waffles ready to eat with blueberry preserves and cinnamon-dusted applesauce

They have a slightly crispy exterior and are relatively neutral in flavor, with a molasses overtone. For those who don’t do much gluten-free baking and don’t already stock xanthan gum, these instead use an extra dose of flaxseed for binding. While they won’t meet all dietary needs or preferences, they should leave few excuses for not eating a waffle. Not that there were that many to begin with…

• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups canned coconut milk (see note)
• 3 tablespoons molasses (preferably blackstrap)

Whisk the ground flaxseed into the warm water in a medium bowl, set aside, and allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes. In the meantime, sift or whisk together the rice flour, tapioca flour,  baking powder, baking  soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the coconut milk and molasses into the water and flaxseed mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter is only slightly lumpy, with lumps smaller than peas.

Preheat the waffle iron for 3 to 5 minutes while allowing the batter to stand. Stir the batter another 5 to 10 strokes, breaking up any clumps of rice flour that haven’t absorbed moisture. Spray both grids of the waffle iron generously with oil. Pour or ladle the batter into the center of the iron, covering no more than two-thirds of the iron’s surface for the first waffle. Adjust the amount as needed for subsequent waffles. Bake each waffle for 4 to 5 minutes, or until it can be easily removed. Makes 5 (7-inch) round Belgian waffles.

Note: Use full-strength coconut milk, not a “light” version that’s more watered-down. Lately I’ve had more difficulty finding canned coconut milk that doesn’t have any water and guar gum added, and find that even “non-light” versions of different brands can differ in thickness slightly.  Because of this, you may get better results by increasing the coconut milk by 2 to 4 tablespoons while decreasing the water by an equal amount, if you’re not satisfied with the initial results.

Some of our very cool neighbors recently hosted a potluck with several great vegan dishes. Jen S. actually prepared two different styles of homemade vegan chili, and asked that we bring something like cornbread. After a test waffle batch worked well with a popular store-bought vegan chili, we showed up with a waffle iron and a bowl of batter. Even better yet with the homemade chili! They also blend nicely with maple syrup and molasses.

• 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup soymilk or other nondairy milk
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespooons molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large non-metal bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, and salt until well blended. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm location until the flour mixture has almost doubled.  (You can use your oven for this. Make sure the oven rack is low enough for the bowl to fit. Turn the oven on for one to two minutes at 200 degrees F. Turn off the oven, place the covered bowl on the rack, and close the oven door. If you wish to let the batter stand overnight, covering the bowl and leaving it at room temperature will work fine.)

After the flour mixture has risen, combine the soymilk, oil, brown sugar, molasses, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl. Break up any clumps of baking powder or baking soda. Pour into the raised flour mixture and stir until well blended. Let stand for 15 minutes. Preheat the waffle iron for 3 to 5 minutes while the batter is standing. Spray both grids of the waffle iron with oil. Pour or ladle the batter into the center of the iron, covering no more than two-thirds of the iron’s surface for the first waffle. Adjust the amount as needed for subsequent waffles. Bake each waffle for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it can be easily removed. Makes 4 (7-inch) round Belgian waffles.

• 1 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups canned coconut milk (full-strength, not the watered-down variety)
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Sift or whisk together the bread flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix the coconut milk, water, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Pour the coconut milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until blended.

Pre-spray waffle iron with one coat of oil spray. Use exactly 1/2 cup batter on a 6-1/2 inch round electric wafflemaker. Cook 15 seconds past “done” on medium setting. Makes 8 (6-1/2 inch) round Belgian waffles. (Yielded 5 (7-inch) round Belgian waffles on Dave’s waffle maker, using a little more batter for each.)

For a treat, drain a single-serving of Del Monte Cherry Mixed Fruit, layer the fruit on top of one waffle with Grade B 100% maple syrup, put another waffle and syrup above that, and cut the whole sandwich into 1″ squares and eat.

Nutrition

Serving size: One 6-1/2 inch round vegan waffle (excluding toppings)

Calories: 270

Protein: 5.5 grams

Fat: 10.76 grams

- as Saturated Fats: 7.1 grams

Carbohydrates: 36.3 grams

- as Sugar: 2.08 grams

- as Fiber: 1.37 grams

Sodium: 460 grams

Calcium: 70 mg

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups soymilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix the soymilk, canola oil, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Pour the soymilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Cook on a waffle iron for 3 to 5 minutes, generously spraying both grills with oil before each waffle. Makes 4 (7-inch) round Belgian waffles.

By the way, we hope that in the future, the timid groundhog may experience kinder treatment on this day, quietly hibernating in his/her habitat as nature intended rather than facing noisy crowds and cameras.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 C brown rice flour
• 1/2 C tapioca flour
• 1/4 C whole grain teff (not ground into flour)
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 1/2 t xanthan gum powder
• 1/2 t cinnamon (optional)
• 1 1/4 t salt
• 2 C soymilk
• 1/4 C canola oil
• 3 T brown sugar
• 3 T maple syrup
• 2 t vanilla

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, teff, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon, and salt. In a small bowl, mix the soymilk, canola oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until the dry ingredients are saturated. Bake in a generously oiled iron for about a minute longer than the iron manufacturer’s recommended average cooking time.

I’d love to hear how they worked for you!

Ingredients

• 1/3 C raw pecans, finely chopped
• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 1 C all-purpose wheat flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t xanthan gum powder
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1/2 C + 2 T soymilk
• 1 1/2 C apple cider
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1/2 C canola oil
• 1 t vanilla

Directions

Chop the pecans and set them aside. In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, xanthan gum, and nutmeg. In a small bowl, mix the soymilk, apple cider,  sugar, canola oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until the dry ingredients are saturated. Fold in the chopped pecans. Spray the waffle iron generously with oil, and cook for about a minute longer than normal cooking time. Drizzle with hot maple syrup or sprinkle with additional cinnamon and sugar.

However, when we get into gluten-free waffle making, and start substituting flours like rice flours/tapioca flour mixtures or pre-mixed gluten free blends, there may not be enough binding. This is where xanthan gum can be a life saver. A chain of sugars produced by bacteria found on certain plants, it has thickening and binding properties, and is sold as a powder. While an 8 oz. bag runs over $10, it lasts for a very long time because it is used in very small quantities.

For a mix making roughly 4 waffles, I find that 1 teaspoon or less of xanthan gum generally does the trick, unless the waffle also includes a lot of non-flour add-ins that impede binding. Do be aware that greater quantities of xanthan gum will also make your waffles a little crustier and denser, and not quite as light and fluffy, so it may take a little experimenting to find your perfect balance.

While this vegan waffle recipe produces treats that are much more wafflish in consistency than a baked cheesecake, they still have a nice “cream cheesy” flavor and relatively dense texture, something like a vegan cheese danish. The hints of cinnamon and vanilla give it a nice edge. And with some strawberries or blueberries on top–yeeeeeeah!

It is dedicated to our friends Rich Bjork, a talented chef whose birthday happens to be today, and Matt Hannigan, a social change catalyst who has a strong addiction to popcorn with a cinnamon/cream cheese flavor.

Singredients

• 1 C + 2 T white all purpose flour (Variation: Replace 1/4 C of this with whole wheat flour, or replace the whole C with Bob’s Red Mills gluten-free all purpose flour-I got decent results with both. In fact, the waffles in the 2nd picture were made with the GF flour.)
• 1 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 1/4 t cinnamon
• 3/4 t salt
• 1 – 8 oz. container non-hydrogenated plain vegan cream “cheese”
• 1/2 C + 2 T unsweetened plain soymilk
• 3 T canola oil
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 C raw sugar
• 2 t vanilla

Directions

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, microwave the vegan cream cheese just until softened (this probably won’t take more than 30 to 45 seconds). With the cream cheese, whisk together the soymilk, oil, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Pour this mixture into the big bowl with the flour mixture, and mix everything just until blended.

Cook for a minute or two longer than you usually cook your waffles on a generously oiled waffle iron. This recipe makes roughly 3 1/2 round Belgian-style vegan waffles on our Waring WMK-300. Enjoy!

This recipe makes roughly 4 round Belgian-style waffles.

Ingredients

• 1 C buckwheat flour
• 1C white rice flour
• 3/4 t salt
• 3/4 C + 1 T warm water
• 2 t dry yeast (I’ve used quick-rise dried yeast a few times with good results; note that some yeasts contain gluten)
• 1 C unsweetened soymilk
• 2 t raw sugar, blackstrap molasses (we’ve enjoyed this recipe with both), or other sweetener of choice
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1/3 C hot water
• 3 T vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance–if you use canola oil, add an additional 1/8 to 1/4 t of salt)

Directions

The night before you plan to bake and eat the waffles, whisk together the flours and salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix in soymilk, then blend yeast-water-soymilk mixture into flour mixture. Stir until very well blended (this is a case where the batter doesn’t have to be lumpy). Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise slightly at room temperature.

The next morning, dissolve the baking soda in the 1/3 C hot water, and add the sweetener and margarine. If necessary, place the mixture in the microwave just long enough to soften the margarine (for our microwave it’s 30 seconds). Whisk to break up any lumps of margarine and pour the mixture into the flour-soymilk-yeast mixture. Stir until well blended, and allow to sit another half hour before baking in waffle iron.