If you're anything like me, about once a week you have a banana on your counter that is a little past it's eating prime. I am always looking for creative ways to use up bananas and these gluten free banana waffles are a great one!
This fluffy waffle recipe is filled with the subtle spices and flavors of banana bread in a form that's acceptable to eat for breakfast. My whole family goes crazy these waffles topped with a few slices of bananas and some maple syrup. They also store really well, so you can make them for a quick weekday breakfast that is sure to brighten up any morning.
This easy breakfast recipe only uses one banana. If you have more overripe bananas to use up, you should try my easy gluten free banana muffins or these amazing banana pancakes.
Ingredient Notes
This banana waffle recipe requires only a handful of basic ingredients, which can be found at any grocery store. And this recipe is both gluten free and dairy free as written.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend - I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend for most of my recipes. It's a great quality flour blend for making waffles. You can use your favorite brand, but ensure it contains xanthan gum or a similar binder. I haven't tested this recipe with any other flour brands, so your results may vary.
- Banana - You want a banana that is very ripe. The peel should have many dark spots or even be completely black. The riper the banana, the more delicious banana flavor your will get in your waffles. If your banana smells fermented, like alcohol, or is leaking then it needs to be discarded.
- Non-Dairy Milk - I use unsweetened coconut milk or oat milk for all of my cooking and baking. Any dairy free milk will work fine and if you're not dairy free, you can use regular milk in the same measure.
- Vegan Butter - I used Country Crock plant butter for this recipe. Any stick type vegan butter will work fine and if you're not dairy free you can substitute unsalted butter in the same measure. Melted coconut would also work well here.
- Maple Syrup - I like to add a little maple syrup to my pancake and waffle recipes to give a head start on the maple flavor. I find it requires less syrup poured on top by adding it in the batter.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients list with measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not dairy free - Substitute unsalted butter and whole milk for the dairy free products. The measurements are the same.
- No vegan butter - Replace the melted butter with melted coconut oil.
- No bananas - I'm not sure how you got here, LOL. But you can use pumpkin puree or mashed sweet potatoes in place of the banana.
- Make it chocolate - Replace ⅓ cup of the gluten free flour with cocoa powder.
- Add chocolate chips or nuts - You can add 1-1 ½ cups of mix ins of your choice to the batter. I would recommend mini chocolate chips to fit in the waffle maker better.
How to Make Gluten Free Banana Waffles
Making homemade waffles is not as hard as it may seem. The key to getting light fluffy banana waffles is incorporating lots of air into the batter before cooking. I recommend using an electric mixer to beat the egg whites. It will save your arms!
- STEP 1: Combine the gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together to mix well.
- STEP 2: Use a fork to mash the banana on a plate until it appears very wet with almost no lumps remaining.
- STEP 3: Divide your egg yolks and egg whites into two mixing bowls.
- STEP 4: Add the melted butter, maple syrup, milk and vanilla to the bowl with the egg yolks and whisk until it's well combined.
- STEP 5: Add the mashed bananas and wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold together with a spatula.
- STEP 6: Use a mixer to beat the egg whites to soft peaks.
- STEP 7: Carefully fold the whipped egg whites into the waffle batter. Try not to deflate the bubbles.
- STEP 8: Allow the waffle batter to rest while you preheat your waffle iron.
- STEP 9: Portion the waffle mixture into your waffle maker (I like to use a soup ladle for this) and cook according to your waffle maker's instructions. Mine takes about 5-6 minutes per batch.
Expert Tip
Here is a my trick to keep the waffles warm and prevent them from getting soggy while you're cooking the remaining batter: Lay cooked waffles in a single layer on a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet inside an oven heated to 250F.
Storage
One of my favorite things to do with homemade banana waffles is to make them ahead and reheat them on busy mornings. It feels so luxurious to have a special breakfast in the morning before school or work. Plus your kids will love it!
To store leftover waffles, wrap each waffle in a paper towel. Then stack them all together and place into a ziploc bag or airtight container. You can keep them in the refrigerator if you will be eating them within a few days, otherwise keep them in the freezer.
When you're ready to reheat, heat in a toaster oven as you would regular frozen waffles. Or if you like them extra crispy, cook them in the air fryer at 350F for about 4 minutes.
More waffle recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Gluten Free Banana Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend
- 3 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 3 Eggs separated
- 1 Cup Non Dairy Milk
- ½ Cup Vegan Butter melted and cooled
- 2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Ripe Banana mashed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk to mix well.2 Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, 3 Tablespoon Sugar, 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, ¾ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- Use a fork to mash the banana until it appears very wet with almost no lumps.1 Ripe Banana
- Separate eggs into yolk and whites in two bowls.3 Eggs
- Whisk the eggs yolks until frothy. Add the melted butter, maple syrup, dairy free milk and vanilla. Whisk well.1 Cup Non Dairy Milk, ½ Cup Vegan Butter, 2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Add the egg yolk mixture and the mashed bananas to the dry ingredients. Fold together with a spatula.
- In the second bowl, beat the egg whites until they reach the soft peak stage. Add the egg whites to the flour mixture. Gently fold together until incorporated. Try not to deflate the air bubbles.
- Let the waffle batter while you preheat your waffle iron.
- Cook each batch of waffles 5-7 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
Julia says
Fantastic banana waffles , my whole family enjoyed them. Will be making these on repeat 💗.
I love this! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Anonymous says
Delicious!