A simple, healthy, tasty and crispy recipe for Oatmeal Waffles. The batter can be whipped up quickly and easily in your blender. Make fresh or keep a stash in the freezer for quick breakfasts throughout the week!
It's just me and these deliciously crispy Oatmeal Waffles. And the good news is they are healthy enough to eat for breakfast, lunch or brinner.
We're talking naturally flour-free, oil-free and gluten-free waffles (if you use certified gluten-free oats), made with really wholesome, healthy ingredients, and we're talking perfectly golden, crispy, fluffy in the middle, waffle perfection! A great alternative to my very popular vegan banana waffles.
Ingredient & equipment notes
Here are the ingredients you will be needing to make delicious oatmeal waffles:
And a few notes:
- Oats - No need to turn them into flour first because these are oatmeal blender waffles. Throw it all in, blend and you're done. Wondering what kind of oats to use? Rolled oats (sometimes called old fashioned oats) or quick oats are the ones you want for this recipe. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free waffles.
- Nut or seed butter - Peanut, almond butter, cashew, sunflower seed or pumpkin seed butter are all fine. This adds amazing flavor and fat to the recipe. Fat is essential for a good texture.
- Applesauce or banana puree - Your choice which. Applesauce you can't taste in them, banana you can. If you use banana watch out in the instructions though because you need a touch more plant milk.
- Baking powder, baking soda & apple cider vinegar - Essential for puff and fluff. Baking soda and vinegar in addition to the baking powder causes a chemical reaction which creates extra air in the batter. This replaces the leavening eggs would otherwise provide in a non-vegan recipe.
- Plant milk - Any will do although unsweetened is best.
Ideally you will also need a blender to make gluten-free oat waffles. This is a throw it all in, no mixing and be done in a minute or two, lazy blender waffle recipe. But if you don't have a blender you can still make them. Just use oat flour instead of oats ;O)
And of course you will need a waffle maker. I have this Cuisinart Waffle Maker and I'm very happy with it. I've never had a waffle stick yet and it's a good few years old now.
How to make oatmeal waffles
Here's how we are making oatmeal waffles without flour:
- Add everything to a blender
- Blend it all up
- Pour the waffle batter into your well greased and heated waffle iron
- Let them cook then top with lots of delicious things!
Success tips
These vegan oatmeal waffles are easy to make but following these success tips will give you even better results:
- Getting waffles right can take a bit of experimentation because every waffle iron cooks a little differently. Follow my instructions the first time then tweak settings and time as you go next time.
- Do not use a non stick oil spray/cooking spray like Pam or Frylight on your waffle iron (or any other nonstick cooking surface). It might reduce calories, but the chemicals in it cause an invisible build up that is impossible to remove with washing. It quite quickly makes your non stick surface ineffective. I just brush my oil on with a silicone brush. If you want to spray oil, invest in an oil mister and fill it with any liquid oil.
- Don't be tempted to omit the nut/seed butter. The natural oils in it are integral to the success of this recipe.
- Make sure the waffle iron is very hot before you pour in the batter mixture. If it's not hot enough they will stick. When it says it's hot enough, leave it for an extra 5 minutes to be sure.
- Make sure you put enough batter on the waffle irons. It should be quite thick but not so much it runs out the sides.
- Do not lift the lid too early. See my No 1 tip below for more info.
My No 1 tip for crispy waffles
My biggest tip for getting crispy waffles every single time (whether it's this oatmeal waffle recipe or any other waffle recipe) is to not listen to your waffle maker. A lot of them have a signal for when the waffles are ready. Mine beeps. Some have a light that comes on. Your waffle maker cannot accurately know when your waffles are ready.
The way you can know for sure that they are properly cooked and crispy is to watch the steam escaping from the sides of the waffle maker. Do not even attempt to open it while there is steam coming out, even if your waffle maker is telling you otherwise. As soon as there is no steam present at all it is safe to open and you will have crispy waffles. Every. Single. Time.
Variations
There are all kinds of ways you can make this oatmeal waffle recipe your own! Here are some suggestions:
- Only got oat flour and no oats? That's fine. It's safer to use the weight measurement in that case though so you know you get the exact right amount.
- Throw in a few tablespoons of chopped nuts, fresh blueberries, chopped apple or chocolate chips.
- Use almond extract instead of vanilla and serve with cherries or raspberries.
- Omit the sugar to make savoury waffles.
Serving suggestions
What toppings can you put on your healthy oatmeal waffles? There so many ways to serve them and you can eat them sweet or savoury. Here are some ideas:
- A big ol' slab of vegan butter and a generous drizzle of real maple syrup and some fresh berries
- Brush in vegan butter and dip in cinnamon sugar for a donut type effect
- Vanilla Roasted Strawberries
- Blueberry Lavender Sauce
- Vegan Lemon Curd with fresh or frozen raspberries
- Date Caramel with sliced banana
- Dairy-free ice cream or vegan yogurt
- Chocolate sauce or chocolate shavings/chips
- Fruit compote
- Vegan Scrambled Eggs
- Vegan Chick'n and maple syrup
- Roasted tomatoes (like the recipe in my cookbook)
- Any of the above with a side of vegan breakfast sausage and vegan bacon
Storage, freezing & reheating tips
Oatmeal waffles can easily be made ahead of time and leftovers can be stashed away for another time. That means you can treat yourself any time, not just on lazy weekend mornings!
- Prep ahead - Make the batter and cook the waffles as per the instructions. Allow to cool on a wire rack then store in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- How to reheat waffles - To reheat waffles, simply put them in a toaster. If they are frozen you might need to put them through 2 cycles.
Recipe FAQS
There can be many reasons.
1. Maybe you didn't measure the ingredients properly. The ratio of fat to other ingredients in waffles is important. I recommend weighing your flour so you don't accidentally use too much and throw the balance off.
2. Did you grease the iron thoroughly with oil and not vegan butter. Vegan butter doesn't work well in waffle irons. Oil is essential.
3. Have you been using cooking spray on your waffle iron? You know like Fry Light or Pam? Did you know these sprays ruin non-stick surfaces? I don't recommend ever using them. If you want to be able to spray your oil it's much better (and healthier) to use real oil in a mister.
4. Did you wait until ever single bit of steam stopped coming out of the waffle iron before opening it as per my instructions? This is really important and will take a while. Usually much longer than the ready signal on your waffle iron.
5. If you followed all of the above and they still stick then it might be time to look at buying a new waffle iron.
Hungry for more?
📖 Recipe
Oatmeal Waffles
Author:
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (135 grams) rolled oats or quick oats , or the same weight of oat flour
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) nut or seed butter
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- 1½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar , or lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract , (omit if you are using savoury toppings)
- ½ cup (125 grams) unsweetened applesauce , or pureed banana
- 1 cup (240 mls) plant milk of choice , add an extra 2 tablespoons if using mashed banana
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Thoroughly grease a waffle iron with oil (not vegan butter) and heat it to a medium setting. Once it reaches temperature let it sit for an extra 5 minutes to make sure it is really hot.
- Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into the waffle iron, adding enough batter to cover it thickly without it coming out the sides.
- Put the lid down and leave to cook until there is absolutely no steam escaping from the sides. This is usually a good few minutes after your waffle iron tells you that they are ready. Ignore its signal and wait until any trace of steam stops. This is really important for crispy waffles that release easily.
- Carefully open the lid and remove the waffles. Put the lid down and let the waffle iron heat up well again, then grease again before adding the remaining batter. Cook as before.
NOTES
- Getting waffles right can take a bit of experimentation because every waffle iron cooks a little differently. Follow my instructions the first time then tweak settings and time as you go next time.
- Do not use a non stick oil spray/cooking spray like Pam or Frylight on your waffle iron (or any other nonstick cooking surface). The chemicals in it cause an invisible build up that is impossible to remove with washing. It quite quickly makes your non stick surface ineffective. I just brush my oil on with a silicone brush. If you want to spray oil, invest in an oil mister and fill it with any liquid oil.
- Do not lift the lid too early. See my No 1 tip in the post above for more info.
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
This recipe was originally published on June 11th, 2020. I've since rewritten the post to include more helpful information and now I am republishing it for you. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Marie Altman says
I made these on Christmas Day~ they turned out perfectly. The ones I left in too long and thought we’re too crispy, softened up in a few minutes, so I definitely recommend letting them cook longer than you might think you should. They were great leftover too!
Shauna says
Very good recipe! I followed exact using mashed banana. It came out nice and crispy. Even my husband liked it! He’s not overly thrilled eating Vegan but he doesn’t cook so he eats what I make him!
JianaS. says
I love these waffles! I used bananas as I had some to use up, will try soon with applesauce. I had no issues with sticking to my waffle iron, but I use a canola oil spray. This recipe is easy and has a nice balance. I made it with almond butter. This is a keeper!
Colleen says
I saved this recipe some time ago but just got around to making them a day or so ago. Now I'm wondering what took me so long! These were so easy to throw together using ingredients I almost always have on hand. No muss, no fuss but absolutely delicious. And I really like that I can dress them up a bit to serve to guests if I want, or leave them more "plain" if I'm in a hurry. These will go into our regular rotation!
Karen Spiers says
So good and crispy! We all loved them. Thank you!
Karisa says
I've tried these twice and they stuck :( I even tried adding more fat and still no luck
A Virtual Vegan says
Using spray oil on the waffle iron is the number one reason that waffles start sticking. Spray oil like Pam etc, is not compatible with non-stick surfaces. Unless using pure oil, which most spray oils aren't, a residue is left that is impossible to remove when washing. This builds up over time and ruins the non-stick surface. If that is something you have used on your iron then that could be the reason.
Are you also greasing it really well and following the tip to not even attempt to open until all steam has stopped coming out the sides, even if your waffle irons beeps before? It takes a while and is really important for easy release.
There is plenty of oil/fat in the recipe (from the nut butter) so it shouldn't be necessary to add more.
If they are sticking despite those things then it's likely the non-stick surface isn't at its best anymore.
I hope that helps!
Jill Burry says
Sorry, I am not a fan of cinnamon so I left it out and they were still great!
Christie says
A hit, wow!! These were really flavorful, beautifully crispy and browned on the outside, tender inside. We did get problems with sticking even with a decent amount of olive oil on the waffle iron, but these are way better (in terms of flavor and nutritional/ingredients profile) than other vegan Waffles we have tried so I’m going to try again! There’s no oil in the batter so it may just be we need to really, really put a lot extra oil on the iron. I’m ok with that! Looking forward to making these again, thank you!!!
Gary Purdy says
Amazing waffles. Really crispy. Your tip about waiting for the steam to stop is a game changer for making them crispy with no sticking. The whole family loved them.They will be a regular weekend treat now.
Susan says
Even greasing my waffle iron, the batter stuck to it, so cooked in a pan on the stove. Still good, but disappointed that stuck.
Lauren says
Hi there! I don’t have a waffle iron... would this work for pancakes? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I have never tried them as pancakes but usually waffles and pancake recipes are pretty interchangeable. I'm 99% sure it would be fine!