Easy Vegan Oat Waffles with Maca

I love waffles!  But I don't love the disgusting sluggish feeling I'm left with after a Sunday morning waffle bender.  When it comes to enjoying my favorite foods, I firmly believe that where there is a will, there is a way....a way to come up with a version made from ingredients I'm actually willing to eat.  Luckily, my refusal to accept a waffle-free weekend led to this gluten-free, plant-based waffle recipe.  It's made from oats, ground into a flour in a blender.  Add in flax, almond milk, and a few spices...and you've got yourself a super tasty breakfast that doesn't make you feel like garbage for the rest of the day.

These waffles have a fair amount of spice to add flavor.  If you are not a fan of ginger or cardamom, leave them out.  Or, if you prefer a different spice or flavor, add that in!  It's a fairly forgiving recipe.  The maca powder gives a nice adpatogen boost, and a bit of a carmel-y flavor.  If you don't have maca, that's ok.  Just leave it out of the recipe.

Dry Ingredients:

- 3 cups oat flour
- 4 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
- 2 tablespoons maca powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt

Wet Ingredients:

- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed w/8 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or maple syrup)

Instructions:

Place the ground flaxseed in a little bowl with the 8 tablespoons of water.  Stir and then let it sit for 10 minutes or so.  It will thicken into a bit of a gel. 

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  For the oat flour, you can make your own!  It's really easy and a super inexpensive option for GF flour.  Just take a bunch of rolled oats (certified gluten-free if needed) and grind them up in a high powered blender.  In less than a minute, you should have a flour consistency.  Measure 3 cups of the flour AFTER it's ground.  If you just use three cups of oats, it will end up being a smaller amount of flour after it's ground.

In a liquid measuring cup (I use the classic clear Pyrex one), combine the almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and brown rice syrup.  Mix until well combined.  It sometimes takes a few minutes to get the brown rice syrup to mix in since it's so thick.  Next, add in the melted coconut oil and stir. 

Pour half the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.  Then add the flax gel to the remaining wet ingredients.  Stir briefly, then pour it all into the big dry mixture bowl.  Stir well to combine into a batter.  After stirring, let the batter sit for a few minutes.  It will thicken up a bit.  The batter will be fairly thick in general. 

Next, just let your waffle iron do all the work!  I grease mine lightly with coconut oil and preheat it to 425 degrees.  The waffles usually take about 5 or 6 minutes each to cook in my waffle iron, but I'm sure they vary slightly depending on the brand & size. 

You can save these waffles all week and pop them in the oven or toaster for quick breakfasts.  Top with fruit, nut butter, coconut yogurt, seeds, nuts, cacao nibs...etc...whatever you like best.  Most importantly, enjoy the waffles, and enjoy still being able to move after eating them. ;)

Tell us in the comments what your favorite waffle toppings are!