It’s almost fall and the anticipation of it all is turning me into somewhat of a romantic.
One of my favorite fall memories took place two years ago. John was still in law school and we’d gone to church with some friends in Lawrence – the city that’d become our literal oasis during our dreadful 2-year stay in the state capitol. It was the first day with a substantial chill. The leaves were in glorious transition to gold and red and appeared like a carefully-painted landscape along the highway as we made the lazy drive back home. Greg Laswell was blaring, numbing our ears, and I felt gratitude welling up in me like a tide, and it was all I could do not to cry. But I did, for quite some time. I wasn’t sad; I had inexplicable joy.
Fall has a way of doing that inside me. It provides relief, a sense of newness, coats and scarves, and my heavens does it provide ample opportunities for baking.
One of my favorite fall flavors is cornbread, paired with chili and toasted into croutons for hearty salads – I could eat the stuff every day. I only tried blue cornmeal for the first time last year and fell in love. Its slightly grainier texture and brilliant color make it perfect for baking into hearty breakfast treats, muffins and breads galore.
Blue cornmeal gets its gorgeous hue from anthocyanins: water-soluble pigments that also act as powerful antioxidants, making blue corn a super healthy food to add to your diet this fall.
Some Native American tribes grew blue cornmeal because the color had religious significance to them. And some tribes, including the Hopi, Navajo, and other Pueblo Indians used it for making tortillas (source).
These waffles are so simple to make, requiring just 1 bowl and about 30 minutes. They’re also vegan and gluten free.
I love the texture of these guys. Super grainy and ultra crispy, and just slightly sweet. They make the perfect vessel for butter and maple syrup, as well as bananas and fruit compotes like blueberry. Make them even heartier by serving a fried egg on top, or with almond or peanut butter.
Plus, they freeze well and toast up perfectly, making them especially convenient for quick breakfasts and lunches on the go.
So bring on the waffles this fall. And the cornbread. I’m already getting beyond excited to dwell in the kitchen as the temps drop to create tons of new soul-warming dishes in this space. Here’s to a lovely start.
Simple Blue Cornmeal Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar
- 1/4 cup non-dairy butter (melted // or sub coconut oil)
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
- 1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
- 3/4 cup blue cornmeal
- 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Combine almond milk and lemon juice in a large liquid measuring cup and let set for a few minutes to curdle/activate. Then add melted butter, vanilla extract and agave nectar and whisk. Set aside.
- Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until well incorporated. Let set for 10-15 minutes while your waffle iron preheats.
- Once waffle iron is hot, generously coat with non-stick spray and pour on about 1/2 cup of batter. Cook according to manufacturer instructions and then remove and place on a baking rack in a 200 degree oven to keep warm. Do not stack – instead, keep them in a single layer to ensure crispiness remains.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings. Store leftovers in a freezer safe bag and reheat in the toaster for best results. Will keep in the freezer for up to a couple months, although they’re best within the first couple weeks.
Shifra says
Can I use yellow cornmeal?
Yes!
Kristen says
Thank you for this recipe. I generally followed your recipe for amounts, but substituted with hazelnut flour, buckwheat flour, and white flour. It was not gluten free of course. But I’m from New Mexico and I was having a serious hankering for some blue corn. It was delicious with a fried egg and some fresh cherry infused maple syrup from a friend.
Yummm, sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing, Kristen! xoxo
Kathleen says
I recently tasted a blue corn waffle when I made a trip to Albuquerque. My GD didn’t like it so I tried hers. Sooo delicious! I eat WFPBNSOS. I’m wondering: if I substitute apple sauce or a nut butter for the oil, will the texture be okay
Hi Kathleen, hmm, we aren’t sure if that would work here. They would likely be more dense and not crispy on the outside. You may also run into issues with it sticking to the waffle iron. Let us know if you try it!
Amy Adkins says
Do you have a favorite brand for the blue cornmeal?
We have used the Marsh Hen Mill blue cornmeal and enjoyed it!
Javonni says
I put this together last night added some water this morning to loosen it up and put them in the waffle iron. They were so delicious! I made the rest and put them in the freezer. Can’t wait until tomorrow morning to have another one! Thank you for the recipe. There aren’t enough blue cornmeal recipes. I just love blue cornmeal. Have a wonderful day!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Javonni! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xoxo
Javonni says
Could I mix these up the night before, then just put them on the hot iron in the morning?
Hi Javonni! We haven’t tried making the batter the night before for this recipe, but we think it could work. It might absorb extra liquid through the night, so if anything you may want to loosen it slightly with some non-dairy milk before cooking. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! xo
r3cycl3r says
These were amazing!! Used spelt flour, and used a 1-1 blend of flour and cornmeal, no agave or sugar, oat milk instead of almond, but everything else was the same. Sooooo goood!! This will be my go-to recipe from now on.
Yum! Thanks for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Amy says
I made blue corn pancakes before but this time I borrowed a waffle maker. I use half cup each of organic blue corn flour, almond flour and organic oat flour with some avocado oil and it turned out better than I expected. I used two eggs and mixed with my homemade almond milk, didn’t put any sugar in the batch. we topped with blueberries and maple syrup. it was delicious…..
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Amy! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Caroline says
I just made these and I don’t have enough superlatives to describe them! This was my first venture with blue cornmeal, which I had sitting in my pantry for a while. I made some subs, making them non-vegan: real butter (a little less), homemade whole milk kefir, added about 1/3 C milk to thin it and also added an egg at the very end because I forgot I was going to substitute for the flax. They are sublimely delicious just plain and the crisp texture is beyond description. Kids loved them too!
Thanks for sharing, Caroline!
Avni says
As for others, my batter was way too thick and the waffles were coming out pretty tough. Added about 1/4-1/2 cup more of almond milk and lowered the heat of my iron, and cooked until they were still mostly purple and just a bit brown instead of dark brown like in the photos. That helped a lot. They tasted slightly bitter, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with more syrup.
Note: I used all-purpose flour instead of GF, and I used Smart Balance butter.
I’ll be trying this again to see if I can get them to a be a little softer… I think blueberries would taste great in this, too. Any advice on how to make these softer/not tough would be appreciated!
Ceci says
I really liked this recipe! It was my second experiment with GF cornmeal waffles and these are much heartier than the previous. Like some other posters here i also had trouble with the thickness of the mixture and added some water. My question is.. is the flaxseed an egg substitute? If so do you think using one egg instead work as well?
Thanks!
See here!
Rachel says
I love all your recipes and make tons of them. I’m wondering how this could be changed into a pancake recipe? I don’t have a waffle maker but am searching for a good blue corn pancake recipe. Living in New Mexico for quite sometime, I’m a big fan of blue corn anything. :)
Chessie says
I was just about to ask this question (about using this recipe to make cornmeal pancakes). My kitchen is tiny and I don’t have room for a waffle iron. Thanks!
We haven’t tried these as pancakes, but a few other readers have and had good results! In earlier comments, Katherine mentioned she added extra almond milk and water at the end! Hope that helps!
Tierney says
These look amazing! Could I also use yellow cornmeal (because that’s what I have on hand at the moment)?
maria says
HI
it’s ok to use yellow cornmeal instead the blue one?
thanks !
DanM says
Brown rice turns rancid almost as fast as it is harvested. Brown rice also contains high levels of arsenic. It may be healthier to use all white rice in the GF flour blend instead. White and brown Basamati rice grown in the U.S. or India has the lowest levels of arsenic from what I have read. Above all, don’t buy rice from China.
Cait says
These are SO delicious. I wanted leftovers, so I doubled the recipe, which gave me about 6 waffles. I had to add almond milk as I worked (maybe about 3/4 c. total) to keep a thin enough batter. I served these with blueberries and maple syrup, which was divine. Next time I may get crazy and sprinkle on some powdered sugar. :) The best waffles I’ve ever had.
Nice! Thanks for sharing, Cait!
dianne giese says
These look delicious. I usually have soy milk on hand. Is there a reason you use almond milk? Are there usually problems with soy milk substitutions? Also, if I don’t need them to be gluten-free, what flour would you recommend?
I don’t like the taste of soy milk, but if you prefer it, that’s fine! I’d recommend trying my go-to gluten free flour blend to make it Gfree. Otherwise, Trader Joe’s blend is quite nice if you have it available to you.
Valerie says
These are really delicious and light! They released from the waffle maker easily. I assume from the corn meal. There was one modification I had to make, after mixing all the ingredients (I used your gluten free flour mixture) the batter became so thick and dense I had to add 1/2 cup additional almond milk to thin it. Thanks for the great recipe and I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Glad you enjoyed these, Valerie! Thanks for sharing.
Ira Smith says
I made these waffles tonight for dinner. The batter was pretty thick and didn’t spread out on the waffle maker as is usual for other waffles. I did use Pamela’s Artisan GF Flour so I don’t know if that made a difference. Is the batter supposed to be thick and not spread? They still tasted great,but just a little heavy. Just trying to figure out if that’s how they are supposed to be. Thanks for all the great recipes!
It should be thick but not so thick you can’t pour it. Thin it out with a little almond milk next time as the flour blend you use does make a difference. Hope that helps!
Anna M says
I make these at least once a week and my batter is always very thick. I think it is a combination of letting the flax set a bit too long and my use of coconut oil. I’ve thinned it before, only to have them stick excessively. I do notice that once it hits the iron it liquefies a bit more. I spread gently then let the top close slowly to ease it out the last bit. They are very dense, but no more than every other GF/vegan waffle I’ve made, so I thought that was the norm. :)
Anna M says
I went out and hunted down a vintage 1940’s waffle iron, to replace my dearly departed one, just to make these. We’ve eaten them twice a week for the last month. My daughter is three, allergic to eggs and wheat, and picky as any toddler ever… She loves them.
I made the mistake of forgetting two in the oven (200) while they were keeping warm and they turned into the most delectable hard biscuit to dunk in tea or coffee or eat with chili.
Thank you for such a lovely recipe!
Katherine says
Just made these–college student edition! As I have no waffle maker, I added a little extra almond milk and some water at the end and made them into big, thick pancakes. I also used a mix of whole wheat and oat bran flours instead of the gf mix, because I had those on hand. I think it would have been a little better had I used spelt flour. But, they were lovely! Ate mine with some avocado. :)
Glad they worked out for you, Katherine!
Rainbow says
Thank you for giving to the words “Blue waffle” a whole new meanîg.
Caitlin says
i feel the same way as you about fall. it’s such a nostalgic time for me that i tend to get very emotional.
these waffles look delicious and i especially love the photos.
Lily @ Life, Love, and Cupcakes says
These sound perfect topped with butter and maple syrup! I’ve never baked with blue cornmeal before, but now I want to hunt some down and try it!
Ash-foodfashionparty says
Love the cornmeal in those beautiful waffles,honestly craving for it. I have to start using cornmeal more.
Lynn @ The Actor's Diet says
One of the best muffins I’ve ever had was a blue cornmeal one – I adore waffles and am dying to try one of these…
Ooh, blue cornmeal muffins – so smart!
Kathryn says
Totally love that fall feeling – you describe it so well.
Claire (Eat Well. Party Hard.) says
Did John go to Washburn for law school? A few relatives/friends have taken that route, so I know all too well from their experiences the existence of life lived between Topeka and Lawrence (hooraaaay for Lawrence!)
Anyway, these look gorgeous and super delish. And I’d imagine a small squeeze of orange slice over them would be amaaazing (because blue cornmeal + orange + dash of maple syrup = bangin’ combo). Happy fall :)
alexandra @ sweet betweens [blog] says
oh, I can imagine these are equally delicious with butter [or margarine] and syrup on top. or with chili and your favorite toppings, too! what a versatile lovely looking dish.
Chelsea says
Oh wow. These are AMAZING. I’ve been looking for a gf/oat free waffle recipe for a while. These are perfect. I did use yellow corn meal, because that was all I had, but they were still fantastic. THANK YOU!
Mary-Clay @ Cooking with the King says
mmm! yes, a waffle must have texture, and it looks like the blue cornmeal provides it well. I love the flavor cornmeal adds to breakfast dishes, too. this looks delicious!
Amy says
I spot a reused tomato sauce jar (: I’m pretty sure my flaxseed lives in one of those, too.
I’ve never had blue cornmeal but it looks amazing, especially in these waffles. I’m trying to imagine how nicely crispy they are.
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
Must. Purchase. Waffle iron. STAT. These look like a wonderfully hearty breakfast. I’m so excited for Fall too!
Sarah Crowder (punctuated. with food) says
What a great idea for a waffle! We eat waffles every weekend and I’m always looking for new recipes to try when the seasons change.
Tieghan says
I bought a bag of blue cornmeal about a month ago for a project that totally failed, but I have been looking for ways to use it up. Obviously, waffles have come to the top of my list. These guys look awesome and I am sure they will be a nice change up!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I love that you used blue cornmeal in these! Awesome recipe!
shakti says
Oh, just gorgeous!
Eyes first, check ingredients…….and I am off, eat – yum!
Freeze too!
Toast?
Is there anything better? I doubt it…..and, where are my manners (do not speak with your mouth full) heartfelt, actually tastebuds felt thank you very much!