These Vegan Gluten-free Chai Spiced Waffles are the most delicious and easy breakfast. These are dairy-free and made with a wonderful blend of chai spices, including cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves. These waffles are healthy and wholesome made from oat flour, walnut butter and coconut milk.
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First, I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to the overwhelming response you all gave me when I announced that I’m writing a cookbook! I was completely moved and the responses on my Facebook page, IG and this blog had me in shock. I am so super happy to hear so many of you are excited about the book. BUT, I have to admit, that makes me more nervous! But my hubby told me this and wow, it is so true. “You can’t please everybody, but you must please yourself!” He is so right. Obviously, I will bust my butt to give you all a wonderful cookbook with the same passion that I deliver here on my blog, but even moreso. But I know that it will be impossible to 100% please everybody
What I can promise you, is that I will do my best and hope for the best and I’m always here for questions!!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CHAI WAFFLES
As always, these waffles couldn’t be more simple to make. Just mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in another bowl and then mix everything together. Warm up your waffle iron while the batter sits and cook in just a few minutes. So much quicker and easier than pancakes I must say.
I have to say that these are probably the most delicious waffles I’ve ever eaten. The chai spices are so aromatic and so delicious. I absolutely love these spices. I also used 2 key ingredients to give these vegan waffles a wonderful crispy texture and buttery flavor.
WHY DO THESE TASTE SO AMAZING?
Cornstarch and walnut butter.
Cornstarch gives oomph to the crisp factor, whereas just using oat flour makes them more soft and almost rubbery I found. Sorry, but I like my waffles to be crispy, not rubbery. The cornstarch balances out the oat flour in these waffles.
The walnut butter gives an AMAZING BUTTERY flavor. I tested these with both almond butter and walnut butter and while the almond butter ones were certainly delicious, the walnut butter was a taste and mouth-feel that was undeniably better and delicious.
Walnuts are SO MUCH healthier than almonds. They are a great source of omega-3 fats, whereas almonds are not. Optimally, we should have a balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fat ratios in our diet for healthier hearts and most nuts are extremely high in omega-6 and not omega-3. Diets too high in omega-6 fat can increase inflammation in the body, whereas omega-3 is much healthier. Obviously, too much fat period is bad and should be greatly reduced for those with heart disease or obesity according to most plant-based doctors. To learn more about replacing oil with whole food fats, check out How to Cook and Bake Without Oil.
THE BEST INGREDIENTS FOR THESE VEGAN WAFFLES
These vegan gluten-free chai spiced waffles have so much goodness in them and are soooo filling because of the following ingredients:
- Oat Flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking Powder
- Chai Spice Blend
- Coconut Milk
- Walnut Butter
- Maple Syrup
If you do not own a waffle maker, then I have a ton of vegan pancake recipes on the blog!
Other Chai and Spice Recipes:
I hope you all really love these Vegan Gluten-free Chai Spiced Waffles!
Other Vegan Waffles and Pancakes to try:
- Vanilla Cake Waffles
- Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Waffles
- Fluffy Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
- Best Vegan Fluffy Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Vegan Gluten Free Chai Spiced Waffles
Ingredients
This recipe will make 2-3 waffles using a 7 inch waffle maker so please double if you have more than 2 people!
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (112g) fine oat flour (I use Bob's)
- 2 tablespoons (16g) cornstarch
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Chai Spice Blend (Use store-bought or my blend below)
- 3/4 cup (180g) canned "lite" coconut milk (Do not use full-fat. Cashew also works)
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (70g) maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons (48g) walnut butter (See NOTES at bottom)
CHAI SPICE BLEND
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- small pinch ground cloves
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Add the oat flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper and chai spices to a large bowl and whisk very well until thoroughly incorporated.
- In a medium separate bowl, add the milk, syrup and walnut butter and whisk until smooth. Pour the liquids over the dry and whisk just until mixed and smooth. Don't over-mix it, as oat flour can get too thick if overly mixed.
- Now let the batter sit while you heat up your waffle machine. The batter will thicken some as it sits, that is normal. I used a 7 inch round waffle maker and setting 4 for the perfect crispy waffles. I got 3 of the large round waffles. Obviously, this will vary if your machine is smaller. If using the same size as my machine, once your machine beeps that it is ready and hot, spray with nonstick spray on the top and bottom plates. If you don't spray, they will stick. Even though it says "nonstick surface", mine stuck without spray. May also be because I don't use oil in the recipe. You will add about 2/3 cup of batter and quickly spread out the top with a spoon being careful not to spread it too close to the edge to prevent overflowing. With my machine, I used the setting 4 and it beeps when they are done. I always let it go about 20 seconds after the beep and then remove. I get nice and crispy results. They seem soft right at first, but crisp up almost immediately once the air hits them. Yours may totally vary if you have a different machine.
- Waffles are obviously best eaten immediately, as they do soften if they are left out awhile. If I have leftovers, I just pop them into my toaster oven to bring back the yummy crispy texture! I love these with a drizzle of maple syrup.
Recipe Notes
I make my own walnut butter at home because it only takes a few minutes in the food processor. It gives SUCH a delicious buttery taste to these waffles and they are a good dose of Omega 3. To make the walnut butter, add 2 cups raw walnuts to a food processor and process for several minutes, scraping the sides and bottom as needed until it reaches a VERY smooth, RUNNY consistency. Do not stop at the thick stage, but it should be runny, like a buttercream frosting. You can sub roasted almond butter if you like, but make sure it is a runny/drippy texture and not super thick/stiff and know that the waffles will not have near the same buttery taste.
Somehow I’d missed your cookbook announcement! Congrats! I know it will be amazing. I totally understand the pressure to perform, but remember, we already love what you do. If you are true to your work, we’ll no doubt love that too.
The waffles look phenomenal! When it comes to waffles versus pancakes, I’m very much in Team Waffle. All of the nooks & crannies, please!
Aww, thank you so much Cadry for your kind words!
And with a cappuccino too, I honestly cannot imagine a better breakfast! They look perfect. I have never even had walnut butter let alone put it in a waffle, but it sounds so rich and delicious. I have actually been loving walnut milk lately (so much more flavor than the almond), so if the butter tastes anything like that I imagine it is marvelous with all the chai spices. And the maple syrup of course, but that goes without saying 🙂 Besides the crispy edges, waffles are way faster than pancakes now that you mention it…perhaps that’s actually why I love them so much–impatience! Ah I can’t imagine all the thoughts and worries that would probably be going through my head too with a cookbook in the works. But your hubby is 100% correct, and knowing you and your standards and your always high quality content (not to mention those delicious teasers you’ve already share on IG!) it will be wonderful no matter what!
You are so sweet my friend, thank you so much for such kind words! I just keep telling myself to focus on creating what I love and enjoy it and it can only turn out to be my best work if I stay focused on that! And yes, you gotta try walnut butter! It doesn’t taste all that great plain on it’s own, but oh boy, it does some buttery magic in baked goods! Can’t wait to try a cake next!
I can not wait to check out the cook book! And these waffles!
Thank you Michelle!
I love waffles for breakfast and these are quite different. Chai spiced all the way – which I also love.
Thank you Ginny!
No waffle iron, but these look fantastic! But now I’m drooling over the cinnamon chai oatmeal cookies. Have all the ingredients but rice flour—not sure I can grind a T of rice that fine. Can it be left out? Or any subs for it? What does it do in the cookies?
I was thinking about your cookbook having just a few of your greatest hits (hint: the perfect chocolate chip cookies!) But everything of yours is so excellent not sure how you can decide what will make the cut.
Hi Ellen! The flour makes the cookies come together and give them structure. You could just sub with oat flour maybe 1-2 tablespoons and that should work!
Look fantastic! I love all the spices! I hate to ask for substitutions, but I have a walnut allergy. Is the almond butter ok? Or should I try something else?
Hi Paige! Yes, I have listed under “Note” and also in the post that I tested with almond butter and that works too 🙂 It’s not as buttery of a flavor, but still delicious!
You put the words “chai spice” with anything and my senses perk up! And those waffles look like carby breakfast perfection!
Thank you Alisa! Yes, these are SO filling, yet pretty darn healthy thanks to the oats and walnuts, making them really satisfying. One waffle is fairly filling.
Ooh chai waffles are pure genius! I am all about the chai spices!
Thank you so much Becky! Chai spices are one of my favorite combo of flavors..it makes everything taste so rich and full of depth! I love spices so much and these are definitely my favorite waffles because of it.
Congrats on the cookbook!
I wish I could go back and redo my breakfast – I wish I had started the day with these waffles!
Thank you so much Dianne!
So funny story, the other day I made these scones and threw in a bunch of random spices I had here, along with some fresh peaches. When the scones were ready and I tried one I thought to myself, hmm, these taste like chai flavor. But I forgot to look up the spices used in chai and now seeing your post I was right! I used every single one of those spices in you chai spice blend. Ha!! Will need to try the waffles because I am way more into waffles than pancakes on weekends since my monster of a family devours all the darn pancakes as they cook before I get any. Humph.
Mmmmm, chai scones!? I want some of those! To me, you put chai spices in anything, I’ll eat it! I’m a HUGE chai fan!!
I love your recipes so much, they are always on point with how I prefer to eat and how my health requires me to. Thank you! I enjoy rotating my plant fats as well, especially by limiting nuts which I find to give my tummy a fit if I eat them daily. Chia and flax provide the perfect balance of omega-3’s, and I like to toss in a few hemp seeds too a few times a week just for kicks. 🙂
Anywho, these waffles look like a dream! Chai spices make everything taste so much better, in my opinion, too. Can’t wait for your cookbook either, and don’t be nervous! I know it will be amazing and am thrilled for you. Your honesty and genuineness come through in everything you do and I know that will be the case for the cookbook as well. Good luck!
Oh Heather, you are a sweetheart! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a kind and thoughtful comment. I really appreciate it so much. I know, right? I think Chai makes everything taste better. I love that warm deep flavor it gives and while I love plain waffles, chai is just 10 times better. Thank you again!
Brandi……these are AMAZING!! I will definitely be making them again BUT will be doubling the recipe since I only got 2 waffles out of my batch.
And I loved that I didn’t even need to use any syrup…..they are a great “snack”!!
Woohoo, thank you so much Penny! So very happy to hear you loved these! Yes, I agree, I barely use any syrup because they are just so yummy by themselves. Thank you for the feedback!
Hi, just ordered a waffle maker so nearly ready to go! Could I make the batter the day before and keep it in the fridge? Ideally, is like to make a batch to last 2-3 days. Do you think that would work? Many thanks 🙂
Hi Claire! No, I would not make the batter ahead, it will thicken up way too much because of the oat flour and make the waffles too dense. This really is a batter that needs to be used right away. What I do is double the batch and store extra waffles in the fridge and toast them the next day!
You could also (to save time) prep the dry ingredients the day before and then just add the wet the morning of and that will save a few minutes too.
What food processor do you use? Mine is a 12 cup hamilton beach processor – when I tried to make the walnut butter the walnuts flew around the processor before wedging themselves in the edges where the blade couldn’t reach. After mixing them around about 20 times with no progress (happens often when I try to process a small amount of things) , I wanted to know if maybe a smaller processor or different processor would work better?
Hi James! It sounds like yours is too big or maybe not powerful enough, but likely the size. If there isn’t enough ingredient in there, it won’t be able to process it. I would just add more nuts.
But I do use a Cuisinart food processor that is very powerful and I use it for all of my nut butters, dips, spreads, etc.
This is the one I use and love. http://amzn.to/2ueKiaA
Yay, You makes the absolute best waffles! I love it and my mouth dropped open when I saw your photo, gorgeously delicious looking. Great share ..
So sweet, thank you so much for your kind words! So glad you enjoyed the photos!
These waffles are really fantastic. All of us, including my 16 year old, absolutely loved the flavors. We couldn’t stop talking about how good they are. Really THE best waffles we’ve ever made. BUT you might want to make a double batch because they are that good and you’ll want another serving that day or possibly the next morning!! What a winner!
Thank you so much Estee, I’m so happy these were so delicious for everybody!!
Hi Brandi….. I can’t wait to make these waffles! I was wondering if I could sub the cornstarch with Potatoe Starch or Tapioca???? I have a corn allergy…. but totally want to try these waffles!
Thank you,
Brenda
Hi Brenda, potato starch will work fine!
These waffles are so delicious! I have a big jar in my kitchen where I keep several servings of the dry ingredients on hand so that I’m able to make them often 🙂 I just suggest doubling or tripling the recipe. One batch only makes two whole waffles for me.
Yay Melanie! So happy to hear that, thank you so much for the feedback! I always get three waffles using the 1/3 cup measurement with my waffle maker that I suggest in the directions so if you use more than that it will make less waffles. I’ll add a note though to double the waffles for a larger family.
YOU DID IT AGAIN!!!! The waffles are amazing. Thank you for all your talent.
Yay! So happy you loved these Barbara, thank you so much for the review! And if you get a chance to star rate them, I would really appreciate it, thank you!!
I made these with 1/2 oat flour, 1/2 whole wheat pastry and they are excellent! I was going for a regular waffle, rather than chai, so I left those spices out. Likely as a result of this change, they seemed a little overly sweet. If I were to cut the maple syrup down significantly next time, would you think subbing water or more milk for the remaining tablespoons of maple syrup would be okay?
So I came home with a waffle iron tonight. My husband was mad … saying “another kitchen gadget! You have so many that you don’t use.” So I went along my Nunes’s and whipped up this batter … poured it into the iron … and guess who was first in line for a waffle tonight??? Yep- my husband! BOOM! Worth every penny… p.s. Aldi find for $20!
I have no words for this recipe … it’s juat Perfext!!!! The Chai spice is amazing and everyone will LOVE it!
So make it soon!
But get a waffle iron first
I just saw this post a decided to make them immediately. I’m a huge pancake lover. I also love authentic Belgium Waffles with yeast. These are nothing like the white flour, buttery, sweet treats you get in the restaurant. The ones we love but are devoid of any nutritional value. (I still love them though). I was intrigued by the addition of walnut butter and liked the idea of whole grains. I thought I would be disappointed but they were surprisingly good. I only use 1 tsp. cinnamon though, not a chai fan. I only had full fat coconut milk (frozen cubes) so I thinned it with plain almond milk. I got 2 waffles from the recipe, which is fine. I actually ate the with my fingers and dipped pieces in a little maple syrup. I especially like the crispy edges. I think this is a nice alternative to a bowl of oatmeal.
Hi Wendy, glad you enjoyed them! Yes, these are not Belgian waffles, so they will not taste like them. They are just meant to be a standard waffle size with chai spices. If you don’t like chai spices, I would make my vanilla cake ones instead. They have a more buttery, creamy flavor. You can always slather vegan butter on top of them too if you like! Here are the Vanilla Cake Waffles, these are my husband’s favorite.
Great flavor! I used sunflower butter that I had on hand and still thought they were great!