Classic Belgian Waffle Recipe made gluten-free and dairy-free. Whip up a batch of these perfectly light and crispy waffles and serve them with whipped cream and strawberries for an unforgettable breakfast!
When I was growing up, my mom made crepes, pancakes, or waffles every single weekend. It was such a deeply rooted tradition in our family that I thought every single family spent weekend mornings like this.
With feelings of nostalgia, I share with you today a dairy-free gluten-free Belgian waffle recipe. I hope it brings great memories to your family, and that you enjoy every bite!
And never fear: if you don’t follow a gluten-free or dairy-free diet, I have included all the possible modifications you can make to the recipe to suit your family’s needs.
Let’s face it: One of the best parts about pancakes and waffles is the toppings.
For me, waffles are an absolute dream boat because they hold an assertive amount of butter in each and every little crevasse, making for an incredibly flavorful experience.
I love serving these gluten-free waffles with fresh strawberries, homemade whipped cream (I go with coconut milk whipped cream to keep it dairy-free but you can just as easily go with regular homemade whipped cream use heavy cream), butter, and pure maple syrup.
Let’s jump right into this waffle extravaganza!
Difference Between Regular Waffles and Belgian Waffles?:
Wondering what distinguishes a Belgian waffle from a regular waffle? The difference between regular waffles and Belgian waffles is that Belgian waffles are thicker with deeper pockets and the traditional recipe calls for yeast in order to make fluffy yeasted waffles.
Taking the place of yeast in authentic Belgian waffles, we beat the egg whites until they’re very fluffy and form stiff peaks. We fold the fluffy egg whites into the batter to ensure the pancakes remain nice and airy.
Replacing the yeast with fluffy egg whites ensures the process of making waffles goes quicker, as yeasted waffles must sit for several hours (typically overnight) before the batter is ready.
You can follow my recipe for Gluten Free Yeasted Buttermilk Waffles for an authentic Belgian Waffle recipe.
So to summarize, the main difference between standard classic waffles and fluffy Belgian waffles is the deeper grids, shape of the actual waffle and a slight difference in the batter. You will need a Belgian Waffle Maker to make the classic homemade Belgian waffles shape.
Let’s discuss the basic ingredients needed to make this recipe.
Belgian Waffle Ingredients:
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: To keep the waffles gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but King Arthur and Pamela’s will work too.
If you don’t follow a gluten-free diet, use regular gluten-free all-purpose flour as a 1:1 replacement
Make my Grain-Free Almond Flour Waffles for a grain-free paleo waffle recipe, or my Paleo Chocolate Pecan Waffles.
Baking Powder: Used as the leavening agent here, we need baking powder to keep the waffles held together nicely and to help them rise and stay fluffy.
Sweetener of Choice: Use cane sugar, maple sugar, coconut sugar, brown sugar, sugar-free sweetener, or honey to sweeten the pancake batter. For golden-brown crispy waffles, use honey, as honey gives the waffles that golden crisp.
Sea Salt & Cinnamon: A touch of ground cinnamon brings a unique flavor to the waffles without making it overly noticeable. Sea salt enhances the flavors so that the waffles turn out tasting rich and flavorful.
Oat Milk (or milk of choice): The liquid portion of the Belgian waffles, we need any form of milk. Oat milk, almond milk, regular cow’s milk, or coconut milk work beautifully.
Eggs: Used to fluff up the waffles, we need two large eggs. In order to make the waffles nice and light and airy, we must fluff up the egg whites (separately from the egg yolks).
Avocado Oil: The fat portion of the recipe. Avocado has a high smoke point, making it ideal for cooking at high heat, and it also has neutral flavor so the intended flavors of the waffles shine through.
You can also use canola oil or melted butter in place of avocado oil.
Vanilla Extract: That amazing ingredient that brings warm flavor to anything it touches, a little vanilla extract makes these waffles so nice and inviting.
Optional Additions:
Add chocolate chips to the batter for chocolate chip waffles, or chopped pecans or walnuts for a nutty adventure.
You can also serve the waffles with your favorite fresh fruit such as blueberries and banana, homemade or store-bought jam, or a homemade fruit compote.
How to Make Belgian Waffles:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt and stir well until combined (dry ingredients).
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the oat milk, eggs, vanilla extract and the egg yolks, (separating the egg whites into a separate large bowl or a stand mixer) until well combined (wet ingredients).
Use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to fluff the egg whites until they are very frothy and form stiff peaks.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir well until all the clumps of flour are out.
Fold in the egg whites until incorporated into the waffle batter.
Plug in your Belgian waffle iron and make waffles according to the manufacturer instructions for your maker.
Pour the waffle batter onto the hot waffle iron, place the cover, and cook until golden brown.
My BELLA waffle maker takes about ¾ to 1 cup of batter per waffle and I set it on high heat.
Repeat for the remaining waffle batter (my waffle maker makes 4 large Belgian waffles out of the batter). If you’d like, you can store finished waffles on a baking sheet while the rest of the waffles are cooking.
Serve waffles immediately with butter, pure maple syrup, whipped cream, and strawberries.
Store any leftover waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Do note that each waffle maker varies, so it may be wise to test a small amount of batter on your waffle maker to confirm the correct heat setting and cook time if you aren’t experienced with it.
This recipe makes 4 large homemade waffles, and you can easily double the recipe if you’re looking for more.
These easy Belgian waffles are an instant win and can easily be turned into a decadent dessert with ice cream and fresh berries. I may be biased, but I do believe this is the best Belgian waffle recipe.
Can I Use Pancake Mix to Make Belgian Waffles?:
While you technically can use pancake mix to make waffles, the batter won’t contain as much air so they will not turn out as fluffy nor will they have the same crispy texture.
The fluffy interior is due in large part to the well-beaten egg whites, so without performing this step you’ll still get delicious waffles, they just won’t be as great. 😉
That’s it! Your ticket to amazing dairy-free gluten-free Belgian Waffles that the whole family will love every time!
For those of you who have sourdough starter on hand, also make my Gluten-Free Sourdough Waffles!
If you love this Belgian Waffle Recipe, also check out these family favorite breakfast recipes!
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes:
- Almond Flour Pancakes
- Paleo Crepes
- Sausage Mushroom Breakfast Casserole
- Sweet Potato Rolled Oat Protein Pancakes
- Greek Sausage Breakfast Casserole with Spinach and Feta
- Pesto Chicken Omelette
Enjoy these amazing crispy, fluffy waffles!
Belgian Waffle Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsp sugar optional**
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 2 large eggs yolks separated from whites
- 2 cups oat milk or milk of choice**
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt and stir well until combined (dry ingredients).
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the oat milk, oil, vanilla extract and the egg yolks, (separating the egg whites into a separate large bowl or a stand mixer) until well combined (wet ingredients).
- Use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to fluff the egg whites until they are very frothy and form stiff peaks.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir well until all the clumps of flour are out.
- Fold in the egg whites until incorporated into the waffle batter.
- Plug in your Belgian waffle iron and make waffles according to the manufacturer instructions for your maker. Pour the waffle batter onto the hot waffle iron, place the cover, and cook until golden brown. My BELLA waffle maker takes about ¾ to 1 cup of batter per waffle and I set it on the highest heat setting.
- Repeat for the remaining waffle batter (my waffle maker makes 4 large Belgian waffles out of the batter). If you'd like, you can store finished waffles on a baking sheet while the rest of the waffles are cooking.
- Serve waffles immediately with butter, pure maple syrup, whipped cream, and strawberries.
In step 2 you say “oat milk, eggs, vanilla extract and egg yolks”…but no mention of oil. Do you mean oil instead of eggs?
Thanks for catching this Bonny! Yes, that’s correct! The oil gets whisked in with the oatmilk 🙂