Whole Grain Blender Waffles are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with a nice mild tart flavor that works so well with berries and syrup. Or for a special treat, whip up some fresh homemade whipped cream! Mmmm!
This recipe is an adaptation of Sue Gregg’s famous blender waffle recipe. It calls for whole grains, not flour, which you grind in your blender and then soak to create delicious and nutritious whole-grain waffles. Check out the photo tutorial below for step-by-step instructions.
If you’re new to soaking, check out “How to Soak Grains for Optimal Nutrition.” At first, it may seem strange soaking your flour, but do it just one time and you’ll be hooked on how easy, delicious and nutritious it is!
Blender Waffle Tutorial:
1) Place all ingredients in your blender or VitaMix in order listed. Be sure to securely place lid on your blender before turning it on. Then once it’s on and blending, remove cover and check to see that you have a good vortex forming in center of batter, as shown above. Allow to blend for about 2-3 minutes to ensure grains are well ground.
2) If you lose the vortex while the blender is still grinding your grains, just slowly add a little Kefir (or buttermilk) until it reappears.
3) Cover blender and place in warm area of your kitchen for 12-24 to soak.
4) After soaking is complete, add egg (use a spoon to move the egg to the bottom of the blender before turning it on), begin blending with cover on, then remove cover and check that you have the vortex, if not, add a little Kefir (or buttermilk) until you do. Then add the rising agents and blend just a minute to mix in.
5) Pour finished batter into hot, well-oiled waffle iron. Bake 4 minutes and serve immediately – nice and hot! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups organic whole milk Kefir or cultured buttermilk (may need more to thin batter)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp organic maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup organic whole kamut berries, or spelt berries (or substitute with 1 1/2 cups kamut or spelt flour)
- 1/2 cup organic rolled oats (not quick cook)
- 2 tbsp flax seeds (or ground flax seed meal)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Place above ingredients into your blender, or VitaMix, in order listed and thoroughly blend on high. The secret to light and tender waffles is to keep the batter relatively thin and well blended. So when blending the batter, it should create a vortex (swirl in the center that looks like a whirlpool). If it doesn’t, slowly add more Kefir (or buttermilk) until the vortex appears. Cover blender and allow ingredients to soak for 12-24 hours. (See blender waffle photo tutorial above for details.)
- Once soaking time is completed, preheat waffle iron to highest setting. In a small dish combine baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. Also in a small dish, add two tablespoons of melted coconut oil or olive oil for use in oiling the waffle iron.
- To complete the waffle batter, add the egg and reblend on highest speed for approximately one minute; making sure to use additional Kefir (or buttermilk), if batter needs thinning (to create vortex). Next, briefly but thoroughly, blend in the baking powder mixture.
- Pour finished batter into well-oiled hot waffle iron. Bake about four minutes, until crispy.
- Top with fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Recipe inspired by Passionate Homemaking.
Can this be done in a food processor? And can I use wheat berries?
I have tried this recipe in a blender, but not a food processor. I’m not sure that the blade on the food processor will grind the grain well, since I haven’t personally tried it. Do you typically grind your wheat berries into flour using the food processor. If so, then you could give it a try for this recipe. And yes, you could certainly substitute wheat berries for kamut berries. Hope you enjoy this, Trisha! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Thanks Kelly. I haven’t tried grinding wheat berries in my food processor. Like you, I don’t know if it would work. I’m thinking I might be able to soak the berries over night first to soften them up a bit. I’ll experiment and see what happens.
Blessings to you as well!
Trisha
These were awesome! Will definitely make them again. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge and meal planning skills!!!!
So glad you all enjoyed these, Denise! My pleasure to share! Thanks for taking time to leave a kind note! Blessings, Kelly
I have a daughter with an egg allergy do you think I could leave out the egg? I know flax can be used as an egg replacement and your recipe already calls for it. Also thank you for your wonderful blog!
Hi, Hope. Since the eggs in this recipe are primarily a leavening agent, I’d suggest you use my friend Adrienne’s egg replacement for those with egg allergies. In fact, her site is a great resource for those living with allergies. Here’s a link to her article/recipe: http://wholenewmom.com/recipes/energ-egg-substitute-egg-replacer-without-eggs/
Lots of blessings to you, Kelly 🙂
Hi Kelly, I don’t have quality buttermilk or kefir. Could I substitute these with either whole raw milk or homemade raw milk yogurt? Thanks so much!
Yes, raw whole milk would work fine. Just won’t have the characteristic buttermilk flavor. Have you tried making buttermilk? It’s super easy. 🙂
I have an intolerance to dairy so I can’t have milk or yogurt. Do you have a suggestions for a substitute for the buttermilk or Kefir? I usually use almond milk or coconut milk in my recipes but they don’t give me a thickening agent to work with. Thanks! 🙂
Hi, Kerri. I haven’t tried it myself for this recipe, but you could try using coconut milk with vinegar as a sub for buttermilk. Here’s a link that explains:
http://thecoconutmama.com/2012/11/dairy-free-buttermilk-replacement/
Hope this helps. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Do I need to soak if I have sprouted spelt flour or just soak the oatmeal?
Hi, Leslee. Sprouting does help to reduce phytates, but not as much as soaking does. Personally, I do not soak sprouted flour since some of the phytates are removed during the sprouting process. However, for individuals with health issues that are aggravated by phytates, or are following a low phytate diet, you may wish to soak sprouted flour. With this recipe, it’s probably best to soak the whole thing together. I haven’t tried just soaking the oats and then adding in sprouted flour. 🙂
We’ve been looking for a healthy way to make waffles as waffles are a Sunday morning tradition in our family! We’ve made these 2 weeks in a row! They are delicious! Thank you! Next week we are going to try and half the recipe. It makes a lot of waffles! Have you tried that? Any tips?
Hi, Kristin. Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note. So happy to hear you and your family are enjoying this recipe. I haven’t tried to half this recipe – maybe because I save any leftovers for breakfast the next morning. Of course with two pre-teen boys, leftover can be hard to come by. 🙂 But I’m sure that making a half-batch would work just fine. Just cut all ingredients in half, of course. 🙂 Blessings, Kelly
Einkorn does not work. 🙁
These were a hit with the whole family! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Thanks, Jenn! So glad you all enjoyed this! 🙂
Is your waffle maker Teflon free? Or do you know if there is one out there that is?
I certainly understand your concern with using Teflon cookware. I do not recommend using it, especially in the case of everyday cooking, which is why I personally use all-clad, ceramic and glass cookware EXCEPT for my waffle iron. I have not yet replaced it since we only use it on occasion, although I would like to. I haven’t personally used this waffle iron, so I would love reader feedback, but this is the one I have taken a look at on Amazon (this is not an affiliate link): http://www.amazon.com/Oster-CKSTWFBF22-ECO-DuraCeramic-Waffle-Stainless/dp/B00COVHNWG Blessings, Kelly
Hi Kelly,
I am new to your site and am LOVING IT! Do you know if there is a way to make these GF? Would steel cut oats be a good replacer for the spelt berries? Don’t laugh if that is a terrible idea! : )
Hi, Aubrey. Welcome to The Nourishing Home. As you’ve discovered I do still have some of my soaked grain recipes on the blog from back when I was not GF. Rather than try to tweak a recipe specifically created using soaked grain flour. I would recommend using my almond flour pancake recipe to make waffles – they are delicious in the waffle maker. Or you could also try Danielle’s waffles at Against All Grain. Blessings, Kelly
• My Almond Flour Pancakes recipe: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/05/fluffy-little-almond-flour-pancakes/
• Grain-Free Waffles (Against All Grain): http://www.againstallgrain.com/2012/06/21/grain-free-waffles/
I am just wondering if you have frozen these to reheat later. Do they keep their texture well? I like to stock my freezer with yummy things!
Yes, these can be frozen and then reheated on low heat in the toaster oven. To avoid burning, it’s best to thaw them in the fridge overnight, if you froze them, that way they will cook through more evenly without the outside burning. 🙂
These are so good. Light and fluffy and still possible to get that slight crunch we all love. I was skeptical about mixing whole berries in a blender, but it worked fine. I used buckwheat grouts, and they came out perfect. I did add a little more maple syrup because I like to make batches to freeze and “heat and go” and I still want the sweetness without extra syrup on top. Love these!!! Thank you!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Great idea to mix in the fruit. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind note! 🙂