All About Gluten Free Waffles

There is a great book out there called Men Are Like Waffles–Women Are Like Spaghetti: Understanding and Delighting in Your Differences (which admittedly I have not read but my husband says is hilarious).  Apparently, the book tells us what we already know: that men view most choices and conflicts in terms of “waffle buckets” and women let every single squishy noodle (a.k.a. old conflicts and old fights) touch every other noodle (a.k.a.. new conflicts and new fights).

How many times have you been to a favorite restaurant with your husband only to watch him order the same dish over and over?  And how many times have you encouraged him to order something different, only to be told, “but I know this tastes good.”?

Yes, when it comes to gluten-free alternatives, don’t be afraid for your men to become like waffles; they will find a few things that they really enjoy and will ask for them over and over.  And you should let them do so, because it will make your life TREMENDOUSLY easier!  Let your man be a waffle in this regard, and in fact, make him these waffles and you will have a very happy, doesn’t-realize-he-is-unknowingly-gluten-free hubby! (Seriously, this is how I converted Mike…I ain’t no fool sister!). 😉

Before going gluten free, I had never made a homemade waffle.  Like never.  Growing up, Belgian waffles were reserved for special occasions, usually at a hotel brunch or restaurant.

Perhaps that is why my career path led me to the hotel industry.  The event planner in me was actually a guise, the real reason I worked in hotels was for the free Sunday brunch Belgian waffles (management perk)!

I would definitely have to say that homemade waffles have been one of the perks of living a gluten free life, there really just isn’t a store-bought comparison when you figure in the warm, maple-y aroma that fills your kitchen (along with bacon and freshly brewed coffee of course!) on a weekend morning and your kids come squealing down the stairs with crazy bedheads and starry eyes.  They really do believe you hung the moon.

To think I would have missed this experience altogether if Eggos were still stocked in my freezer.  Makes me feel very blessed that my life took such an altered course off road and through a gluten free mine field one fateful day in 2005.

If you’ve never made homemade waffles before, I cannot recommend them enough.  And they are as simple to make as pancakes.

But first, you will need a waffle iron!

I happen to own the Presto FlipSide Belgian Waffle Maker and I absolutely LOVE IT!!  It’s relatively inexpensive at $38.00 on Amazon (with FREE shipping) and nothing sticks to this puppy!  The waffles pop right out and all you need to do is give it a quick wipe down before putting it away until next time.  There is a nifty little timer on the side which is very useful for the harried ADD mom on Saturday mornings when 2 little boys and a husband are all asking for their smoothies, waffles and bacon all at the same time (um, are you completely helpless? Burned waffles would serve you right!). 😉

Next, you need a tasty gluten free waffle recipe!

Typically, I make my boys this gluten free and vegan waffle recipe from my buddy Iris over at The Daily Dietribe and they absolutely love it (if you’d like a second opinion, read this review from Ellen over at Gluten Free Diva).  For me, the lone grain-free person in my house, I love Erica’s Coconut Flour Waffles over at Comfy Belly (but it calls for 4 eggs, so it’s a no-go for my littlest guy).

But since this is Gluten Free 101, I went on the hunt for the best “just gluten free” Belgian waffle recipe.  I didn’t make it past the first one because it was that good.  Light and fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.  The recipe does call for buttermilk but I trialed the recipe using dairy free buttermilk (see below) so Sam, my 8 year old, would be able to eat them while Luke was at preschool one morning.

Dairy Free Buttermilk Alternative
© Go Dairy Free

Sam went absolutely bonkers over this waffle recipe and all 9 of my taste testers enthusiastically concurred.  Definitely recommend giving it a try!

Make Your Own Frozen Waffles!

On a quiet weekend morning (assuming you can get up at 4:00 am), make several batches of your favorite gluten free waffles, allow them to cool, then place them on a cookie sheet until frozen solid (I do this the same way I do my gluten free pancakes).  Once frozen, toss them in a freezer bag until needed.  To reheat, just pop ’em in the toaster, add syrup and off ya go!  These waffles toast up very well but I do recommend that you start with the lowest setting and repeat the cycle 2 – 3 times (if necessary, toasters do vary) in order to avoid the outside burning while the inside is still frozen!

More Gluten Free Waffle Recipes

Gluten Free Hearty Apple Cinnamon Waffles from The Daily Dietibe

Gluten Free Banana Waffles from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures

Gluten Free Waffles from Ginger Lemon Girl

Blender Waffles Recipe from Real Food, Allergy Free  **just be sure to use Certified Gluten Free Oats if you have celiac disease or a NCGS**

Break Out of the Plain Ole’ Waffle Box

Grilled Waffle Rubens from Celiacs in the House

Savory Potato Waffles (a.k.a Waffle Fries) from The Daily Dietribe

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Chocolate Dessert Waffles (and easily egg free and nut free) from Cook IT Allergy Free

More Unique Ideas for Waffles

Once you find your favorite gluten free waffle, get wild and crazy by trying one of the following ideas!

Cupcake Waffles

Chocolate Dipped Waffles on a Stick

Waffle Burgers

Time to “Leggo That Eggo!” 

While I believe it you will get much more bang for your buck by making your own gluten free waffles, there is something to be said about having a box of “safe” waffles in the freezer.  If you’re an 80’s kid like me, the images of Eggo waffles are probably firmly embedded in your heart and mind.

Wanna make a wager that there will be a “gluten free” Eggo within the next few years??? 😉

Best Gluten Free Frozen Waffle: Nature’s Path or Van’s?

The Ingredients:

Nature’s Path Gluten Free Homestyle Waffles: Contains organic corn and soy.  Does not contain xanthan or guar gum (good news for those who are sensitive to gums).

Van’s Gluten Free Mini Waffles: Contains non-organic soy and guar gum.

Now, it’s been quite sometime since I’ve had a gluten free frozen waffle, but back in the day, I was a bug fan of Van’s (but this was before Nature’s Path introduced their new ‘Homestyle’ gluten free waffle, I wasn’t too keen on the Buckwheat and Sunrise Mesa waffles at the time).

A positive for Vans:  There are six varieties to choose from (see below), surely one to please every palate out there.  Once upon a time, I was especially fond of the Flax and Apple Cinnamon flavors and my son Luke, absolutely LOVED to “gum” the frozen mini waffles back when he was in the teething stage.

What my taste testers like about Nature’s Path:

So I’ve told you my sister was recently diagnosed with celiac and that her gluten-eating husband (and son) are very, very, very picky, right?  (Did I mention VERY?).  Well, it was my brother-in-law who discovered the Nature’s Path Gluten Free Homestyle Waffles a few weeks ago and Gretchen called to ask me if we had tried them yet (uh, hello little sister…did you FORGET we have other food “issues?”).

Okay, fine…I’ll look for some for the boys when I go shopping next.

Well, Mike (no, not my husband…my brother-in-law) beat me to the punch and brought some (along with his new-found glutadoodle glee) to a dinner party I hosted several weeks ago.  I kid you not these were his exact words, “These are BETTER than Eggo!”

And I thought it was just me who did that whole “these are better than <insert glutonium version here>!” 😉

Disclaimer:  My sons are infatuated with their “Muncle Mike” (as Luke calls him).  Mike is part clown and part jungle gym for all the kids around and Sam and Luke are prone to liking anything that Uncle Mike likes.  In fact, I often hear the phrase, “I want the same one Muncle Mike likes.”

In a nutshell

if you want a straight up, side-by-side comparison of the best waffles for breakfast, my taste-testers would have to recommend Nature’s Path Gluten-Free Homestyle Waffles.  They have a sweet taste, come in a variety of flavors, and can be topped with practically any flavor of syrup or fruit.  This is your Saturday morning staple.

However, if you need a waffle that will be used as an ingredient in a more complicated dish, whether as a sandwich bread substitute or to make awesome bread crumbs, then you should consider Van’s.  We have to improvise as best we can and should have all learned by now that there is not one easy solution to every problem.  As my husband is so fond of saying, “use the right tool for the right job.”  Between these two waffle alternatives, you can’t go wrong!

Van’s Gluten Free Waffle Varieties

Regular

Flax

Apple Cinnamon

Buckwheat

Blueberry

Mini’s

Nature’s Path Gluten Free Waffle Varieties

Homestyle

Buckwheat

Mesa Sunrise

Or Wait…What About Krusteaz?

Yep, there is a new gluten free frozen waffle in town, buy that old familiar favorite, Krusteaz!  I caught wind of this while doing a Google Image search for gluten free frozen waffles (I’m a bit out of the loop when it comes to pre-packaged foods these days – the corn allergy killed my gluten free processed food paparazzo alter ego – yes, I was quite good back in the day.  In fact, I was the first person to post a photo of the then-newly gluten free Nathan’s Hot Dogs, LOL!).  While there is no information about the gluten free waffles on the Krusteaz website, Gluten Free Philly did offer a little blurb here.

What’s your favorite gluten free waffle (either prepackaged or a recipe)?