Oat Flour Waffles

Fluffy (and naturally gluten free waffles) made with just one gluten-free flour? Yes, please! I love making a batch of waffles on a Sunday morning and stashing the leftovers in the fridge for weekday breakfasts. A slight adaptation of my whole wheat waffles recipe, this recipe stars whole grain oat flour and a handful of simple ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. Topped with a generous pour of maple syrup, they're hard to resist—and why should you?

For other gluten free waffles, try my oat and almond flour waffles recipe or make small batch gluten free waffles for two.

These Are the Best Whole Grain Waffles

These whole-grain waffles are light, a little buttery, and a lot wholesome. You'll get a hit of protein from tangy Greek yogurt and there's no extra sugar added (or needed, in my opinion). I love to eat waffles with butter and maple syrup, or I'll pile them with berries for a perfect summery breakfast. Here are a few highlights of this recipe:

• Whole grains. Oat flour is packed with fiber and protein, and it's a whole grain, which means you're getting more of the good stuff than you would if you used all-purpose flour.
• Easy to put together. This is such a quick and easy recipe to put together -- you need 5 minutes or less to make the batter, then 10 minutes of resting time to let the oat flour absorb some of the liquid so it bakes up extra fluffy.
• Delicious. I know I've said that more than once already, but these waffles are SO good. I doubt you'd be able to tell they're gluten-free either - the texture is so similar to a "regular" waffle, and I love the slightly sweet, buttery note oat flour brings to recipes.
• Easy. Whisk, stir, cook—that's it! In about 10 minutes you'll have the best breakfast ever.

Ingredient Notes

Here's a look at the ingredients in these waffles, with the full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions included in the recipe card at the end of this post.

• Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour yourself or pick up a bag at the store. If you can't eat oats, try brown rice flour, sorghum flour, or your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour.
• Baking powder - Check to make sure your baking powder is fresh for the airiest waffles.
• Salt - Fine grain sea salt or table salt works fine.
• Greek yogurt - Use low-fat or whole-fat Greek yogurt.
• Egg - A large or extra-large egg works well.
• Butter - Use unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly.
• Milk - You can use whole milk or 2% milk interchangeably.

Variation Ideas

• Chocolate - Stir in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips to the batter to make chocolate chip waffles.
• Fruit - Easily turn these into blueberry waffles by adding 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter!
• A little spice - Add about ¼-1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ginger to the waffle batter. Or try pumpkin pie spice for festive fall-inspired waffles.

Waffle Tips

• What setting for the waffles? I like to cook my waffles on the waffle iron's highest setting to make sure they are fully cooked inside and slightly crisp on the outside.
• What size? I like to make my waffles using a ¼ cup measure, and a ⅓ cup measure also works well.
• How long to cook the waffles? Cook the waffles until the light changes to green and there's no more steam coming off the top of the machine. This might mean you need to cook the waffles just a tad longer after the light changes.
  Add milk - Whole grain flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose flour. You can add a little more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time if you find that the batter is too thick.
• Make dairy-free - Make waffles dairy-free by substituting non-dairy butter for the butter, your favorite non-dairy milk for the milk, and non-dairy yogurt for the yogurt.
• Swap coconut oil - Often, I will substitute the butter with unrefined or refined coconut oil for a change. The waffles are just as buttery and tender.
• Add sugar - If you do want these waffles a bit sweeter, add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the dry mix.
• Make egg-free - Substitute a flax egg for the egg.

Serving Options

• Butter and syrup. Go all in and melt a little salted butter to drizzle over your waffles, then follow it with a generous pour of maple syrup.
• Fruit. All kinds of fruit are welcome atop a stack of waffles! I love a mix of blueberries and raspberries, sliced strawberries, juicy slices of peach or nectarine, and ripe pears.
• Make it dessert. Serve waffles for dessert! My dad makes a stellar dessert waffle: Serve the waffles warm and topped with a scoop of your favorite ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
• Add whipped cream. For dessert or a more decadent breakfast, top your waffles with lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream.
• Add nut butter. I love a waffle spread with almond or peanut butter. You could finish with a smear of honey or your favorite jam.

Proper Storage

Oat flour waffles keep well for another time. Here's what to do with leftovers:

• Fridge - Place waffles in a sealable bag or airtight container with a piece of parchment paper separating each one so that they don't stick, and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - Store waffles with a piece of parchment in between each one in a freezer-safe, sealable bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• To Reheat - You can pop waffles straight from the fridge or freezer into a toaster or toaster oven and heat until lightly crisp.