Homemade Waffle Recipe
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This is the best waffle recipe ever! Soft and fluffy inside, with a slightly crisp exterior. My homemade waffles are easy to make & perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Original publish date: July 24, 2018.
Table of Contents
- Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- In Photos: How To Make Homemade Waffles
- Helpful Tips & Tricks
- How To Serve Homemade Waffles
- Can Homemade Waffles Be Frozen?
- More Incredible Breakfast Recipes
Waffles! My family loves 'em. How could they not? There's something so wonderful about a stack of piping hot, golden brown waffles, fresh off the waffle maker.
We mostly eat them for breakfast, but they're REALLY good for dessert too. Waffles and ice cream is a total classic!
I'm big on make-ahead breakfasts for my kids. These chocolate chip muffins are a staple, and I'm a huge fan of scones too (check out these lemon blueberry scones, and these petite vanilla bean scones!). And I always try to keep a batch of these homemade waffles in our freezer too.
In my opinion, this is the best waffle recipe ever! It's easy to make and the waffles bake up perfectly every time. The flavors are perfectly balanced (not too sweet!) and the texture is on point. Soft and fluffy in the middle, with a slightly crispy exterior.
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- With crispy edges and soft centers, these are just the right balance of texture from buttermilk and butter.
- Fast and easy! No resting time needed; ready in minutes.
- This recipe is super customizable and goes great with sweet or savory toppings.
- Make a big batch and reheat during the week! This recipe is freezer-friendly.
- Consistent performance in any waffle maker for reliable, trustworthy results.
Ingredients You'll Need
The complete list of ingredients with the amounts you'll need to make the recipe is located in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure and a neutral base that crisps up beautifully in the waffle iron.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness and helps with browning.
- Baking Powder: Gives the waffles their rise and airy texture.
- Kosher Salt: Enhances the flavors and balances sweetness.
- Buttermilk: Adds tanginess and moisture, while reacting with the leavening for fluffier waffles. Read this if you don't normally keep buttermilk on hand: How to Make Homemade Buttermilk.
- Unsalted Butter: Melted butter adds flavor and ensures crisp edges.
- Large Eggs: Bind the batter and contribute to a tender crumb.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and a subtle sweet flavor that enhances the batter.
In Photos: How To Make Homemade Waffles
Waffles fall into the "quick bread" category of baking, which means they're leavened with baking powder, and the method is super fast and super easy. With any kind of quick bread, you start by blending the dry ingredients, then the liquid ingredients, and then you stir everything together and bake it up.
Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 2: Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. If you don't have buttermilk, you can create a reasonable facsimile by adding a little lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk. Let it stand for about 5 minutes, and it will start to curdle and become thicker.
Step 3: Stir the liquid mixture into the dry. Don't overdo it, or your waffles could come out tough. It's perfectly ok (and even preferable!) if the batter is a bit lumpy.
Step 4: Scoop the batter into your preheated waffle maker, and let it do its thing!
Step 5: You'll know your waffles are done when they're golden brown and a little crisp on the outside.
Helpful Tips & Tricks
The recipe can be made gluten-free or dairy-free!
This waffle recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but you could also use self-rising flour. If you do, just omit the baking powder and salt.
You can also make a gluten-free version! Just substitute the flour for a gluten-free flour blend. Look for one that subs 1:1 for regular flour. Here are a few good options:
- King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
- Cup4Cup Multi-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
For a dairy-free option, use any plant-based milk, along with your favorite vegan butter substitute.
How To Serve Homemade Waffles
Waffles are so versatile! They can be topped in any number of different ways.
My family loves to eat them with butter and maple syrup. I think that is probably the most traditional way to enjoy waffles.
But they're also great with fresh fruit or berries, and a dusting of powdered sugar!
We also like to top them with peanut butter, almond butter, or Nutella.
And they're really good with fried chicken! It's a thing, trust me. A very delicious thing.
For dessert, homemade waffles are the perfect vehicle for ice cream. There is nothing quite like a freshly baked, warm waffle with cold, creamy ice cream! Here are some of my favorite ice cream recipes:
Drizzle with chocolate syrup, hot fudge, or caramel sauce for the waffle sundae of your dreams!
Can Homemade Waffles Be Frozen?
Make a big batch of these homemade waffles, and keep them in your freezer! They freeze beautifully and make busy mornings so much easier. It's so great to be able to serve a homemade breakfast to your family, with minimal effort!
As the waffles come out of the waffle maker, cool them on a wire rack. Freeze them (in a single layer) until hard, then slip them into a plastic bag and stash them for several weeks in the freezer.
When you're ready to serve, just reheat them gently in the toaster.
I hope you'll give this homemade waffle recipe a try! I bet your family will love it just as much as mine does!
More Incredible Breakfast Recipes
- Breakfast Casserole
- Triple Berry Honey Yogurt Breakfast Cheesecakes
- Cinnamon Hazelnut Breakfast Pastries
- Nutella Yogurt Parfait Breakfast Popsicles
- How to Make Crepes
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Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (29.57 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons (22.18 g) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 3 cups (720 g) buttermilk, *
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, (1 ½ sticks), melted
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle maker.
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla.
- Fold together until mostly blended but still a little lumpy.
- Place about 1 cup of waffle batter into the hot waffle maker and cook until golden brown (about 2 to 3 minutes).
- Serve warm.
I've got to say that I was disappointed with this recipe. I couldn't get these cooked just right. Most of them were too brown to the point of being black. Reducing the cooking time yielded an undercooked batter like center. The last batch came out best, after adding more flour to the mix and turning off the waffle iron halfway.
The waffles ended up too crispy/crunchy on the outside and the crust was bubbly.
A couple ideas that may have caused my issue might have been the excessive butter or vinegar or baking powder...or maybe a combination of these ingredients.
I think I'll just go back to my old standby basic recipe that came with my waffle iron recipe book.
* I'm taking another star off my review due to this site forcing the star rating to bump up to 4 stars even when you vote below the "post comment" button and return to the comments section. Go over it a try and see. *
Hey Gary! So sorry you were disappointed. And I will look into that issue with the star ratings. I think it sounds like your waffle iron runs overly hot. If they're too brown on the outside but still undercooked in the center, that's a sure sign. And I would definitely recommend trying it with buttermilk if you can- the result you get with vinegar is ok but not quite as good to be honest! Thank you for the feedback!
Wow Gary! I honestly don't believe that you're blaming the recipe for your what was most likely caused by your waffle iron! Even if it was due to one or more of the ingredients, you definitely didn't have to comment so rudely! What works for one may not work for another.... I've read all the comments here and yours happens to be the only negative one. Good luck with your old basic recipe! VERY sorry Allie... (it's probably not my place but...) This is the first time I'm on your site and about to use your recipe and I honestly got offended by this review!
Lol thank you Lisa! I appreciate your standing up for me~!
My family loves the waffles, it has become a weekly recipe. It's great that it makes enough to have leftovers for breakfast during the week for my daughter.
Aw, that makes me so happy Cathy! Thank you so much for your feedback.
Hi,
one question, please.
How many ml is 1C?
Hi Kim! You can get all that info when you click the weight conversion icon in my right-hand sidebar. Here's the direct link, in case you missed it: https://bakingamoment.com/weight-conversions-for-baking/.
Hi,
I’m glad i found this recipe from you! I bought my first waffle maker last week and i’m dieing to try it out. Unfortunatelly i broke 2 ribs on my right side last weekend and i’m not allowed by doctors’s orders to do anything in my kitchen. For at least 4 weeks! I’m not sure if i can keep my promisse to him that i won’t! Making waffles isn’t working in the kitchen in my opinion. Only i’ve to be a bit carefull not bumping in to something wich i do quit often. But i guess....next week or so? Then i’m making my waffles! So ....Thanks for your recipe, i’ll give it a go. Till next time. Oh and the turnovers....i really, really love those things! I’ll save that recipe as well.
Have a great day and lovely greetings,
Marja
So sorry to hear that you're under the weather, Marja! I wish you a speedy recovery so that you can get back to what you love doing. Good luck with the waffles and I hope you enjoy!
Excellent recipe . I don’t like the newer recipes that are too sweet . This was perfect ! Thank you for sharing !
So happy you liked it Jane! I always prefer things that are just sweet enough. Thank you so much for the positive feedback!
These turned out great for some reason I couldn't find the exact amount of ingredients so I just Winged It And basically the family loved them and that tip about the buttermilk I just poured what i thought was enough ,it worked out perfectly I'll probably NEVER use box mix again Thanks?
So happy you enjoyed Linda! The amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Thanks for the feedback!
Thank you!, Allie. I didn’t make any waffles today. I WILL make your recipe this weekend. I will take your advice and give you my results.
Sounds great! I'll look forward to it!
Allie, the waffles were a hit! I took your suggestion to reduce the salt as I was using salted butter. I used slightly more than 1/4 teaspoon salt. Next time I will purchase unsalted butter and follow your recipe exactly. My husband really enjoyed his waffle treat this morning. ?
That's so great to hear Sandy! I'm so happy you and your husband enjoyed. Thank you for the positive feedback!
I am going to try these today as it is National Waffle Day. However, I only have salted butter. Should I just omit the Kosher salt? Thanks in advance for your reply.
Hey Sandy! I’m so happy you’re going to give this recipe a try! It’s tough to know exactly how much to decrease the salt because different brands of butter have different levels of saltiness. I’d try omitting the salt at first, then give it a taste & see how you like it. You can always add in a little if you feel like it needs it. Hope that’s helpful! Enjoy!
Since I live along, I cut this recipe by 2/3 to get two waffles. These are everything you said! I like a waffle that's not too dense, but don't care for the airy crispy variety. The texture of these is just what I wanted. Getting rid of all other waffle recipes now!
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks for the 5-star review!
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try them out ... my family loves a waffle
Thank you! Hope you love these as much as we do!
Can someone tell me the consistency of these waffles? My husband likes crunchy on the outside and slightly towards inside and then fluffy?
Hey Alex! I actually described the texture about halfway through the post: "The flavors are perfectly balanced (not too sweet!) and the texture is on point. Soft and fluffy in the middle, with a slightly crispy exterior." Hope that's what you're looking for!
Excellent recipe. I didn't have enough buttermilk (shy 1 cup) but I topped it off with cream and milk and it still worked great.
That's great to hear! Thanks so much for the positive feedback!
Do you know how many servings this recipe makes? I have a 7 hungry people to make waffles for 😉
Yes! It's noted in the recipe card. Six 8-inch diameter waffles. My kiddos usually eat no more than half a waffle (so 2 "triangles"). Hope that's helpful, Anna!
I want this for breakfast!!
this is the perfect waffle!
I've finally weaned my husband off Bisquick pancakes. Next is waffles using your wonderful recipe.
I've finally weaned my hubby off Bisquick pancakes! Next up, waffles! Your recipe is perfect.
Definitely a breakfast favorite! These are perfection!