These waffles are delicious and very easy to make, and contain no oil, salt, refined flours or sugars. Instead of using maple syrup, try some homemade date syrup (below).
1 cup rolled oats (quick or regular)
¼ cup flax seeds
¼ cup raw cashews or walnuts
2 cups water and/or non-dairy milk
2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate or 4 dates, pitted
¼ cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1. Blend the oats, flax seeds and nuts in a Vitamix or coffee/nut-seed grinder until ground. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for 1 minute in the Vitamix or blender. Let sit for 10 minutes to incorporate.
2. Spoon batter onto a hot waffle iron that has a non-stick surface and cook until brown and crispy. (This recipe works in regular and Belgium waffle makers.)
3. To make your own date syrup, blend 4-5 pitted dates with some water in your Vitamix or food processor until smooth. You can also add in some fresh or frozen strawberries, blueberries or other fruit.
Notes: Use a non-stick waffle iron to avoid using oil. / As the batter sits between cooking waffles, it will thicken up so feel free to add a bit of water as needed.
Preparation: 15 minutes; cooking: 5 minutes each waffle; makes 4-6 waffles
The waffle recipe was adapted from the Waffles II recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking, p.70.
I had such high hopes for these! I tried it 3 times, and each time, the waffles were still not fully cooked in the middle. I thought maybe the batter was too thick, so I tried thinning them out a little and it still didn’t work. This has happened with another vegan oil-free waffle recipe as well. When I used to cook conventional waffles, they came out great. What am I doing wrong?
Hi, when I make these they are a little soft in the middle too, but still good. Conventional waffles are overall more crispy due to the oil in them. One thing you might try is turning down the temperaature on your waffle iron and cooking them longer (so outside isn’t done before inside). Good luck!
The kids and I loved these!! As noted, they are soft and more dense – more like pancakes – but we were fine with that. Great flavor and so easy!
Very tasty but not done in the middle. We can’t turn our waffle maker down. We will definitely have these again.
Hi Cathy! Our family would like to buy a waffle iron, but I’m finding it difficult to choose one. We are oil free. I’m not sure which waffle iron has the safest non-stick coating. Do you have any suggestions or info you can direct me to? Thank you so much! :0)
Hi Heather, I don’t know which waffle makers are the safest, I would just get a good brand and non-stick. I found this link on reviews: http://csear.ch/RH8LYX. Good luck!
Hi Cathy,
I’m new to the whole vegan diet, and I absolutely love your website. So much info and great recipes! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe, especially for my husband who loves waffles. Unfortunately, he’s allergic to nuts :/ What can I replace the nuts with in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Tracy, I’d just leave them out; they just add a bit of richness/fat. But he can add his own flair on top after they’re cooked. Make sure you use a good non-stick waffle iron.
Hi Cathy,
I just discovered your site tonight and am very excited about it. I can already see that I will love many of the recipes. I wanted to share our daily breakfast waffle recipe here, because it is completely free of fat and sugar (we top it with a little maple syrup and fresh fruit):
*4 cups of whole grain flour (I grind my own and use a mix of buckwheat, millet, barley, amaranth, quinoa and oat groats with an emphasis on the buckwheat, but I’m sure rice would work with other gluten-free grains)
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. baking powder (optional)
* enough liquid to make a thin batter (I use half soy or almond milk, half water)
and that is all. I have to admit that I use a German waffle maker for this, which bakes thinner, crispier waffles that have to be eaten immediately (although you can toast them later…) They come out crisp, well done and delicious after about 5 minutes of baking. I do have a Belgian waffle maker as well, but use a different recipe for that one. I think that Salton sells the German kind here – the grid is smaller and shallower.
Thank you Cathy for all your work.
Thanks Strickliesel! Wow, a very easy recipe indeed!
Mine were still doughy in the middle too and stuck to the waffle iron on both sides (I did spray oil because I didn’t read the no oil bit at the bottom) so I made pancakes with the rest of the batter. Tasty!
Would adding a few tablespoons of coconut oil help them cook better?
Thanks!
Hi Jessie, yes, oil-free waffles can be tricky. Best to start with a good quality non-stick gridle (I use a Belgium waffle maker) and then gentley help them out with a plastic fork after they’re cooked. When cooked they will be crispy on the outside and softer on the inside.
Yum, those look amazing. And, all the better with date syrup. Have you tried Date Lady syrup?
No I haven’t, but it sounds delish!