Best Ever Gluten Free Cinnamon Spiced Vegan Waffles
These waffles are truly irresistible. Perfectly crispy on the outside thanks to cornstarch, perfectly fluffy on the inside thanks to baking powder + soda, and packed with flavor thanks to plenty of cinnamon and vanilla extract plus a variety of flours, these vegan waffles are a top competitor with any other recipe on the internet, vegan and gluten free or not.
What’s up with successful food bloggers sharing underwhelming recipes?
Recently, I caved and purchased a waffle maker, motivated by one of the many fluke boyfriends I’ve had recently (post pandemic life is going well). Naturally, as I had actually never made waffles before, I Googled “vegan waffles” and made one of the recipes that appeared at the top of the search results.
I’m not going to name names — but I was not impressed. When a recipe states it is the best, it really should be the best! It’s easy to post an appealing photo, but more difficult to create something that tastes as amazing as it looks. I see a recipe consisting mainly of all purpose flour, vegan butter, and plant milk, and wonder where the flavor is. Without any extras, the flavor isn’t there.
Consequently, I needed to kick things up a notch in my recipe. Some brief hyperactive researching brought cornstarch to my attention as the key ingredient for outer waffle crispiness, and baking soda and powder together for inner waffle fluffiness. These ingredients did not disappoint — my waffles turned out far better than the first batch I made.
Beyond textural improvements, I had to implement some flavor additions. A full tablespoon of cinnamon and teaspoon of vanilla extract, along with a variety of gluten free flours, hit precisely the mark I was going for. They turned out so delicious that I hardly added any syrup, which is a key indicator of success as you will also see if you try my gluten free blueberry chocolate oat pancakes. I shouldn’t need to douse my breakfast food with sugar at the table to compensate for a batter’s shortcomings.
With all the customization possibilities waffles allow (nutmeg? Cardamom? Cocoa powder? YES) there is no reason to limit oneself. I think in my next waffle recipe, I will try something savory with semolina flour and see how it goes.
Experimentation is always encouraged, though I can guarantee these waffles will wow you as is. If you try them, please let me know what you think with a rating and comment!
Best Ever Gluten Free Cinnamon Spiced Vegan Waffles
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Medium bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Waffle iron
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher or sea salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup full fat Oatly original oat milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup Earth Balance vegan butter (½ stick), melted in microwave in short bursts
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Toppings
- Blueberries or fruit of choice, to taste
- Maple syrup, to taste
- Powdered sugar, to taste
- Vegan whipped cream, to taste
Instructions
- Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl, and mix together with a whisk.
- Measure out oat milk, and add in apple cider vinegar. Mix and allow to sit for a few minutes — this makes the vegan buttermilk.
- Meanwhile, heat vegan butter in microwave in 10 to 20 second increments until almost completely melted. Add vanilla extract to butter and mix with the measuring spoon until the last bit of butter melts completely.
- Turn on waffle iron to preheat. Pour the butter/vanilla mixture into the milk mixture, and then add the wet ingredients into dry ingredient bowl, mixing with a rubber spatula until just combined (though over-mixing is not a concern as the flour does not contain gluten).
- Once waffle iron is preheated, add batter in ⅓ cup increments and cook until "ready" light comes on (or until your iron indicates doneness another way, or steam stops).
- Top waffles with any toppings you desire, and enjoy!
I just made the batter for these ! I’m goïng to cook them tomorrow, so I’ll update when I’ve actually completed them :)))