Gluten Free Gingerbread Waffles – crispy exterior, fluffy interior, and perfectly spiced. The perfect holiday breakfast! (Gluten free, dairy free)
What do you eat on Christmas morning?
It’s one of those things I love hearing. Some families do cinnamon rolls or pecan sticky buns, some families have a special breakfast strata they make…my in-laws make little fried donuts they call Fudds.
My family always did waffles for Christmas morning breakfast. My grandma spends most of Christmas morning (and sometimes into the early afternoon) making stacks upon stacks of waffles for all the family that comes and goes. We almost always celebrated Christmas on our own growing up (since we moved so much), but our own waffle breakfast was one of my favorite parts of the holiday.
I’ve been combing through some old recipes trying to see what needs updating (answer: a lot), and these gluten free gingerbread waffles caught my eye. So, one morning after I got the kids to school, I pulled out my waffle maker and got to work testing.
They’re better than ever.
Here’s What Goes Into My Gluten-Free Gingerbread Waffles Recipe:
These have such a good texture! Crispy exterior, fluffy interior, and perfectly spiced, these gingerbread waffles make a perfect Christmas or holiday breakfast. They taste just like the holidays and are certainly easy enough to pull off without much fuss, whether you make them the first day of Christmas vacation from school, on Christmas morning, or New Year’s Day. Here’s what goes into them:
- GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR (OR REGULAR FLOUR). I’m keeping things simple with a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour. Lately, I’ve been into King Arthur brand.
- BAKING POWDER + BAKING SODA. For puff and lift!
- WARM SPICES + SALT. This adds that gingerbread flavor. So nice and cozy!
- YOUR FAVORITE MILK + APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. (I use dairy free milk. The milk + vinegar combo make these so light and fluffy.)
- COCONUT SUGAR for a little light sweetness.
- AVOCADO OIL + EGGS. They give the BEST texture!
Yummy Toppings For Gingerbread Waffles:
So what do you put ON gingerbread waffles? Glad you asked! Here are some of our favorites…
- Powdered Sugar – A little dusting of powdered sugar looks like snow on these gluten-free gingerbread waffles. It’s tough to beat!
- Whipped Cream or Coconut Cream – Similarly, there’s something so cheerful about a dollop of whipped cream or whipped coconut cream on a plate of crisp, warm gingerbread waffles. YUM!
- Maple Syrup – Always a classic. I love the depth and sweetness some syrup adds to these waffles.
- Lemon Curd – A reader got me onto lemon + gingerbread many years ago and now it’s one of my faves! Try a little lemon curd, vegan lemon curd or some lemon sauce for your waffles! It’s a bit unexpected, but totally delicious.
- Buttermilk Syrup – If dairy isn’t a concern for you, I can’t recommend our buttermilk syrup enough! It tastes like caramel sauce and it’s lovely for a special occasion.
FAQ + Tips & Tricks For The Best Gluten-Free Gingerbread Waffles:
WHAT KIND OF GLUTEN FREE FLOUR DO YOU USE? I made my gluten free gingerbread waffles with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend to keep things simple. This one and this one are my favorites.
I’M NOT GLUTEN FREE. CAN I MAKE THESE WITH REGULAR FLOUR? You bet! If you aren’t gluten free, you can feel confident making this recipe with white flour.
CAN YOU FREEZE GINGERBREAD WAFFLES? Yes! These gluten free gingerbread waffles freeze beautifully. Place them on a cooling rack or baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat and freeze for 20-30 minutes, or until slightly firmed and no longer tacky. (This will keep them from sticking together in one giant clump.) Transfer to an airtight container or bag and freeze up to 2 months. You can pop them into a toaster or warm them in the oven to revive their crispy texture.
WHAT KIND OF WAFFLE IRON DO YOU USE? If you prefer a deeper, Belgian-style waffle, I highly recommend this waffle iron. If you prefer thin and more crispy, this one might be right for you.
More Gluten-Free Holiday Breakfast Ideas To Love:
Gluten Free (or Not!) Gingerbread Waffles
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: about 6
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Gluten Free Gingerbread Waffles – crispy exterior, fluffy interior, and perfectly spiced. The perfect holiday breakfast! (Gluten free, dairy free)
*For a stronger gingerbread flavor, you can at 1 Tbsp. molasses to the wet ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 cups Gluten Free Baking Flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Baking Mix)
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together almond milk, vinegar, coconut sugar sugar, oil/buter, and eggs.
- Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Scoop ⅓-1/2 cup batter into waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer’s directions.
Notes
You can use any cooking fat you like here – I use avocado oil most of the time since it’s dairy free and neutral tasting. You can sub in butter, ghee, vegan butter, or coconut oil. Whatever you use, just be sure it’s melted and cooled slightly.
Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is my go-to gluten free blend because it’s a 1-to-1 substitute for white flour. If you’re not gluten free, you can use regular old white flour!
Feel free to use any favorite milk – almond, cashew, coconut, hemp, soy, or dairy will work!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Waffle Iron
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Belgian Waffle
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 8.1 g
- Sodium: 378.4 mg
- Fat: 11.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.1 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 5.2 g
- Cholesterol: 62 mg
Recipe originally published Dec 2016.
The waffles were so yummy! An instant hit with the kids. They are asking for them for xmas breakfast. I was a little worried that the batter was too runny but they cooked up perfectly.
Alissa – That’s fantastic! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. I appreciate you so much!
These were soooo good!! Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the perfect waffle!! The spice mix was incredible. I added about 2 T of molasses because gingerbread to me isn’t the same without that hint of flavor. We topped it with our favorite chocolate topping – 1/2 cup coconut oil melted with 2 oz unsweetened chocolate then sweetened to taste with pure maple syrup. AMAZING!!!
Ooh yum! I bet the molasses tasted great!
I never considered making gingerbread waffles. Combines two of my favorite things. Add some homemade wip cream and it is the perfect breakfast. Thanks for the recipe
My pleasure! Hope they’re a HUGE hit!!!
Can I use coconut or almond flour instead, please advise of recommendation of recipe changes.
Many thanks!
Cv
I haven’t tested this with either almond or coconut flour so i can’t advise you, I’m sorry! They’re not 1-to-1 substitutes and coconut flour especially would require adapting the recipe to add more eggs and liquid to the recipe. I’d have to test them before i could give you feedback. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how they turn out!
I plan on using the Bob’s paleo flour…it has almond, coconut, tapioca flours and arrowroot starch. It does not say that it is a 1 to 1 replacement. Would you recommend using the same amount of flour or less? I read on an Amazon review that someone increased the eggs…help!! The flour was expensive and I don’t want to waste it.
Jessica – You’re right that it’s not a 1-to-1 substitute. Coconut flour absorbs many times it’s volume in liquid, so most recipes that use it do need additional eggs and liquid. I haven’t tried using that blend and since it’s not a direct substitute, i don’t feel confident advising you without having done some testing first (I’ve never used that blend).
I’m so sorry! If you do give it a go and make some adjustments, I’d love to know how it turns out!
I’m going to give it a go with some modifications! I’ll let you know how it turns out 🙂
Merry Christmas!
Oh, I hope it works out beautifully! Can’t wait to hear all about it! Merry Christmas!
I do am interested in this change to the recipe, please let me know how u alter the recipe please. Thanks!
CV
made these last night and they are DELISH! I LOVE waffles and made these gluten free version. my kids (9yrs and 1yr) didn’t notice and hubs ate them with no probs. these will def be made again and again. 🙂 Thanks!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I made a double batch over Christmas and froze the leftovers. I’ve been pulling them out one by one to enjoy for the last week or so. So good!
Have you made these without eggs (using flax or other egg substitute) ?
Alisa – Not yet, but I’d LOVE to know how they turn out with an egg sub if you try them!
Love that these were updated for gluten free! My mom got rid of her waffle maker and my brother always makes pancakes for breakfast. Do you think this could be adapted to pancake batter? That might make everyone else jealous of my breakfast instead of me wanting to dive face first into my brother’s worlds best pancakes.
I do! I think you could use it for pancake batter without any real modification. You may need to add more or less milk depending on how thin/thick you like your pancakes, but I think they’d work great!