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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.
It’s because waffles exist and waffles are important. 😉
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!
But enough about my love for the best waffle recipe to exist…let’s just get to the good stuff so you know how to make them too! You and your family are going to love this one and I won’t make you wait a minute longer.
Be sure to try our Biscuit Donuts and Monkey Bread too. We love all these breakfast treats!
Waffle Ingredient Notes:
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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
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.
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.
How To Make Belgian Waffles:
Whip: To start, we’re going to whip an egg white. I KNOW. I hate whipping egg whites. I promise you, this is 100% worth it and is the key to this recipe.
If you have a hand mixer, drag it out and start whipping. Otherwise, count this as your arm workout for the day and go to town with a whisk.
Combine: Once your egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks, you’ll stir together the rest of the Belgian waffle batter and, once combined, fold in those whipped egg whites.
One of the secret ingredients here is cornstarch. It helps to make the waffle crispy on the outside and the whipped egg white makes it light and airy inside. That’s why this is the best Belgian waffle recipe!
Cook: Let your waffle iron preheat for a few minutes and spritz it with nonstick spray.
Every waffle iron is different and some will cook faster than others. Mine takes about 3 minutes. I generally just look for the steam to stop coming out of the iron and that’s when I know they’re done.
Serve: As you cook these waffles, pop them right onto the rack of a warm oven. They’ll stay nice and crisp and everyone can enjoy breakfast at the same time this way. Genius, right?
Leftover Hack!
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.
FAQs:
Great question, but the answer is…it all depends on your waffle iron. Some are larger than others and it’ll really all depend on that. The waffle iron I linked above is large enough that this recipe makes 3 large waffles.
I have another smaller iron that makes 4 waffles. It never hurts to double the recipe, just freeze any extra waffles for later and reheat in the oven!
Yes, you can refrigerate or freeze them for later! They’ll last in the fridge for about 2 to 3 days and in the freezer for up to a few months. To freeze, first place them on a baking sheet and flash freeze before transferring to a sealed bag or container. It also helps to separate them with parchment paper.
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:
Jonathan says
Do you think that maple sugar could be substituted for the sugar in the same quantity?
Karly says
I’ve never worked with maple sugar before, but if it acts the same as regular sugar it should be fine.
Anon says
We made these to ring in the New Year on the right note this morning (and to break in the new waffle maker from the holidays). I knew I wanted to make a buttermilk waffle when I got to googling but the flavor with the spices is just perfect. Thanks for such a delicious recipe! As others have mentioned double (or triple) when serving more than three, I’d say. Happy 2019, y’all!
Karly says
Glad you enjoyed!
Todd says
Best waffles ever. My family insists that I make them every time we all get together (which is why I’m back on the site)! ‘
I’ve never had them turn out poorly.
Thank you!
MIKO says
Hi, issit ok if i skip buttermilk?
Can i use butter instead of vegetable oil? If yes, how much butter do i need based on this portion of recipe? Thanks..
Karly says
You can make your own buttermilk by combining regular milk with a teaspoon or so of vinegar or lemon juice.
I haven’t tried this with butter in place of oil, but if I did, I would use the same amount.
Bonnie says
I would not use butter because butter contains water. The oil used in this recipe is what keeps the waffle crispy.
Lisa from Gilbert, AZ says
I made these last weekend and they were absolutely delicious! The texture was light and crisp and there was a lovely spiced flavor. I doubled the recipe and it made 6 large waffles in my Waring flip waffle iron. I served the waffles with Honeycrisp apples sauteed in maple syrup and butter. I froze the one left over waffle and toasted it last night and it was still great!!! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
Courtney says
OMG! These are exactly what you said!! AMAZEBALLS!! I doubled the recipe and so glad I did. Thank you for sharing. I’m deff adding this to my recipe book!!
Kristina says
Oh yeah, this is now my go-to recipe. I used my 1 cup measuring cup as a batter scoop, it didn’t quite fill my waffle maker, so I’ll use a bit more next time. This made 5 waffles, probably 4 when I use more batter per waffle. Which is enough for the 2 of us, but for 2 big eaters, or more people, I’d double the recipe. I also didn’t have butter milk, so I just used straight milk. Super light and yummy! Cook until steam stops coming out the waffle iron.
Karly says
Glad they were a hit!
Anna says
Made these today—these are what I’ve been missing in my weekend life!! Love them. Thank you!
Alice says
Love this recipe… I make it often for my family… their favorite!
Leia says
Beat one egg white into soft peaks? Are you kidding me? It’s nearly impossible. I always have to double this recipe to come even close to beating two whites into soft peaks. Any advise or tricks would be greatly appreciated.
Karly says
I use a regular whisk and do it by hand. You can also try using a push whisk or an immersion blender with a whisk attachment if that’s easier for you.
Anon says
A stainless steel bowl and wire whisk will always work
Barb says
I used white milk and vinegar. I mixed it all up in the Vitamix, and they turned out great. Thank you.
Karly says
Glad they were a hit! 🙂
Desiree says
These are great waffles but it doesn’t make but 8! That’s nothing for family breakfast! Double or triple this recipe in order to feed more than two people!
Jenny says
How many waffles does this make? Thanks!
Karly says
It will depend on your waffle maker. My deep Belgian waffle maker makes about 3 of these, but the smaller “Eggo” style maker makes more like 8, if I remember correctly.
Angie says
In my Cuisinart Belgian waffle maker i got 4.
Laura says
I don’t know where my head was when I was making these. First, I mixed the sugar in with the dry ingredients. Then, I forgot to add the vanilla until after I had already put some of the batter in the waffle iron lol. They still came out great though, thanks for sharing!
Dez says
What waffle iron do you use? Mine are never that thick and I think it’s the iron.
Karly says
This is the iron I use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TYBWIG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000TYBWIG&linkCode=as2&tag=buinmyov-20&linkId=PFIYLAGO5422G7YW