Scrumptious whole grain Apple Waffles made in the blender with simple ingredients are the ultimate healthy breakfast recipe! Fluffy, crispy, and no added sugar--perfect for toddlers, too. Gluten free!
My toddler and I are going to be fighting over who gets the last waffle, that's a fact.
Holy moly, fluffy homemade waffles are so much easier than you think! If you've had my high protein waffles, you know the crisp butteriness of waffles from scratch...they just get me.
When you've had your fill of oatmeal recipes and you're ready for the textural heaven that is a hot off the press waffle, you know where to find me.
Ingredients
- Old-fashioned oats: The hearty 100% whole grain base of our waffles, also known as rolled oats. Don't miss all my favorite recipes with oats!
- Applesauce: We're swapping some of the traditional milk with applesauce for even more wholesome apple goodness. Look for unsweetened--the only ingredients should be apple and water.
- Milk: Necessary liquid for volume. Any milk, like cow's, almond, oat, or coconut milk work.
- Butter: Butter makes these waffles so flavorful. Salted or unsalted is fine. You can also use melted coconut oil or vegan buttery spread.
- Eggs: Eggs add fluff, fat, protein, and help with rising.
- Cinnamon: For amazing apple flavor. A pinch of allspice and nutmeg is great, too!
- Baking powder: For rise and fluff!
- Salt: So important to enhance the flavor.
- Apple: We're folding in little apple chunks for amazing texture! I like to use organic apples.
How to make apple waffles
- Melt butter (I place it in a small bowl and microwave for about a minute). Set aside.
- Place remaining ingredients except apple in a high-speed blender or Nutribullet.
- Blend until smooth. Set batter aside to thicken and preheat waffle iron.
- Spray with cooking spray.Use ⅓ or ½ measuring cup to spoon bater onto iron and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until golden.
- Serve with your favorite waffle toppings!
What makes these waffles healthy?
This dietitian loves nutrient-packed breakfasts that are easy and accessible! Not only do these homemade waffles taste amazing but they also boast some serious health benefits.
- zero added sugar (amazing for toddlers!) or refined flour
- 100% whole grain
- gluten free (use certified gluten-free oats)
- packed with filling fiber and protein (4g and 6g, respectively)
How do you know when waffles are done?
I learned that under-cooking waffles is a common cause of less than crispy waffles. I like to cook mine for at least 5 minutes and ideally 6 minutes per waffle.
They should be deep golden brown in color, and this will likely be past when the waffle maker says they're done.
What to serve with waffles
These hearty waffles are incredible on their own since they're filling, but you can also pair them with:
- Mediterranean Vegetable Quiche for a savory side
- a smear of peanut butter
- sautéed apples (cook small dice apples with a pat of butter and cinnamon until softened)
- good old butter, maple syrup, or whipped cream!
How to store
Store waffles in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing tips
These easy gems freeze beautifully for make ahead breakfasts! Simple freeze in an even layer in a baggie laid flat or on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, you can pop them directly in the toaster.
Yes! You can whisk dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and then whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add wet to dry and mix. If you're not using store bought oat flour, you'll need to blend the oats first to make flour.
Unfortunately rolled oats, or old fashioned oats, are best suited for the texture of this recipe. Don't use instant or steel cut oats.
Eggs add structure, rise, and help bind the waffle batter. Unfortunately I haven't tried these with flax eggs!
Yes! Use non-dairy milk and vegan butter or coconut oil.
Blender Oatmeal Apple Waffles (gluten-free!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 5 large or 10 small waffles 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Waffle Iron
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Scrumptious whole grain Apple Waffles made in the blender with oatmeal and applesauce are the ultimate healthy breakfast recipe! Fluffy, crispy, and no added sugar--perfect for toddlers, too. Gluten free!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats (certified gluten-free if needed)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup milk of choice (I use almond milk)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 medium apple, cored and chopped into small ¼ inch pieces (Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Gala)
Instructions
- Combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, applesauce, milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter in a blender or Nutribullet. It will bubble, that's normal. Blend until smooth (about 30 seconds in the Nutribullet). Stir in apple.
- Preheat waffle maker to "medium" and let batter sit for at least 5 minutes to thicken while waffle iron heats up.
- Once hot, spray with cooking spray. Add ⅓ to ½ cup batter depending on the size of your waffle maker. Cook for 5-6 minutes each, or until waffles are a deep golden brown. Once done, transfer to a cooling rack so they stay crisp. Spray iron between each waffle. Serve with butter, peanut butter, maple syrup, or apples sautéed in a bit of butter and cinnamon!
Notes
For extra crispy waffles, you can pop them in the toaster.
If you love spice, you can add ⅛ tsp nutmeg and ¼ tsp allspice.
DAIRY FREE: Use non-dairy milk and coconut oil.
Roger Helton says
This was quite good! We followed the recipe and added (+ 2 Tbsp of flaxseed meal which we like). As noted, we left them in the waffle maker until browned and served with more sauteed apples and cinnamon. Very tasty.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Mmmm souds delish, thanks Roger!
Mae says
So pleased to find a “healthy” waffle recipe that doesn’t stick and tastes good!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Yayy, so glad they were a winner!
Alison says
Alexis, you’re a genius. I’ve never been so happy I own a waffle iron. Made a batch and am freezing them for easy breakfasts; they’re delicious! Lightly sweet, not too dense, and not bad for me? Thank you! And for anyone wondering, you can sneak a few teaspoons of ground flaxseed in without altering the texture/taste.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Yayyy so glad these were a hit! Yea, 1-2 tbsp ground flax should be fine! It will thicken the batter.
Jayme Black says
My kids won't touch applesauce or oats right now and they loved this! As we ate, my husband and I probably said 10 times how good this was. Perfect recipe!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
You made my day, thank you so much Jayme!
Leslie Salisbury says
Hi Alexis, thanks so much for this amazing recipe share. Have you ever made the waffle batter the night before and stored in an airtight container? My baby boy is ready to eat once he wakes up and this would be so perfect if it were already mixed. Thanks so much!!
Alexis Joseph says
Hey Leslie! I've never fully made the batter the night before, but after some Googling, I read it actually enhances the batter, so let me know if you try! I have whisked the wet ingredients and kept those in the fridge overnight, then whisked the dry separately and kept those covered on the counter. Combine in the morning and make!
Kelli says
These are so easy and have all the sweetness needed for a waffle! I noticed that vanilla is not in the ingredient list, but in the instructions, it says to combine the ingredients in a blender and vanilla is listed there. How much do you recommend?
Alexis Joseph says
Thank you tons, Kelli! Just fixed--1 tsp. Thanks for catching!
Alicia says
My 2.5 year old and I both loved these! Very fluffy and super easy to make, great way to use up my apples too. Also made my house smell so good!
Alexis Joseph says
How fun that these were a hit with your little one! Thanks so much, Alicia!
Kathleen says
I made these, they smell and taste so good. I am presently using them to make myself a grilled cheese sandwich!
Alexis Joseph says
That sounds so good, thanks Kathleen!
Andrea says
This is a very good recipe. I like the use of applesauce and apples to add natural sweetness. Yet another great recipe Alexis 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
So glad you loved these, Andrea!
Alexis Joseph says
Right?! So glad they were a hit!
Meg T says
I have a pear tree so have a ton of pears so I subbed pears and pearsauce for the apples. I also shredded them using a box grater (vs chopping) and used 1/3 whole wheat flour instead of all oats. Turned out very yummy!!!
Alexis Joseph says
How fun to use pears here, I love that! Thanks so much for letting me know, Meg!
Chelsy says
These look delish!
My kids are more pancake eaters, any recs on shifting to a flapjack 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
I feel that! You can try the pancakes linked at the top of the post, addd cinnamon and top the pancake batter with diced apple when cooking.