These Banana Waffles are one of the best ways to use those overripe bananas on the counter! These sweet cinnamon-spiced waffles have nice crisp edges with soft and chewy interiors. Bonus: these waffles are made with better-for-you ingredients -- no flour or refined sugars and they're filled with plant-based protein!
PREP: Preheat the waffle iron. If you won't be eating waffles right away and want to keep waffles warm, see Note 4. Mash banana in a small bowl until smooth. Measure to get a full 3/4 cup and add to a large blender.
BLEND: Add everything else to the blender in the order listed. Blend until completely smooth, about 90-120 seconds. Scrape down the sides and blend longer if needed. There shouldn't be any chunks of oats or cashews.
COOK: If your waffle iron or pan has a nonstick surface, don't use cooking spray. (Cooking spray builds up on the surfaces and eventually becomes tacky, ruining that non-stick coating.) If it doesn't have a nonstick surface, grease with cooking spray. Add 1/3 cup of batter from the blender into each cavity. Use all the batter in the blender -- scraping it out with a spatula if needed. Most waffle irons will signal when the waffle is done. If your waffle maker doesn't have that feature, watch for the steam to stop seeping out the sides. Never open your iron until the steam has stopped! Right out of the waffle iron, place each waffle on a wire cooling rack. (Letting waffles stand on a wire cooling rack for a few minutes before digging in gives a chance for the exteriors to crisp up nicely.)
ENJOY: Serve waffles enjoying as is or with a drizzle of syrup, a dollop of whipped cream, and/or fresh fruit (like more bananas and/or handful of blueberries).
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Notes
Note 1: Bananas: This recipe uses about 2 medium-sized bananas; we wait until they are speckled and spotty all over --the riper they are, the sweeter they are! When measuring overripe bananas, start by fully mashing them down with a fork and then spoon the mash into the measuring cup. Be sure to fill the measuring cup all the way to the top and level off for the perfect measurement. Too many bananas will result in overly-moist-bordering-on-mushy waffles.Note 2: Coconut oil: Measure in the melted state. Butter or ghee (melted) can also be used.Note 3: Milk: Any plant-based milk will work in these waffles; we like unsweetened vanilla almond milk or coconut milk best. Dairy-based milk will work as well if preferred.Note 4: Keeping waffles warm:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Place a cooling rack on a large sheet pan. As soon as you pull each waffle from the waffle iron, place it on the cooling rack in a single layer.
Place that sheet pan in the oven until ready to eat.
If you'll be eating the waffles right away, just set them on a wire cooling rack right out of the waffle iron and serve from there.