Gluten-Free Waffles

When we first had to swap out gluten in our household, the meal that I had the hardest time accepting had to go was Saturday morning waffles. They had been a staple on our weekends for years. I couldn’t find a recipe for gluten-free waffles that matched our favorite waffle recipe.

After a year or two of giving up on waffles, I came across gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour. Yup, something I had just learned three years into our gluten-free journey. That’s when everything changed.

Before we dig too far into modifying our favorite waffle recipe, I have to tell you the original recipe. For years, The Pioneer Women’s “Waffles!” recipe has been our go-to recipe.

Anytime I am asked to give a recipe to someone who is getting married, looking for something new to try, or even in casual conversation, I will point them in the direction of this recipe. It’s a little bit more involved than a quick “5-minute waffle recipe,” but trust me when I say you will never go back.

My First Gluten-Free Waffle Mistake

When my youngest (then 2.5 years old) started his gluten-free journey, I quickly went online and bought every cookbook I could find. I looked for as many recipes as possible to try.

At the time, I had no idea that not a single person in our house would enjoy a recipe made with almond flour. It quickly made our gluten-free journey a lot more difficult as my kids rejected the meals I was making. To avoid wasting foods, I was forcing myself to eat things that weren’t all that great.

Truthfully, I can’t tell you how many times I failed at making brownies just because they were gluten-free. No one in our house requested them; I was just desperate to succeed at a gluten-free recipe with almond flour.

Helping Other Moms With Gluten-Free Life

I struggled to find gluten-free resources that would help me as a desperate mom. From providing a gluten-free lunch for a 2.5-year-old to figuring out how to cook so the entire family would enjoy it, I was at a loss.

A lot of research was done over a year and a half, but everything pointed me in the direction of “try this recipe, no try this recipe,” which resulted in a lot of wasted food and sanity.

Ultimately, that sent me back to school to become a gluten-free coach and help others in the same situation. Through Nutrition School, I learned how to make smarter food choices and that it wasn’t really about the recipes; it was about the ingredients.

Now, I’m here to help you do the same without a nutrition certification.

I provide weekly recipes here on this blog to help others looking for specific gluten-free recipes. However, I genuinely believe that the best thing you can do for your gluten-free journey is to learn how to adjust your favorite recipes to make them gluten-free.

Everyone will be a lot happier. Trust me.

How To Modify A Waffle Recipe

As I mentioned, our favorite recipe is The Pioneer Women’s “Waffles!” recipe. Nothing I tried on the gluten-free waffle search was even coming close.

I should clarify that nothing about this recipe is deemed “healthy.” It’s loaded with butter, has some sugar, and is absolutely delicious. That’s probably why my kids would eat this recipe seven days a week if I let them.

Discovering 1:1 Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour was the biggest game-changer for me. There will be some recipes (bread, I’m looking at you) that will not work. While brands can vary, we’ve seen great success with Bob’s Redmill and King Arthur flour.

This recipe calls for 2 cups of all-purpose flour. When we tried it years ago, almond and oat flour did not work. However, using it in the waffle recipe put it back in business with gluten-free waffles.

What Other Ingredients Might Need To Be Swapped

Sounds easy enough, right?

While the biggest ingredient missing from this recipe was the all-purpose flour, I also had to monitor a few other ingredients.

For starters, most baking powders are gluten-free, yet a few may contain gluten. Always double-check your ingredients when you purchase them.

For us, the next big ingredient that needed to be swapped was milk. While my kids would not drink unsweetened almond milk, it is the perfect substitution in this recipe for replacing whole or 2% milk. No one has ever noticed, and it’s cooked completely fine throughout the waffle. Not everyone who is gluten-free needs to eliminate milk; however, lactose issues are often something that comes along with the gluten-free lifestyle (I’m the problem, it’s me).

Making Changes To Your Favorite Recipes

We went a few years without having our Saturday morning waffles simply because I didn’t take the time to figure out how to modify a recipe we loved.

Doing a little bit of research on your ingredients and modifying recipes you already love can go a long way to a better quality gluten-free lifestyle. In my eBook, Going Gluten-Free: Meal Planning, not only do I help you find recipes that work for you (and not gross out your whole family), but I also help you start to make modifications to recipes you already love.

Get the eBook and start taking better control of your gluten-free lifestyle.

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