Ok, ok, before you head for the hills because these waffles are gluten-free, please know it is a happy coincidence!  Since trying the crispiest-ever-rice-flour-coated-fried-chicken at Pinewood Social, I’ve been wanting to play around with rice flour.  If it can make chicken taste that good, what else can it do?  Well let me tell you, the rice flour with coconut oil combo makes these waffles out-of-this-world good.  Fluffy, crispy, and tender all at the same time; they taste so good you can eat them plain.  Don’t have rice flour or coconut oil?  Regular old AP flour and butter (or vegetable oil) will do fine for substitution, but the waffles will not be as crispy or fluffy.

First things first, get your dry ingredients together.  In a medium bowl, whisk together brown (or white) rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set the bowl aside while you ready the wet ingredients.

Please do not be afraid of coconut oil if you’ve never before used it.  It’s true, the first time I used coconut oil I had to phone-a-friend to ask if mine had gone bad because it was solid in the jar.  Yes, it’s supposed to be solid!  Scoop out the amount you need into a measuring cup and then heat it for 30 seconds in the microwave.  It should be completely liquefied without any solids left before you add it to the batter.

Next, while the coconut oil is melting, whisk together the yogurt and milk, along with the egg.  I like to get a big measuring cup, measure 1/2 a cup of the yogurt in and then whisk in the milk until you have a cup’s worth of the total yogurt-milk mixture.  Then beat the egg directly into the same measuring cup with the yogurt-milk mixture.

Add half the dry mixture into the yogurt egg mix and mix until combined but still lumpy.

Add the rest of the dry mixture and mix until all is combined.  A few lumps is ok.  Add the sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until well-combined.  Lastly, drizzle in the melted coconut oil, mixing slowly until it’s no longer shiny and oily on top.  The mixture will be thick and should resemble the consistency of a cake batter when finished.  Let the batter rest on your countertop for 30 minutes.

Preheat and cook waffles according to your waffle maker.  I got a super fancy one for my b-day last year and it takes about 5 1/2 – 6 minutes until done.  Waffles should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  P loves them with peanut butter on top but I like mine with my niece’s super chill bf’s dad’s maple syrup he makes yearly as a hobby.  Seriously, limited edition syrups only, note the special batch number on the jar!

Gluten-Free (And Crazy Good) Waffles

Prep time: 5 minutes
Rest time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 4-6 minutes
Makes: 4-6 waffles

Print This Recipe!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup brown (or white) rice flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (fat-free is ok to use)
• 1/2 cup (give or take) of milk (whatever is on hand, I used whole milk because of baby P)
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set the bowl aside.
2. Whisk together the yogurt and milk.  Add 1/2 cup of yogurt to a large measuring cup, then add milk until the 1 cup mark is reached.  Beat the egg into the milk.
3. Add half the dry mixture into the yogurt egg mix and mix until combined but still lumpy.  Add the rest of the dry mixture and mix until all is combined.  A few lumps is ok.
4. Add the sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until well-combined.  Lastly, drizzle in the coconut oil, mixing slowly until it’s no longer shiny and oily on top.  The mixture should resemble the consistency of a cake batter when finished.
5. Let the batter rest uncovered on a countertop for 30 minutes.
6. Cook waffles according to waffle iron.
7. Serve with fruit, whipped cream, peanut butter, home-tapped maple syrup, Beyoncé tunes, and powdered sugar.
8. Freeze leftover waffles and reheat in the toaster.