breakfast Featured gluten-free pancakes/waffles/french toast vegan

Coconut Waffles – Vegan and Gluten-Free

March 8, 2022

These coconut waffles are made with coconut flour and chia seeds making the ultimate healthy breakfast recipe everyone can enjoy. No dairy or eggs required! Vegan and gluten-free.

Plate of stacked coconut waffles topped with berries and shredded coconut. Hand pouring a drizzle of maple syrup over waffles.

These coconut waffles came together quite seamlessly. This is how the conversation went Sunday morning. “Sweet or savoury?”…”Sweet” …”pancakes or waffles?”….”waffles” …”chocolate, coconut or carrot?”…”coconut”. It was that simple. I decided to challenge myself and make them gluten-free and vegan so as many people as possible could enjoy them!

These are SERIOUSLY good. Topped with banana, almond coconut butter and coconut flakes. This breakfast made me feel like I was dining in Hawaii. If you are also a big coconut fan or are just in need of a taste of the tropics then you should absolutely make these Coconut Waffles!

Stack of coconut waffles on a plate topped with fresh berries and shredded coconut.

Here’s What You Need

  • chia seeds – to make a chia egg by mixing with warm water.
  • coconut flour – the base of this recipe. I love that coconut flour adds a little extra coconut flavor and sweetness.
  • oat flour – make your own by grinding oats or use store-bought oat flour. Gluten-free all-purpose flour also works.
  • unsweetened coconut flakes – to play up the coconut flavor! Make sure you grab unsweetened coconut flakes.
  • baking powder – helps the waffles rise a bit.
  • cinnamon – the perfect spice pairing.
  • vanilla – a flavor enhancer.
  • maple syrup – adding just a hint of natural sweetness to the batter. I obviously love topping with more maple syrup as well!
  • coconut oil – some oil will be mixed into the batter and some will be used to grease the waffle iron.
  • lite coconut milk – the main liquid source in these waffles. I used light coconut milk which wasn’t too thick but still added coconut flavor. Any dairy-free milk would work here.
  • pinch of salt – to bring all of the flavors together.

Overhead shot of a baking sheet with coconut waffles scattered around pan.

How to Make a Chia Egg

In order to keep this recipe vegan, we used chia seeds in place of eggs. Chia seeds can make a great vegan binding agent because they create a gel-like consistency when mixed with water. This helps to bind the vegan coconut waffles together so that they keep their shape and get the same crispiness that regular waffles do. Here’s how to make a chia egg:

Combine 1 part chia seed to 3 parts warm water. In the case of this recipe, we’ll use 2 tbsp of chia seeds and 6 tbsp of warm water. You need to let the chia egg side in a small bowl for 5-10 minutes to allow the chia eggs to absorb the water. Once they are gel like and hold together you know the chia egg is ready to be mixed in.

How to Make Coconut Waffles

STEP 1: Whisk together the chia egg and set aside to let it gelatinize.

STEP 2: Combine the dry ingredients (coconut flour, oat flour, coconut flakes, baking powder, cinnamon and salt) in a large bowl.

STEP 3: Melt the coconut oil and combine with the vanilla, maple syrup and coconut milk. Add in the chia egg.

STEP 4: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The waffle batter will be thick!

STEP 5: Spray a preheated waffle iron with non-stick spray or grease with melted coconut oil. Add the matter to the iron and follow the waffle iron instructions to tell you when the waffle is done.

How to Serve Coconut Waffles

Top the waffles with any mixing of choice! Here are some ideas I love:

  • bananas or fresh berries
  • almond butter or coconut butter
  • maple syrup
  • shredded coconut
Print

Coconut Waffles – Vegan and Gluten-Free

  • Author: Davida Lederle
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Total Time: 30
  • Yield: 5 large waffles 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds (mixed with 6 tbsp warm water)-to make chia egg
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of coconut flour
  • 1 cup of oat flour (ground oats) – gluten-free flour works here too
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (plus more for greasing waffle-iron)
  • 1 1/2 cups lite coconut milk
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Turn on waffle-iron and let heat up.
  2. Whisk together chia egg and let sit.
  3. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.
  4. Melt coconut oil and combine with vanilla, maple syrup, and coconut milk. Add in chia egg.
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Waffle batter will be thick.
  6. Spray waffle iron with non-stick spray or grease using melted coconut oil.
  7. Add batter to iron and follow waffle iron instructions to tell you when the waffle is done.
  8. Top with mixings of choice. I like bananas and almond butter but maple syrup is also delicious!

Like this recipe? Here are a few others you might enjoy:

Healthy Carrot Cake Waffles
Sweet Potato Blueberry Waffles
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Waffles

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  • Reply
    Monica
    March 14, 2022 at 12:34 pm

    Hi Davida, thanks for sharing this recipe. It was really good and delicious.
    I wished there was a way to save specific recipes from your website and make a list or use another way to mark them so it will be easier to access them in the future . Does it make sense?
    Thanks again for sharing all your lovely recipes with us.

  • Reply
    Momo
    August 4, 2021 at 6:59 pm

    Sooo good, I topped it with bananas, sliced almonds and used date syrup. Healthy and delicious.

  • Reply
    Corinne
    May 23, 2020 at 7:24 am

    Just made these, absolutely delicious ?!!!

    • Reply
      Davida Lederle
      May 25, 2020 at 2:14 pm

      Glad to hear it, Corinne!

  • Reply
    Christa
    May 11, 2020 at 12:45 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I made this morning for my family and we all loved it! So tasty and just the right amount of sweetness.

    • Reply
      Davida Lederle
      May 12, 2020 at 12:12 am

      So happy to hear that!

  • Reply
    Bre
    April 29, 2020 at 10:08 pm

    What are the nutrition facts on this recipe?

    I’ve been on a coconut flour pancake kick lately, but just got a waffle maker as a housewarming, this is a great recipe to try! Thanks for the help!

  • Reply
    Clarissa
    February 9, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    Can I use just a plain regular egg?

    • Reply
      Davida Lederle
      February 9, 2020 at 4:35 pm

      Yes!

  • Reply
    Dominic Montano
    January 1, 2020 at 10:58 am

    This recipe sucks. It’s just a pile of mush in my waffle maker. Not crispy. I don’t even know if it’s cooked all the way through.

  • Reply
    Tanya Taylor
    May 1, 2019 at 11:32 am

    What can I substitute coconut flakes with?

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