Crispy Paleo Waffles (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Crispy Paleo Waffles – the most delicious and crispy waffle breakfast or brunch recipe! Made with almond flour. You’d never guess these were paleo, gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free!
I am SO excited to be sharing these crispy waffles with you today! I’ve been working on this recipe for over a month, and after many waffle breakfasts I’ve finally perfected them.
If you love light and crispy waffles, this is the waffle recipe for you. Is there anything worse that a squishy, soggy waffle? I like my waffles CRISP! I want to be able to hear myself cutting in to them. Hear an actual *tap tap* as I tap my fork on them. But also light and fluffy on the inside. And these beauties are them. And best of all they are paleo/gluten free/grain free!
I started off with my previous go to dairy free waffle recipe that uses almond milk and coconut oil. Tons of you have told me you love these waffles, especially those of you like me with dairy sensitivities.
The waffles are super light and crispy thanks to the beaten egg whites. The beaten egg whites are essential to a light waffle. They add air and lightness to the waffle, and make it fluffy as a cloud. If you skip this step, which I have on lazy mornings, the waffles are much thicker and denser.
I wanted to to tweak it so I could avoid using white flour all together and use paleo friendly flours so these waffles would be even more guilt free.
I finally found success using a combination of both almond flour and tapioca flour. Just almond flour alone was too dense and crumbly. But the addition of some tapioca flour made it the perfect paleo waffle batter.
I added another step to my original dairy free waffles that I love even more in these paleo waffles. Rather than using just plain almond milk, I make a paleo version of buttermilk by adding apple cider vinegar to the almond milk. It gives it that great tang you love in buttermilk waffles without having to use dairy.
I don’t like my waffle batter overly sweet. I like to get the sweetness from pure maple syrup and fresh berries. So I add just 1/4 cup of coconut sugar to the waffle batter so it has just a touch of sweetness to it.
I make these in my beloved double belgian waffle maker. It can make 2 waffles at once! And I love how deep the waffle pockets are. I cook them at the toastiest level, because I like my waffles crispy as can be. Sometimes even when the waffle iron beeps, I open it and they’re still not crispy enough so I’ll cook them even longer.
My husband did not believe when I served these and told him they were 100% paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free. They are delicious!
I’ll be serving them for our Easter brunch, and basically every Sunday morning breakfast forever. Because Sunday breakfast is meant to be waffles.
Crispy Paleo Waffles (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely ground almond flour, this is my favorite
- 1 cup tapioca flour, this is my favorite
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and room temperature (not piping hot)
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Coconut oil spray
Equipment needed:
- Waffle iron, this one is my favorite, it makes 2 waffles at once!
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Cooling rack
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle iron.
- In a large bowl, sift the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder and salt.
- In your stand mixer with the balloon whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the 3 egg whites over medium high until stiff peaks form.
- Combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar and allow to sit for a few minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. This makes it similar to a buttermilk. The almond milk will get a little lumpy.
- In a small bowl, combine the almond milk/apple cider mixture, 3 egg yolks, coconut oil, coconut sugar and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Use a spatula to spoon the beaten egg whites into the waffle batter. Very, VERY gently fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined. You want to keep the egg whites as fluffy as possible. This will keep the batter light, give you lots of bubbles in the batter, and will make the waffles light and crispy.
- Spray your waffle iron with coconut oil spray. Spoon the waffle batter into your waffle iron, and cook to desired doneness. I like mine crispy and golden brown.
- When the waffles are done cooking, transfer the cooked waffles to a cooling rack. Don't put them straight on a plate. The heat from the hot waffles will create steam on the plate, which leads to soggy waffle bottoms.
- Serve the waffles with your favorite toppings: pure maple syrup, fresh berries, bananas, almond butter, coconut whipped cream, honey, nuts, etc.
- Any leftover waffles can be frozen in a freezer safe ziploc bag for 6 months. You can reheat them in a toaster (if they fit), or bake them on a wire rack rimmed baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10ish minutes until crispy again.
More Paleo Breakfasts:
This post contains affiliate links, thanks for the love!
123 Comments on “Crispy Paleo Waffles (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)”
This is the best paleo waffle recipe I have made!! Other recipes produce waffles that are grainy, flat, and taste gross. These waffles were fluffy, slightly sweet, and crispy. They are so worth the extra work! Closest texture and taste to a “normal” waffle!
Thank you, Taylor! I’m so honored! Glad you love this waffle, and so appreciate your kind comment!
Light & Fluffy! Delicious!
Thank you, Joyce!
These are legit, THE BEST WAFFLES!! We gobbled them up. I’ll have to triple batch it next time, just to have more left overs. But such an easy meal and prep at the same time for freezer waffles. Thank you!
Thank you, Jen! This means so much! I am so glad you liked this recipe!
Awful. I had my suspicions that a tablespoon of baking soda was too much and indeed it was—that’s all I could taste in the waffles and had to throw them out as no one in house would eat them. What a waste of expensive ingredients.
It says baking powder, not soda……I make these at least once a week and can’t taste the baking powder
Thank you, Nikki! Glad you like them!
Sorry you didn’t like them! I’ll test this recipe again to be sure.
I’m not one to leave reviews on recipes but this one truly blew me away. This recipe made the crispiest waffles I have ever made (including boxed mixes and other “non-healthy” recipes out there). The first time I made it I forgot to add in the 1/4 cup avocado oil and I think I liked it better that way, and it made it less caloric. They freeze and re-heat very well and my picky toddler even likes them!
Hi Brianna! I am so glad you liked this recipe and your toddler did too! I’m so honored!
This is truly a great recipe. I did use regular buttermilk because that’s what I had.. and I added a little maple syrup to mine cause I like it a little sweeter.. But this almost has better texture than any other normal waffles I’ve tried as well! I paired it with paleo vanilla sauce and berries.
I love this! So glad you liked this recipe and your swaps are perfect! Vanilla sauce and berries sound divine!
Love these. Can eat them even without syrup Easy to make and better than stir bought
Yea! So glad you like them! I feel the exact same way- no syrup needed!
I’m usually skeptical of Paleo recipes, since they normally turn out disappointing and gross. I tried to make these for my mom for Mother’s Day, since she’s sensitive towards gluten and dairy, and they turned out amazing. Like, better than normal gluten waffles. Completely exceeded my expectations. They were more soft than crispy, but not in a disappointing way; more like in a fluffy, tastes like normal waffles way. No aftertaste, which I worry about sometimes when using gluten free flours, and no issues while cooking. 10/10 5 stars.
Notes: I used 3/4 cup of tapioca starch instead of a full cup, and substituted the last 1/4 cup with extra almond flour. I also used one cup of almond flour, and one cup of gluten free baking flour which is a good substitute. Turned out amazing.
Hi! I am so so happy to hear this! I bet your mom was so thrilled to eat a waffle that agreed with her digestion much better! Loved your swaps and substitutions- so smart!
best waffle recipe ever – this is the first time mine looked just like the picture – great instructions and easy to follow. And so tasty. Made a ton of washing up – but I don’t mind – I have a load of waffles to freeze. thank you x
Aww thank you, Leonie! It’s always so nice when recipes turn out just like the picture! I am so glad you liked this recipe, and that you have so much to freeze! The BEST!
I have made many paleo waffles and this was. Y far the lightest and crispiest. Followed the recipe exactly, the whipped egg whites really do the trick these totally satisfied my craving for carbs.
I’m so honored! Thank you, Rae! So glad these helped you curb your cravings!
Hey! First I just want to say these are my favorite gf waffles hands down! Next, I have friends coming over this weekend who are vegan do you know if I can substitute anything for the eggs?
I’m so glad you like them! And darn these are a tricky one if you’re egg free since the whipped egg whites is what makes them so light and fluffy. You should be able to use a flax egg or chia egg, but I doubt it will give you the exact same texture. Laird Superfood makes an amazing waffle mix that is vegan and egg free that I love!
I am not sure if the above ratios are wrong but I added 4 more cups of almond milk to make the batter even usable.
The ratios are for sure correct! But you can thin it out more to your desired consistency using more almond milk : )
Uhhh…did you substitute coconut flour for almond flour?? I cannot fathom how you had to add 4 extra cups of liquid if you actually followed the recipe. I make these all the time and they are perfect.
My husband and I are on a food sensitivity elimination diet, and I’ve been trying desperately to find recipes that don’t leave us feeling deprived and sad. These were amazing. It was just like any other day I make waffles, except no cream cheese on the topping buffet. I’m so glad I caught the baking powder problem, though! Baking powder is made with corn starch, so this recipe isn’t Paleo as written. I caught myself just before adding it to the batter, and swapped it out for 0.5 tsp baking soda instead. (General rule is to use 1/4 the amount of baking soda, but I was going to reduce the powder anyways as I didn’t think the recipe needed it with the egg whites for leavening and I don’t like the taste of too much powder.). The substitution worked fabulously!
I’m leaving my review at 5 stars because what I made was absolute perfection for our needs, but I really hope you’ll modify the recipe to account for the corn starch in the baking powder. I don’t think many people know what baking powder is made of, and are accidentally ingesting it.
Thanks so much for your kind words! I’m so glad you love it as much as we do! And good tip about the baking powder! I’ll add that to the notes!
Seriously, the best waffles I’ve ever made and I make them often! Thank you so much! I did turn my iron up higher than when I make my regular gluten free waffles but they did well after I did that. Great Job!
I just love to hear that they are the best waffles you have ever made Pat. Thanks for sharing the tip about turning up your waffle maker.
These are delicious!!! If anyone is ever in a hurry, but still wants to make these I was successful this morning with just throwing everything into a bowl and mixing it up together. Still made wonderful waffles. 🙂
Side note: (I used regular milk and skipped the apple cider vinegar)
I am so happy the recipe turned out well with just mixing in a bowl Erika. That is fantastic!
I just got a waffle maker and made non-Paleo waffles this weekend.. These Paleo waffles are WAY BETTER. So delicious and fluffy. Great recipe!
I love that you enjoyed them more than non Paleo waffles Megan. Yeah! I love your description that they were delicious and fluffy. Sounds perfect!
These are delicious!! Best paleo waffles I’ve made! Thank you!
I love to hear that they are the best Paleo waffles you have ever made Josephine!
This recipe is a little higher maintenance than the breakfast I usually make, but it’s so worth it! Yum. They came out nice and crispy and even my non paleo husband kept coming back for more. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am so happy you liked my waffles Lisa! I love that your hubby kept coming back for more. That is such a win! I am glad they turned out crispy for you.