These Buttermilk Almond Flour Waffles have a deliciously nutty flavor with a touch of cinnamon and bake up light and fluffy on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. Made with almond flour, eggs, buttermilk and sweetened with maple syrup, they make one tasty breakfast. And they're naturally gluten free too!
This Almond Flour Waffles recipe was actually one of the first recipes that appeared on 2 Cookin Mamas back in July of 2013. My daughter had just been diagnosed with severe intolerance to gluten and I wanted to help her develop some recipes she could eat. Waffles were always one of her favorites so I decided to start there.
This recipe has been tested and retested and is vastly improved over the original. I adapted it so it was closer to my regular Crispy Buttermilk Waffles recipe but kept the gluten-free element. The waffles are now lighter, using stiffly beaten egg whites in the batter, and tends to have a slightly crisp exterior due to the addition of cornstarch and finishing them in the oven.
Working with almond flour, which is higher in fat, will make baked goods more tender but also denser. To help alleviate this, I used more leavening agents, baking powder, and baking soda, as well as subbing in some cornstarch. The cornstarch aids in crisping up the waffle and making it a bit lighter. These crispy almond flour waffles are not as sweet as the standard waffle but serving them with sides of syrup and fruit will add that extra touch of sweetness.
I hope if you are on a gluten-free diet that buttermilk almond flour waffles will hit the spot. This is one of my favorite almond flour breakfast recipes. I'm so glad I figured out how to make waffles with almond flour.
Jump to:
How to Make Gluten Free Waffles
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't my waffles get super crispy?
Almond flour has a high fat content lending a more tender cake-like consistency rather than a super crispy one.
Do I have to use almond flour?
Almond flour is naturally gluten free. It is also much lower in carbs than wheat flour although higher in fat. You could also sub in coconut flour although, when I do, I like to use half almond and half coconut flour.
Why is my waffle more dense than a standard waffle?
Products baked with almond flour are usually denser due to lack of gluten. More baking soda and/or powder is sued to offset the heavier flour. Also, if you prefer, you can add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum to the mix to help lighten the texture.
Are almond flour and almond meal the same?
The names are used interchangeably but I prefer almond flour as it is not as grainy as the meal. Almond flour is always blanched, meaning skins removed, while almond meal is either blanched or unblanched and contains small bits of almond husks.
How to Make Gluten Free Waffles
- Gather ingredients. (photo 1)
- Mix all dry ingredients together in medium bowl then add wet ingredients - egg yolk, buttermilk, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Let sit 10 minutes. (photo 2)
- Whip egg white until stiff peaks form and add to buttermilk-almond flour batter. (photo 3)
- Fold in gently. (photo 4)
- Drop about ½ cup batter onto the hot iron. Your waffles maker may take more or less depending on size. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes.
- Place cooked waffle in oven while making remainder of waffles. About 5-10 minutes in the oven gives these waffles a slightly crisp exterior closer to a standard waffle.
More breakfast recipes
Muffin Tin Egg Bites are great to enjoy right away or make ahead and freeze for a quick breakfast.
Street Breakfast Tacos with eggs, bacon, cheese, and guacamole.
Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie with protein powder and bananas to fuel up for the day.
Slow Cooker French Toast is an easy breakfast with bananas, pecans, and cinnamon.
Find even more easy breakfast recipes here on 2CM!
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Recipe
Buttermilk Almond Flour Waffles
Ingredients
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg divided
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Non-stick spray or coconut oil
Instructions
- Heat oven to 250 degrees.
- Mix all dry ingredients together in medium bowl.
- Divide the egg and place the white in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together the egg yolk, buttermilk, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Add liquid ingredients to the dry mixture and stir well. Let sit 10 minutes to allow buttermilk and baking powder time to expand.
- While buttermilk-flour mixture is sitting, whip egg white until stiff peaks form.
- Fold beaten egg white into batter when its 10 minutes are up.
- Heat waffle maker and spray with non-stick spray.
- Drop about ½ cup batter onto the hot iron. Your waffles maker may take more or less depending on size. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes.
- Place cooked waffle in oven while making remainder of waffles. About 5-10 minutes in the oven gives these waffles a slightly crisp exterior closer to a standard waffle.
- Serve topped with fresh fruit and additional maple syrup.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't my waffles get super crispy? Almond flour has a high fat content lending a more tender cake-like consistency rather than a super crispy one. Do I have to use almond flour? Almond flour is naturally gluten free. It is also much lower in carbs than wheat flour although higher in fat. You could also sub in coconut flour although, when I do, I like to use half almond and half coconut flour. Why is my waffle more dense than a standard waffle? Products baked with almond flour are usually denser due to lack of gluten. More baking soda and/or powder is sued to offset the heavier flour. Also, if you prefer, you can add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum to the mix to help lighten the texture. Are almond flour and almond meal the same? The names are used interchangeably but I prefer almond flour as it is not as grainy as the meal. Almond flour is always blanched, meaning skins removed, while almond meal is either blanched or unblanched and contains small bits of almond husks.Nutrition
This post has been updated with a new, more delicious recipe and better photos. It was one of the first recipes posted on 2CM on July 30, 2013. I hope you enjoy the new and improved waffle recipe!
Hi, I am wondering if I could use canola oil or something instead of the maple syrup? I like my waffles alittle less sweet. Great recipe, though!
I haven't tried it with anything beside maple syrup but the normal substitutes that could work would be mashed bananas, unsweetened applesauce or possibly plain yogurt. The maple syrup in these waffles helps give the batter some flavor as well as sweetening it. Let me know if you give the subs a try and how it works.
I was super bummed to see the old recipe is gone. I’ve been using the recipe for a few years and really liked it. I’m allergic to dairy, so the new recipe doesn’t work for me. Is there a way to look up your original Almond Waffle recipe?
Thanks,
Maxine
Sure thing! Enjoy! Here's the original recipe that was on my site - 1/2 cup almond flour or almond meal (meal is just a little grainier so I prefer the flour), 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon depending on your taste, Pinch of salt, 2 eggs, 1/8 cup honey, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, Non-stick spray or coconut oil
Directions: Mix all dry ingredients together in medium bowl. Whisk together the eggs, honey and vanilla extract and add to the dry mixture, stirring well.Heat waffle maker and spray with non-stick spray. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot iron. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes, then top with real maple syrup or yogurt with fruit.
Very interested in making these. Are the nutrition facts posted for 1 waffle? Or half or how many? Thanks so much.
The nutrition is for one serving. If you like your waffles a little crisper on the outside, I like to put mine in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes or so. Hope you enjoy!
How come when I put all the ingredients into my fitness pal it adds up to almost 600 calories. This says 288
Did you divide by 2 servings?
Tried three different batches. All were dark brown. Tried for different cooking lengths. The honey? I have an egg allergy-will they turn out the same if the eggs are cut in half? Added pecans to the last batch-excellent. Thanks for the recipe. My girls loved them😁
I love these waffles with pecans - good addition! As to the honey, you can exchange that for maple syrup and replace the eggs with any of the following: an egg substitute, 1/4 cup mashed banana per egg but will impart a banana-y taste, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder per egg (this will make the waffles come out softer) or 1 Tablespoon flax seed dissolved in 3 Tablespoons of water per egg. I haven't tried the applesauce or flax seed but they are regular cooking replacements for eggs.
One follower did cut the eggs in half and said they came out great but I haven't tried it myself. Glad your girls loved them. 🙂
Mine are super brown too! I was so confused but they taste good so...oh well!
They might be coming out dark brown due to the type of almond flour you use. Mine usually come out a nice dark golden color. I also like to put mine in a 200 degree oven for 5-10 minutes which helps with the crispiness. Glad they tasted good even though a little dark in color for you.
Just tried these the other day, and man, were they delish! My husband loved them too, which was fantastic, because getting him to try gluten-free meals, let alone waffles, is not an easy feat. I was quite impressed and can’t wait to make the next batch! Thanks Linda & Christina for such a tasty dish!
P.S. I’ll be adding my image to my website so you can see how your recipe turned out for me! Loved them!
Be Blessed!
That's fantastic Jacquie! So glad everyone enjoyed them! And I know just what you mean about mentioning that something is gluten-free around the husband. Mine has the same reaction and he loves these too. I call that a big win!
Made these for the first time today and they are delicious! Can they be made ahead of time to freeze for another day?
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! And yes, they sure can be frozen for another day! You just have to have a wide enough toaster to toast them in.
This was my first attempt to try a waffle I could use with Paleo. I did not like the density of these waffles. They stuck in my throat. The taste was ok but just too dense.
I'm so sorry these waffles did not turn out for you Sharyn. They are one of the most made recipes for gluten-free breakfasts on the blog and most people love the taste. I would suggest maybe whipping the egg whites separately and folding them in to give the waffles a lighter texture you might like better. If you used almond meal instead of almond flour that could also make them a little denser. Hope you give them another try with the suggested changes. They really are quite good.
Hi Linda, these waffles were awesome!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I was able to make 3 waffles from your measurements & with my waffle iron. Do you happen to know the Calories per serving, as well as the amount in grams per serving?
Hi Sarah! So glad you enjoyed the waffles. I just added nutritional information to the bottom of the post but I worked up the calories and carbs for you. Each serving of the 3 waffles would be 48 calories (of course with nothing on top like syrup or fruit), 8.7g carbs and 2.7g protein.
I love the taste of these but mine were dark and soft. They also ran over the sides or had holes if I reduced the amount of batter. I live at 9000 ft so have to make adjustments for that. Any ideas? I added more almond flour but it didn't really help. I am thinking of reducing the baking soda. I tried whipping the egg whites but it ran over even more.
Hi Jennifer. I have never tried cooking at high altitudes so I can only make suggestions from articles I have read. I would try reducing the baking soda by 1/8-1/4 teaspoon since gases expand faster at that height and, if the batter seems a little dry, I would add 1-2 Tablespoons milk (almond milk or regular) since liquids evaporate more quickly. Let me know if you try making them again if these suggestions work. If it works for you I can add it in for others who might be at high altitudes.
OMG MADE THESE THIS MORNING BUT ADDED BLUEBERRIES BEFORE COOKING TOO!! SO DELISH!!! DEF A KEEPER!!!! LOVE THEM! THANK YOU
So glad you liked them! Isn't it great to have something so good for you be delicious too?! 🙂
Mine turned out great, but we're dark brown and not crunchy!!! The kids ate them and loved them, but wasn't sure why they were dark in color and not crunchy??
I'm so sorry they didn't turn out as you expected but glad the kids enjoyed them. I don't know why they were a dark brown color except maybe your almond flour or meal was darker than usual. As for crunchiness, I have found that the waffle maker that is used can make a big difference as to whether the waffles come out crunchy on the outside. You might try changing it up a bit and add about 6 teaspoons of gluten-free cornstarch and decrease the almond flour by a corresponding amount. To make them lighter, the eggs can be separated and the egg whites beaten then folded in at the end right before cooking.
These turned out really nice and crispy for me! But for some reason it was too liquidy with only the almond flour so I added 2 tablespoons of millet flour too thicken it. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I've never had that problem, but if I did, adding millet flour seems like a great idea! You could also add gluten-free cornstarch as that is an ingredient that usually helps make a more crispy waffle. Thanks for stopping by and have a Happy Memorial Day!
These were amazing! After craving waffles for a few days, I was very excited to try these. When I found this recipe at 10pm, I got up to make them- I couldn't resist. Turned out much better when I thought they would, and am very excited to use these as sandwich bases and for quick breakfasts. Thank you!!
I am so glad you liked them! I love having them on hand to pop into a toaster but your idea of a sandwich base is a great idea. Enjoy!
Never thought about using them for sandwiches great idea I was looking for something to substitute bread with!
These waffles are so good that I would use them for breakfast sandwiches and dessert. And so much better for you than white bread.
Thanks for connecting to one of our favorite recipes. Hope you enjoyed your fun looking vacation!
these waffles turned out amazing! i tried other waffle recipes with almond lour online, and this one is by far the best! thank you! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed them. They are definitely a favorite in our house.
These turned out awful for me. It was basically an egg waffle. Sad, because I really had my hopes up for them.
I am so sorry they didn't turn out for you. Did you use the almond flour or the almond meal? The meal can sometimes cause them to be grittier. You could try whipping the egg whites separately and folding them in for a lighter waffle as well as adding a little more vanilla or almond extract. The kids always enjoy the addition of chocolate chips although I like mine with chopped almonds or pecans.
I doubled the recipe but accidentally forgot to double the eggs and they turned out great! So I'd say half the eggs. I also added a small splash of almond milk and they were light and fluffy!
So glad you liked them & that they turned out light & fluffy. I will have to try the change in egg quantity - sounds great!
ugh...sorry...I am a typo queen this morning...I meant "wasn't real expensive"
Thanks you, I figured it was my iron, it was real expensive, so I might upgrade later :). We did enjoy them and will make them again for sure!
We had this morning and enjoy them. I got a new waffle iron for Christmas and was so glad to run across your almond flour recipe. Thanks. One question I had about it is about the texture of the waffles. The other part did not get crispy or crunchy like normal waffles I have had from other irons. Do your waffles come out with that crispy exterior and soft inside, or is the soft texture just the nature of this gluten free version? Maybe my iron doesn't get hot enough...hmm not sure. Oh and I did sub Truvia for the honey since I didn't have any,and wondered if that would effect them also. Any ideas? We did love them for sure!!
Hi Keri, My waffles do get nice and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. My old waffle iron had a problem in that it did not get hot enough so the waffles came out doughy. That could be the problem with your new waffle iron. I really love the one I have now, which is the flip type that they say cooks the waffles with that crispy outside, made by Presto. In regards to using the Truvia in lieu of the honey, I am not sure although the texture of each is decidedly different. Glad you still enjoyed them.
I substituted natural applesauce for the honey. Next time I will use a little less or try greek yogurt. Did not crisp up either, but was quite tasty
Hi Margie, Substituting applesauce for honey will give a more spongy texture to the waffles. To keep them crisper, substitute another syrup such as pure maple syrup or maybe an agave nectar. Glad you enjoyed them anyway.
Hope you liked the waffles as they are a favorite in our house. Blanched almonds are usually ground with a food processor or, better yet, a vitamix, but should work almost as well, just a little grainier as you said.
It is the next day, and the waffles were requested again!! Great job!! I mixed half almond meal and flour this time.
I am so glad you liked them! We like to have them at least twice a month with different fruit toppings. Check back for our upcoming gluten-free Green Bean Casserole for the upcoming holidays.
We have been gluten free for awhile and haven't made waffles, just pancakes. These waffles were a hit with my 4 and 20 mo. old. Thanks.
Have a favorite recipe you would like to share?