My kids LOVE waffles. I have to admit, they are so much more fun than pancakes. Served with homemade fruit sauce and yogurt, they are a healthy breakfast option! This overnight recipe works with gluten-free or whole grain flour.
This recipe is a huge favorite in my house. We make a double batch of buttermilk waffles nearly every weekend, then freeze the leftovers on a baking sheet. Once they’re frozen, we seal them in a zip-top bag.
Frozen waffles are perfect for
- quick weekday breakfasts
- after school snacks
- simple desserts
Gluten-free or Whole grain
Mixing the buttermilk and flour the night before makes breakfast super easy. It also ensures that the flour is fully hydrated, nicely soured, and pre-soaked. The only trick is that you have to use gluten-free or whole grain flour. (The waffles in the photograph were made with oat flour).
White and all-purpose flour will end up forming a lot of gluten during an overnight soak. It will make it hard to mix in the rest of the ingredients and the waffle will be dense and bread-like instead of light and fluffy.
This is definitely not a vegan recipe. If you’re looking for a gluten-free and vegan waffle, then try my gluten-free apple sauce waffles.
Flavor your waffles!
Buttermilk waffles are a great basic recipe for all sorts of different flavors. The soaked and soured flour is perfect for both savory and sweet flavors.
Here are a few suggestions:
Savory:
Savory waffles are perfect for brunch, snacks, or as a fun alternative to bread with dinner! When making savory waffles, don’t include sugar in your batter. Feel free to add in a 1/4 cup of additional ingredients.
Try one or more of the following:
- fresh herbs (parsley, chives, rosemary, basil)
- green onions
- diced sun-dried tomatoes
- grated cheese
Sweet:
Sweet waffles are a delicious treat that is fancy enough to be served for dessert with whipping cream or ice cream. Feel free to stir in some additional sweet flavors:
- tiny chocolate chips (1/4 cup)
- grated pears or apples (1/4 cup)
- fresh berries (1/4 cup)
- ground cinnamon (1/2 tsp)
- lemon zest (1/2 tsp)
- almond or vanilla extract (2 tsp)
Buttermilk Waffles
This buttermilk waffle batter is mixed the night before to make for an easy morning. The recipe is ideal for gluten-free or wholegrain flour. See the section above for 10 different savory and sweet additions to this simple recipe.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 3-4 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Fermented
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 cups of flour (see notes)
- 2 cups of buttermilk
- 3/4 cup of melted butter (or oil)
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the flour and buttermilk in a glass bowl or measuring cup. Cover with a tea towel and leave it on the kitchen counter to soak for at least 30 minutes. I recommend doing it the night before. This will ensure the flour is well-hydrated and adds to the flavor of the waffles.
- When you’re ready to make waffles, preheat the waffle iron on medium.
- Mix the remaining ingredients into your batter. Whole wheat flour will develop a gluten structure. Don’t worry about being gentle, just mix everything until you have a smooth batter.
- Cook according to the directions on your waffle iron and enjoy!
Notes
- As a gluten-free person, I usually use gluten-free oat flour for my waffles. Any gluten-free or whole-grain flour will work. If you want to use white flour with this recipe, then don’t soak the flour. Just mix it up in the morning so it doesn’t develop a bread-like gluten structure.
- Milk kefir or yogurt can be used in place of the buttermilk.
Keywords: dessert, snack, treat, dinner, brunch, soaked, prefermented, wholegrain, make ahead, herbs, chocolate chips, apple, blueberry
Oh, what a great breakfast for the family! I love how quick this is to whip up (and cover with fruit compote, kids love that…), and we still get to feel like we’re being super healthy with the fermented grains! 😉
★★★★★
Fruit compote sounds delicious.
Do you have suggestions for how to make these vegan?
Thanks!
I have a vegan recipe that uses sourdough. However, sourdough can be replaced by a 50/50 mix of flour and something fermented (vegan yogurt or kombucha). https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/fermented-vegan-waffles/ Alternatively, you could use vegan yogurt with flax eggs in this recipe. I haven’t tried it, but waffles tend to be very forgiving to minor ingredient switches. Cheers!