Does brunch really get any better than giant belgian waffles? I’m pretty obsessed with these – they are big and can easily be cut into quarters and shared family style, although I have a hard time not polishing off one myself (no shame!).  These guys are your friends on lazy weekends when all you want to do is stay inside in slippers but they also freeze well if you need an extra special treat on a weekday or feel like having an extra lazy weekend without breaking out the waffle iron.

You already know that I love chia jam – it’s so easy and has none of the sugars and preservatives like most of the stuff you’ll find in the store. This version is more like a sauce and takes the place of maple syrup all together.  It’s so good I’ve found a way to incorporate it into every breakfast this week… on top of coconut yogurt, chia puddings, overnight oats, and even as smoothie topping.

As a bonus, these waffles are packed with good-for-you grains in the form of gluten free oats. Add in another nutrition punch by swapping out some of the oat flour with a hearty gluten free flour like buckwheat or sorghum.

It’s going to be a long time before I ever let my waffle iron get dusty again!

 

 

 

belgian waffles with strawberry chia jam
Ingredients
Makes 4 waffles
  • 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (plus more for thinning batter)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup mashed banana (about 2 small or 1 1/2 large bananas)
  • 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus more for waffle pan
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon pink salt

Strawberry chia jam

  • 10 large strawberries, stems removed
  • Squeeze of lemon
  • Dash of maple syrup
  • Dash of pure vanilla
  • Pinch of pink salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds

Top with: additional strawberries, sliced banana and hemp hearts.

Method

Combine all ingredients together in the blender for the strawberry sauce (minus the chia seeds) and blend until smooth. It will be helpful if you have a toggle in your blender for this. Strain into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Taste and adjust lemon/maple syrup as desired. Stir in the chia seeds and set aside while you make the pancakes.

In a medium bowl, combine milk and lemon juice and set aside for 5 minutes. This will create your “buttermilk”. Preheat waffle iron.

Grind 1/2 cup of the oats in a food processor or Vitamix until coarsely ground and place into a different medium bowl. Add the remaining oats, oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; stir to combine.

Add the mashed banana, coconut oil, and maple syrup to the milk and stir well. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add more milk a couple tablespoons at a time if the mixture appears too thick.

Coat the top and bottom of waffle iron with coconut oil and spoon in approx 3/4 cup of batter for each waffle (it may be 1/2 cup – 1 cup depending on the size of your waffle maker). Cook for a few minutes or until top is crispy and golden. Remove and repeat with remaining batter, oiling the waffle iron between batches.

Serve with strawberry syrup, additional sliced fruit + hemp hearts. Enjoy!

Note: This waffle recipe is adapted from the brilliant Amy Chaplin and her vegan and gluten free pumpkin oat waffles. I’ve found that I can sub the oat flour for a number of gluten free flours and it is relatively fool proof so feel free to try out your favorite gf flour like buckwheat or sorghum.