Easy Gluten-Free Waffle Recipe

The perfect gluten free waffle recipe uses yogurt and just a touch of sugar, with a lightly crisp outside. Make them ahead and freeze them, then refresh in the toaster oven for a hot breakfast on busy mornings!

Why this is the best gluten free waffle recipe

This gluten free waffle recipe makes a batter that is the perfect texture to make the very best fluffy waffles. We fold whipped egg whites into the batter for that fluffy texture, but the batter is still thin enough to create perfectly crispy edges that brown but never burn.

Waffle batter that's stiff and thick usually makes chewy waffles, even if you cook them long enough to brown the outside. The oil blended with the other wet ingredients in these gluten free waffles thins the batter just enough to make it the perfect texture without sacrificing any richness.

The result is waffles that expand beautifully in the waffle iron, so the insides are tender and fluffy—and brown to perfection on the outside.

Ingredients for gluten free waffles

The ingredients, in all the right proportions, are the reason for the success of any recipe. Here's what each ingredient does in this gf waffle recipe:

• Gluten free flour blend – Avoid an all purpose gf flour blend that contains too much xanthan gum like Better Batter here or you'll have chewy waffles; a touch of xanthan gum is all you need to help your waffles hold together well and stay fresh longer
• Sugar – Just a bit of sugar in the batter sweetens the waffles and tenderizes them, too
• Baking powder and baking soda – Make sure your chemical leaveners are fresh, and don't add the liquid to them until you're ready to go since baking soda is only single-acting
• Salt – Balances the sweetness and brings out the other flavors
• Eggs – Be sure to separate the eggs one at a time; if you get any yolk in your whites, the whites won't whip
• Coconut oil – To avoid any coconut flavor, use triple filtered virgin coconut oil (the kind that's solid at cool room temperature)
• Yogurt – Plain yogurt adds fat and acidity, both of which make for moist and tender waffles
• Milk – Avoid nonfat milk, which adds little more than water does to your waffles

Tips for using this gluten free waffle recipe

Separate the eggs and whip the whites

The main difference between waffles and pancakes is in the method. When making gluten free waffles (or any waffles, for that matter), the eggs are separated, and the whites are beaten separately before being folded into the rest of the batter.

I've been making a variation of this recipe for years, and I always take the extra few minutes to treat the eggs just right. Although the yolks beat best at room temperature, it's easiest to separate eggs that are still cold. I recommend separating the eggs when they're cold, then letting the yolks sit for a bit if possible.

But do beat the whites. Even dense waffles will have those lovely syrup pockets, but they won't be crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy inside. If you're breaking out the waffle iron, let's go all the way.

There aren't too many ingredients in this recipe, but the plain yogurt is really important. Oh, and in my experience waffles work best with oil instead of butter, as oil is nearly pure fat and butter has a fair amount of water in it. It makes for much neater waffle-iron-cooking.

Getting the perfect gluten free waffle shape

If you're a perfectionist, you'll want each and every waffle to be a perfect shape. For Belgian waffles, that means the whole circle, and not a ‘cup' missing. For square waffles, that means no rough edges.

Leave a 1/4-inch clean border around the edge of the iron. That will give the waffles a bit of space to expand during cooking, but without overflowing the sides.

For the fluffiest waffles, be sure to blend the oil and egg yolks first until creamy before adding the other ingredients, and then folding in the whipped egg whites.

Always preheat your waffle iron

All waffle iron grills are designed to avoid sticking. They may be cast iron, or they may be nonstick-coated, but regardless, if they're not preheated until hot, your waffles are more likely to stick.

Use cooking oil spray to prevent sticking

Even nonstick coating isn't perfect, especially when your waffle iron isn't brand new. To prevent sticking, coat the iron generously with cooking oil spray before adding any waffle batter.

An ice cream scoop makes portioning easy

If your waffle iron makes smaller shapes like mine makes divided squares, a larger spring-loaded ice cream scoop can be really useful for portioning the batter evenly. If your iron is bigger, pouring the batter from a measuring cup with a pour spout may be best.

The gluten free flour blend matters

Made with our 3-ingredient gum-free gluten free flour blend as directed in the recipe below, you can spread the batter all the way to the edges of the mold without worrying that it will pour out during cooking.

If you use one of my gluten-free all purpose flour blends instead of the gum-free blend as specified, the batter will be much, much thicker and will expand quite a bit more during cooking.

I recommend using the blend specified in the recipe, if possible. The batter is much simpler to work with, and the waffles are even fluffier. If you do use something like a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour that contains xanthan gum, add more milk to the blended wet ingredients a little at a time until the batter resembles the texture you see in the photos and video.

The right way to measure your gluten free flour

Always measure dry ingredients, especially individual flours and your gluten free flour blend, by weight. A simple digital scale should only cost about $20 (Escali is a great brand), and it's the only way to ensure accuracy in measurements.

Which waffle maker works best?

I've tried many, many waffle makers over the years, and I've finally settled on two favorites.

For Belgian waffles, I'm partial to the Presto Flipside Waffle Maker (aff. link). It cooks very evenly and as long as there's a light coating of oil, the waffles never stick. And the price is very fair.

For traditional square waffles, I absolutely love the waffle maker I bought years ago at Kohl's, but I'm sorry to say that they don't sell it any longer! It's The Food Network brand, and I've loved everything I've ever bought under that label.

This Hamilton Beach brand waffle maker looks very similar, and has really good reviews. That's also an affiliate link, but please shop around!

Ingredient substitutions

Dairy free

These waffles are quite simple to make dairy-free. The plain yogurt can be plain nondairy yogurt (I like Silk brand), and the milk can be your favorite unsweetened nondairy milk (I like unsweetened almond milk).

Waffles work best when the fat used isn't butter anyway, but rather something that contains less moisture. That's why I really like coconut oil or even a liquid oil like grapeseed.

Egg free

Since you really need to separate the eggs and whip the whites, a “chia egg” or similar egg substitute won't work. For an egg replacer, I'd use 1 1/2 tablespoons (21 grams) more coconut oil in place of the yolks, and 1/4 cup aquafaba, whipped until it holds soft peaks, for the whites.

Aquafaba is the name given to the liquid from a can of chickpeas. One can typically yields 1/2 cup brine, or aquafaba. Be sure to fold in the whipped aquafaba just as directed with the whipped egg whites in the recipe, and it should make the perfect egg replacer for egg whites.

Vegan

If you use the dairy and egg replacements, and you're careful about choosing your granulated sugar, you'll have vegan gluten free waffles!

Tasty variations

This is a simple recipe for perfectly crisp-tender gluten free waffles. Make them once plain, maybe add some pure vanilla to the wet ingredients, and then get ready to really make them your own.

Gluten free waffle recipe mix-ins

Blueberries

Fresh blueberries are too wet for the inside of your waffle batter, but dried blueberries would be great. Fold 2 ounces of them into the batter with the egg whites.

Brown sugar and cinnamon

After your waffles are finished cooking, remove them, still hot from the iron, and toss lightly in a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Miniature chocolate chips

Try folding miniature chocolate chips into the waffle batter when you fold in the whipped egg whites. Only add about 2 ounces, so you don't alter the batter texture too much.

Gluten free waffle toppings

Bananas

Slice lightly spotted bananas and serve on top of a beautiful stack of freshly cooked (or freshly heated) waffles. Sprinkle the banana slices with some ground cinnamon.

Maple syrup

A classic for good reason, pure maple syrup is never a mistake. Top first with a pat of room temperature butter.

Peanut butter

Heat a bit of natural peanut butter and drizzle it on top of your waffles. Or try dusting some powdered peanut butter for a lighter taste.

Powdered sugar

Even just a tablespoon of powdered sugar sprinkled on through a fine mesh sieve after your waffles have cooled a bit will make a dramatic presentation.

Whipped cream

Whip up some fresh heavy whipping cream and add some fresh berries. Sweeten the whipped cream or drizzle some strawberry syrup on top.

Storing leftover gluten free waffles

If you have any leftover waffles, let them cool completely before you try to store them for later use. If you wrap them before they're cool, they'll get soggy.

Freezing gf waffles

I like to freeze any leftover waffles in groups of 2 or 3. I wrap them very tightly in freezer-safe wrap like Glad Press ‘n' Seal, and place them in a sealed freezer-safe container. They last for at least a month!

Reheating gf waffles

These gf waffles can be reheated right from frozen. They're not solid like a muffin, so they don't have freeze all the way through. Pop them in a 275°F oven or toaster oven, or put them right into a toaster on medium-low.

FAQs

How to make fluffy gluten free waffles, step by step