Crispy Homemade Dairy Free Waffles Recipe
If you love Belgian waffles, you are going to love this dairy-free waffle recipe! These easy, cripsy waffles are made with almond milk and coconut oil, making them lower in calories but just as delicious as the classic! With a crispy exterior and fluffy texture in the middle, these are truly the perfect waffles!
Table of Contents
What Makes This Recipe Great
These healthier, dairy free waffles are about to become your new favorite Belgian waffle recipe!
You guys, this is seriously the best waffle I’ve ever had. Even better than what I can get at my favorite breakfast diner. You know that heavy, sick feeling you get after eating a whole Belgian waffle? Not with these lightened-up ones. They are light and fluffy as a cloud inside and ultra crisp on the outside.
Just look at all those air bubbles in the waffle. That is exactly what you want to see in a Belgian waffle.
Every Easter, I host a waffle brunch for my family. Shawn and I got the most deluxe Belgian waffle maker as a wedding gift, and I love any excuse to bust it out and use it.
I’ve been tweaking my usual go-to Belgian waffle recipe recently to make it dairy free, and the results are incredible! Rather than using the whole milk and melted butter it calls for, I swapped them out for unsweetened almond milk and coconut oil. Much lighter in calories and tastes just as great!
Ingredient Notes
- all-purpose flour: If you want to make gluten-free waffles, try my Paleo Waffle Recipe, which is completely dairy, gluten, and grain free!
- baking powder
- salt
- large eggs: I have not tested this with an egg replacement, but if you want to try and make them vegan, use flax eggs, aquafaba, or another egg replacement, and let me know how they turned out in the comments!
- granulated sugar
- unsweetened almond milk: You can also use oat milk, cashew milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or another preferred non-dairy milk.
- coconut oil: You’ll need coconut oil for the batter and cooking spray for the waffle maker.
- vanilla extract
- favorite toppings: Such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, pure maple syrup, vegan butter, peanut butter, banana, a dollop of coconut whipped cream, powdered sugar, or jelly.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s directions. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand blender), beat the 4 egg whites over medium speed for 3-5 minutes until soft peaks form. Then, turn the speed to high for 1 minute until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- While the egg whites are beating, combine the wet ingredients. Add the 4 egg yolks and sugar in a different medium-size mixing bowl. Whisk by hand for 30 seconds until combined. Add the almond milk, coconut oil, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine. A few lumps are ok.
- Lastly, add the beaten egg whites to 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, giving you lots of bubbles in the batter, making the waffles light and crispy.
- Use a heat-proof silicon brush to brush melted coconut oil onto your waffle iron. Add enough batter to cover the griddle, and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions to desired golden brown crispiness.
- When the waffles are done cooking, transfer the cooked waffles to the rimmed baking sheet, and keep them warm in the oven.
- Serve your dairy free waffles warm, topped with fresh berries and maple syrup.
Expert Tips
- To keep these extra warm and crispy while all the waffles are cooking, put the cooked waffles on a rimmed baking sheet in a 200-degree oven. By putting them on a rimmed baking sheet instead of straight on the baking sheet, it prevents the bottoms from getting soggy from trapped steam. Very important! Nothing worse than soggy waffles. They can stay warm in the oven for an hour, so you can have them all cooked and ready to go before guests come over if you’re serving a crowd.
- I use this Belgian waffle maker, and it is the BEST! Cooks 2 waffles at once, and they’re nice and deep and turn out perfect every time.
- My waffle maker makes waffles that are 1″ deep and 6-3/4″ across. This recipe will make more than 6 waffles if your waffle maker is smaller.
Serving Tips
- I like these dairy free waffles topped with fresh berries and pure maple syrup. But feel free to do whatever toppings you like.
- Peanut butter, powdered sugar, coconut whipped cream, or jelly. I set out all the different toppings for our Easter brunch so everyone could customize their own.
Storage Tips
- Any leftover waffles can be frozen in a freezer-safe, airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in a toaster oven(if they fit) or bake them on a wire rack-rimmed baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10ish minutes until crispy again.
Did you love this recipe? Thank you! Please give this recipe a star rating and leave a review below. I respond to every one! Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook. Tag me if you try a recipe!
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes!
Did you love this recipe? Thank you! Please give this recipe a star rating and leave a review below. I respond to every one! Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook. Tag me if you try a recipe!
Healthier Dairy Free Waffles Recipe
If you love Belgian waffles, you are going to love this healthier waffle recipe! These easy, dairy free waffles are made with almond milk and coconut oil, making them lower in calories but just as delicious as the classic!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- more melted coconut oil for the waffle iron
- desired toppings, such as berries, pure maple syrup, peanut butter, coconut whipped cream, powdered sugar or jelly.
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle iron according to manufacturers directions. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or in a medium size mixing bowl with a hand blender), beat the 4 egg whites over medium speed for 3-5 minutes until soft peaks form. Then, turn the speed to high for 1 minute until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- While the egg whites are beating, combine the wet ingredients. In a different medium size mixing bowl, add the 4 egg yolks and sugar. Whisk by hand for 30 seconds until combined. Add the almond milk, coconut oil and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine. A few lumps are ok.
- Lastly, add the beaten egg whites to 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, which will make the waffles light and crispy.
- Use a heat proof silicon brush to brush melted coconut oil onto your waffle iron. Add enough batter to cover the griddle, and cook according to manufacturers instructions to desired crispiness.
- When waffles are done cooking, transfer the cooked waffles to the rimmed baking sheet, and keep warm in the oven.
- Serve warm topped with fresh berries and maple syrup.
- Any leftovers can be frozen in a freezer safe ziploc bag for 3 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.
Notes
Expert Tips
-
- To keep these extra warm and crispy while all the waffles are cooking, put the cooked waffles on a rimmed baking sheet in a 200-degree oven. By putting them on a rimmed baking sheet instead of straight on the baking sheet, it prevents the bottoms from getting soggy from trapped steam. Very important! Nothing worse than soggy waffles. They can stay warm in the oven for an hour, so you can have them all cooked and ready to go before guests come over if you’re serving a crowd.
-
- I use this Belgian waffle maker, and it is the BEST! Cooks 2 waffles at once, and they’re nice and deep and turn out perfect every time.
-
- My waffle maker makes waffles that are 1″ deep and 6-3/4″ across. This recipe will make more than 6 waffles if your waffle maker is smaller.
Serving Tips
-
- I like these dairy free waffles topped with fresh berries and pure maple syrup. But feel free to do whatever toppings you like.
-
- Peanut butter, powdered sugar, coconut whipped cream, or jelly. I set out all the different toppings for our Easter brunch so everyone could customize their own.
Storage Tips
-
- Any leftover dairy free waffles can be frozen in a freezer-safe, airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
-
- Reheat 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.
Calories: 314, Total Carbs: 38.3g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 13.6g, Fiber: 1.2g, Net Carbs: 37g
Did you make this recipe?Please Leave a comment and give this recipe a rating!
34 Comments on “Crispy Homemade Dairy Free Waffles Recipe”
Can I use goat milk? I don’t normally buy nut milk.
Any dairy or dairy-free milk would work! Same quantity for any substitution of milk.
Delicious and fluffy! I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Flour and switched the Almond Milk for Oat Milk because that is what I had on hand. Will definitely make again. :)
Flavor was good, but they were flat and eggy. Not sure what I did wrong. I did use oat milk instead of almond milk.
So sorry to hear that! Did you whip the eggs until stiff peaks? That keeps them light and fluffy!
Awesome recipe and will definitely be bookmarking to use again! I used chocolate almond milk as it was all I had on hand and added 1 tsp of cinnamon…soooo good.
I am so glad you liked my Belgian waffles Anna! Making them with chocolate almond milk and a dash of cinnamon sounds delicious!
Was craving waffles and don’t usually have dairy milk around so I found this recipe and started from there. I went with soy milk and smart balance instead of almond and coconut since it’s what I had on hand. 8″ Belgian waffles in six minutes and they were perfect. Light and crispy and don’t quite sponge up syrup as greedily as other waffles, so they don’t seem to get soggy. I did not have to grease my waffle iron at all for this — everything came off clean. Might just be the difference between the oil blend and coconut oil in the batter. ??♂️ Nice starting point for playing around with in the future, thanks! Sad to see commenters who were “going to try it” and never came back. May they rest in peace.
I am so happy you liked my waffles Jomba. I love your creative substitutions and am so glad they worked for you. I also like that they are light and crispy.
You have sugar in the ingredients list but not the instructions. Does it go in with the dry ingredients or with the egg whites? Thanks!
Hi Melissa – Thanks for your question. The sugar is described in the instructions at step 4. Here it is:
While the egg whites are beating, combine the wet ingredients. In a different medium size mixing bowl, add the 4 egg yolks and sugar. Whisk by hand for 30 seconds until combined. Add the almond milk, coconut oil and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
Hope this helps!
I love your blog, your recipes and how positive you are in everything you do!!
I’m making brunch for a crowd and this waffle recipe sounds perfect, but one guest is allergic to nuts and another can’t have dairy.
Do you think this recipe would work with a nut-free, dairy-free alternative milk like oatmilk?
Thanks!
You are so sweet! This just made my day!
You could absolutely use oat milk! Any milk alternative would work. I’ve even used coconut milk!
Love these waffle. Now dairy free and was missing yummy waffles. This recipe takes a bit of time but are so good! I love freezing them and toasting them whenever I am in the mood for waffles! Thanks
Yea! So glad you like them Sara! I usually make a double batch when I’m cooking them, and then freeze the extras so I can have a quick waffle in the future. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you liked my recipe! Means the world!
Made these just this morning with the hubby.
I don’t think we’ve ever made any waffle batter I’ve liked better.
FANTASTIC recipe.
Thank you for posting.
I am so happy to hear that Emily! Thank you thank you! What a compliment! So glad you and your husband enjoyed them. And so glad you chose to make homemade waffles over buying frozen ones. What a great way to spend the morning together : )
I loved this recipe and my picky four year old requests it every morning. Thank you!
This made my DAY! I love that your picky eater loves it! And that they want it every morning for breakfast. Eeeek! A little time saving hack: I always make a double batch of these when I’m making them, freeze them, then reheat in the oven at 350ºF for about 5-8 minutes. Breakfast for the whole week! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you liked my recipe Antoinette!
I’m away on holiday and don’t have coconut oil with me, would a olivani spread work or olive oil?
I probably wouldn’t use olive oil, it might taste too strong. Maybe a more neutral tasting oil like vegetable oil?
We’ve used this and love the recipe! My poor lactose intolerant, yet waffle obsessed husband can rejoice. Could I make the batter a day ahead and store it in a mason jar or something? I don’t necessarily want to make them ahead because something about pouring the batter into the waffle maker in the morning :) thanks!
I am so happy you and your hubby like my waffles Amber! So glad they agree with your hubby. I think you could make them in advance and reheat in the oven. I don’t think you could make the batter in advance. I have never had luck doing that. At most you could store the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately and combine in the morning.
Nursing mama, dairy, soy AND egg free due to baby’s intolerances! Any chance you know what I could do to modify this recipe by eliminating the eggs?
These worked amazingly! I never have milk in the house so I was looking for alternative milks and this one was delicious. So light and crisp. Kind of like a grown up eggo, which is perfect. There’s only 2 of us so I halved the recipe and appreciated how easy it was to do that! Thanks for our new go to waffle recipe.
These are fantastic waffles! I followed the recipe exactly as it says. The whole family loved them. I plan on freezing the rest to pull out and toast for a quick before school breakfast.
Thank you!
I cannot WAIT to make this recipe for my family! Thank you for this! Your blog is very pretty and well done!
Just an FYI from one mom to another..13 years ago my then newborn, James, showed the signs of a milk allergy. I took it upon myself to cut ALL dairy out of my diet since I did not want to give up nursing. He did amazing, and showed no signs of a dairy allergy when introduced to solid food! Fast forward 13 years…he has 30 allergies. Peanut, all tree-nuts, and a host of others (mostly environmental). Faithfully, we have seen the Allergist annually-with no hope and no help available. This past month I finally said, “there’s got to be another way”. Took him to Toronto to a Naturopath Clinic. The first thing they told us was to CUT ALL DAIRY. Apparently, the thinking is that dairy inflames our immune system, and so his body “contracted” all of those other allergies due to the constant inflammation of his immune system. I am hoping if I share his story, more people can save their children from future allergies. I swear, I am NOT a nut. Just another mom (of 4 now), who is a nurse, a homeschooler, and someone who cares. :)
Thank you SO much for sharing this info Molly! I have given him a little yogurt, and it gave him really bad gas. But to be honest we don’t eat a lot dairy, so I’m totally ok with cutting out all dairy. I feel way better when I’m off dairy myself. I’ll definitely keep this in mind if more allergies show up later on! Really appreciate it. As a new mom, I can use all the advice I can get. Big hugs!
These look so tasty! I love waffles. Love that you used coconut oil!
Thanks Kelly! My favorite!
YUM! Belgian waffles are such a nostalgic breakfast from my childhood. These look flawless – can’t wait to try them! Pinned :).
Thanks Annie! Waffles definitely take me back to childhood too : )
It definitely sounds like you hit celebrity status with your lil cutie! But who can blame everyone? :) These waffles look absolutely gorgeous, Natalie! I love that they’re on the healthier side and wishing I could dig right into these for breakfast!
Major celebrity status. Haha! Thanks Gayle!