Vegan Crispy Buckwheat Waffles (gluten-free)

Last Updated on November 30, 2023

Vegan Crispy Buckwheat Waffles (gluten-free) with fresh mixed berries, dusted with confectioners’ sugar ( icing sugar) on the top, then drizzled with shiny maple syrup…Wow!

These vegan waffles aren’t just crunchy and sweet. They’re also addictive to big kids and small kids!

Yap…I’m the big kid who loves waffles so much. Waffles with chocolate sauce, waffles with ice cream…

When I was a uni student, for a period of time, it used to be waffles for my breakfast afternoon tea, and dinner. That sounds a bit crazy I know~you can call me “Waffle Maniac”!

Vegan Buckwheat Waffle Recipe

Since I started making my own eggless, dairy-free waffles, I found that it was pretty difficult to make vegan waffles stay crispy.

In most recipes I followed, the waffles were only crispy when they just came out of the waffle makers, after 5 minutes…they became soggy…and sad…

I swore to God, that I had to find out a way to make vegan waffles stay crispy…and God answered my prayer after the 4th attempt… I found the secret ingredient for crispy vegan waffles! 😍 

And it’s my mission to share this with you!

The Secret to Crispy Plant-Based Waffles

What’s the secret ingredient that makes my vegan waffles stay crispy?

“Rice Flour” is the secret ingredient for making the crispiest vegan waffles. Rice flour mixed with buckwheat flour or wheat flour will give you crunchy and fluffy vegan waffles.

This is also why rice flour is often used when making tempura batter because it produces a very thin, crispy, and dry crust.

Dry Ingredients

First, you need a waffle maker (I use my mom’s old-fashioned waffle cast Iron).

• Buckwheat Flour – Despite the word “wheat” in its name, buckwheat is a naturally gluten-free food that is related to the rhubarb plant. It is a highly nutritious whole grain that many people consider to be a superfood. Buckwheat does not contain gluten, so for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerances, buckwheat and buckwheat flour are excellent dietary alternatives.

• Rice Flour – Rice flour works particularly well because it cooks up crispier than wheat flour and it also acts as a binding agent. It’s commonly used for tempura, and this will create a similar lacy, crunchy texture. Rice flour also works as the binding agent in this recipe.

• Baking Powder – Unlike baking soda( Bicarbonate Soda), baking powder is a complete leavening agent, meaning it contains both the base (sodium bicarbonate) and acid needed for the product to rise. P.S. Baking powder has baking soda and an acid, a cream of tartar, which reacts with moisture.

• Salt – a pinch of salt when making sweets will bring the sweet taste up to a different level, but only a pinch, not too much salt. Otherwise, you will end up making savory waffles!

Wet Ingredients

• Plant-Based Milk– you can pick the plant-based milk that you like. If you want nut-free, you can pick soy milk or oat milk. If you want soy-free, then you can pick almonds, macadamia…vice versa…

• Maple Syrup– or 3 tablespoons of organic sugar. This waffle recipe is not sweet, that’s because we gonna serve it with confectioners’ sugar ( icing sugar) and more maple syrup!

• Vanilla extract– or vanilla bean paste, pick a good quality one is very important!

• Oil– good quality, neutral-flavored oil, such as grapeseed oil.

• Toppings– fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, kiwi fruit, banana…then drizzle with more maple syrup!

Have you got all the ingredients ready? Alright! Let’s get started!

How to make Buckwheat Vegan Waffles?

1. Preheat your electric waffle maker( or medium heat on the waffle cast iron). Meanwhile, grab a mixing bowl, pour in all the wet ingredients (plant-based milk, oil, vanilla extract, and maple syrup or sugar), and whisk them together.

2. Using a sieve, sift all the dry ingredients(buckwheat flour, rice flour, baking powder, and salt) into the wet mixture. P.S. The reason why we sift dry ingredients, is to help remove the larger particles. It also brings air into the dry ingredients, making the waffles fluffier. 

3. Whisk dry and wet ingredients together until there are no lumps remaining.

4. Covered the batter with a clean tea towel, and let it rest for 5 minutes. (Waffles will turn out lighter and fluffier)

5. Spray or brush a bit of oil onto the waffle maker( or iron) then pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron plates, close the waffle iron, and cook until the waffles are barely letting off steam and they are lightly crisp to the touch ( the cooking time is longer if you use a waffle cast iron)

6. Carefully lift the waffles out of the waffle iron by using a pair of tongs. Serve immediately or place in the oven( around 180 degrees Fahrenheit) to keep warm. When served, dusted with confectioners’ sugar icing sugar) then topped with fresh fruits, granola clusters, maple syrup, or gingerbread syrup.

How to store

I always make a big batch of vegan buckwheat waffles at once. Portion them into freezer bags then go into the freezer.

By doing so, every time I need them, simply take them out of the freezer and pop them straight into the air-fryer to reheat (320 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes).

Check out other easy vegan sweets: Vegan Lemon Cupcakes, and Vegan Cinnamon Banana.

More Easy Vegan Sweets