I am so so so excited about this recipe! I have been playing around with this recipe or some version of it for months. I made it once on a whim, first time I had ever tried and I didn’t measure too accurately and they came out perfectly. I have tried several times since to recreate it, each time without success. It has been a while since I tried, since I tend to get really frustrated when it’s just not working and I know it should. However, yesterday morning was my day! I went back to yoga first thing in the morning for an 8:30am vinyasa class, after a week off due to a slight injury and I couldn’t wait to get home to make these for breakfast. Fully expecting another crumbled, annoying mess, I didn’t really make a big deal about making these. But, alas, the stars aligned, I got my measurements on point and it all just worked! I love that.

Admittedly, one waffle, the first one, was sacrificed for the greater good of this recipe. I tried to open the waffle iron and take it out after just 3 minutes (which seems to usually be the sweet spot with my waffle iron) and it just wasn’t happening. The waffle stuck to either side of the iron and split into two halves when I opened it. That was when I realized I need to give it another minute or two. The remnants of that sacrificed waffle were still edible, so just know on your first time making these, you may lose the first one while learning that perfect time for your iron and this recipe.

I always have different gluten-free all-purpose flour blends on hand, whether pre-mixed or custom made with my own blends of flours and starches. This time I used Bob’s Red Mill since that is what I had on hand. It worked out perfectly. I cannot wait to try this again with one of my multi-grain blends, maybe something with teff, sorghum and/or buckwheat flours. I also can’t wait to try this with applesauce instead of banana for an apple cinnamon waffle.

These waffles are wonderfully fluffy with the perfect amount of golden browned crispiness to the outside. From what I have read about most waffle irons, that nice golden brown outside is achieved by using cooking oil instead of cooking spray to grease your iron. I used grapessed oil and I greased it right before I started and again in the middle of making these, after I made the first two. I decided to use some of the Pure Liquid Clear Stevia I received from NuNaturals, to lightly sweeten them. There is some natural sweetness that will come from the bananas, so if you want to skip a sweetener or use a little maple syrup or honey instead of stevia, that will work, too.

When serving, you can certainly drown these in your favorite local maple syrup and a pat of your favorite butter-alternative, or maybe some non-dairy whipped topping, (like whipped coconut milk). Or, you can just eat them as is, warm, topped with fresh bananas and chopped pecans. Feel free to use whatever your favorite nut is, or maybe try adding in some mini chocolate chips instead, or in addition to. This waffle would also be delicious sectioned into the little wedges and served warm, 1 or 2 of the wedges per person, topped with your favorite ice cream!

[print_this]Banana Pecan Waffles – Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free
makes 4 large Belgium style waffles – may make more depending on the size of your waffle iron

• 1 large or 2 small organic banana(s), mashed – you are looking to get approximately 1 cup
• 1 3/4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other non-dairy milk) – make sure it is room temperature, not cold
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 10-15 drops liquid stevia (or you could use approx. 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or another liquid sweetener of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped unsalted pecans (or any other nut of your choice. mini chocolate chips would be really good, too)

Topping:

• 1 banana sliced
• 1/4 cup of roughly chopped pecans
• butter, ghee or coconut butter
• maple syrup
• or anything else you might like.

Preheat your waffle iron. Make sure it is properly greased with cooking oil or non-stick spray. I drizzled a bit of grape seed oil on mine and made sure to spread it around. Cooking oil will give your waffles a nice golden outside that you won’t get with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, almond milk and melted coconut oil. Be sure your almond milk isn’t too cold or it will solidify the melted coconut oil. Add in your stevia and vanilla extract and give it a good stir.

Then add in the flour, baking powder, sea salt and nutmeg. Mix very well to combine, then fold in the chopped pecans or other goodies. Allow the batter to sit for 3-5 minutes.

Add 3/4 – 1 cup of batter to your hot waffle iron. Cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on your machine’s instructions. Mine took just over 4 minutes. Any less for me and the waffle would stick to either side of the iron and come apart in two when I opened it to check on it.

You can make as many waffles as you’d like and just store the remaining batter in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. You can also store any uneaten but already made waffles in an airtight freezer bag, either in the refrigerator or in the freezer and you can just heat one up in the microwave and/or toaster oven when you are ready to eat it.

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