Surprise: You don’t need eggs, oil, or dairy to make waffles or pancakes. Here, rolled oats are ground into a coarse flour for tender, textured waffles rich in nutty oatmeal flavor. The batter is thick so that it will hold its shape in a waffle iron, but you can also thin it with more plant milk to make it pourable enough for pancakes. For a healthy alternative to pancake syrup, try blending 2 cups of fresh berries into a smooth purée, then spooning it over your oat waffles.

By Rip Esselstyn,

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups rolled oats
  • ¼ cup ground flaxseeds
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1½ cups unsweetened almond or oat milk
  • ⅓ cup mashed banana
  • Sliced bananas or other fresh fruit

Instructions

  • Combine the oats, flaxseeds, lemon zest, and cinnamon in a food processor or blender. Process or blend until a powder forms.
  • Transfer oat mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the almond milk and mashed banana, just until moistened (batter will be fairly thick).
  • Preheat a nonstick waffle iron. Pour the batter into waffle iron and close lid quickly; do not open until done. Cook according to waffle iron directions. When done, use a fork or a wooden chopstick to lift waffle off the grid. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm with sliced bananas.

Comments (28)

(4 from 15 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Lily

I LOVE these waffles. They just taste and feel so healthy - great way to start your day. In regards to some of the comments about taste and texture - these aren’t regular light and fluffy waffles. They’re dense, grainy and so filling. I top mine with 7 Nut PB mixed with a little syrup. Amazing! My husband, not a waffle type of guy loves these. He tops his with fruit and date syrup. I feel that they satisfy a sweet tooth if needed and again, seeping with a “healthy feel” - coming from a former Eggo eater :). Also very easy recipe to tweak and experiment with. I coat my waffle iron well with spray olive oil and this is one of the few waffle recipes that doesn’t stick or split. They definitely take much longer to cook so make sure to give them plenty of time. Highly recommend!!!

Katie

Easy to make; batter becomes very pasty as it sits; these need to cook longer than traditional waffles. Not much flavor; you do get a hit of the lemon but then nothing. Because my waffles separated when cooking, I approached it more as english muffin and spread peanut butter and topped it with bananas…good but reminded me of a rice cake‍♀️

sandra plourde

any suggestions on substitute for the bananas that doesn't have flavor. I would like to make these into hamburger buns. I have a mini round flat waffle maker.

Gab

The taste is ok. But this recipe doesn’t do well in a standing waffle iron. I constantly had to add milk and I also added baking powder. Not a redo for me. Good try though

Noemi

Yum! These are tasty - just slightly sweet, with a nice crunch. I did add the juice of the lemon after I zested it, and a little bit of baking powder per someone's suggestion.

Vicki

These are wonderful thank you very much Rip and FOK!! With reading the reviews on how dense these are, I grined 2 1/4 cup oats instead of 2 1/2, had some clementines so used that instead of Lemon for zest, added vanilla (just poured some in) and used Elmhurst Oat Nog as we had some left unopened from the holidays also doubled the cinnamon. My husband and I got 3 Belgium waffles out of this needing to add a little more milk between cooking the first and second. We loved these!! New favorite waffles in our house :)!!

Marilyn

I added one half more banana, orange zest and juice from one orange, bit of vanilla, and hempseed’s instead of flaxseeds. Relatively light and very tasty with mashed bananas on top! Delish!

Marilyn

I added one half more banana, orange zest and its juice, and hempseeds instead of flaxseed. Turned out very tender and relatively light. Delicious!

Trent

I loved this recipe I basically cut it in half and ate it for breakfast and loved it!

Didi

The lemon zest really added brightness to the waffles! We drizzled them with a little bit of date syrup and with bananas on top it was delish!

Victoria

It was good for meal prepping as well! I added a tiny bit of baking poweder and they maintained crispiness! For meal prepping I made a whole bunch and would keep in the freezer, to reheat I put them in the toaster so I could have something healthy every morning!

Noemi

Thank you! That's a great idea!

Gordon

Thank you Mrs Esselstein!

Daniel Saba

I use flavored seltzer water instead of almondmilk. Excellent. Been doing this for 30 years

Susan

thank you! I limit my non dairy milk use for my diabetic eating plan, so this idea is very helpful!

Kim Liebbe

See comment below

Kim Liebbe

Most FOK are amazing!! Sadly, this one is not. I agree with the "glutinous cardboard" comment - they were dense with no flavor. Even adding extra banana and vanilla didn't help.

Ruth Joy Michaelis

Very dense, a bit like glutinous cardboard. Healthy though.

Tim

Very easy to make. Good taste. Sturdy. Very sturdy. When eating these, I feel like I am doing the right thing. Doing the right thing is not always a walk in the park, but I would take that walk again.

Laura M

Where can I find the nutrition info for these recipes?

Theresa

Hello, Great recipe. Thanks.;>}

Barbara Meyer

What can you use in place of lemon zest?

Carol konyha

I just omit it! This recipe is very forgiving!

Giget

What can use yo replace flaxseed

Sandra L

can you substitute anything for the mashed banana?

Larissa D

Try applesauce and see how that works.

Jacqui

1/2 cup Applesauce worked great!

Donna

Very good and filling

About the Author

Headshot of Rip Esselstyn

About the Author

Rip Esselstyn

Rip Esselstyn, son of Caldwell Esselstyn, MD, was a firefighter in the Austin Fire Department when he discovered dangerously high cholesterol levels among his firefighter comrades. He led a stationwide revolution of dietary change that resulted in markedly better health, which he detailed in his bestselling book, The Engine 2 Diet. Visit PlantStrong.com and follow him on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
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