WFPB Pumpkin Blender Waffles (gluten free, oil free, and vegan)
The older I get, the more I love making foods that not only taste good, but are as simple and close to nature as possible. Oh, and easy! I love these waffles for all of those reasons. The batter blends up in no time, and then you can keep it on hand in the fridge for up to a week, using it to make waffles anytime your heart desires! Plus, they’re made using whole food ingredients, so they will not only satisfy your waffle cravings, but also make your body happy!
These waffles are chock-full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals since they’re purely plant-powered! There’s pumpkin for beta carotene, flax seed for omegas, oats for all their nutritious amazingness, and dates for iron.
I hope you love them as much as we do!
NOTE: Waffle irons all vary, so you may need to experiment a bit with time, heat settings, and so on. We make them using this recipe all the time, and they work great. We have a basic little inexpensive waffle iron and cook them for several minutes so that they’re thoroughly cooked.
Update!
As of 1/19/24, this recipe has been slightly modified. Since we make these almost weekly, I’ve been tweaking them a little here and there to make them even better. So this updated version has a little more oat flour, a little less flax meal, and a smidge more pumpkin pie spice. My daughter and I agree the pumpkin pie spice is perfect now, but my husband likes a neutral tasting waffle better - so I added the suggestion for anti-pumpkin spicers like him who may prefer to omit it. : ) Hope you love these waffles even more now!!!
This recipe makes about one quart of batter, or approximately ten waffles.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups rolled oats (not instant) - I use sprouted, but regular are fine!
One cup cooked pumpkin flesh (see note)
¼ cup pitted dates
2 cups water
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (note: if you prefer a more neutral tasting waffle, you can omit this spice - but my daughter and I prefer them this way!)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or powder
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
For cooking: Neutral flavored oil spray such as avocado or coconut
PUMPKIN NOTE:
Although canned pumpkin is fine to use here, fresh is next level fabulous. If using fresh, choose a “pumpkin pie” pumpkin if possible, although other varieties will work. Cut the pumpkin in half, remove all seeds and stringy parts with a spoon, and cook, face down, in a baking dish, adding about ½ inch of water at the bottom. Bake at 400 F until very soft (use a fork to check for doneness). Allow to cool. Remove the flesh from the skin with a spoon and refrigerate or freeze leftovers for future use. Leftover pumpkin is also wonderful in shakes, biscuits, and pies (duh).
Directions:
Place oats, pumpkin, dates, and water in a blender. Add the flaxmeal, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Blend very well until smooth.
Preheat your waffle iron according to the directions for your model.
Once preheated, spray waffle iron with oil spray and pour about ⅓ cup waffle batter into the center of the waffle iron. Cook for several minutes, or until no traces of steam escape, and the waffle is nicely browned and a little crisp. Please note that your waffle iron may say “done” before the waffles are properly cooked. Ignore the lies and trust your eyes and intuitive abilities. You want a well cooked waffle. It’s what we all want.
Note: Flourless whole food waffles won't get as crisp as ones with oil and sugar, but they should still have a wisp of crisp.
Serve topped with nothing or something. That something could be any of the following:
Fresh apples (or apple cinnamon compote for amazingness)
Date syrup or maple syrup
Nut butter, with or without date syrup, maple syrup, or apples
Vegan yogurt or whipped cream
Anything your sweet little heart desires! These are YOUR damn waffles now and you'll do as you please.
Leftover batter can be stored in the fridge for several days. You may need to thin the batter after it sits a while, as it will become thicker with time.