Dairy-Free Waffles

These Dairy Free Waffles are easy homemade waffles made without milk or butter. They are light, crispy, and fluffy in the center and perfect for a comforting breakfast on the weekend.

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I have great news for you. You can make delicious Belgian waffles without using dairy! And you don’t have to use expensive ingredients. You just need a few simple staples and, of course, a waffle maker. So, let’s see how you can make tasty waffles minus the dairy for breakfast.

Dairy waffles are homemade waffles made without milk, butter, or yogurt. They are as crispy and fluffy as authentic Belgian waffles, using oil, dairy-free milk as a substitute.

Ingredients and Substitutions

All you need to make this waffle recipe without dairy are:

• All-Purpose Flour – White wheat flour or white wholewheat flour.
• Baking Powder – For a light texture.
• Cinnamon – Optional, but I like the flavor in my morning waffles.
• Vanilla Extract – For flavor.
• Sugar – Use any crystal sweetener you love, including healthier options like coconut sugar or refined sugar-free sugar.
• Almond Milk – You can also use oat milk, soy milk, or coconut milk for fluffier waffles.
• Avocado Oil or melted coconut oil or any oil you have at home with a light flavor.
• Large Eggs – I use free-range eggs.

How To Make Dairy-Free Waffles

This dairy-free waffle recipe is super simple to make in just one bowl. This is a one-bowl waffle recipe, very easy to make by stirring the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

1. First, in a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together until evenly combined.
2. Next, add the beaten eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract, and oil. Whisk with a hand whisk, or an electric beater on low speed until the batter is smooth with no flour lumps.
3. Warm a waffle maker at a high temperature and oil the iron plate with cooking spray.
4. Pour some waffle batter until it covers the waffle iron pattern – about 1/2 cup per waffle for a Belgian waffle iron like mine.
5. Close the lid and cook the waffles for 3 to 4 minutes or a bit less for less crispy waffles. The waffles are cooked when they reach a nice golden brown color and are still fluffy in the center. The cooking time varies based on the dairy-free milk you choose and the kind of waffle iron. Milk that is higher in fat, like soy milk, requires more cooking time, and almond milk waffles cook faster and get crispy within 3 minutes.

Expert Tips

There are two things that matter when making waffles without milk or butter.

Tip 1: Choosing The Right Dairy-Free Milk

There’s a large choice of dairy-free milk at the grocery store. The trick is to pick the one that is low in flavor to keep the waffle batter bland. I recommend avoiding peanut milk or hemp milk as they have a stronger taste.

Then, pick a milk based on the waffle texture you want to achieve.

• For Crispy Waffles – Use almond milk, cashew milk, or rice milk.
• For Fluffier Non-Dairy Waffles – Choose milk that contains more fats, or proteins like canned coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk.

Tip 2: Picking Low-Flavor Oil

The best choice for waffles is a light flavor oil with a high smoke point to avoid the waffle to smoke when cooking. The healthiest choices are avocado oil and light olive oil, followed by melted coconut oil.

Storage Instructions

These waffles can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. You can also freeze the dairy-free waffles in freezer bags for up to one month. Thaw the waffles the day before at room temperature and rewarm in:

• Toaster Oven
• Bread Toaster
• Waffle Iron

Serving Suggestions

The best dairy-free waffle toppings are:

• Nut Butter like peanut butter or almond butter.
• Maple Syrup, coconut nectar, or agave syrup.
• Fresh Fruits like banana slices, fresh berries, or sliced apples.
• Dairy-Free Coconut Whipped Cream
• Dairy-Free Vegan Butter

Allergy Swaps

Below are some ingredients swap ideas if you need some more substitutions regarding other food allergies

• Gluten-Free – You can replace the all-purpose flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend containing added xanthan gum. Make sure you use wheat-free baking powder to make gluten-free waffles with this recipe, or use my gluten-free waffle recipe.
• Egg-Free – You can replace the eggs with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, stir in 6 tablespoons of water and use them as egg replacers in the waffle batter. Other options are decreasing the oil to 1/3 cup and reducing plant-based milk to 1 cup + 2/3 cup.
• Oil – You can use any oil you have at home. Keep in mind that some oils add more flavors.
• Nut-Free – Use oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or rice milk.

More Homemade Waffle Recipes

If you like waffles, you’ll love all these waffle recipes.