Fluffy Waffle Recipe
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.
Fluffy Belgian Waffles From Scratch
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 homemade 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.
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.
What’s in These Homemade Waffles?
This is such an easy waffle recipe that requires minimal ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make the BEST waffles:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Milk
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Waffles From Scratch
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients.
- Mix until combined.
- Pour the waffle batter onto a preheated waffle iron and cook evenly.
- Serve immediately, or let cool before storing for later.
Tip: These homemade waffles taste delicious topped with Strawberry Butter or Blueberry Syrup.
Can You Make Waffles Without a Waffle Iron?
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 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 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!
How to Reheat Waffles
Remove them from the freezer and pop them into the toaster (a 1/4 section at a time) or into a toaster oven. Sometimes using the toaster can make the waffles “crunchy;” when this happens, you can either lower the heat settings or pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to soften them up after toasting.
Recipe Tester Notes on Making Homemade Waffles
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-inch 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.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes:
- Classic Homemade Pancakes
- Sweet Potato Waffles
- Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes
- Overnight French Toast
- Strawberry Banana Pancake Skewers
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 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.
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.
Deliciously tasty, light and fluffy! Perfect recipe! I added chocolate chips!
Thank you – the family loves it! Will make again
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
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.
Wow, I have never heard of a vertical waffle iron!
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!
Good to know you had success with a vertical waffle maker. Thank you for commenting, Joanie!
Enjoyed by 7 of our family. We all had banana & a choice topping (mine: maple ) but would like to try a sugarless savoury waffle. Any suggestions? Jacquelene
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!
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.
These are yummy and really were fluffy! My 5yr old, 2yr old and husband approve.
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!
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!
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
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!
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!
Just tried these today and on the last waffles we added some chopped up banana — so good! Wonderful recipe, very light and fluffy 🙂
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!
Super easy to make and it was a huge hit when I did breakfast for dinner night
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!!
So happy to hear that, Lynne!
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.
Thank you for your comment, Heidi 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
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?
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!
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!?
Thanks for sharing that you had success with coconut/almond milk! Glad you enjoyed.