These light, crisp, and flavorful Almond Flour Waffles are perfect for Sunday mornings or healthy breakfast ideas on the run. Easy recipe is naturally gluten free, oil free, and dairy free plus contains no refined sugars!
We also love these cottage cheese waffles and almond flour Greek yogurt bagels.
You don’t have to be gluten free to enjoy crispy almond flour waffles. Our family also loves these healthy waffles with whole wheat flour but these almond waffles are one of our favorite breakfast dishes alongside frequently requested almond flour pancakes!
The combination of almond flour and oat flour in gluten free waffles is nutrient filled and satisfying. The result are waffles that aren’t too dense and crisp up perfectly, with a slightly fluffy center.
Why You Will Like This Recipe
- Nutrient dense: Almond flour and oat flour are both packed with several vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Meanwhile, almond flour contains healthy fats that are beneficial to heart health. Oat flour also has a powerful soluble fiber, ‘Beta-Glucan,’ which can reduce cholesterol levels and blood sugar while improving gut bacteria and keep you feeling full for longer.
- High protein: Packed with good ingredients these almond flour waffles keep everyone fuller longer, which prevents reaching for a sugary snack later!
- Low glycemic: Both flours are low GI, too – meaning, depending on what sweetener you use with these waffles (and how you serve them), this could be a diabetic-friendly almond flour waffle recipe.
- Oil free: Important if you are staying away from processed and added oils in your diet.
- Dairy free: Use a plant based milk to keep these dairy free!
- Versatile: Eat as is or jazz them up for a decadent gluten free waffle recipe, see below for options.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Eggs: You’ll need 3 large eggs for these almond flour waffles. It is used for binding and lift for waffles with almond flour.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or non-dairy. I use unsweetened almond milk.
- Almond flour: I’ve tested this recipe with almond flour, almond meal, and even hazelnut meal with good results. Blanched superfine almond flour will yield the lightest and fluffiest almond flour waffle recipe results!
- Oat flour: You can buy this ready made or place oats in a high speed blender or coffee/spice grinder and process into a fine flour consistency. Use certified gluten free oats to keep this 100% gluten free waffle recipe.
- Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce is used in place of oil in this recipe while adding subtle natural sweetness.
- Sweetener: You can use maple syrup or honey. Other liquid sweeteners (i.e., rice syrup/a keto sweetener) will also work, feel free to use a diabetic friendly sweetener if needed.
- Baking soda: To provide lift and texture to the gluten free waffles.
- Salt: To balance the sweetness and enhance the flavor of the waffles.
- Vanilla extract: Helps to make these almond flour waffles taste like dessert. Alternatively, you could use natural vanilla seeds or paste.
How to Make Almond Flour Waffles
- Preheat the waffle maker and oven: That way, your waffle maker is ready to use once the batter is prepared. Preheat oven to 200F degrees, this will be for crisping your waffles further after they finish in waffle iron.
- Mix the batter: In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Then add the applesauce, milk, sweetener, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Then add the oat flour and almond flour and mix in well. If your waffle maker isn’t ready yet, then you can allow your batter to rest for a few minutes at room temperature until it’s ready. If anything, this is giving the baking soda more time to work.
- Cook the waffles: Once preheated, spray the waffle iron with cooking spray (I use Misto vs. cooking spray). The amount of batter you use and the time it takes to cook the almond flour waffles will vary based on your specific waffle maker.
I used 1/3 cup batter per waffle because I found smaller round (not full size) waffles crisp up better.
- Bake to crisp them up: Arrange cooked waffles on a wire rack and bake on the middle rack of the preheated to 200 F oven for 15 minutes.
Optional Add-ins and Variations
There are several ways that you can easily adapt the almond flour waffle batter. Here are a few of my favorite ways.
- Spices: You can experiment with different spices based on the season; cinnamon, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, ginger, etc.
- Fresh berries: Adding a small handful of fresh berries like blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries should work well without needing further recipe tweaks.
You can use berries either as a topping after crispy waffles are ready to eat, or fold them gently into the waffle batter. Note that they may stick to your waffle iron while cooking, but that is okay, you may just need to use a little more arm work to wash the waffle plates.
- Citrus Zest: Add the zest of lemon/orange/mandarin, etc., for more flavor. Make sure not to include the white pith, though, which is bitter.
- Chocolate: A small handful of chocolate chips could be folded into the waffle batter before cooking.
- More protein: To add even more protein to almond flour waffles, you can add a few tablespoons of seeds to the batter. Or here is how to make protein waffles.
Tips for Best Results
- Don’t open the lid of the waffle maker too early: Or the waffles can break and will likely stick to the machine.
- For even ‘lighter,’ fluffier almond flour waffle recipe: You could separate the egg whites and yolks and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, then fold them into the batter.
- Use a classic waffle iron for this almond flour waffle recipe: Not a Belgian waffle maker. Not only does the Belgian waffle maker require more batter, but you won’t get amazingly crispy results either.
- Re-use the Ziplock bag: In a bid to be more environmentally friendly, I prefer to wash and re-use the plastic bags I use for freezing these almond flour waffles. You could use reusable silicone freezer bags.
- No oven: Or if you don’t want to turn on the oven, pop the cooked waffles into a toaster to further crisp up (for between 30 seconds – 2 minutes).
FAQs
The batter consistency should be like regular pancake-waffle batter; not too runny and yet not thick enough that a spoon could stand in it.
One good way to tell if waffles are ready is paying attention to the steam. When you first cook waffles, the machine will let off a lot of steam. Once this all but disappears, then the waffle is likely cooked. Most waffle makers might also have a light indicator that is red while cooking, but green when ready. If you would like crispy waffles, I often leave them a little longer (but not much!) after the indicator says they are ready.
You can reheat gluten free waffle recipe straight from frozen (or chilled) by adding them to a toaster for the crispiest results. You could also heat them in a preheated oven at 350F/175C until warmed through.
Alternatively, you could microwave the waffles, though this will yield softer results, not crispy.
Also, I haven’t tried this method, but you may be able to pan fry the waffles (in a dry pan with no oil) until heated through, and that should also help make them crispy again.
I haven’t tried to make this recipe without eggs before, so I can’t guarantee the results. However, according to a reader, you can use flax egg (could try chia egg, too) in place of the regular eggs, and this recipe works well.
I made this recipe explicitly with almond flour and oat flour in mind, so I haven’t tried it any other way. However, I also have this whole wheat waffle recipe.
The recipe has not been tested as such to be specific keto waffles with only almond flour. It should work, but proceed with caution and let us know in the comments how it goes!
How to Serve Almond Flour Waffles
There are several ways that you can enjoy this almond flour waffle recipe. Here are some of my favorite waffle toppings and ways to serve these.
- Butter: Add a dab of butter and drizzle of syrup.
- Berries: Topped with whipped coconut cream and fresh berries.
- Yogurt: I love to serve these with several dollops of my Instant Pot yogurt and some maple syrup and/or berries or other fruit slices; kiwi, pineapple, pomegranate, pineapple, etc.
- Powdered sugar: If you have a sweet tooth, you can lightly dust the almond waffles with powdered sugar or a powdered sugar alternative.
- Nut/Seed butter: Drizzle some of your favorite over these waffles; almond, cashew, hazelnut, or even pumpkin seed or sunflower seed butter will work and boost the protein further.
- Chocolate spread: You can make your own all natural spread with just a few ingredients (raw cacao, hemp seeds, coconut oil, honey, and salt then blend until smooth). This would be perfect for a brunch or waffle charcuterie board!
- Ice cream: If you want to make more of a dessert of these almond waffles, you could serve them with a scoop of your favorite ice cream (or nice cream) like this vegan vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream. You could also use the waffles to create a ‘waffle ice-cream’ sandwich.
- Savory: Make your own version of a healthy ‘fried’ chicken and waffles by making these waffles with healthy fried chicken!
I also love to serve these waffles and other healthy breakfast dishes like these breakfast egg muffins, whole wheat buttermilk pancakes, and banana pancakes as part of a brunch spread. Check out my full list of breakfast recipes for more inspiration!
How to Make Ahead and Store
Make ahead: You can prepare the waffle batter the night before and leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight, ready to make the waffles in the morning.
It’s also possible to create a ready made waffle mix by combining all the dry ingredients and storing them in a mason jar. Then all you need to do is add the wet ingredients and mix any time you want waffles.
Store: You can keep the waffles at room temperature, uncovered, for up to a day (to maintain crispness). Any longer, and you should transfer the waffles to an air circulating (not airtight) container in the fridge for up to a week.
Can you freeze almond flour waffles? You sure can. Allow them to cool completely before placing them in a Ziplock or silicone bag, releasing as much air as possible. Then seal and freeze the waffles for up to 6 months.
More Almond Flour Recipes
- Almond flour brownies
- Almond flour banana muffins
- Almond flour zucchini bread
- Almond flour cinnamon bread
- Almond flour blueberry muffins
Or you could simply peruse this list of 45 almond flour recipes!
Almond Flour Waffles
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups applesauce unsweetened
- 1 1/4 cups any milk I used unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups oat flour
- 2 cups almond flour
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, applesauce, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking soda and salt; whisk until well combined. Add oat flour and almond flour, mix well.
- Preheat waffle maker. Spray top and bottom griddles with cooking spray each time and make waffles according to your waffle maker's instructions. I used about 1/3 cup batter per waffle as I found smaller waffles crisp up better.
- To crisp up the waffles, arrange cooked waffles on a wire rack and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes.
- Waffles are most crispy when served right away.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in air circulating container for up to a week. To heat up, place in a toaster for a few minutes.
- Freeze: In a reusable plastic bag for up to 6 months. To thaw, place in a toaster for a few minutes.
- Almond flour: I’ve tested this recipe with almond flour, almond meal, and even hazelnut meal with good results. Blanched superfine almond flour will yield the lightest and fluffiest result, though.
- Oat flour: You can buy this ready-made or place oats in a high-speed blender or coffee/spice grinder and process into a fine flour consistency.
- Sweetener: You can use maple syrup or honey. Other liquid sweeteners (i.e., rice syrup/a keto sweetener) will also work, feel free to use a diabetic-friendly sweetener if needed.
- Don’t open the lid of the waffle maker too early: Or the waffles can break and will likely stick to the machine.
- Use a classic waffle iron: Not a Belgian waffle maker. Not only does the Belgian waffle maker require more batter, but you won’t get amazingly crispy results either.
I have tried almond flour waffles with buck wheat flour and flax egg and works great. I use 11/2 cups almond flour and 1 cup buck wheat flour. I used dates, apple sauce and 1” cube jaggery to sweeten.
Can you replace the applesauce with something else?
Thank you
Sorry I don’t think so.
I thought I had a waffle maker, turns out I don’t anymore but they make decent pancakes as well in case anyone was wondering. ?
LOL made my day, Sara.:)
Hi! I want to make the these waffles right now but am a bit confused about how many eggs are needed? It says 1 and then says 2, so is it 3 eggs or just 2?
Silly me, was fixing the recipe and got rid of flax eggs and forgot to add up the eggs. Sorry about that. 3 large eggs. Wouldn’t mind your real review after.:)
I was wondering so thank you! Definitely not getting a waffle maker but definitely want to try this.
I was sceptical about almond flour waffles but not anymore. My kids love them! Thank you so much!
Love the recipe,waffles came out beyond my expectations.They are my favorite right now!thank you!
You are welcome.:)
I came across these and they looked perfect for the “clean” eating I’m starting. I just made a batch, but for some reason they don’t stay together? The pull apart and half is on each side of the maker. Do I need to add more of something to help keep them together? I’m kinda bummed cuz I planned on freezing some.
Hi Jesse. Let them cook longer. Sounds like you are opening your waffle maker too soon before waffles get a chance to cook through. I made these a thousand times, literally. Should work.:)
This recipe looks great! Do you think it would work if I subbed pumpkin puree for the applesauce? I’ve been craving pumpkin lately! If not maybe I’ll make them according to the recipe and top with pumpkin.
Hi Melissa. Yes, I think it will work. Sub applesauce with pumpkin and top with pumpkin.:) Add some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice too. Why not?!
This may seem silly but are oats gluten free? Want to make these for a gluten free brunch I’m planning after my whole30 I’m having but not sure if oats are? Also I’m not sure if you have heard of the whole30 but I really feel like you’re recipes would be a good way to keep eating clean after the whole30. What do you think? Really love your recipes BTW. Found my way here through FB thanks! Love your recipes they remind of stuff that I like to eat but shouldn’t! Can’t wait to make that zoodle lasagna!
Hi Melissa. Oats themselves are gluten free but often they are processed in facilities and on equipment where wheat products are processed too. Thus, if someone has true gluten intolerance or has Celiac you have to buy certified gluten free oats. They exist. Bob’s Red Mill has one. I know many fitness enthusiasts eat gluten free and paleo right now because it is a fad. Just like low fat and sugar free was for years.
I have heard of Whole 30 and I know it is a diet. I honestly do not do diets because they do not work and are unrealistic to sustain on a long-term basis for a busy family of 4 with careers and kids. It is a temporary fix. I tried many diets. Moderation of whole foods and treats is the key for me. Majority of my recipes are made with whole foods so for me it is the ultimate choice. Plus real life with 2 kids in a mix and I do my best to eat most whole foods but sometimes I don’t, and do my best, and don’t kill myself over it for days. Not sure what is worse health wise – not eating whole foods or stressing about not eating whole foods.
Glad you are enjoying my recipes.:)
So looking at these waffles made me go on amazon and order a waffle maker 🙂 I’ve been buying a lot of Nature Path $5+ boxes of waffles lately, because this is something that my son loves in the mornings and is easy. I bought a few bags of raw organic nuts there as well. Looking forward to trying these soon!
Haha, they look cute, right?! I usually make a double or triple batch of batter and just mass produce waffles while cooking something else. I feel like a conveyor that day.:) My boys love waffles too. That $5 box is enough for one breakfast for them. Let me know how Sebastian likes these. I also have this recipe which I love but all my boys prefer these gluten free ones. I buy those nuts too, whenever I can. Pricey a bit but so much healthier.
These were really good, thank you! I used Coconut milk and sprinkled a handful of coconut sugar in to “smooth out” the almond meal flavor. Kids gobbled them up AND I have extra for another breakfast this week. Perfect!