These healthful, overnight oat waffles are a tried-and-true family favorite. Crispy edges with a lightly toasted flavor complimented by a hearty texture to soak up all that syrup, these will be your new go-to waffle recipe.

Truly, these are perfect to start on a Friday or Saturday night, for an easy breakfast or brunch that’ll keep you energized for all those #SundayFunday activities you have planned.

They’re also a great way to add some oat goodness to your diet

Confession Time: I never got on the overnight oat train. Couldn’t do it. The texture was all wrong to me: too soft/creamy. So I was skeptical…but I was pleasantly surprised and these waffles are DELICIOUS.

Key Ingredients

The main players in Overnight Oat Waffles:

Oats – You want to use Old Fashioned Oats, not quick oats or steel cut.
Buttermilk – You can use full-fat or low-fat buttermilk in this recipe. The acid in buttermilk, combined with the baking soda, provides some rise in the end product
Vanilla – You’d be surprised at how much the delicate vanilla flavor comes through. You’ll want to use “the good stuff”.
Flour – You can use either all-purpose, or whole wheat flour. However, whole wheat will make these waffles pretty dense. I’ve tested this with my family and it wasn’t off-putting, but if lighter waffles are your thing, stick to the all-purpose flour.

The Process

My mom is where I got my foodie roots. Well, her and her mom. They were THE cooks in the family. So since I was a kid, we’ve talked food trends and recipes.

I was complaining to her recently about how I was searching for a waffle recipe that ticked all the boxes:

Must be quick and easy (because mornings are hard)…
Mustn’t involve yeast (again, “mornings”…rising time?! Who has time for that***!?)…
Preferably a recipe that could be made successfully before I’d had my coffee (that part is key…#coffeeholic).

She presented me with her recipe for Overnight Oat Waffles.

You’ll soak your old fashioned oats in buttermilk, overnight (or for at least 8hrs if you’re thinking breakfast-for-dinner).

Stir it up, wrap it up, and throw it in the fridge while you go ~~stare at your phone in bed watching TikTok videos~~…sleep. While you sleep.

Left: The bowl full of overnight buttermilk oats the morning after I mixed it, Center: Adding the remaining ingredients, Right: Mix thoroughly and you’re ready for the waffle iron.

Next, I like to measure out my dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, and cover those as well. I even set out the bottles of canola oil and vanilla extract next to my bowl of dry ingredients. I’ll even set up my waffle iron.

This is all about making morning waffles easy.

The batter is pretty thick, so it scoops nicely into the waffle iron – less mess is always a win!

Once the oats have soaked for at least 8hrs, preheat your waffle iron (I always forget to do that). Then combine the oat mixture with the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Now you’re ready to rock-and-roll.

Overnight Oat Waffles

Hearty and healthful oat-filled waffles with crispy edges, and a touch of sweetness. Perfect for a filling starting your day or breakfast-for-dinner.

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Prep Time 8 10

Cook Time 20

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

Waffle Iron

Ingredients

2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats not steel cut or instant
2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
¼ cup canola oil
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ cup flour all-purpose or whole wheat
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Soak oats and buttermilk overnight, in a large, covered bowl.
Stir everything together until well combined (batter will be thick).
Cook in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown.
Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Keyword Breakfast, easy, healthy, oat, overnight oat, waffle

Recipe Notes:

What kind of waffle iron can I use? Belgian or American? These waffles can be a little dense when you make them in a Belgian waffle iron, like mine. By a little I mean, they’re *actually* pretty dense. My mom has an American waffle iron (think thinner and round, like an Eggo), and the waffles come out light and wonderfully crispy around the edges.
Can I use whole wheat flour? Yes – but the end result will be a little more dense, especially in a Belgian waffle iron.
Can I use fat-free buttermilk? Yes – you can use either fat-free or full-fat buttermilk in this recipe.
How long can I store the waffles? Overnight Oat Waffles freeze fantastically well! Both my Belgian-style and Mom’s American-style waffles have survived the freezer and made a great meal-prep option for busy (or lazy) mornings.

Topping options

I know the popular option is syrup and fresh berries, maybe even whipped cream. And while, “that’s nice dear”, I likes a little more…substance.

Honestly, my favorite combo is *ahem*: Peanut butter, maple syrup, chocolate chips, and crumbled bacon or sliced sausage links (trust me).

Ok, Mom…I’ll throw on a sliced banana for “balance”.

These waffles are truly a blank canvas. They make a great breakfast/brunch, but also work well for breakfast-for-dinner.

Get crazy:

Fresh Fruit
Whipped Topping
Maple Syrup, Molasses, flavored syrups
Ground spices like cinnamon or ginger
Crumbled Bacon
Fried Chicken
Toasted Nuts – pecans, walnuts, slivered almonds, pistachios
Nut Butters – warm some up and they’re easier to drizzle
Eggs – try over-easy or over-medium…soak up that delicious yolk
Baking Chips – semi-sweet, white chocolate, butterscotch

***People who make Cinnamon Rolls. That’s who. Also, good job on making it to the asterisk. Gold Star.