Oat Almond Waffles Twist
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Waffles using oat flour swapped with buckwheat and almond flour replaced by sunflower seed flour; brown sugar cut down by 30 percent, coconut oil replaces canola oil. Eggs whipped long for airiness; combined dry and wet parts gently, alternating liquids minimizes lumps. Cook until crispy golden with steam ceasing; cool briefly for texture. Serve with berry compote or spiced banana sauce. Gluten-free, nut-free, moist yet crisp, subtle nutty flavor from seeds. Adjust milk for batter thickness; often too runny or stiff messes crispness. No em dash here – commas or semicolons only. Visual and tactile cues matter more than timers here.
Prep:
22 min
Cook:
27 min
Total:
49 min
Servings:
8 waffles
#gluten-free
#nut-free
#vegetarian
#breakfast
#buckwheat
#sunflower seed flour
#waffles
#coconut oil
Started with oat plus almond flours but felt damp, heavy. Switched to buckwheat and sunflower seed flour for drier crumb and nuttier, less dense flavor. Eggs beaten long to trap more air; essential for rise since no gluten network here. Coconut oil replaces canola, adds aroma and crisps edges better. Tried mixing all dry at once with liquids, disaster: gummy batter. Folding dry and wet parts alternately prevents over-activation of starch and keeps texture tender. I watch steam and color over timer. Brown sugar cut back; excessive sweetness clouds other subtle tastes. These waffles make a sturdy but light breakfast or snack. Took a few runs adjusting liquid amounts till batter shifted from runny to thick, that’s the sweet spot.
Ingredients
- 84 g (2/3 cup) buckwheat flour
- 91 g (2/3 cup) sunflower seed flour
- 24 g (3 tbsp) cornstarch
- 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) baking soda
- 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 42 g (3 tbsp) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) melted coconut oil
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) plain Greek yogurt
- 150 ml (2/3 cup) unsweetened almond milk
About the ingredients
Using buckwheat flour instead of oat flour cuts carbs slightly and adds earthiness; great for gluten-free folks wanting complexity. Sunflower seed flour replaces almond safely, no nut allergies here but preserves mild fatiness and moist crumb. Cornstarch/tapioca starch crucial for lightness—skip, and you get dense waffles. Baking soda reacts with yogurt’s acidity for rise; no baking powder here. Coconut oil melts gently and crisps surface unlike vegetable oils, but solid at room temp—melt fully so no clumps. Eggs must be fresh and at room temp; cold eggs whip up slower and traps less air. Brown sugar reduced so sweetness balances nutty tones. Milk can be swapped with oat or soy milk for vegan variation (replace eggs with flax eggs if vegan). Yogurt needs thickness; watery plain yogurts thin the batter too much. These choices came from failed earlier attempts, each ingredient tweak shifts waffle texture massively.
Method
- Start beating eggs and brown sugar together with electric mixer. Whisk 8 to 12 minutes until volume doubles, mixture forms thick ribbons when lifting whip. That’s your air trap; skip and waffles turn dense.
- In a separate bowl, sift together buckwheat, sunflower seed flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt thoroughly. Keeps lumps from clumping in batter later.
- Add melted coconut oil slowly while running mixer on low speed through egg-sugar foam. Don't dump all at once or volume collapses.
- Alternate gently folding in dry ingredients with Greek yogurt and almond milk, starting and ending with the flour mix. Use spatula, fold carefully or gluten-free flours can settle and batter becomes gluey when overmixed. Batter looks lumpy but moist, don’t chase smoothness.
- Preheat waffle iron fully; wait for steam to dissipate on opening it between waffles to avoid soggy bottoms. Ladle roughly 120 ml batter each time, spreading slightly but no pressing. Close lid, cook 4 to 6 minutes. Watch surface for golden brown color and that piercing hot steam almost gone. That’s crisp forming.
- If waffles stick, grease with coconut oil or spray—gluten-free batters can cling tougher. Transfer waffles to wire rack, not plate; keeps bottoms crisp while serving.
- Serve warm, drizzle with maple syrup, fresh berries, or a warm banana-cinnamon sauce. These batter nuances you learn with each batch—too wet, waffles soggy; too thick and dry. Adjust milk quantity accordingly.
- Store leftovers wrapped in cloth, reheat in toaster oven for texture revival—not microwave or soggy mess.
- Avoid mixing all at once or beating eggs too short; no air, flat waffles. Too long beating, eggs heat up, breaks foam; crucial timing here.
- Substitutions: oat flour → buckwheat or sorghum flour; almond flour → sunflower seed flour keeps nut-free profile; canola oil → melted coconut oil adds flavor and crisp texture. Milk can be any plant-based milk, yogurt must be thick for acidity to react with baking soda.
Cooking tips
Eggs and sugar are the foundation. Beating 8-12 minutes might sound excessive but vital. Mistimed, and waffles feel like bricks. When adding oil, pour slow drizzle, or the foam deflates. Dry ingredients always added slowly, alternating with wet yogurt and milk keeps batter loose but controlled; no whisking here, use folding to retain air. Batter won’t be perfectly smooth, don’t fix that or risk toughness. Waffle iron should be hot enough that steam just stops by end cook cycle. Don’t overload batter; less is more for crispness. After cooking, remove waffles promptly and keep on wire rack angled away from heat; plates create soggy bottoms. Leftover waffles? Toast or oven reheat brings back crisp edges. If stuck, grease iron with a paper towel dipped in oil rather than spray, which can cause build-up in some machines. Any stuck waffle means iron insufficiently preheated or batter too wet. Trust smells and sounds—cooking waffles is part science, part feel. No rush, watch for golden edges and silenced steam venting for cue.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Beat eggs and sugar long. Eight to twelve minutes. Watch volume double; thick ribbons show air trapped. Skip this, eggs don't foam, dense waffles follow. Oil adds flavor but add slow. A drizzle, never dump oil. Foam collapses fast. Timing matters here. Temperature of eggs at room temp helps faster whipping. Volume loss ruins crisp edges.
- 💡 Dry ingredients sifted well. Buckwheat, sunflower seed flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt combined. Avoid clumps. Folding dry and wet alternately keeps batter airy. Pour some dry, fold wet then dry again. No whisking here; folding preserves air. Batter lumpy but moist, not gluey or smooth. Overmix gluey batter means heavy waffles.
- 💡 Preheat waffle iron fully. Steam stops venting when waffles cook through. Ladle exact amount, about 120 ml. Spread slightly, no press. Close lid, cook four to six minutes. Watch surface color shift golden; puckering little holes, steam stops. That’s cue waffle ready. Sticking? Grease with oil on paper towel. Spray can leave buildup in machine. Wire rack cooling keeps bottoms crisp, plates make soggy.
- 💡 Substitutions detailed. Buckwheat replaces oat - drier crumb, earthier. Sunflower seed flour swaps almond - nut allergies avoided, subtle fat flavor. Milk can shift; almond milk here but plant milks work. Yogurt must be thick; acidity activates soda rise. Coconut oil for crispy surface – melts fully before adding. Cold eggs slow whip, traps less air. Adjust milk quantity for batter thickness; too runny or stiff break crispness.
- 💡 Storage tricky. Leftovers wrapped cloth, reheated toaster oven revives texture. Microwave ruins crisp edges, makes waffles soggy. Timing when beating eggs crucial; not enough air, flat waffles; too long, eggs heat, foam breaks. Watch sensory cues: batter texture, steam vent, crisp color. Visual and tactile much better than timers alone. Smell coconut oil aroma cooking. Sound changes inside waffle iron—less hiss, more crackle.
Common questions
How long to beat eggs for best fluff?
Eight to twelve minutes usually. See volume double. Thick ribbons when lifting whisk. Less air means dense waffles. Overbeat, eggs warm, foam breaks. Watch carefully, don't rush.
Can I swap flours differently?
Buckwheat good for drier crumb; sorghum okay but changes flavor. Sunflower seed keeps nut-free, almond not safe for allergies. Cornstarch key for lightness, skip and heavier result. Yogurt acidity needed for lift; no baking powder here. Milk plant-based or dairy, watch thickness.
Waffles sticking or soggy bottoms?
Preheat iron fully. Oil iron with paper towel dipped in coconut oil, not spray. Ladle batter, spread lightly. Steam vent stops? That’s done. Cool on wire rack, not plate. Soggy if overload batter or iron too cool. Adjust amounts carefully.
Best way to store and reheat?
Wrap waffles in cloth to wick moisture. Reheat toaster oven for crisp edges. Microwave ruins texture, gets mushy. Leftovers keep a couple days cool. Can freeze but reheat the same way for maintaining crispness.
