This gluten free (easily made dairy free) waffles recipe blew us away.  I never thought I’d say this, but I prefer it over all of the gluten-filled waffle recipes that I’ve tried (and I’ve tried several).  They are unbelievably light and airy on the inside (as long as you don’t overfill your waffle maker with batter) and delicately crispy on the outside.  Furthermore, this is a very easy recipe; you don’t need a blender (I don’t recommend using an electric mixer either), and the batter doesn’t need to rest first.  I recommend doubling the recipe and freezing the leftover cooked waffles.  You can toast them until crispy straight from the freezer for a quick and delicious breakfast.  Also, you could make these ahead of time if you’re entertaining a lot of people.

Homemade Waffle Mix and Gift Idea:  Make a large batch of homemade waffle mix by whisking together all of the dry ingredients (use granulated sugar instead of liquid sweetener) and store it in an airtight container.  Then every time you want to make a batch of waffles, simply measure out 2 cups + 2 tablespoons of your waffle mix and add the wet ingredients as per the recipe below.  You could even turn this into a gift.  Put your homemade waffle mix in a cellophane bag, tie it with a pretty ribbon and attach the recipe and instructions.  Just make sure that the recipient owns a waffle maker if you’re not also gifting them with one.

Absolutely Delicious Waffles Recipe (Gluten Free and can be made Dairy Free)

makes at least 4 waffles depending on the size of your waffle maker (I used a Belgian waffle maker); adapted from here

1 1/4 cup rice flour (you can use brown rice flour if you want more fiber)

1/2 cup potato starch (this is Not the same thing as potato flour)

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or use 1 1/2 cups of milk alternative and 1 tbsp lemon juice)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Optional additions:  chocolate chips or fresh blueberries

Optional toppings:  butter and maple syrup; homemade strawberry or blueberry sauce; fruit coulis; strawberries, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a dusting of icing sugar; bananas and nutella sauce; cooked apples and caramel sauce; pears and dulce de leche sauce, etc.  If you have leftover whipped cream, you can freeze it (see here for instructions)!

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the optional additions and toppings.  Mix with a whisk or wooden spoon until you have a smooth batter.  Note that the batter will be thinner than most other waffle recipes.  Don’t worry, it will rise beautifully in the waffle maker.  Gently mix in chocolate chips or blueberries if using.  Use cooking spray to lightly grease your waffle maker and heat it as per your waffle maker’s instructions.  I used a Salton brand, rotary Belgian waffle maker and I had it on the highest heat setting.  Once your waffle maker is hot, pour in one or two ladle fulls of the batter and cook until golden brown, crispy on the outside and cooked through and hot on the inside.  This took me 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Be sure to allow your waffle maker to heat up fully before you make the next waffle.  Also, remove any waffle bits left behind in your waffle maker and spray on more cooking oil between waffles.  Serve immediately with a topping of your choice.  Freeze the cooked leftover waffles.  Toast them from frozen until heated through and crispy on the outside for a quick and delicious breakfast another day.  My toaster isn’t large enough to toast the Belgian waffles whole, so I break them up into quarters and toast the quarters separately.