Healthy Pumpkin Waffles
These spiced pumpkin waffles are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This easy, gluten-free pumpkin waffle recipe's secret ingredient is oat flour!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 29, 2026
These pumpkin waffles are the perfect fall breakfast treat. They’re infused with real pumpkin purée and warming spices, including cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Serve them on Halloween, Thanksgiving or even Christmas morning, or any weekend from now until then.
This waffle recipe is healthier than most, but you wouldn’t guess it upon first bite. The waffles are made with 100 percent whole-grain flour (oat flour, specifically), so they’re conveniently gluten-free if you need them to be. Like the original oat flour waffles recipe, these pumpkin waffles are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, light but hearty, and hold me over until lunchtime.
In other words, they are basically perfect. I know a few commenters who can back me up! It took me a few tries to get the ratio of liquid, fat (necessary for crisp waffles) and pumpkin just right for these waffles, but I finally nailed it with the version below.
“These waffles are the BEST!!!! They tasted good, and make my whole house smell like a fall bakery. I love to top them with unsweetened applesauce. Yum!”
Serving & Storage Suggestions
These pumpkin waffles are terrific topped with a pat of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. To make them more decadent, add a dollop of whipped cream. To make them more hearty, try a dab of peanut butter, almond butter or Greek yogurt. For even more protein, serve scrambled eggs on the side.
These waffles freeze beautifully, so you might want to make a double batch and treat yourself to pumpkin waffles on busy weekday mornings. Just pop them in the toaster, and you’re good to go!
Watch How to Make Pumpkin Waffles
Oat Flour Tip
If you don’t have oat flour in your pantry, you can easily make your own. Blend old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats in a blender or food processor until they’re finely ground. See my oat flour tutorial for details.
More Pumpkin Recipes for Fall Mornings
These recipes are all gluten-free like this one. View more pumpkin recipes here.
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread (see gluten-free recipe note for an oat flour option)
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte
- Perfect Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Please let me know how your waffles turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Healthy Pumpkin Waffles
These delicious, gluten-free pumpkin waffles are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This pumpkin waffle recipe’s secret ingredient is oat flour! You can easily make your own oat flour at home (check the recipe notes for details). This recipe yields 4 round, 7-inch Belgian waffles. Note: when I say “scant,” I mean just a couple teaspoons shy of the measurement listed.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (200 grams) oat flour*
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice or cloves
- 3 large eggs
- Scant ⅔ cup milk of choice (I used plain, unsweetened almond milk)
- Scant ½ cup melted coconut oil or 7 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (122 grams) packed pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Suggested toppings: more maple syrup, nut butter and/or toasted nuts, whipped cream…
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves. Whisk to combine.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Then add the milk, coconut oil or butter, pumpkin purée, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the oat flour mixture. Stir with a big spoon until just combined (the batter will still be a little lumpy). Let the batter rest for 10 minutes so the oat flour has time to soak up some of the moisture. Plug in your waffle iron to preheat now.
- Once 10 minutes is up, give the batter one more gentle swirl with your spoon. The batter will be pretty thick, but don’t worry! Your waffles will turn out great. Pour batter onto the heated waffle iron, enough to cover the center and most of the central surface area, and close the lid.
- Once the waffle is deeply golden and crisp, transfer it to a cooling rack or baking sheet. Don’t stack your waffles on top of each other or they’ll lose crispness. If desired, keep your waffles warm by placing them in a 200 degree oven until you’re ready to serve. Repeat with the remaining batter and serve with desired toppings. Leftovers will keep well in a sealed bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Pop individual waffles into the toaster until warmed through.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my gluten-free oat waffles recipe.
*Make your own oat flour: Simply blend old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats in a food processor or blender until they are ground into a fine flour. You’ll need to blend about 2 ¼ cups oats to make 2 ¼ cups flour.
*A note on gluten free oats: Be sure to buy certified gluten-free oats or certified gluten-free oat flour to ensure your waffles are gluten free.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hi Kate
Tried this recipe today and it turned out delicious!
I used a little bit more pumpkin 1/4 cup – to use up what I had on hand, and threw in a tbsp of flax seeds for extra health.
My batter was a little difficult to spread out quickly enough, so i may try adding extra milk next time.
Definitely making again!
Great! Your batter is likely thicker with the extra pumpkin and the flax seeds, so your thought on adding a little more milk would help to make the consistency less thick. Be careful not to add too much!
I made these tonight and they are easy and fantastic! I loved the little bit of zing from the ginger. This recipe is a keeper for my family.
Great! I love ginger. :)
Loved it! Could make 16 small waffles of 95kcal each! Toppy!
Replaced oats by whole wheatflour, honey for maple syrop and butter as alternative for the coconut oil.
Thanks, Anna for the review!
Hi Kate,
I’m planning on making these for a Friendsgiving brunch and wanted to do a trial run beforehand! When it says ginger, do you mean ground ginger or fresh and minced?
Hi! These are ground, dry spices. I hope everyone loves them!
Delicious and perfect texture! I used my blender to mix the wet ingredients, and made these as Belgian waffles. I didn’t have maple yrup so I used 2 Tbsp molasses and 1 Tbsp local honey. My 3 year old and I loved them! We served them with butter and cinnamon sugar on top.
Thanks for sharing, Sarah! I appreciate the star review.
I’m sorry if this question has already been asked/answered, but when you say pumpkin puree, does that mean a normal can of pumpkin? Is that “puree”?
This is the first time I am commenting, but my husband and I love your blog, and your cookbook! We have been followers for over a year now. My husband decided to become a vegetarian in January 2017, and he’s still going strong. I LOVE eating vegetarian at home, too. We make the BEST meals. All thanks to you, Kate. Thank you for helping us on this journey to cook great, healthy, nourishing, delicious meals.
Great question! Yes, canned pumpkin. Or, you can make fresh. But I used canned for this. Thanks for your support. :) I love to hear from you.
Simply delicious, just the right amount of pumpkin and spices and crunch! I make them often and rely on the apportioned bags of frozen canned pumpkin that I put in the freezer for just this recipe.
Made this as an easy late night dessert. It was quick, easy, and delicious! It hardly needed a topping, but if I had whipped cream I think it would have suited best. Additional syrup was too sweet for my taste
Thank you, Taylor for the review.
This was SO fabulous! I used 1 1/2 cups of fresh, homemade baked pumpkin and used less milk. My father, who usually barely eats one pancake, at an entire Belgium this morning. #success Thanks so much!
Love the hashtag, Anna! Thank you for your review.
These are fantastic! My 2-year-old is working on her 2nd waffle right now!
Love that! They are delicious. I appreciate the review, Sarita.
I love pumkin waffles but my husband thinks they could be fattening. Is that true?
I wouldn’t think of these as fattening. Of course, moderation and what you put on them. Hope this helps!
My 2 year old loves these waffles! So much so that I make double batches and freeze them for her breakfast during the weekdays when we are short on time in the morning. I just make the waffles smaller, measuring them out with a large cookie scoop. They turn out to be the perfect size for her and look like snowflakes:) Thanks!
Great freezer option! Thank you, Ellen. :)
I just made these waffles. Delicious!!! we all loved them. The texture is beautiful in the inside and the outside. I topped with with pure maple syrup, bananas and chopped walnuts. I felt they are crispier than the non-pumpkin gluten free waffles, which I also love! We will definitely be making this during the fall.
I love how you talked about the texture! I think so too. Thank you for sharing, Marisa.
I love the original version of this recipe and I’m making these today, but I can’t figure out if you used pumpkin puree, or solid pack pumpkin! Since the liquid ratio could be way off if I use the wrong one, I’m hesitant to just guess. If you could let me know, that would be amazing!
Pumpkin puree :)
Hey, thanks for the response, Kate! It’s that time of year again About to make these for brunch!! (Btw, my husband and I LOVE all of your waffle recipes! Plus they are so filling, which is a nice bonus.)
Wondering if you have ever tried these using vegan egg alternative, ie flax eggs or aquafaba? Thanks
Best waffle recipe ever! Seriously perfect balance of flavors. Much more robust and sustaining than standard flour waffles. I’ve told all my family and friends.
Thanks for spreading the love! I appreciate it.
These are wonderful. My husband has to be on a no fat diet so I substituted applesauce for the eggs, and agave for the maple syrup bc I didn’t have any. I used nonfat milk as well and I cant believe it’s not butter. They came out wonderful.
Great to hear they worked so well with your substitutions!
I made these this weekend and we loved them so much that I’m making a big batch to freeze now. So good!!
Love that, Brynn! Thanks for your review!
These where wonderful, I just switched the eggs for flax eggs.They came out great!
Great to hear! I really appreciate the review.
made these this morning and blended my own oats. they were good but a little crumbly – maybe because my oats weren’t industrial powder? also not creamy on the inside. Made exactly per recipe.
I’m sorry to hear that, Suzanne! Key to this is making sure the oats are finely blended and aren’t grainy. It helps the texture and to ensure the liquid soaks up correctly. Hope this helps!
These are amazing and reheat beautifully in the toaster oven!! Will be making more batches to freeze and share with friends! I like topping them with maple syrup, pecans and bananas but they may also be good with topped with some almond butter if you’re looking for extra protein!
Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth!
These waffles are amazing, I’ve made them two weekends in a row. For my personal taste the spices were a little much the first time so I doubled the recipe this week except for the ginger, nutmeg, and allspice and it was perfect! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for sharing, Kayla!
Love this as a breakfast for dinner option!
I love breakfast for dinner! More than I probably should. Thanks for sharing, Maggie!
Lovely! Great waffles:) thank you
You’re welcome!
Made these today and they were absolutely amazing. Reminds me of gingerbread. The whole family LOVED
them! Thanks for such a great recipe. Definitely a keeper.
You’re welcome, Mary!
I made this pumpkin waffle recipe. It was delicious! I made a few changes the second time I made it. I doubled up the cinnamon and vanilla and I used 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2 teaspoons baking powder instead of 1 tablespoon baking powder. It came out light and crispy on the outside and soft inside!!
Thanks for sharing, Monica!
I also made these pumpkin waffles. I added 1/2 cup pumpkin purée to the recipe and pumpkin spices (2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp allspice and 1/4 tsp cloves. They were delicious!
These are great! Made them and stored in fridge, popped them in the toaster to heat for breakfast. My husband loved them as well and he is a picky one when it comes to my cooking new recipes. I’ve tried several similar but this one is going to be mine to keep as the texture is absolutely perfect.
Thank you .
Thanks for sharing, Margaret!
Is it possible to use whole wheat flour?
I really like these with oat flour. You could try this recipe that calls for wheat flour. https://jyotirecipe.pages.dev/2013/banana-nut-waffles/
So I thought I could substitute the oat floor for gluten free flour (no oat flour on hand and my food processor was dirty from last nights dinner) – huge mistake. They were perfectly fluffy and beautiful but unfortunately tasted like straight cardboard. However, I was determined… so I followed the recipe as I should have in the first place ;) and they were AMAZING. This is the second time I have made them actually. Just wanted to share with everyone my experience with gluten free flour!
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out! I’m glad you tried them again though, and loved them!
Good to know, thank you!!
I made these this morning. I changed out the flour to make them Keto to a mix of Carbalose, almond flour, lupin flour, and oat fiber. I used heavy cream and added just a few drops of stevia. They are good! Nice and crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle. I will up the pumpkin and cinnamon next time as I think they could use a tad more flavor but, I love a lot of cinnamon! The different flour could have contributed to this as well. I have wonderful quick breakfast in the freezer for work week!
Thanks for sharing your variation, Grovia!
I have made this recipe twice now for my two small children. I’m always trying to find ways to incorporate different fruits and vegetables in their diet, especially because one of my kids is very picky. All of us love this recipe! I subbed 3 flax eggs for the regular eggs and the recipe turned out great. Thank you, your recipes are amazing!
You’re welcome, Kelly! Thanks so much for your review.
Another win from Cookie and Kate! Tried this for breakfast this morning and made my own oat flour in the Vitamix. Followed recipe as is and don’t think I’d change anything. Feed my family of 4, kids loved! Delicious!
Great to hear, Cassandra!
Do you there’s any way I could make this the night before so the batter is ready to go when I wake?
I don’t recommend it. You can mix the dry ingredients, store and then mixed up the wet that morning. Or, these freeze well!
I used wheat flour and cow milk because it’s what I had on hand, I think they are naturally a little less sweet than the oat flour and almond milk, so I found it a little on the salty side. Other than the salt levels, I found it fantastic! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made these last night for dinner and then will be making them for freezing for the rest of the week for breakfast/dinner. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
So I attempted to make these with vegan butter sinceI don’t do dairy or coconut…they fell apart while cooking but tasted pretty good. Oops. But, I put the remaining batter in muffin tins with some extra maple syrup and added walnuts….so good! Thank you for my new wheat dairy free pumpkin muffin recipe!
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. I’m glad they still tasted good.
Kate. Kate. Kaaaate.
I am a huge waffle enthusiast. Huge. However, I’m also a future dietitian who frequently cooks for a diabetic, so I avoid white flour whenever I can. I’ve made a few sets of waffles using various alternative flours (whole wheat, whole wheat white, almond, combinations, etc.) and unfortunately, they rarely stack up to commercial waffles made with white flour.
Cut to this morning; I knew I wanted to try pumpkin spice waffles, and I pretty much look to your stuff any time I want to try a new bread product. I ground up the oats, and followed the recipe to the letter for the rest of it. These? Are the best waffles. The best. These are better than Waffle House. Better than any of the fancy ones I’ve had out. And the fact that they’re made with 100% oats just makes it alllll the better. Ugh. I would give these 10/5 if I could. I’m gonna be making these alllll fall.
Thank you so much, Tori! I’m so happy they get your approval.
This is an awesome recipe. On target with spices and flavoring. A tablespoon of vanilla sounded like a lot b/c my vanilla is real and stronger than imitation… it perfect. I have tried two of your recipes, and you are good! I had company this week who is gluten free but also a problem with oat flour, sub brown rice flour (1/2) and for fun used almond, and 1/4 cup ea tapioca and coconut flour for fun. Everyone loved them. THANK YOU so much. I am a fan!
Thanks for sharing, Linda!
This is an awesome recipe. On target with spices and flavoring. A tablespoon of vanilla sounded like a lot b/c my vanilla is real and stronger than imitation… it’s perfect. I have tried two of your recipes, and you are good! I had company this week who is gluten free but also a problem with oat flour, sub brown rice flour (1/2) and for fun used almond, and 1/4 cup ea tapioca and coconut flour. Everyone loved them. They were light and fluffy in the middle and crispy on the outside. PERFECT. (I did separate my eggs and whip the whites for personal perfection.) THANK YOU so much. I am a fan!
Thank you, Linda! I’m happy to hear that.
OMG those are the best waffles I’ve made so far! Thanks Kate
You’re welcome, Josie!
Delish! first GF waffle that has risen! Thanks for the great tasting, healthy waffle! I pulverized my oats in my mini ninja processor, then added the spices to that to make sure they mixed evenly before adding to wet ingredients. A bit too salty for our taste, so will reduce salt next time. Used Coconut Oil this time, might try ghee next time.
You’re welcome! I’m happy you loved it, Deb. I appreciate your review.
Holy smokes, does this really use a tablespoon of vanilla?
Hi Sara! I found more vanilla really helped give these waffles a great pumpkin spice flavor.
I made this today, but added the whole 15 Oz can of pumpkin and 2 extra teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. I let it rest for the 10 minutes. Decided to add 1/4 cup more of milk. They came out incredibly delicious! Thank you for a wonderful breakfast recipe.
Thanks for sharing! I’m happy it worked out for you, Ginger.
Christmas morning breakfast 2019. Did a trial run tonight. Hubby had seconds. He rated them a 10. Excellent Thank you Kos
You’re welcome, Kos!
Hi!
First these are amazing!!!!!!! So easy and delicious!!!! Thank you so much for the great recipe!!!!
Forgive my ignorance, can you please tell me if the nutrition information is for one waffle or the entire batch?
Many thanks!!!
Barb
Hi Barb, so glad you’re enjoying them! The nutrition facts are for one-fourth of the recipe (serves 4). Sorry for the confusion!
There never around long enough to take a picture!
Thank you for this recipe. I made the oat flour with regular and quick oats in the blender. Next time I’ll run the blender a bit longer for a finer flour. Other options: I used allspice, 1% milk, unsalted butter and honey. It turned out well and I will definitely make again. Not only is it a good breakfast option but also good for a snack, as I can munch on it without syrup, but that’s just me. My husband liked it, too but less than I and wants me to slightly reduce a spice and have sliced bananas as a topping with the syrup. This was a very different recipe and I’m glad I tried it. Thanks again.
Made these scrumptious waffles this morning. I used buttermilk and cut the butter 1/2 what was called for. They turned out perfect. Thank you for sharing the recipe. My 2 teenage boys gobbled them up.
Everything was great except it was too salty. Was it the 1 tablespoon baking powder or the 3/4 tsp salt… i am not sure
Hi Kate, thank you for answering. So 1 serving is equal to 1 waffle?
Hi Jamie, yes one serving is one waffle.
Divine! We made this with gluten free all-purpose flour and grated fresh ginger for a little kick. Served with warm with 100% maple syrup from New York. We’re freezing some and plan to eat them for desert soon served warm with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. Life is good!
These are soo filling and delicious.
So, just to clarify-one waffle is 612 calories?
Hi Becky, The nutritional information is by serving. More on my nutritional information can be found on my blog.
These waffles are delicious and so easy to make exactly as described! This recipe is a keeper!