A hot, fresh gluten free waffle on a weekend morning is one of my favorite treats. Give me a cup of breakfast tea and a waffle and you will have a happy Jessie. I have shared a paleo waffle recipe that creates a beautifully crisp waffle that is grain free and dairy free. Today, I’d like to share a richer, softer waffle using more traditional ingredients. This recipe can be made dairy free, but it calls for a gluten-free flour blend that is not grain-free. Just like the paleo waffles, though, these save beautifully in the freezer and reheat perfectly in the toaster/toaster oven!
Preparation Tips
I encourage you to go through the extra step of warming your milk and using room temperature eggs. Ingredients that are all the same temperature mix together more smoothly. A smooth waffle is a soft waffle!
Vanilla paste over vanilla extract adds just that little bit of extra luxury to your waffles. You can see those beautiful flecks of vanilla in the finished product, and I think it creates just a slightly better flavor. My favorite kind is this one from Nielsen-Massey.
What waffle maker do you use? I LOVE this Dash Waffle Maker. It makes 4 round, individual waffles that are the perfect size. The nonstick works so well you don’t even need to use oil. But any waffle maker will do!
This is messy! How can I keep things clean? I have 2 tips for you to manage the mess:
- Put a piece of parchment paper down under your waffle maker with enough on each side that your tools can sit on parchment paper. This makes cleanup a breeze! Catches all of the drips of batter, overflow bits and bobs, and crumbs.
- Use a liquid measuring cup to both measure your ingredients and pour the batter. I find it much easier than trying to spoon the batter in.
How much batter do you put in each well of the waffle maker? An overfilled well is actually a well that is full. You want a little bit of room in each well and you want to start seeing bubbles almost as you pour.
How do you know when the waffles are done? You want to keep the waffle maker closed the whole time and not open and shut it several times. The waffle maker has an indicator light that will come on when the waffles are near completion. That indicator light is not 100% accurate, though. The best thing to do is to pay attention to the steam! The steam will ramp up and then slow down as the waffles cook. As the steam really starts to slow down but before it stops is the sweet spot when your waffles should be done. The indicator light will usually go off while the waffles are still steaming pretty good, so use that as your warning to start paying attention.
Can you freeze these waffles? YES! That is one of the best parts. This recipe freezes beautifully. When the waffles come out of the waffle maker, lay them on a cooling rack in a single layer until they cool completely. Then you can stack them together in a storage dish or gallon sized ziplock bag. I usually microwave them for 30 seconds to defrost then pop in the toaster.
PrintTraditional Gluten Free Waffles
These gluten free waffles are soft on the inside with a perfect crisp outside. They come together quickly and easily and freeze beautifully for eating later!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 – 4 inch waffles 1x
- Category: Breads
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
2 cups (330g) all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
1 TBS maple sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup milk (both dairy or non-dairy alternatives work)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup of oil (I like avocado oil)
Instructions
- If you have it, lay out a long strip of parchment paper on your counter to protect your work station from mess and to make an easier clean up. Have your waffle iron ready, but do not plug in/turn on yet.
- In a medium to large bowl, whisk together GF flour, maple sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a microwave safe liquid measuring cup, measure the milk. Warm the milk in the microwave for about 1 minute. The temperature of the milk should be about 110 degrees F. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla to the liquid measuring cup and stir gently.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir gently until the batter is smooth.
- Plug in and turn on your waffle iron, allowing it to preheat. Doing this at this stage gives the gluten free flour in the batter a chance to hydrate, which prevents any gritty texture.
- When the waffle iron is hot, fill the well of the iron, but do not overfill. Shoot for about half full to give the batter room to expand in the well.
- You want to keep the waffle maker closed the whole time and not open and shut it several times. The waffle maker has an indicator light that will come on when the waffles are near completion. That indicator light is not 100% accurate, though. The best thing to do is to pay attention to the steam! The steam will ramp up and then slow down as the waffles cook. As the steam really starts to slow down but before it stops is the sweet spot when your waffles should be done. The indicator light will usually go off while the waffles are still steaming pretty good, so use that as your warning to start paying attention.
- Enjoy!
