Crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside, these vegan almond flour waffles are grain free, paleo, and the perfect weekend breakfast! They store well in both the fridge and freezer which makes them perfect for meal prep.
Are you team waffles or pancakes? If you’re reading this, I’m going to take a wild guess and assume you’re team waffle. But then again, I’m writing this and I’m usually team pancake so I probably shouldn’t assume!
Despite my love for a tall stack of fluffy pancakes, I have to say, these almond flour waffles are one of my favorite recipes to date. They’re easy to make, vegan, paleo, crispy but fluffy, refined sugar free, made with no eggs and grain free.
They have such a great flavor and smell delicious as they’re cooking, and have the perfect little pockets for puddles of maple syrup.
As you might guess, this recipe does call for almond flour, but if you have a nut allergy, you can try this belgian waffle recipe instead.
Key ingredients
Almond Flour: This will make up the base of the recipe. Be sure to use almond flour and not almond meal. These are two different ingredients and will drastically change the final recipe. And yes, the almond flour will help these waffles get nice and crispy!
Tapioca Starch/Flour: Unless you want your waffles to crumble all over the place, don’t skip this ingredient! This is a key binding agent and works well to hold the ingredients together.
Almond Milk: Any non dairy milk will work for this recipe, but unsweetened vanilla almond milk has always been a personal favorite.
Apple Sauce: To help bind everything together. I do not recommend subbing for oil because the apple sauce is necessary to make these fluffy, and we get plenty of fat from the almond flour/butter.
Almond Butter: To give the waffles some fluff and texture. Any nut butter should work just fine, but I suggest one with a more neutral flavor such as almond or cashew.
Maple Syrup: For sweetness! Coconut sugar, brown sugar or honey will also work. To make these a bit more keto friendly, you can sub your favorite sugar free maple syrup alternative.
Flax Seeds: To make a “flax egg” to bind everything. Real egg also works but will make the waffles a bit lighter and fluffier. Still delicious though!
How to make almond flour waffles
All you’ll need to do is make your flax egg by combining the flax seeds and water. Let this sit aside for about 5-10 minutes to thicken.
After a few minutes, if you give it a stir, it should have almost an egg like consistency and will work to bind all of the ingredients together.
Meanwhile, combine all the dry ingredients, and mix together. Add in the wet ingredients and whisk together until you have a batter.
Next, use a ladle, 1/2 measuring cup, or pour about 1/3 of the batter onto a hot waffle maker and let cook until the waffle maker beeps. Don’t lift the top up until it beeps!
All waffle makers are different, but I suggest setting the maker to a higher setting because these take a bit longer to cook than normal waffles. If you set it too low, the waffles won’t be finished cooking and they’ll pull apart when you open it.
On that note, be sure you do not open the waffle maker while they are cooking! This will cause them to separate and will make clean up rather difficult. I used to do this all the time as a kid and it never went over very well!
Once the waffles are all done, top them off with some fresh berries, maple syrup, or a dollop of coconut whipped cream!
Almond flour vs. Almond meal
Almond meal is made from whole ground almonds with the skin on, whereas almond flour is made from blanched almonds without the skin.
Be sure to use blanched almond flour and not whole almond meal for these waffles. While similar, they have very different textures and will yield different results. For this recipe, you want to use blanched almond flour.
Frequently asked questions
Can I freeze them?
Yes, these waffles store really well in the fridge or freezer! They will last in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for about 3 weeks. Let them cool completely and then store in an air tight container or freezer safe bag.
What can I use instead of a flax egg?
You can use regular egg in place of the flax egg if desired. This will yield a fluffier and lighter waffle.
How do I make them crispy?
To keep these waffles warm and crispy while the others are cooking, preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and place the waffles directly on the rack to stay warm while the other waffles cook.
You can also pop them in the toaster if they’ve been sitting out for a bit.
Try these next!
- Avocado Mango Smoothie
- Vegan Chocolate Milkshake
- How To Make Oatmeal
- Paleo Blueberry Muffins
- Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl
If you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list! As always, be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see your creation. Leave a comment and rating below if you try this recipe!
Vegan Almond Flour Waffles
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 2 ½ tbsp water
- ½ cup non dairy milk
- 2 tbsp apple sauce
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine the ground flax and water in a bowl, whisk together and set aside to thicken.
- Add the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl and mix together.
- Add in all remaining ingredients and whisk together. Stir in the flax egg.
- Heat a waffle maker and grease with oil to prevent sticking. I suggest setting the waffle maker to one of the higher settings. All of them are different, but I set mine on level 5 out of 6 since these waffles require a bit of a longer cooking time than regular waffles.
- Use a ladle to scoop out the batter into the waffle maker.
- Repeat until all batter has been used.
- If you want the waffles to get extra crispy, pop them in the toaster for about 30 seconds to crisp up the outside or keep them warm in a low temperature oven.
- Serve with maple syrup and berries and enjoy!
Sonya says
Love these waffles! I usually cut the recipe in half (so I don’t have to fight portion control so hard). Also have some sunflower butter I’m trying to get rid of and it’s worked perfect in place of the almond butter. I also add chopped walnuts. Since there’s maple syrup in the recipe, I also love it because I don’t have to add syrup afterward!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Sonya!
Melissa says
Hi these waffles are amazing, I was just wondering if you had the nutritional value of this recipe?
Thank you
Melissa
Claire Cary says
Nutrition is at the bottom of the recipe card!
Nina Perez says
wonderful recipe,
changing the flaseed to eggs how much?
For normal recipe and doubling the recipe?
thank you very much
Claire Cary says
For the recipe you would need 1 egg, or two if you double!
Tanya says
These look really good but my daughter is allergic to apples. She is also allergic to zucchini, peaches and pears and doesn’t like bananas or pumpkin. Any suggestions on what I could use to replace the applesauce? Thanks!
Claire Cary says
You can try using oil or butter instead, or extra nut butter!
Kelley Switzer says
These were so good! My kids and I loved them! So happy to have come across this recipe and site! Next up, Healthy Banana Bread Donuts! Thank you!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Kelley! Can’t wait to hear what you think of the donuts!
Leslie says
Homerun!
Paula says
Thank you for the recipe! Any other choices/ suggestions for the tapioca flour?
Thank you!
Claire Cary says
Your best bet is arrowroot!
Kirsty says
These have a great flavour, although I could do with some help with the consistency… I followed the recipe exactly but they’ve turned out very dense and heavy and we’d prefer a lighter and fluffier texture – do you have any suggestions of what I can tweak to achieve that? I’m GF Vegan, so I can’t use egg, which I note you mentioned lends itself to a lighter texture.
Claire Cary says
Interesting! You could try adding a bit more baking powder and see if that helps.
Amy says
Thanks for the great recipe!
Laurel says
Ive read and reread and reread and had another read and there are literally no measurements? Seriously how the heck are you supposed to make them with out measurements?
Claire Cary says
The measurements are all there in the recipe card! Just hit “jump to recipe” at the top of the post.
Laura says
Yum! Followed the recipe as is, made in Dash waffle makers. So good!
Lesia says
This is the perfect recipe for egg free waffles!! Oh my word! I’m on a specific type of food plan right now and wanted some egg free waffles to pair with some homemade blueberry syrup that I made. And this is it! I replaced the tapioca with cornstarch. I didn’t have any applesauce so I added bananas and peanut butter instead of almond butter. Same measurements. Soooooooooo good!! I think this is my go to recipe for waffles from now on!
Claire Cary says
Amazing! Thank you Lesia, so happy you enjoyed these!
Angie says
Damn. I’m not even vegan or Paleo or anything, but WOW this recipe is banging.
I did half heavy cream and evaporated milk, water to hit the liquid requirement. I actually ran out of baking powder, so I subbed for baking soda + cream of tartar.
Instead of applesauce, I used Greek yogurt.
Stevia + maple syrup of course.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU ARE MY FAV PERSON BESIDES MY FIANCE RIGHT NOW.
Claire Cary says
Thank you Angie! So glad those subs all worked out well!
Marina says
I really enjoyed these waffles. Thank you for a great recipe. 😊
Jen says
Made these for breakfast this morning, even the picky husband liked them! I used arrowroot vs tapioca as that’s what I had on hand. Will definitely make these again!
Dara says
I made this recipe doubled this morning and it was delicious. I swapped out the flax eggs or eggs. Then added frozen blueberries. My family and I loved them.
Genesha Leshay says
These waffles are WONDERFUL! I have two girls ages 14 & 2 and they loved them! I like the crunch and texture of the waffles. You can’t tell they’re vegan or grain free! I made a homemade blueberry syrup that complimented these waffles very well! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Including the measurements 3x the recipes was so helpful!
Nil says
Thank you. This recipe turned great! My husband (savory fan) liked very much. He said it was hotel style. 🙂
I did miss to add the apple sauce, my mistake. Also, used regular vegan butter and turned great for our taste preferences. Maybe it was supposed to have a different consistency. Yet, we have not eat waffle in years. So we loved it. Thanks and best to you.
Sara Williamson says
These are the best grain free waffles I’ve ever had! The texture is so good that you can’t tell they’re grain free. I don’t know what kind of culinary magic this is, but I’m here for it! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Sara Williamson says
Also, I used Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer because I’m out of flax at the moment. It worked really well!
Claire Cary says
You’re so sweet, thanks Sara!
Nicole says
My first successful vegan gluten free waffles – thank you!!!
Bailey says
Thank you so much for this recipe. One of the best egg and gluten free waffle recipes I’ve tried (and I’ve tried many!). Will definitely be making these again 🙂 x
Claire Cary says
Thank you Bailey!
Christine says
I love these waffles so much, thank you for sharing this recipe with us : )
Melanie says
OMG these were so good. I usually prefer pancakes over waffles but not anymore. Simply delicious!! My husband is a waffle guy and thoroughly enjoyed every bite.
Claire Cary says
So happy to hear that! Thank you, Melanie!
Amber B says
Thank you for this recipe! It is amazing. We love these waffles! I was searching for a waffle recipe that would work for everyone in the family, including me. I was beginning to think I would just have to watch everyone else eat waffles. Then I found your recipe. It looked like it would work. I figured that if it just didn’t work, we could eat mangled waffle attempts, or make pancakes with the batter. I had never made a waffle before. I bought a waffle maker and worked up the courage to try.
They were so delicious that I cried. Crunchy, chewy, sweet, and filling. Everyone loves them, including my gluten-eating husband. I have made them several times and every waffle has turned out and none have stuck to the waffle maker.
I had not eaten a waffle in 10 years. You have actually changed my life. We make waffles at least once a month now. Birthday? Waffles. Holiday? Waffles. First day of school? Waffles. Bad day? WAFFLES.
Thank you for sharing this gift with the world.
Claire Cary says
Hi Amber! That makes me so so happy to hear! I have all sorts of dietary restrictions, so I totally understand how you feel. So glad you enjoyed these and I can’t wait to see what else you cook up!
Tami says
5 stars. WOW!!!! These are absolutely delicious and taste like they are made with flour. This is BY FAR the best keto waffle recipe I have come across and the fact that it is vegan is a win-win for us. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe. My search for the perfect vegan keto waffle recipe is over!!
Claire Cary says
Thank you so much Tami! So happy you enjoyed these 🙂
Heather O. says
I’m so happy I found this recipe!! My 4yo has a lot of allergies especially to cow’s milk, eggs and whole host of nuts! Thank God almonds are one of the few nuts she is not allergic too! I have been having to make 3 different pancake recipes in my house one for my 4yo and younger daughter. One for my husband and oldest daughter. Yet another for myself bc I’m following a low carb kinda keto diet! I have finally found a recipe that meets all of our needs and taste! I will be doubling this recipe for quick and easy breakfast throughout the week!! Thank you so much for this you have saved this momma a lot time and heartache and I’m so grateful!!
Aimog says
My husband is allergic to ALL forms of wheat, even gluten free flour. So it’s been challenging looking for replacements for anything flour based. This recipe is amazing! I used potato starch instead of tapioca starch, but this still came out amazing! Crispy, but soft and still flavorful. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! I am allergic to both wheat/gluten as well and gluten free all purpose flour is both free from wheat and gluten!
Bethany says
These are, hands down the BEST waffles! Love them! I added coconut oil to a pot, chopped up some apples, and sprinkled some cinnamon on them. It added such delicious flavour as a topping for the waffles!
Claire Cary says
Omg YUM! I need to try that on top! Sounds delicious!
CC says
I’ve tried plenty of gluten free recipes, and this is amazing! My kids, who dislike many things gluten free, loved these.
Claire Cary says
Love hearing that! Hope you try some other recipes!
Michelle says
These are A-mazing!! The BEST I have tried in the last 4 years! I do not feel the need to ever try any other waffle recipe out there!
Thank you for a great recipe!!
Claire Cary says
Such a nice review, thank you, Michelle!
Claire says
Can we use banana instead of apple sauce?
Claire Cary says
Yes! That should work, just mash it really well so it has an almost apple sauce like consistency. You don’t want any banana chunks or it could end up a bit gummy. The flavor will of course be slightly different, but still good!
Danna says
These are great. Healthy, filling, delicious. Kid approved too. Thank you!
Claire Cary says
Love when my recipes are kid approved! Thanks Danna!
Natasha from Australia says
Delicious recipe. I made as pancakes also as I don’t have a waffle maker. I subbed lemon juice for the ACV as I can’t have vinegar. I made the 3x recipe as cooking for 4 adults – just wanted to let you know the flaxseed ingredient water component for the 3x recipe did not increase so I used 7 tablespoons water with the 3 tablespoons flaxseed (you only had 2.5 tablespoons which was the same as 1x recipe ingredients). Everything turned out perfectly – light and fluffy on the inside and a slight crunch on the outside edges. Thanks for a great recipe. I’ve tried so many gluten free/vegan pancake recipes over the past several years and this is my favourite!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Natasha! I just updated the recipe card so the water component should now adjust properly when you scale it. Thanks for letting me know! So happy you enjoyed these : )
Shelique Symonett says
This week I tried the vegan waffles, love them. I don’t have a waffle maker so I turned them into pancakes. Delicious.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! Love this recipe as pancakes too!
Danielle says
These are exceptional. They are more flavorful than waffles with normal flour and are healthier! We have Ben making them on the weekends for an easy week day meal. THANK YOU!!!!!
Claire Cary says
What a compliment! I totally agree 🙂 so happy you enjoyed these!
Danielle says
Wow! This morning is my second time making these (and I am making a double batch so we have some leftover for the week). They are incredible! My husband and I loved the flavor profile – it has so much going on with ingredients we are happy to put into our body. Thank you for sharing this new staple in our home!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Danielle! So happy you enjoyed them, they’re one of my favorites!
Colene says
Help!!!! What am I doing wrong? The only substitution I made in the recipe was using almond butter powder and adding water to make the consistency of almond butter. When I opened the griddle, I had to scrape them out, the middle was still doughy. They taste amazing. I turned up the heat, turned down the heat and even gave up and made pancakes with the unused batter (and they were still doughy). Was it my substitution? Was the griddle too hot or not hot enough? Any help is appreciated.
Claire Cary says
It’s definitely the substitution! I wouldn’t recommend almond butter powder because it won’t have the same fat content as regular almond butter and will change the way the ingredients act together. Make sure you grease your griddle well and use regular almond butter. Because this recipe is grain free and vegan, substitutions don’t really work very well unfortunately!
Dawn says
These were by far the best waffles I have ever had! They were so good! Only change was I used Arrowroot flour instead of Tapioca. Everyone loved them! Will definitely be making them again 🙂
Claire Cary says
You are so sweet, thank you Dawn! So glad they worked out with the arrowroot!
Mindy says
For all three of my waffles, they did not come out in one piece but stuck to the waffle iron each time. I did everything according to the recipe and it seemed like either I didn’t cook fully in the middle or there was not enough oil in the batter to make things come off the waffle iron. The taste of the waffle crumbs were good after I picked it out of the waffle iron, but so disappointed about the way they came out. There seem to be an off a lot of steam coming out of the waffle iron, And I assumed that it had to do with the applesauce, but maybe the recipe needs to have some coconut oil inside the batter? For the first two waffles, the waffle iron was almost on the maximum, and then on the third waffle I lowered it to 3/4, and let it cook for longer, and all three came out the same way.
Claire Cary says
Sorry they didn’t work out! Did you grease the waffle iron? I always recommend doing that!
Victoria J. says
This was a great recipe! I used arrowroot flour instead of tapioca starch, almond extract instead of vanilla, pear sauce instead of applesauce, and ground some almond silvers to make an almond meal… I added blueberries and a little coconut oil and accidentally left out the ACV, but these still came out GREAT!!!!! I haven’t had the best luck using these alternative flours and really enjoying the texture, but these were nice and crispy on the outside just like you said. The coconut oil cooking spray helped, as well as adding more coconut oil… blueberries did make them stick a little, but with patience, I peeled the waffles out mostly in tact!
Claire Cary says
So glad they still worked with all those subs! Especially almond meal/flour behave differently, I’m glad it worked out! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Camille says
Thank you so so much for this recipe. I have spent so much money in recent weeks trying to make a GF GF DF CF recipe for my son that he would eat. This is it! He is almost 3 and very picky and he loved it. For anyone who is looking for a recipe that works, mixes and binds well, this is it. I also tried it as a pancake mix and it woks just as well. I subscribed to your recipe book and I’m looking forward to trying more recipes. Thanks again.
Claire Cary says
Hi Camille, thank you so much for your sweet comment! I’m so happy your son enjoyed them, I was such a picky eater as a child, so I can imagine the struggle! Hope you try out more recipes!
Ophelia selam says
These are amazing!!!! Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. thank you!!!
Lisa says
Absolutely amazing and perfect in every way!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Lisa!
Shawna says
Hi! I want to make “chicken” and waffles for dinner so need a savory batter (or neutral, just not sweet). I can see the obvious things to leave out but was wondering how the almond butter would affect a waffle that isnt supposed to be sweet? Any thoughts on a sub for this? Call me crazy but i thought i might make a walnut butter for a sub…
Claire Cary says
Hi! I actually think the almond butter will be ok as long as it is unsweetened. You can try walnut butter as well though if you prefer. Let me know how it turns out!
Dena says
Thanks so much for this I have tried many vegan almond flour versions and this is the real deal.
Claire Cary says
Thank you Dena! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂
Tami y says
This is the most fluffy delicious waffle I’ve made, awesome recipe. Thank you for working to make it great.
Claire Cary says
Aww thank you so much Tami! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Cissy says
These were fantastic and sweet enough to not need additional syrup. Easy to make also. This fits into my way of eating perfectly. Thank you!
karen Corradetti burzichelli says
These were amazing! I just got a new waffles iron and I used what I had in my pantry! I subbed arrowroot for the tapioca starch because is what I had.. I also added some cinnamon and used soy milk.. and only had crunchy almond butter.. but they came out delicious!! Will definitely be making these again and freezing!!
Claire Cary says
Perfect! Good to know it worked with those substitutions. Thanks Karen!
Emile Baizel says
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe and for explaining why each ingredient is needed. We subbed arrowroot for tapioca because that’s what we had on hand and the waffles came out perfect. These waffles are a hit in our household, and our 17 month old daughter loves snacking on these waffles when we’re out hiking!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Emile! So glad the arrowroot starch worked out, and thanks so much for the feedback!
Claire Baer says
Do we use baking soda or baking powder? At the. being of the poet it calls for baking soda. However at the bottom of the post the recipe calls for baking powder.
Claire Baer says
Autocorrect is just awful. grrrrrr
*post not poet.
Claire Cary says
Sorry about that! You want to use baking powder for these.
Katie says
Okay. So I had to come back and leave another comment. I’ve been making these exact waffles once a weekend the past few months. I’ve made them for people who eat loads of gluten + sugar. And they don’t even notice the different! The people love these waffles. SO GOOD!!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Katie, you are so sweet! So, so happy these are such a hit!
Katie McGinnis says
Wow! I think my eggless + gluten free waffle dreams have come true! I followed the recipe to a T and they turned out great. This will definitely be my go-to waffle recipe now. I agree that there are few vegan + gluten free waffle recipes floating around the internet. Happy I came across this! So yummy!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Katie!! This is one of my absolute favorite waffle recipes and I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Gina says
Hi! If I don’t have any applesauce, what can I use?
Claire Cary says
Hi! You can try using equal parts mashed banana (though this will change the flavor) or avocado or coconut oil, or more almond butter. I’d suggest using oil, but any of these should work well. Let me know how it turns out!
Kendra Howlett says
I don’t have a waffle maker, so I used the batter to make pancakes. Oh my goodness! They are incredible! I didn’t think I’d ever love a pancake, again, since going gluten and sugar free! This will be a staple in our house, going forward. Thank you for sharing!
Claire Cary says
Yay!! I’m so glad they worked as pancakes! Thanks for the feedback Kendra 🙂
Susana says
Am so excited to try these waffles but what if I don’t have tapioca starch, what else can I use?
Claire Cary says
arrowroot starch or cornstarch will also work!
Veronica Otero says
I make this a LOT
Tasty
foolproof
Easy
Crispy
Very fulfilling
Claire Cary says
Thanks Veronica! They’re my favorite 🙂
Jen says
So good! I did sub arrowroot for tapioca starch, and it worked perfectly!
Claire Cary says
Yay! So glad that substitution worked! If you don’t mind leaving a star rating next time, it really helps the blog out! 🙂
Holly says
Do you know if a chia egg would work just as well?
Claire Cary says
I haven’t tried that, but I’m sure it will work just fine!
Lou says
I’m excited to make these! However, could I substitute something for tapioca starch?
Claire Cary says
I imagine you can sub it for another kind of starch like potato starch or arrowroot, but I have not tried this myself and cannot guarantee the result!
Liz says
Could I sub with a protein powder ?
Claire Cary says
You can probably sub the tapioca starch or 1/4 cup of the almond flour for protein powder, but I haven’t tried this myself and can’t guarantee the result!
Karin says
I made the waffles today for breakfast. My family loved it ! !
Thank you for this great recipe 🙂
Claire Cary says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks Karin 🙂
Alma H. says
I love these waffles!
Claire Cary says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Jeff says
The most delicious and fluffy maple syrup sponges I’ve ever had
Claire Cary says
Thanks, Jeff!!