Gluten Free Vegan Waffles can be Nutritious?!

Hi! I'm Amber Powers, President of Powers Digital Marketing.. Between taking care of my digital marketing clients and running a new podcast, I try to be as health conscious as possible as, while doing my part to make the planet healthy too. One of the ways I do that is by eating a primarily vegan diet.

I also know that the owner of Jar eats gluten free because her body demands it, so I wanted to combine our eating styles and come up with a recipe that suited us both. Here is where my version of the gluten free, vegan waffle was born.

No matter your age, it's important to eat a well-rounded diet. This waffle is one of the most well-rounded comfort foods I've ever made, so I hope you enjoy!

This recipe can be made with almond milk or oat milk to remain gluten free. If you choose oat milk, be sure to check that it's definitely gluten free (if that's important to you.) For me, I make my own oat milk at home as it's much cheaper than the other milk alternatives and relatively simple to make.

Oat Milk

4 Cups of water

1 Cup of Gluten-Free Oats (which can be purchased in bulk at Jar)

Pinch of finely ground Himalayan Sea Salt (also purchased in bulk at Jar)

1 teaspoon of maple syrup for a touch of sweetness

Blend all of the above together in an ordinary blender (VitaMix isn't needed.)

Take a medium sized handheld strainer like this one. Add 2-3 layers of cheesecloth (or gauze) into the strainer. Pour contents of blender onto the cheesecloth that's in the strainer and let it work it's magic while you get another batch going in the blender.

If you want to be truly zero waste, don't throw away the pulverized oats. Put them into an old jelly jar and let them sit in the refrigerator a day or two. Pop it in the microwave and add a bit of vegan butter with some dried blueberries, dried cranberries and slivered almonds!

Gluten-Free Vegan Waffles

For the Flax Egg:

1/8 Cup Flax Seeds (Purchased at Jar in bulk) and ground in coffee grinder or food processor
1/4 Cup water

For the Vegan Buttermilk

1 3/4 Cup of vegan milk of choice (I used oat milk that I made from scratch)
1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

Everything else

3/4 Cup Garbanzo Bean Flour
1 Cup of Gluten-free flour mix
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 Tsp finely ground Himalayan Sea Salt
1/8 Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon of non-bone char filtered sugar (like Zulka)
1/4 Cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Apple Topping

2 peeled large apples sliced into 1/3” slices
1/4 Cup of vegan butter like Earth Balance
2 Tablespoons of light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

First, in a medium sized bowl, combine your vegan buttermilk ingredients and let them meld together while you work on your flax egg and everything else.

Next, combine your ground flax and water. Over time, it will form a goopy consistency similar to that of an egg. By the time you get the ingredients from your “everything else” list combined, your flax egg and vegan buttermilk will be ready.

Take the first 5 ingredients from your “everything else” list and combine them in a large mixing bowl (we’ll be mixing by hand). Once your coconut oil is melted, add it and the vanilla to your flax egg. No need to mix.

Next, mix everything together by hand with a wooden spoon. Mix just until incorporated, being sure not to over-mix. Every waffle iron is different, but for me, I put a dollop of about 1/2 Cup of waffle batter in the middle of my waffle iron and let cook until it browned slightly.

If you decide to make the apple topping, while your waffles are in the iron, add your vegan butter to a small sauce pan on medium-low heat and let it melt. Add your sliced apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. Let apples sautee for about 5 minutes until they just start to break down. Add your brown sugar and let cook 2 more minutes until completely incorporated. Top waffles with apple topping and just a bit of maple syrup and enjoy!