This post may contain affiliate links. Affiliate links come at no extra cost to you. These links allow me to share the products I authentically recommend (and use) and support Live Simply by receiving a small commission.
I’m a mom of two little people, a 3 year-old boy and 1 year-old girl.
I try to be disciplined each morning and wake up early to prep for the day while the house is quiet and everyone is still asleep. Try is the key word.
No matter how early I wake up my sweet one year-old always senses I am awake and soon she’s up and requesting to join me in all my morning activities…showering, cooking, lunch packing…everything! And before I know it, Piper, is awake too, ready to help.
Maybe I make mornings just a little too exciting?
FREE Real Food Crash Course
I get it, switching from processed food to a real food lifestyle can feel overwhelming and confusing. Friend, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Here’s what to expect:
- printable charts (real food defined, a seasonal produce guide, meal planning)
- how to get started with a real food lifestyle
- how to create a meal plan and stay within a budget
- 7 real food recipes
- emails from me to help you enjoy real food
- Bonus: Step-By-Step Guide to Real Food
I promise this post is about waffles not my morning adventures with my favorite two little people.
So, to the gluten-free oat waffles.
Having my faithful early-risers by my side each morning means I need to be prepared to make breakfast quick and easy. If you follow along with the weekly meal plans you know I am all about consistency, easy, and nourishing! Soaked Oat Waffles meet all those requirements making them a perfect breakfast. This recipe also makes plenty to freeze and pop in the toaster on a less than ideal morning. It’s okay, we all have mornings like that!
Despite my love for all things gluten, these delicious oat waffles are gluten-free. I love all my gluten-free friends and know they must eat and enjoy breakfast too.
Easy, nourishing, naturally-sweet, and gluten-free.
Note: If you’d like to read about the importance of soaking grains head over to this post.
Soaked Oat Waffles
Easy, nourishing, naturally-sweet, and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 TB butter plus extra to grease waffle iron, no need to melt
- 1 TB apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats not instant
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 banana ripe
- 2 TB honey
Instructions
-
In a blender (I use this one), add the first four ingredients: milk, butter, vinegar, and oats. Blend for a couple of minutes until all ingredients are combined and batter swirls making a vortex.
-
Allow the batter to sit with the lid on the blender overnight on the counter.
-
In the morning turn on your waffle iron and allow it to heat up. Add to the batter (still in the blender): eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, banana, and honey. Blend until the all ingredients are combined (a minute or two).
-
Coat your waffle iron with butter. Pour batter into waffle iron. We use about 1/4 cup of batter per waffle. Cook waffles about 4-5 minutes until light brown.
-
Top with butter, pure maple syrup (where to buy) or raw honey. We also add chopped nuts, ground flax seed, and fresh fruit.
When soaking in the blender overnight does it need to be refrigerated?
No need for the refrigeration. Just needs to sit on the counter overnight.
I just found your blog and I think I’m going to love it! I also am a mom to a 3 year old boy (who LOVES to get up early), a 1 year old daughter, have been on a real food journey for the past year or so and I, too, love Jesus. I’m really looking forward to going over everything on your site. Anyway, question about the recipe: I don’t like my waffle iron because it is very difficult to clean. Can I just make the batter into pancakes instead?
So happy you found Live Simply! Welcome! Sounds like we have a lot in common! This batter would work perfectly as pancakes!
Can you think of another creative way to cook this batter without a waffle iron?? 🙂
You could also use it as pancakes
Kristin, this is another fantastic recipe! I may try it for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks! 🙂
Do it! Add some chocolate chips on top too. lol! 🙂 They are fantastic!!
Waffles are a favorite in our house, so I’m always looking for new recipes! These sound great. However, we went back on Stage 1 of the Feingold diet and can’t use the apple cider vinegar for 6 weeks, is their anything I can use in its place?
They are yummy and freezable! You can use any acidic medium, such as whey or lemon juice. Would those work for you?
Yes, both of those work. We’re new to soaking and preparing foods traditionally. Thanks!
Wonderful :). Yes, both those will work for any soaking.
I was so surprised to hear that the Feingold is still alive and well my kids are in their forties, and we used it when they were small
I tried your recipe and the waffles were paper thin and limp!!! What did I do wrong? They taste yummy – but are on the soggy side as well. Any thoughts?
Oh no. I would allow the baking powder to sit for a few minutes and rest after being mixed in the oat mixture while the waffle iron is heating. Allow it to work in the oat mixture. It will actually produce small little bubbles at the top of the mixture. The waffles will not be super crispy, but should rise nicely and have a good texture once cooked. Also, make sure your waffle iron is on a medium setting. Also be sure to use whole milk as skim would cause them to be watery.
Okay. So, I ended up rereading your directions… and saw the cooking time was longer so I left it on the griddle longer and sure enough, they ROSE! ha ha The kids ate it all up!!!
Yay! So happy to hear!
These were amazing!!! Was weary about leaving milk out on the counter all night but I’m over it, LOL
I’m so glad you liked them! They are a favorite in our house 🙂
These were the best and easiest waffles I’ve ever made! Thank you for this recipe. I love how simple and delicious it is!
Would it be possible to substitute almond or rice milk, or would those make the batter too runny?
I think almond milk would work. You may need to add a bit more oats, just watch for consistency.
Can you please explain why it would be ok to leave milk out overnight? Thanks!
Hi Jessie, Milk used to soak grains always includes an acidic medium (lemon juice, whey, etc) which sours the milk. Milk that’s still in a sense living (not ultra-pasteurized) will safely sour and soak the grains removing the phytic acid which are hard to digest. Essentially, this is also how ricotta cheese is made. Water can also be used, if desired, but the taste will change.
Can I use cultured buttermilk instead of milk and vinegar?
Hi Cherri, I’ve never personally tried using cultured buttermilk in this recipe, but I bet it will work great.
Hi Kristin,
Just a follow-up. I used 3 cups of cultured buttermilk instead of raw milk and vinegar and the waffles came out great. The mixture was very thick after soaking and I was worried that I ruined the batter but once I added the eggs, vanilla and banana it was great! My family loved them. I will try the raw milk and vinegar next time just to compare. I love your website and I certainly will be using more of your recipes. Thank you for responding.
Hey Cherri, Yay! So happy to hear it worked and everyone loved them. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing.
Any idea if coconut milk would work?
Hey R McCall, I think coconut milk would work great. I’ve never tried it in this recipe, but based on past experiences with other recipes, coconut milk is usually a great substitute for regular milk.
GREAT! THANKS!
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that these are THE BEST waffles that I have had in a long time! I had gotten on the healthy band wagon a while ago, cutting out processed sugars,flours, and just processed food in general. The fact that these are healthy, soaked waffles that taste just like the junk unhealthy kind is fantastic! Just to answer the question above, I subbed coconut milk for the raw milk and they turned out great! Thank you so much for this recipe, I will use it as often as I can! (which in my mind is every day hahaha) 🙂
Yay, I’m so glad you liked them, Sophia! Thank so much for sharing. I’m glad the coconut milk worked so well.
Would pumpkin be an ok substitute for the banana? I just love the flavor of pumpkin and am out of bananas. Looking forward to trying these!
Hey Jacque, I think pumpkin would be fabulous in place of the banana. The banana adds sweetness, so you may need to add extra honey (a tablespoon or two).
I understand your explaination on leaving the milk out on the counter and yet my food safety husband is wary, is there any reason NOT to let the oat mixture soak overnight in the fridge instead of on the counter??
Hey Erica, Most traditional foodies believe a warmer temperature is best for breaking down the phytic acid, but I think a cold soak in the fridge will be just fine and still get a good portion of the job done. That’s just my opinion, not backed by official research ;).
Hi! The banana wouldn’t fit in my standard blender and I forgot the honey and these were STILL delicious – I can’t even imagine how good they must be with those two missing ingredients! Also, my husband loves gluten and he couldn’t believe they were soaked, wholesome oats. Thank you for the recipe! Your blog is my favorite!
That’s awesome, Andrea! I love that your husband adored these waffles and didn’t even know they were filled with wholesome oats…woohoo!
Thank you so much :).
These waffles are delicious! Our kids loved them.
I’m so happy to hear that, Rebekah! Thank you for sharing!
Do you know if coconut oil would work OK in place of the butter? And coconut or almond milk for someone with a dairy allergy?
Hey Danielle, I think the coconut oil and a dairy-free milk (almond or coconut) will work great!
These are amazing! Made these this morning as my first attempt at soaking grains and couldn’t be happier! I topped with greek yogurt and honey, the usual in our house, and my 16yo was just as happy to eat a million of these as he is the flour ones. My old waffle iron gets a little hotter than it should so I used coconut oil and only cooked for 3 minutes. The waffles turned out lighter and airier than their flour counterparts. These will be regular weekend fare at my house from now on.
Hey Adrienne, I’m so glad you liked the waffles!! Thank you so much for sharing.
Do you have to use Raw Milk? We can’t get it around here…. Also, do you think an egg replacement would work – such as applesauce or baking powder/oil/water? We have egg allergies in our family and are constantly re-working recipes. I’m trying to start soaking our grain/flour recipes… but it’s so hard to find egg free recipes! (And expensive to experiment!). Just thought I’d ask! 🙂
Hey Devon, You may use any kind of milk, just not ultra-pasteurized. Raising Generation Nourished may be a fantastic resource for you! Renee, the author and also a contributor here at Live Simply, offers many soaked egg-free recipes.
I would absolutely be thrilled if you would bind all of your recipes in a hardback cookbook! I have printed off so many of your recipes. You have literally saved my life in the kitchen – real food that doesn’t require obscure expensive ingredients and can actually allow me time to spend with my husband after work, rather than laboring over an elaborate real-food recipe. And the best added bonus – my 8 and 11-year-old boys love your recipes, too! I’ll buy multiple copies if you do it. PLEASE!!!
Thank you so much, Paula! I would love to offer a hardcopy cookbook in the future–we shall see :). It’s so great to hear you’re enjoying the recipes here on Live Simply!!
My blender says not to let things sit in it because it ruins the gasket around the blade. Do the oats need to be blended for soaking or could I soak in a bowl and blend in the morning? Also, do you have a good substitute for banana? My daughter is allergic. Thank you!
Hey Sarah, Yes, you can definitely soak the oats in a bowl. I would use 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey instead of the banana. Enjoy!!
I skipped the vinegar since I had milk that had soured. These are our new favorite waffles. I only let the batter rest about 30 min, but still worked just fine.
That’s great, Marilya! I’m so glad the waffles came out. Yum!
Great recipe, I’m curious if letting it sit a 4 or 5ish hours vs overnight is OK? I’d like to try these since I have sour raw milk but I know it won’t happen tomorrow morning.
Hey Jen, From my traditional food preparation research, as long as whey, lemon juice, or yogurt is used with the milk, the batter is just fine. You could also use water in place of the milk, or you could soak the waffle batter in the fridge.
I made these as pancakes & my kids love them. They are a little thin for my liking. Any suggestions for making them more fluffy?
Hey Rachel, Adding a bit of flour (about 1/3 cup) should help :).
I just wanted to say that this is my go to waffle recipe. Absolutely love it. And to share some substitutions due to dietary limitations. I use unsweetened almond milk in place of whole milk, Trader Joe’s organic triple filtered coconut oil for the butter and one 4 ounce cup of TJ’s organic unsweetened apple sauce instead of the banana. They still come out amazing. Light, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I can’t thank you enough for this recipe (among many others)!
That’s so great, Loriane! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the waffles. And thank you so much for sharing your substitutions–it’s so good to know the recipe works well without dairy.