If you’ve never tried banana flour before, these light and fluffy banana flour waffles are the perfect place to start. Crisp on the outside and tender inside, they’re naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. Banana flour has a subtle, slightly nutty flavor that blends beautifully with almond flour for a waffle that’s satisfying, golden, and gently sweet.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy.
I did a double-take when I saw a bag of banana flour in the store. Have you seen it in stores near you yet? I had no idea what to expect, but I was excited to test it out because banana flour is known to be great for grain-free baking!
After experimenting with a few banana flour recipes, I was surprised to see that the baked goods don’t have a strong banana flavor. The next time I make this recipe, I may mash a ripe banana to add more banana flavor to the waffles. I love that banana flour is gluten-free, and my recipe uses no refined sugar. These waffles make a great paleo breakfast recipe! I’m eager to serve these waffles to my kids; I’m curious to see if they can tell they’re different.
If you love breakfast as much as we do, you will want to check out my delicious, family-friendly gluten-free breakfast recipes! If you want to try a fun waffle recipe, these Gluten-Free Chicken and Waffles are fun. You can easily swap a banana flour waffle!
Ingredient Notes and Swaps:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Green Banana Flour – Make sure to use green banana flour, not ripened banana flour. Look for one that is labeled gluten-free if needed. (See the photo above for the flour brand I found.)
- Almond Flour – I used almond flour to add protein to this waffle recipe. I recommend almond flour instead of almond meal because almond meal can make the waffles more gritty.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Eggs – Add structure and help give lift to the batter.
- Cooking Oil – I used avocado oil, but any light, unflavored oil will work well.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used macadamia milk for its mild flavor, but oat milk, almond milk, or dairy milk also work.
In my opinion, the banana flour behaved sort of like cassava flour. I have a great Cassava Flour Pancakes if you’d like to try this flour out as well.
Substitutions and Variations
- Mash a ripe banana into the batter for more banana flavor.
- Stir in chopped pecans, walnuts, or mini chocolate chips.
- Add a dash of cinnamon or cardamom for warm flavors.
- Turn this recipe into pancakes if you don’t have a waffle iron!
You may also love these puffy Mochi Waffles.
A Note From My Kitchen
I love trying out new-to-me gluten-free ingredients, and when I saw banana flour at the store, I knew I had to pick up a bag and test it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, a strong banana flavor? Gummy texture? What I found instead was a flour that behaves more like cassava or tigernut flour, with a neutral taste and soft texture. These waffles turned out so well that I couldn’t wait to share them with you. My kids didn’t even notice anything was different!
How to Make Banana Flour Waffles (Step-By-Step)
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Step 1: Add the dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a smaller bowl and whisk to mix. The paleo waffle batter should be runny, like in the above picture.
Step 3: Preheat the waffle iron as directed by the manufacturer. For my machine, pictured above, once the green light turns on, my waffle iron is heated and ready for the waffle batter. Add the banana flour batter to the waffle iron and close the lid.
Step 4: Cook for 3-5 minutes (depending on your waffle iron). Use a fork to remove the waffle from the waffle iron.
Stack up the cooked banana flour waffles on a plate and enjoy hot with maple syrup and a bit of butter! Serve with fresh fruit.
Storage and Freezing Tips:
- Store leftover waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a toaster or oven for the best texture.
- Let waffles cool completely, then freeze in a single layer. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Toast frozen or reheat them in a 350ºF oven until hot.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Surprisingly, no! Green banana flour has a very mild, neutral taste, and slightly earthy and nutty, but not fruity.
These waffles are grain-free and considered paleo-compliant.
You can omit the almond flour, but the pancakes will not turn out as fluffy.
More Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipes:
If you are looking for more breakfast inspiration, here are some of our favorite breakfast recipes:
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this banana flour waffle recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out, and which pan or flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fluffy Banana Flour Waffles (Gluten-Free and Paleo!)
Equipment
- waffle iron
Ingredients
- 1 cup banana flour
- ⅓ cup almond flour * see note
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- dash salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil (I used Avocado)
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk * see note
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- In a large mixing bowl, add dry ingredients, including banana flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to blend.
- Combine the wet ingredients, including the eggs, oil, and milk. Whisk to blend. Pour the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- When the waffle iron is heated, add waffle batter and close the lid.
- Allow each waffle to cook 3-5 minutes. Remove from the waffle iron with a fork.
- Serve with pecans and maple syrup.
Notes
- I recommend using almond flour instead of almond meal. Almond meal can make the waffles turn out with a gritty texture.
- You can use any non-dairy milk or regular milk to make this grain-free waffle recipe.
- If you can’t find banana flour, these Mochi Waffles are delicious too!
- Store leftover waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep fresh for up to 4 days. I also like to freeze these waffles in a freezer-safe zipper bag.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
I made it.
I thank you for the effort.
It was successful, but it was on the dry and crumbly side
What can we add, or change it?
Any thoughts?
Hi Benedetta, I am so glad you loved the recipe. You could add in different types of fruit like blueberries or bananas. Chocolate chips are also good.
These are amazing! No sweetener needed! I needed to add about 2/3 cup extra half n half (didn’t have almond milk) to have the mix be pourable but these taste exactly like regular wheat waffles from my childhood! Thanks!!!
I am so glad you liked these Beth!! I love you made this recipe more pourable!
I can’t eat almonds or tree nuts, can I sub the almond flour for something else that is paleo and gluten free still, maybe coconut flour?
Hi Megan, you can skip the almond flour and use an extra 1/4 cup of the banana flour. Keep an eye on moisture level so the batter isn’t too thick.
I enjoyed these waffles a lot, my boyfriend loved them. I did find the batter to be very thick and I had to add about 1 cup of liquid to have a runny batter like the one you have in the pic. The first batch came out out good, but I like mine a little crispier, so I add about 1/3 cup of rice flour and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to to the almond milk: perfection! My brand of banana is different from yours, it’s called Let’s Do Organic.
Thank you so much for your note Federica. I love the idea of mixing in the rice flour if you aren’t paleo. Banana flour does absorb a ton of liquid, so you can’t go wrong adding more. Thank you so much for stopping by 🙂
Did you add a third of a cup rice flour to a new batch or to the leftover of the first batch?
Hi. I don’t use rice flour in this recipe but one person who commented did. I think you mean to ask them?
Question – When I mixed this up, it was SUPER think! Is it suppose to be that way?
Hi Heidi, my batter was pretty thick. You can add more liquid if you like. I find banana flour absorbs a lot of liquid and perhaps the brand you used needs more. Thank you so much.