flour with?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      August 10, 2020 at 10:49 am

      You can replace the sweet rice flour with an equal amount of white rice flour.The texture will be slightly different but it works great!

      Reply
  9. Charlotte says

    August 22, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    5 stars
    So delicious!! The best waffles we’ve had! My son is gluten, dairy and egg free so I used soy milk and nuttelex instead. I didn’t have sweet rice flour so just used extra rice flour. It turned out perfectly and was so crispy! Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply
  10. Hilary Davis says

    August 05, 2021 at 7:57 am

    5 stars
    This was my first time trying to bake/cook with gluten free flour. I’m on a dairy free, gluten free, low Fodmap diet. I was really skeptical about how these would turn out. They were AMAZING, better than I could have imagined! Very fluffy and can be cooked to get crispy edges if that’s preferred. I subbed sweet rice flour with more white rice flour and subbed the milk with coconut milk (carton not canned). These waffles will be added to my breakfast rotation!! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

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Elizabeth Barbone

I'm Elizabeth. Welcome to GlutenFreeBaking.com --- a judgment-free baking space. Here you'll find easy recipes, product reviews, and other good stuff that makes gluten-free living easy and a lot more fun!

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