This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy
The Best Belgian Waffle Recipe has a crispy exterior and light, fluffy interior! These waffles rival any that you’d find at your favorite breakfast restaurant and, with a couple of tricks, they’re super simple to make!
People don’t say breakfast is the most important meal of the day for no reason, you guys.
Are Belgian Waffles The Most Important Meal of The Day? Yes.
I don’t claim to be a health nut, but I do know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
I also know that waffles exist. Pretty sure this is not a coincidence.
Those frozen waffles are fine in a pinch, but oh goodness, nothing beats a homemade Belgian waffle with a crisp exterior and deep pockets full of maple syrup and melted butter.
Our Belgian waffle recipe just melts in your mouth and if you’re not stopping what you’re doing to head to the kitchen RIGHT. NOW. you are missing out!
We use a secret technique AND a secret ingredient here that helps us get super crispy exteriors with light, fluffy, melt in your mouth interiors. These are everything we love about a waffle.
Be sure to try our Biscuit Donuts and Monkey Bread too (or our monkey bread muffins!). We love all these breakfast treats!
What Readers are Saying!
“My family has been on a waffle making odyssey – and after a dozen or so recipes, I think we can stop searching!!! Yes, the egg is a bit more work than most recipes, but it’s definitely worth it for the airy texture. These are crisp and light with a pinch of that cinnamon flavor. Two thumbs up from my whole family!” – Leigh S.
Helpful Tools:
Waffle Iron – We use and recommend this waffle iron. Easy to use and fairly budget friendly. We’ve had ours over 10 years now.
Electric Hand Mixer – It’s so easy to whip up dessert (or in this case, breakfast) with this cute hand mixer. It doesn’t take up much space and is a must for any kitchen!
Rotating Hand Whisk – If you don’t have an electric mixer one of these rotating whisks works pretty well too without the need for any electricity.
Waffle Ingredient Notes:
Flour – We use all purpose flour, but a combo of white and whole wheat would likely work, if you don’t mind a heavier texture.
Cornstarch – This helps keep the waffles crisp on the outside and light and airy inside.
Spices – We add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of salt to the batter for flavor. You can skip the cinnamon and nutmeg if it’s not your thing, but we think it adds the perfect touch.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda – Both work to make the waffles light and airy.
Buttermilk & Milk – We use a combo of both here. No buttermilk? Just add a teaspoon of vinegar to milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Instant buttermilk!
Oil – Any neutral flavored oil (or melted butter) will work here.
Egg – You’ll need to separate the white from the yolk for this one, but we’ll use the whole egg.
Sugar – Just a touch of sweetness.
How To Make Belgian Waffles:
Stir together dry ingredients to combine. Whisk in the wet ingredients, being sure not to overmix the batter.
Beat the egg whites until you have stiff peaks. We use an electric mixer for this, but you can also do it by hand with a little elbow grease.
Drop the beaten egg whites into the batter and use a rubber spatula to fold them in. Don’t overmix.
Scoop the batter into your hot waffle iron and cook through. Serve with soft butter and warm maple syrup.
How To Freeze Leftover Waffles:
Leftover waffles freeze great! Just place them on a sheet pan in a single layer and freeze for one hour. Place in a zip top freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Waffle Mix-In’s:
We think a classic Belgium waffle is pretty perfect just the way it is, but my kids do have fun sprinkling in other ingredients. Makes for a fun breakfast!
Try adding 1/2 to 1 cup of these additions:
- Chocolate Chips
- Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
- Cooked and Crumbled Bacon
- Cinnamon Chips
- Chopped Pecans
Belgian Waffle Toppings:
You can keep it simple with a pat of salted butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, but it’s also fun to get creative. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Nutella and Strawberries
- Biscoff and Raspberries
- Fried Chicken
- Air Fryer Bananas and Caramel Sauce
- Apples and Cinnamon
- Peaches and Pecans (like these peach pancakes)
- Cherry Pie Filling
- Apple Butter or Cinnamon Honey Butter
More Breakfast Recipes!
- Cake Donut Recipe
- Amish Breakfast Casserole
- Homemade Biscuits
- Sausage Gravy
- English Muffin Bread
- Keto Oatmeal
The Very Best Waffles
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large egg separated
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°F and heat up the waffle iron.
- Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Measure the buttermilk, milk, and vegetable oil in a measuring cup and stir in the egg yolk. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the egg white almost to soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in the vanilla.
- Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Drop the whipped egg white onto the batter in dollops and fold in with a spatula until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron (My Belgian waffle maker takes 2 1/2 ice cream scoops of batter, but your mileage may vary) and cook until the waffle is crisp and brown.
- Set the waffle directly on the oven rack to keep it warm and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter, holding the waffles in the oven (don’t stack them). When all the waffles are cooked, serve immediately.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was lightly adapted from Fine Cooking.
This post was originally published in May 2012. It was updated in March 2019 with new photos and a video. Old photo below:
Coralie says
Great recipe, but how can I substitute the oil with butter?
Karly says
You can just melt the butter and try that, but no guarantees the texture will be the same. 🙂
Lana says
I’ve tried several waffle recipes but this one is THE BEST! Best in taste and best in texture. Also figured out that I had to manually flip the waffle maker (using oven mits) after spooning in the batter to get a crispy texture on the outside.
Confectionery Wench says
I just made these as a double recipe. My Belgian waffle iron takes one cup of batter per waffle and this made 6 perfect.waffles. I usually make a raised waffle with yeast, but my favorite onion ring recipe is mostly corn starch, so I thought I might like these. They were really wonderful – crispy and creamy at the same time. AND I didn’t have to wait for the yeast. Thanks for sharing a fast, easy, recipe. I obsess about recipe ideas too, so you have my empathy for having a brain that won’t rest!
Mel says
This was my first foray into homemade waffles. Aside from not knowing to grease the waffle iron on the first try, it was a total success! I made a triple batch to feed 8 people for supper with leftovers for my breakfasts later. YUM!
brandi says
i JUST got a real waffle iron a few weeks ago and am already obsessed with finding the perfect recipe. i’ll definitely be trying this – haven’t seen one with cornstarch yet.
Kim @ The Family Practice says
Speaking of waffle ideas: try blending up a few strawberries in a food processor and adding into the mix – you have to sub out a bit of your liquids so they aren’t too wet/soggy but I promise its a good addition 🙂
Corinna says
Hi, I just wanted to say that I made these waffles last night for dinner for my fam, and they LOVED them! Truly the best waffles we have not only made, but eaten!!! I put fresh strawberries on top & sprinkled a little powdered sugar…OMG! SOOOOO good. I’m going to make some batter ahead of time, package it up in a jar and take with us camping!!!! Thank you so much, so glad I found your blog! I’m trying the cajun chicken alfredo this coming week!!! Looks good!
Deborah says
I have been totally waffle crazy. But I totally want a circle waffle maker now, because yours are so pretty!! I’m always up for trying a new waffle recipe – these sound perfect.
cara says
I already have a favorite waffle recipe but am going to have to try this one– love the addition of the spices!!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I would love to live in your brain!! Just say when!! haha
Words Of Deliciousness says
Love your waffles. They look so yummy!
Jill says
Mmm… love waffles!
joanne says
The boyfriend is coming over for dinner tonight and I think we both know who will be getting a bicep workout when he does. Score.
DessertForTwo says
I’m a believer!
I tried a waffle recipe a while back that had cornstarch & whipped egg whites and it was THE BEST! I lost the recipe, so I’m grateful you shared this 🙂
Cookbook Queen says
Oh how I want to be at your house for breakfast.
And I agree — soggy waffles are from the Devil!!