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.
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This post was originally published on September 20, 2019, but has been updated with new photos as of February 6, 2020. The recipe has stayed the same!
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, refined sugar free 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
There aren’t many vegan AND grain free waffle recipes out there. Most contain eggs (which is used as a binding agent), so I subbed for a flax egg plus apple sauce and almond butter to really seal the deal.
Vegan and gluten free is a much easier task, but vegan and grain free, not so much. I don’t recommend making any substitutions to the recipe to ensure the best result. Plus a touch of vanilla and maple syrup to give these almond flour waffles and unbeatable flavor!
- 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.
- Tapioca Starch/Flour: Unless you want your waffles to crumble all over the place, don’t skip this ingredient!
- Almond Milk: Any non dairy milk will work for this recipe, but 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.
- 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.
- Baking Powder: To help the waffles rise. Be sure to use baking powder and not baking soda since these do two different things.
- Maple Syrup: For sweetness! Coconut sugar, brown sugar or honey will also work.
- 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!
- Apple Cider Vinegar: To help activate the baking soda and make the waffles fluffier.
- Vanilla and salt: For flavor.
Instructions
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 just 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.
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!
Tips, tricks, and notes
- 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.
- You can use regular egg in place of the flax egg if desired. This will yield an even fluffier and lighter waffle.
- 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.
- 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’ll want to use one of the higher settings on your waffle maker to make sure the waffles cook through properly. I have this waffle maker and put it on setting number 5.
- If you want the waffles to get extra crispy, pop them in the toaster for about 30 seconds to crisp up the outside.
Try these recipes next!
- Avocado Mango Smoothie
- Vegan Chocolate Milkshake
- How To Make Oatmeal
- Paleo Blueberry Muffins
- Mashed Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl
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Vegan and Paleo Almond Flour Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 2.5 tbsp water
- 1/2 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
- 1/4 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 add a touch of coconut 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!
Camille
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
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
These are amazing!!!! Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. thank you!!!
Lisa
Absolutely amazing and perfect in every way!
Claire Cary
Thank you, Lisa!
Shawna
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
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!