Making waffles without oil is pretty unheard of, but oil-free waffles are indeed possible and completely delicious. This recipe works for both classic (small-well) and Belgian (large-well) waffle irons. Before you begin, review the recipe and the Waffle Tips.
Waffles
- Total Time: 24 mins
- Yield: 2 to 3 (for 6-inch waffles, makes 5 to 6 classic or 3 to 4 Belgian) 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk (plus more to thin batter as it sits)
- 1 ounce pitted dates (2 Medjool or 4 Deglet Noor), chopped
- 1 ounce raw, unsalted cashews (about ¼ cup) or 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Sliced fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, and/or blueberries, to top waffles (optional)
- 1 recipe Strawberry-Date Syrup (optional)
- Extra cashews to grate on top (optional, see Note)
Instructions
- Place the nondairy milk, dates, and cashews or almond butter into a small bowl, and set aside for at least 15 minutes (so the dates and nuts can soften).
- Grind the rolled oats into flour with a blender. Transfer to a medium bowl, and whisk in the cornmeal, baking powder, and cinnamon. Plug in your waffle iron and set it to medium or medium-high (I use a 6 inch, round waffle iron with this recipe).
- Pour the soaking ingredients (milk, dates, and cashews or almond butter) into the blender, and blend until smooth.
- Add this mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Allow the batter to rest for one minute. (Add a little milk, as needed, between cooking the waffles, as the batter will thicken.)
- Pour ½ to ¾ cup of batter into the center of a heated waffle iron for classic waffles or ¼ to 1 cup for Belgian waffles; no oil is needed on the irons. Close the lid and cook until the indicator light shows that they have finished cooking (refer to your waffle iron's manual). All waffle irons will vary slightly, but generally classic waffles cook in 3 to 4 minutes and Belgian waffles in 4 to 5 minutes (see Waffle Tips below).
- Serve immediately, topped with sliced fruit, Strawberry-Date Syrup, and/or grated nuts.
Notes
Use a rotary cheese grater to grate some cashews (or any nut) on top of your cooked waffles for a little extra richness without going overboard on fat.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 4 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ recipe (1.5 6-inch classic waffles)
- Calories: 247
- Sugar: 7.1g
- Sodium: 96mg
- Fat: 7.4g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1g
- Carbohydrates: 40.8g
- Fiber: 5.4g
- Protein: 7.1g
- Cholesterol: 0
Waffle Tips
While I have seen many no-oil waffle recipes, that description usually applies to the batter only, not the waffle iron. Some cooks still spray or rub their waffle iron with a little cooking oil, but if you're trying to avoid all oil, that won't do. The addition of cashews or almond butter in this recipe helps to keep the waffles from sticking, but you may want to consider these tips for greater success:
• Use a waffle iron with a nonstick coating, preferably an iron that has never been oiled before (since the oily residue may encourage sticking). If you have a nonstick waffle iron that is very old, consider buying a new one, as they’re pretty inexpensive (about $35). Waffle iron instructions usually say to oil the surface the first time, but disregard that.
• Read the manufacturer’s instructions to get a more accurate estimate of how long waffles should take to cook in your particular unit. Each waffle iron is a little bit different.
• Set the heat at medium. Each waffle iron is different, so experiment with the heat setting that works best for yours. Mine has five heat settings (5 is hottest), and I find that setting it to 4 works best.
• To promote easier removal, pour in just enough batter so that the edges of the waffle come to the edge of the iron without spilling over (otherwise the waffle becomes tricky to remove, and may want to split in half).
• When the “done” light comes on, lift the lid slowly (beware of escaping steam). If it just doesn’t want to open, give it another 30 to 60 seconds and then try again. Even when the waffles are done, sometimes the lid still requires a firm tug to get it to separate from the waffle since we are not using oil. Slightly overbaked waffles are preferable to underbaked waffles (which can result in a gooey, sticky mess).
• Always be prepared with a fork to help release the waffle from the iron. Your waffles may stick a little, and the halves may start to come apart. Gently pry the edge of the stuck side off the iron with a fork, and the two sides will fall back together and still taste great.
• To keep your waffles warm as you make them, transfer them to a baking rack in the oven, set to 250°F.
• Have patience and find the amount of batter and the heat setting that work best for your taste and your waffle iron, and make a note for next time.
Cathy
I wanted to make these for a long time, and just noticed you recently revised the recipe. I don't eat any waffles because they are normally packed with a lot of things I don't like to put in my body, but your recipe sounded so delicious that I wanted to try this healthy version.
Just as your other recipes, they were delicious: enough sweetness, crispy, and the cinnamon made my place smell so good. My husband who does eat waffles also loved them. (The only substitution I made was almond butter for peanut butter)
Thank you again for your delicious ideas
Margarita 🙂
Thanks Margarita! Yes, I think the revised version is better and easier. 🙂 Happy New Year!
Thank you Cathy. I liked your original recipe, but this one is even better. I used an old non-stick belgian waffle maker and every waffle came out perfectly. I'll be making waffles more often now. This recipe seemed less messy and easier than the original one. Thank you so much for the updated version. Yum!
Oh good! Thanks for the comment Cathy! 🙂
This was the most delicious waffle recipe I've ever tried. My
Husband couldn't get enough!
yay! 🙂 Love it when the husbands like the food too! Thanks for the comment!
Just made these for Sunday breakfast. Delicious!! Thank you!
I love waffles -- indeed, the only gf frozen food I have ever bought are gf, vegan, fruit-juice sweetened waffles, but the quality is inconsistent.... These meet all my desires -- no processed sugar, no gluten, no animal products, the only problem is our waffle iron is a gluten time bomb! So I am off to Amazon to look for a new waffle iron on sale, thanks to you!
Would love a recipe for savory waffles with filling. A vegan restaurant makes them near me but I am sure they use oil and I haven't been able to figure out how they get them so yummy. Love this site!
Is it ok to make the waffle batter ahead and refrigerate it overnight?
Hi Iris, I'm not sure, never done that. Maybe if you use double-acting baking powder (where it starts acting when wet meets dry, as well as with heat). Maybe make a half batch and try it first. 🙂
Hi Cathy. I made the waffle batter ahead and refrigerated it overnight. Used double acting baking powder. Worked perfectly! Delicious recipe as well as healthy. Thanks!
Cathy,
I was really excited about this recipe. My husband loves waffles and I have gluten issues so this was something I thought we would both be able to enjoy. I got your waffle iron and got started. I could not use the nut butter you recommended since I am allergic to nuts. So I used applesauce. Needless to say the waffle stuck like glue to the waffle iron. Once the everything cooled the waffle I made came out of the waffle iron and tasted great. I used the rest of the batter for pancakes and they were good. I am not giving up! Next I am going to try using ground chia seeds. Thanks so much for the recipe and for your site.
Hi Josie, I used to make them with no fat, and I could but it was a challenge. I had to be very careful about removing them. You really need some bit of fat blended all through to help resist sticking it seems. Soaked sunflower seeds may work; not sure about chia. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Cathy,
I wanted to up date you on my waffle making attempts. Today I had success! I added a tablespoon of the chia sees to my the batter and it worked like a charm. Thanks again for the recipe.
Yay! 😉
I have oat flour that I am trying to use up. Is the amount of oat flour the same as the oats called for in this recipe?
Yes. 🙂
These waffles are heavenly. I added 2 t. orange extract. Good! And the oat flour is the same measurement as using oats. These did not stick to my new waffle iron. Hurray! Thanks, Cathy.
Is there something I can substitute for the dates in this recipe? The commenter above added orange extract-- can an extract be used to replace the dates as a sweetener?
Thank you for so many great recipes!
Anything sweet would work: banana, raisins, maple syrup. No, extracts would not be a good substitute sweetener.
I love recipes like these! There is so much room for variety that it is almost impossible for the recipe to not be enjoyable. Great job!
Thanks! 🙂
Do you think buckwheat flour would work in place of the oats? I'm not able to have oats or nuts so I'm going to try Josie's suggestion of ground chia. Just ordered a waffle iron so I could try potato waffles - but these are on the list as well! 🙂
Sure, I think any flour would work. 🙂
This is the best waffle recipe I have tried! I am so excited it's whole food, vegan and oil free! I have had to look for a new recipe every time I made waffles in the past and was never satisfied. I will be using this one from now on! Also cooked at 8,000ft and no adjustments were needed. Used PB instead of almond butter and water instead of nut milk. Thank you! Also loving your cookbook!
Thanks April! 😉
Oh, Cathy! These are wonderful waffles. I made them this morning using the almond butter option and they turned out perfectly. Not a single one stuck to the waffle iron. Heavenly smell while baking, light and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. I LOVE waffles and these are the first good GF waffles I have had in four years since my celiac diagnosis. You have made me a happy woman again. 🙂 On top of that, hubby said, "D@mn good waffles!!!!" 🙂
Hi Pam, Yay!! So glad you and your husband enjoyed them! 🙂 I love waffles too. BTW, I will be presenting in Sacramento Feb 2017; if you're interested, see here. Thank you for the comment!
We will be at Healthy Taste in Feb. 🙂 Signed up a couple months ago, and are looking forward to the day and to seeing you. Happy Holidays, Cathy!!!
Have a pretty new waffle maker and had problems with the waffles sticking and falling apart trying to get them out. They had a taste like fried oatmeal. tasty with some syrup. Too much work for crumbly waffles. Played around with the temp settings too to with no positive results.
So sorry to hear this Paul. 🙁 Is it a nonstick waffle maker? Did you add any oil to the irons first (which I do not). It can be tricky with no oil, for sure, but I think there is a learning curve; so try it again sometime since you already have the iron. I usually help them out with a fork. And if this is the first time you used the iron, definitely try it again. The first time with anything is usually not the best (kind of like the first pancake in the pan). Good luck. 😉
I loved these! They were the best vegan waffles I've tried. Slightly sweet. I didn't have dates but used raisens instead. I also added 1/4 tsp salt.
These were hearty enough to be topped with peanut butter and blueberry-cherry compote, but still had a tender crumb.
Sounds delicious! If I wanted to add some canned pumpkin to make pumpkin waffles, how much should I add, and should I decrease amount of plant milk because of the moisture in the pumpkin?
I'm not sure, but maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Yes, decrease the milk a bit, adding it after the pumpkin to your desired consistency. 🙂
Hi! What could I replace the cornmeal with? I have a family member with an allergy to corn. Thank you!
I would use ground millet, to still have a little texture in place of cornmeal. Or you can use another kind of flour, but it won't have the same texture. 🙂
Can these waffles be cooked and then frozen? It would be so easy to just pop them in the toaster on busy mornings.
Yes! 🙂
Yummy! Next time a double batch, so
I can freeze the leftovers.
Hi Cathy,
I've seen you make a potato waffle during a True North cooking class. How does the potato need to be prepped before placing in the waffle iron ? Does it need to be softened first somehow ? Thanks Cathy
Hi Brady, I've not made potato waffles, so you're probably thinking of Katie Mae. 🙂
Thank you Cathy. It very well could have been Katie Mae. I remember a whole yukon gold potato with the skin still on being placed into waffle iron and the lid being shut .. and presto, a very healthy waffle option. Just can't remember if and how the potato was softened before being placed placed into the waffle iron. I now have a fancy (lol) waffle iron and wanted to do some potato waffles. Thanks again Cathy ... hope to catch you again before too long at True North. Brady
Hmm, I'd think it would need to be cooked first and then smashed in; but not sure. Maybe if you spiralized the potato raw first (so strands are very thin) it would work too. 🙂
Usually i snap photos during your and Katie Mae's classes, In this instance, I'm fairly sure a whole Yukon gold with the skin was place in the waffle iron a cooked that way. It surely must have been softened before. But don't know the method. Thank you Cathy for your continued response.
I just googled "potato in waffle iron," and it seems they are put in raw and grated. 🙂
Cathy,
I discovered that I could add the ingredients to my blender and blend the dates and milk then add the oats and finally the rest of the ingredients and the waffles come out great. I use flax seed instead of the almond butter to cut down on the fat and it works.
Oh I think that's just fine! I added the almond butter to help them not stick to the irons if not using oil on them or in the batter; so the flax seeds work for not sticking? Good to know! 🙂
For the cornmeal, could I use yellow grits? Will grind them fine.
Hmm, probably. Just grind them into a flour like cornmeal. But maybe they are already ground? I've never used grits. 🙂
I absolutely love waffles and needed a healthy, delicious, easy, go-to breakfast option that my husband and I would enjoy that wasn’t a smoothie. I bought the same waffle iron you use and made your recipe this morning with the cashews option. Perfection! The waffles did not stick at all. I set the waffle iron to 4 and used a Pampered Chef Small Mix ‘N Scraper to remove them with absolutely no problem. Squeezed fresh lemon juice on some banana slices and very lightly drizzled with pure maple syrup. So, so delicious! Thank you for an amazing recipe! Do you have any savory waffle recipes?
Hi Migdalia, thank you for your great comment! 🙂 I do not have any savory waffle recipes, but I'll look into it! Cathy
A half of a banana blended with the dates, cashews and milk made these waffles even more delicious. Thanks for the recipe, it is our Sunday treat!