Banana Rolled Oat Waffles

These waffles break every traditional waffle rule and still come out delicious. No flour, no eggs, no dairy, no oil, no leavening. Just rolled oats, a ripe banana, water, salt, sugar and vanilla blended together and poured into a hot waffle iron. The result is a waffle that’s surprisingly crisp on the outside, tender in the middle, and naturally sweet from the banana.

The rest is the critical step that the recipe glosses over. Letting the blended batter sit a few minutes lets the oats absorb the water and thicken into a proper waffle-batter consistency. Skipping this step means a runny batter that leaks out of the iron edges and produces thin, papery waffles instead of substantial ones.

A ripe, spotty banana is doing important work here. The browner the banana, the more sugar it has converted from starch, and the more flavor and natural sweetness the waffles will have. Underripe yellow bananas with no spots produce flavorless, slightly bitter waffles.

The waffle iron has to be non-stick or well-seasoned. With no oil or butter in the batter, these waffles stick aggressively to a regular cast iron. A modern non-stick waffle iron is the right tool, and even then a light spray of oil between waffles is good insurance.

Pro Tips

• Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats or steel-cut. Quick oats absorb too fast and turn gummy; steel-cut won’t blend smooth enough.
• Blend until completely smooth, at least 60 seconds, for the best texture.
• Cook a little longer than you think. These waffles need 4 to 5 minutes versus the usual 3 minutes for batter waffles.
• Don’t open the iron before the steam stops. Opening too early tears the waffle in half.

Variations

• Stir in ¼ cup of frozen blueberries or chopped strawberries before pouring into the iron.
• Add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder for chocolate-banana waffles.
• Top with peanut butter, sliced banana and a drizzle of maple syrup for a full meal.
• Substitute almond milk or oat milk for the water for a richer waffle.