Use this Fluffy Waffle Recipe to make thick, fluffy waffles without the hassle of beating egg whites! Make a double-batch and freeze for homemade waffles in minutes.
I received a waffle maker for Christmas a few years ago but the poor thing has been collecting dust in a cabinet ever since. I love waffles (all.the.breakfast foods, really) but just about every recipe I find calls for separating the eggs and beating the egg whites.
And, honestly, that whole process beats me down. What I love about my Homemade Pancakes is that I don’t have to get out my stand mixer, I always have the ingredients on hand, and they’re so easy that even my two-year-old can help make them.
I expect the same from my waffles!
Once I realized that was all that was holding me back from golden-brown waffle goodness, I set out to develop a fluffy waffle recipe that wasn’t so cumbersome. In fact, this Belgian waffle recipe uses the same simple ingredients as my homemade pancake recipe with only a few changes to the amounts.
It’s also the same recipe I use to make these Sweet Potato Waffles. So good!
What is a Belgian Waffle?
In North America, Belgian waffles are typically made with a lighter batter- traditionally a yeasted batter, though baking powder is often used today. Belgian waffles are also made using a Belgian waffle iron which results in larger squares and deeper pockets than traditional American waffles. Belgian waffles are not to be confused with the different varieties of waffles found in Belgium, like the Brussels waffle or liege waffle.
Liege Waffles
Liege waffles, with their signature uneven edges, are richer, denser, sweeter, and chewier. The bread-like dough features chunks of pearl sugar which caramelizes on the outside of the waffle when baked. (They’re also the most common type of waffle available in Belgium.)
How to Make Waffles Without a Waffle Maker
Honestly, I’ve seen people ask that on other waffle recipes. There’s all kinds of YouTube videos and kitchen “hacks” to help. My question is: can you still call it a waffle if you didn’t use a waffle maker?
I say, no. Buy the dang waffle maker. Now that you have this super simple Fluffy Waffle Recipe, yours won’t sit lonely in a cabinet! (This is similar to the Belgian Waffle Maker I have. The ability to flip the waffles over is supposed to help create fluffy and evenly browned waffles.)
How to Freeze Homemade Waffles
Most mornings I try to make my kiddos a hot breakfast but sometimes we’re running late and only have time for a bowl of cereal. I try to keep my freezer stocked with a batch of these for emergencies! Waffle emergencies. Totally a thing.
To Freeze the Waffles: Freeze the waffles in a single layer until hard (so they don’t stick together), then slip them into an air-tight plastic bag and stash them for several weeks in the freezer. Ours never last that long!
To Reheat the Waffles: Remove them from the freezer and pop them into the toaster (a 1/4 section at a time) or into a toaster oven.
Recipe Tester Notes:
- As you pull the warm waffles off of the waffle maker, don’t stack them as you would pancakes. These waffles will do better when placed on a wire baking rack in a single layer to prevent them from getting soggy.
- Yes, four teaspoons of baking powder. No, that is not a typo. Use quality baking powder that isn’t expired. If you can’t remember the last time you bought some, it’s probably time to replace it. It will not make the waffles taste metallic, baking powder should not have a taste. It is simply a leavening agent.
- I used a scant 2/3 cup of batter for each 1″ waffle. This will vary based on the size of your waffle maker. Don’t worry about filling the entire surface, the waffles will puff up some as they bake. You want to shoot for about 3/4 of the griddle surface to be covered.
Fluffy Waffle Recipe
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 6 tbsp melted unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron. Gently coat with nonstick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use the back of a spoon to create a "well" in the center.
- Whisk the two eggs into the milk until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients (butter, milk/egg mixture, vanilla) into the well of the dry ingredients and whisk until blended. (Note: the batter will be slightly lumpy, do not over-mix.)
- Scoop the batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook until the waffles are golden brown and crisp. (About 2-3 minutes, but this will vary wildly depending on your waffle maker.)
- Serve immediately or lay on a wire cooling rack until cool. Store leftovers in an airtight bag in the freezer.
Video
Nutrition
This post was published September 26, 2018 and updated August 15, 2019.
Kaitlyn says
Absolutely delicious
Denise Gunnels says
Best waffles I have ever made. Was concerned about the amount of baking powder but it wasn’t a problem.
Ranya says
These were excellent. Subbed fresh buttermilk instead of regular milk and added 4T hemp hearts. Made 6 Belgian waffles.
Tammy says
Finally! A GREAT waffle recipe that doesn’t make you separate the eggs. Have been using your pancake recipe for years and can’t believe I only just tried these. Life saver!
Mikaiya says
This recipe is perfect!!! So light and fluffy!! But the one thing I changed was I used eikorn four which is a european flour and it was amazing! I also made a maple marscopone cream delicious!
Susan says
Super light and fluffy, I will definitely be making these often.
Eduardo E. says
These waffles were extremely good and easy to make. My wife and son loved them. Great recipe.
Raegan says
Almond milk is an amazing substitute for real milk! This recipe is AWESOME!!!
Anna says
First time making waffles, as my family bought me one for my birthday.
Wow simple and easy recipe, didn’t change a thing.
Sooooooooo Yummy
Shrin says
Best waffles I have ever made — just a couple of little tweaks.
less sugar
more vanilla
more milk
First of all I halved the recipe as I was making them only for me. :). I always cut the sugar way down, so I only added 1 tbps or less. I found the batter quite thick so added a bit more milk.
I used just under a cup of batter on the waffle iron and cooked for 5 minutes. Perfection! Golden and crispy on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside.
I liked some of the ideas others have suggested and will add some flax seed, hemp see, etc. next time.
Angie says
Perfection!
These waffles are so easy to make, and perfectly fluffy.
My kids have been asking for waffles for so long… I finally bought a maker since there’s no way to make a waffle without one ? of course I didn’t grab waffle mix… so I browsed the web and found your recipe. I’m so glad I didn’t buy mix.. I never will again. These are amazing. We’ve had waffles twice this week. ??
Lee says
Thank you, thank you! Like you I found separating and beating egg whites too onerous when all I wanted was a quick waffle. I won’t use Eggo waffles — I have SOME pride. Your recipe has allowed me to bring waffles back into my life. You taught this old dog a new trick!
Anna says
Great waffles. Just made them and they are awesome. Just what we love. Light and fluffy. Thank you!
Resa says
When I first came across this recipe after a lifetime full of waffles, I thought, “No way! Waffles have to have beaten egg whites.” However, after reading some comments, I decided to try them. Welp, I have been thoroughly converted!
I made this recipe exactly as written and my family thinks these are WONDERFUL! Thank you for such a great, simple recipe.
Tenise says
Deliciously tasty, light and fluffy! Perfect recipe! I added chocolate chips!
Tanya says
Thank you – the family loves it! Will make again
Barbara Phal says
this was surprisingly quick and easy to make and definitely delicious. My children all really enjoyed it! We’re freezing half the batch so hopefully it continues the same flavors when we reheat it up tomorrow
Maddie says
Just tried making these using my vertical waffle iron. Definitely don’t recommend. The batter was far too thick to fall through into the iron, and as a result made a big mess. I could see this recipe being good with a traditional waffle iron, but I had to add nearly another cup of milk to my batter to make it usable.
Emily Grace says
Wow, I have never heard of a vertical waffle iron!
Joanie says
I have a vertical waffle maker too, and I added maybe 1/3 cup of milk? I didn’t measure, I just added a tiny bit at a time until the batter was just thin enough to work well with my waffle maker. They were delicious!
Emily Grace says
Good to know you had success with a vertical waffle maker. Thank you for commenting, Joanie!
Virginia says
I add my hemp hearts to the mix. Kids and hubby didn’t realize and it’s a healthy add lol. Thank you for such a great recipe! I’m making big batches now to freeze alone with my baked oatmeal bars!
G says
This waffle was light and fluffy and the perfect sweet taste. I used flax seed meal instead of egg and made berry sauce to go with it. Thanks for the recipe.
Priscilla says
These are yummy and really were fluffy! My 5yr old, 2yr old and husband approve.
Courtney says
These are incredible! I substituted dairy-free milk and butter and gluten-free flour (and added cinnamon) but I love that I don’t have to separate the eggs and they still come out super light and fluffy! Thank you for sharing. This recipe is my new waffle go-to!
Englishamericanwafflemaker says
Yep, 100% recommend, I may have underestimated the fluff of these waffles whilst cooking which resulted in a minor waffle maker batter explosion. But the finished product is delicious light and… full of fluff!
Tiffani says
Just amazing. This is the recipe I have been looking for. Thank you for ending my search for the perfect waffle. You are so correct you must use right away, or you will lose all that beautiful air pockets. So intrigued to explore your other recipes. Thank you
Linda B says
Kudos on an easy recipe worth keeping!
I searched for, and collected, four recipes, from complicated like Alton’s, to this, the easiest. Naturally, I began with this, the easiest, and don’t have a need to try any of the others. I made one change, which was including 1 tsp Cream of Tartar per 1 cup milk.)
My new Cuisinart plane-Jane waffle replaced the one I gave away 20 years ago. My poor kids grew up with junk waffles?, I didn’t have a clue that pancake mix was not waffle mix. My youngest married and left 20 years ago so, but I’ll make this even if only for grandpa and me.
Mahalo for this recipe!
Lynn says
I’m a super novice cook/baker. Sigh…. this is a super easy AND TASTY recipe! I think the hardest thing about this recipe is that we now have to justify paying for brunch at a restaurant again!
Patricia says
Just tried these today and on the last waffles we added some chopped up banana — so good! Wonderful recipe, very light and fluffy 🙂
Michelle says
Hello,
I bake a lot and love to search for new recipes. I made your waffles this morning and they were PERFECT. And I don’t say that lightly….if everyone follows this recipe exactly it will yield fabulous waffles. I used a jumbo egg, and popped some blueberries into the batter and topped them with toasted sliced almonds and a bit of cinnamon sugar and real maple syrup. These will be the only waffles I will make from now on; thank you Emily Grace!
Alexander says
Super easy to make and it was a huge hit when I did breakfast for dinner night
Lynne says
OMW! These are truly the BEST waffles ever and are so incredibly easy to make!
My family generally drowns waffles & pancakes in syrup (much to my dismay) but THESE…they barely used syrup and I had to make two more batches on the spot to match their appetite!! DELICIOUS!!
Emily Grace says
So happy to hear that, Lynne!
Heidi says
Great recipe! I got busy between making the batter and getting them on the iron. The longer this batter sits thie thicker, fluffier and harder to spread it gets so I’m sure this is what others are complaining about, but I wasn’t fussed and just used a spatula to spread it out a little, and they came out beautifully. For my own tastes I ‘d add a wee bit more vanilla next time, and maybe a little sugar, but my kids couldn’t have been happier the way they were unadulterated. I will never understand people who don’t follow a recipe then complain about it (duh, duh, duh). If you follow this exactly and get bad results, you’ve done something wrong because it’s perfect as-is.
Emily Grace says
Thank you for your comment, Heidi 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Aisling says
Just wondering could you make the batter the night before and serve it in the morning or does it have to be cooked straight away?
Emily Grace says
Hi Aisling, these really should be cooked after mixing. Once you mix the wet and dry ingredients, it activates the baking powder, and the longer it sits the less fluffy you waffles will be. You could certainly mix up the dry ingredients the night before though so you have less measuring to do the morning of. Hope this helps!
Cher says
Grace, I tried your recipe and it is awesome! I used almond coconut blended milk and it was great! They come out a little lighter in color but are very fluffy and tasty. I will be freezing some as well.
Thanks for sharing!?
Emily Grace says
Thanks for sharing that you had success with coconut/almond milk! Glad you enjoyed.
Michelle D says
I just made these waffles today and omgosh they are so good!! I have tried other recipes that were not soft inside but, these were wonderful!! My boys loved them!! Thank you for a great recipe!
Christine Byers says
Made these this morning at the request of my 11 year old. I followed the recipe, used white wheat flour, and added a bit of cinnamon. The taste was great, but the texture was sort of sandy and crumbly. Everything was fresh, didn’t overmix, any ideas?
Emily Grace says
Sorry, I haven’t had that issue. I use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
Tina says
Made this with my 16 year old son this morning and we loved them! So quick and easy. I didnt have unsalted butter so we only added half of what it called for and they are delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Broke College Kid says
I purchased salted butter; will that mess the recipe up?
Emily Grace says
No, just omit the added salt
Julian James says
Best waffles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alli says
This is a fool-proof recipe! I know because I have tried at least 4 or 5 different waffle recipes now, and this one is hands down the best. Easy to follow, the waffles came out beautiful and crispy, and had a nice buttery flavor instead of flour which is how these recipes often end up tasting. Delicious, and no changes/additions were made or needed!
Laura says
I am notorious for ruining waffles, tried this recipe bc I was out of box mix and oh-my-lanta, I FINALLY MADE PERFECT WAFFLES!!!!!
Thank you!!!!
Jenny says
I followed the recipe and they were perfect, no more box mixes for us!
Kim Martin says
This morning we made these AMAZING waffles in a Belgium waffle maker. We used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour as I am recently gluten free. Don’t tell my mom, but these were the best waffles I have ever had in my life. This is a keeper!
Michael Pait says
I haven’t made waffles in YEARS. Wife wanted a waffle maker for Christmas…. still don’t really know WHY she wanted a waffle maker. Seemed so random. So, got the new Calphalon waffle maker and Googled a waffle recipe. You had me at “easy”. So, this morning made this recipe and they came out so well. Daughter and wife loved them. They were crispy and fluffy. I am sold. This will be my go-to recipe for waffles. Next we add blueberries.
Emily Grace says
So happy to hear that, Michael!!
terrence says
Ha! Ha! This was me this xmas! Just made an awesome batch!! Amazing!
Terri Biggs says
We just had these for breakfast and they were so delicious! Such an easy recipe! We even had some left over for freezer which is very handy for those times your just craving waffles and can’t be bothered to make them!
Emily Grace says
So glad you enjoyed them, Terri! I try to keep some in my freezer at all times! 🙂
Natalie says
Made these this morning for Christmas breakfast; the were delicious!
Indigo says
I made these as the recipe asked for, but when it got low I added half a yam and a load of pumpkin spice for myself and my boyfriend.
It was amazing! My family loved them. They were super fluffy and possibly the most perfect waffles I’ve made. I preferred the spiced ones myself.
Thanks for the recipe!
Emily Grace says
Yum!! You would love these waffles: https://www.graceandgoodeats.com/sweet-potato-waffles/ the bursts of sugary pecans + the soft pumpkin spice flavor are EVERYTHING!
Julia says
I used this recipe this morning and they turned out quite well. I used whole spelt flour instead of all purpose, so the batter was pretty thin. I’m also at altitude, so I used 3 teaspoons baking powder instead of 4. I did separate the eggs and whisk the whites to a soft peak, but next time I probably won’t do that and I think the waffles will still turn out fluffy.
I know the spelt flour had an impact on the texture of the batter in my case, but I wonder if the problem with a too-thick batter for some is just the everyone measures differently; a packed 2 cups of flour is pretty different from a loosely packed measurement.
Thanks for the recipe!
Emily Grace says
Great point, Julia!
Kent says
4 Teaspoons of Baking Soda ? Seemed like a lot. Waffles were not fluffy, instead they were rubbery and had a bitter after taste. Flour, eggs, milk, and vanilla were fresh, although baking soda was old (but cookies baked day before w/ same were fine.
Wife didn’t care for them at all, bad Christmas morning experience. Urrp – Will have to feed to local wildlife
Emily Grace says
Hi Kent, the issue is that you used baking SODA instead of baking POWDER. This recipe calls for baking powder and it does need to be fresh.
Just Helping says
This recipe called for baking powder not soda…
Michele says
Not enough liquid for so much batter waffles improved a lot after I added more milk
Emily Grace says
Hi Michelle, the batter should be thick. No need to add more liquid. Hope this helps.
Connie Allen says
My hubby is picky about waffles. He said these were the best he had ever had!
Thank you!
Emily Grace says
So happy to hear that Connie!!
Joy says
Yum! Smells so good… doubled the recipe, perfection 🙂
Andrea S. says
Ran out of waffle/pancake mix. Found this recipe. No need to buy more store-bought mix. This is just as easy.
Liz says
These were a hit with the kids! (Ages 5, 7, 8, and 11 months!) I threw in a couple shakes of cinnamon, and they were delicious!
Emily Grace says
So glad your kiddos enjoyed them, Liz!! My husband loves to add cinnamon to pancakes, I’ll have to try it with these waffles next!