5 Secrets to Crisp, Flavorful Golden Waffles
I’m sharing my top 5 tips for how to make the most crisp, flavorful waffles for breakfast or brunch. These are great topped with butter, maple syrup, fruit compote, and more!
Did you ever eat those frozen pre-packaged waffles growing up?
I did. And I almost can’t believe I did.
They’re quite a far cry from the crisp, thick, flavorful waffles I now make at home for brunch.
Even though my waffle standards started out with the soggy, spongy frozen variety, I’ve gotten very demanding about how a waffle should be.
A waffle should be crisp on the edges but a little fluffy in the middle, with good flavor, and doused in real maple syrup (though admittedly that last part has nothing to do with technique).
There is only one exception to this: Chef Capon’s Bacon Cheddar Waffles, which are neither crisp nor should you put maple syrup on them, but are insanely delicious.
After experimenting with various waffle ingredient combinations, I’ve discovered there are 5 major secrets to a fantastic waffle.
Waffle Tip #1. Add stiff egg whites
When you beat egg whites to stiff peaks, they hold in a TON of air (think about what’s going on with souffles).
Incorporating stiff egg whites into your batter makes the waffles incredibly light instead of heavy and dense.
Waffle tip #2. Add cornstarch
I first read about adding cornstarch to waffles after someone sent me Pam Anderson’s recipe, and the thought of adding cornstarch really surprised me.
I went in skeptical but after testing it out I was convinced. The addition of cornstarch protects the waffle from getting soggy from cooking steam.
Waffle tip #3. Add Amaretto liqueur (almond liqueur)
Vanilla is classic, but I love adding a little amaretto liqueur to the batter.
It makes the waffles flavorful and aromatic, in a way that’s different from the norm. If you don’t have amaretto, make sure you at least use some vanilla or almond extract, so you get that nice flavor and aroma.
Waffle tip #4. Use Buttermilk
Buttermilk is important for the same reason as #3…flavor.
We all love substitutes, but be sure to use actual whole milk buttermilk from the store here, not vinegar curdled milk.
It will make the waffles taste so much better.
Once the buttermilk amaretto liquid is added to the dry ingredients, it’s time to fold in those stiff egg whites I mentioned earlier:
Waffle tip #5. Use a Flip Waffle Maker
As good as your waffle recipe may be, if you have a cruddy waffle maker, you’re going to get cruddy waffles.
I know this because I had one.
One side would get completely burned, while the other side was underdone.
It pained me to do so, but I threw it away and bought this flip waffle maker instead.
Flipping the iron after pouring in the batter allows all the liquid to spread out evenly, and the waffle cooks evenly on both sides.
And of course, it can’t hurt to pour on some maple syrup, dust with a little powdered sugar, and add a little butter on top:
And an UPDATED 6th tip I’ve started doing:
Waffle Tip #6: Crisp 5 minutes extra in the oven if needed.
If the waffles aren’t fully crisped when they come out of the waffle iron, put them in a 250F oven for 5 minutes, directly on the metal racks of the oven (not on a sheet pan).
This will crisp the waffles even further and putting it on a rack will allow the steam to escape and prevent sogginess.
Also try Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, Bananas Foster French Toast, Carrot Cake Pancakes for some fun and indulgent brunch recipes.
If you want to go a little healthier, these 100% Whole Wheat Pancakes are shockingly delicious too. Enjoy!
Crispy Waffle Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 eggs separated
- 2 cups whole buttermilk
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp amaretto (can substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 7.5 oz all-purpose flour, by weight (1.5 cups, if measuring)
- 2.5 oz cornstarch, by weight (1/2 cup, if measuring)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Separate the egg yolks and whites, and beat together the egg yolks, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and amaretto to combine.
- Whisk to combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine the leftover egg whites with the sugar, and whip to stiff peaks (if you lift the beaters straight out of the egg whites, then invert the beaters, the egg white should stand up on its own as a stiff peak).
- Stir the buttermilk liquid into the flour mixture (make sure the batter is still a little lumpy), then fold in the egg whites, being careful not to deflate them.
- Pour the batter into a preheated waffle maker and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Enjoy!
- Note: If the waffles don't get crispy enough in your waffle iron, place them on a rack set on a baking sheet (or it can be the rack in the oven if it's clean) and bake in a 250F oven for another 5-10 minutes, until crisp.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
200 Comments on “5 Secrets to Crisp, Flavorful Golden Waffles”
I’m surprised thar nobody has mentioned this, but there is too much baking powder in this recipe. My waffles came out with a sour aftertaste from the baking powder.. Maybe 2tsp is better than 1 Tbs. :/
Totally agree. I could taste the bitterness too!
In every conversion table I have read, the following data per your recipe doesn’t match:
7.5 oz all-purpose flour (1.5 cups) 7.5 ounces is just under a cup.
2.5 oz cornstarch (1/2 cup) 2.5 ounces is 5/16 of a cup.
What’s the deal?
Hi Doug, The standard put out by America’s Test Kitchen is that 1 cup of flour weighs 5 oz. Flour should be fluffed before scooping, and leveled off with a knife.
I would like to dispute the notion that if you don’t have a flip waffle maker, or at least a mid-grade waffle maker, that you’re going to get crappy waffles. My waffle maker is a $20 Oster I got from Wal-Mart, and my waffles turn out fantastic every time. I think people who are not getting good results are probably not beating their egg whites as stiff as they can, and are also taking the waffles out too early.
Oster makes fantastic products. I had no idea they made waffle makers, especially at that price point! Thanks for sharing.
Hi there Joanne.
You have a wonderful website here. I love the idea of posting pictures with the recipes. It makes a world of difference.
Anyhow, my question has to do with buttermilk. I have a slightly different recipe than yours, which incorporates active dry yeast. However, it also requires milk as well. I try to limit dairy as much as possible. Only use it when necessary but would it be possible to substitute your buttermilk with soya milk?
I make a nice blueberry jam from scratch and spread that with maple syrup on my homemade waffles. I can never just eat one!
Once you make your own waffles from scratch, you can never go back to eating frozen ones.
I can’t wait until blueberry season starts =P
Hi Rij, that blueberry jam sounds lovely! Regarding the soy milk, I don’t have experience using it so unfortunately I don’t have any comment on how it would work. If you do try it though, please report back and let us know how it goes. I’m sure others are curious too!
Late reply, but a repky nonetheless =)
So I tried the waffles with soya milk instead
of milk and I am happy with the result.
Here’s what I did differently.
I substituted equal amounts of soya milk
for milk.
I added 2 more TBs of butter to the recipe.
I used unsweetened soya milk. I find that
this makes the batter neutral, otherwise
the flavored kind will add more sugar
(Without knowing exactly how much),
and it will probably add a distinctive
Soya taste
to your waffle. Which is not what I
want.
And I had to use all purpose machine
Bread flour. I had no other type of
Flour lying around.
Hope this is helpful to anyone.
I forgot to add that I increased the sugar
Content by 2 TBs.
I find a setting of 4 to 4.5 on your waffle
Maker is best. With the increase sugar
And butter, too high a setting can
Make your waffle more burnt.
Fantastic, thanks so much for sharing your results! I’m sure this will be helpful for others.
Hi! I made these waffles this morning and they were delicious! And I loved the texture. I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used vanilla Greek yogurt and skim milk (1 cup each). I doubled the recipe, but I only used 1/2 cup oil and 4 tablespoons of sugar, total. I used raw sugar, so I added it to the wet ingredients instead of the egg whites, because I was afraid it would weigh them down. I put a big pinch of cream of tartar in the egg whites, to stabilize them (especially since I had four to whip). The batter was very light and puffy and worked fine in my waffle maker (I have the old non-flip waffle maker that makes four at a time). They came out nicely browned and crisp, after about 4 minutes. I set my oven to 200 degrees and put them in there to rest while I finished making the others, and they stayed nicely crisp. My daughter said, “Oh mama, you made heaven!” If that gives you any idea how good they were. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I forgot to mention that I also added 1 teaspoon of almond extract instead of the amaretto liqueur. 🙂
Hi Selena, that’s wonderful! Thanks for sharing your tweaks and I’m glad to hear it turned out so well!
I tried these in my non-flip waffle maker….and you were right, they didn’t turn out at all. The bottom was nicely colored and crispy, and the top completely raw. I tend to think that my waffle maker is quite good quality, and I’ve made really good waffles in it before, but this batter just doesn’t work in it. I think that this batter doesn’t rise like some others, so if you can’t flip it, the batter just sits in the bottom half and never rises to touch the top. Just wanted to let others like me who have good quality non-flip waffle irons know that this recipe is not for you.
Hi Casey, thanks for sharing your experience. Before I had my flip waffle maker I made these in a non-flip maker and I had the opposite problem…it would come out a bit burned on the top and perfect on the bottom. I’ll be getting another waffle iron next month (this time testing out a KitchenAid) and it seems that every waffle maker I have tried is very different, which is kind of unfortunate because it’s difficult to predict how one standard recipe will turn out with each one. I think the waffle mixes with the stabilizers and additives tend to do best across the board but I’m a stickler for making them from scratch. I hope you find a recipe that works well with your waffle maker.
Hey, Joanne! So, I’m making these waffles for a Mother’s Day brunch, and I was wondering if I could make the batter ahead of time and store it in the fridge until tomorrow. Would that work, or would the egg whites fall?
Thanks!
Hi Myrtle, that sounds lovely! You know, I’ve never tried making it the day before, so I’m not sure, but my guess is that the egg whites would lose their air and it might not turn out so well. I’m thinking it’s probably not very make-ahead for that reason.
I make mines the day before, but I use dry yeast instead of Joanne’s cornstarch (plus a few more alterations). The next day, the batter rises quite considerably. But all you have to do is fold the batter and it comes back down to its normal state.
Hi, I made these waffles twice now. The first time they were perfect! I didn’t have buttermilk so I substituted it with milk and vinegar mixed together and the whole family loved them. There are a total of eight of us so that is saying something. I was so sure that they would be a hit again when my sister came to visit, but I’m sorry to say they turned out terrible. They were soggy and burned easy. I had doubled the recipe and I used buttermilk. Could it be that my ratios were off or maybe my buttermilk was the problem..? Any tips?
Hi Aggie, that is so strange it went so well the first time and not the second! Did the milk and buttermilk have the same fat contents? The tricky part about liquid buttermilk is often it’s not truly buttermilk, so maybe the milk and vinegar just happens to work better for the brands you have available.
Thank you! I will make sure I check that the next time I make these. I loved the recipe and I didn’t want to give up on it!
How much milk and vinegar would you recommend using as a substitute for buttermilk?
Hi Nel, I recommend adding 1 tbsp of vinegar for every cup of milk.
Oooh I am looking forward to trying this. We have waffles once a week and they are ALWAYS soggy! Thanks for the tips.
Hi there. My name is Hazmona from Malaysia. I was looking for tips for making goooood waffles as I am planning to sell waffles in my tiny little soon-to-be-huge cafe (in Malaysia we call it Warung ^__^) . My type of waffle iron is the stick waffle. It is kinda new type of waffle in Malaysia. I am looking way to make it fluffy and crispy. But since the iron has 6 holes for making 6 stick waffle at a time, is it advisable if I adjusting the iron temperature from 250degC to 150degC while pouring and then putting the filling then back to 200degC when I adding the batter prior to shut the iron? Is temperature fluctuating will effect the level of ‘rawness’ of the waffle?
I made these waffles, and I must say they were Amazing!! I used gluten free flour (I have Celiac), and coconut oil, added pecans, and they were the fluffiest, yummiest waffles I’ve ever tasted!! I’ve never heard of adding cornstarch, but what a great recipe!!
Thanks for sharing!
Lea
Wonderful Lea! What kind of gluten free flour did you use? Bob’s Red Mill or another brand? Might be helpful for other readers who may be eating gluten-free. Thanks for stopping by to comment and leave your results.
Hi there, your recipe says it makes 6 waffles – is the 4 square waffle 1 serving? I’m making these for myself so I only need 1 – 4 square waffle so I need to know how to divide the recipe. Any info would be much appreciated. By the way I grew up in Poland and I miss those waffles. All the ones I have tried here in Canada have been hard and gooey and not fluffy so I want to try to make them myself.
Hi Kathy, pictured above is considered 1 waffle. I wouldn’t divide the recipe up too much, as the outcome might start to break down. I would probably just halve the recipe at most, but even then I’m entirely sure how they would turn out. Hope you find your perfect waffle!
I made a “ghetto” version of these tonight. I used Bisquick, oil, milk, corn starch vanilla 4 egg whites (whipped as you instructed). I made them with these ingredients because that is what I had in my pantry. I do have a flip waffle iron. (Love the flip waffle iron)
They turned out soooo good. Perfect-crispy and melted in your mouth, they smelled so good cooking and my boys told me they were the best I have ever made. Keep in mind that I have 4 teenage boys and we have waffle night once a week, so we know our waffles. I can’t wait to make them with the proper ingredients.
Thank you for the great tips!
Fantastic, Sandy! Thanks for sharing your ghetto version lol. Good to know!
Thank you so very much! I am in love with these waffles! I’ve been searching for a recipe that would give me crispy-melt-in-your-mouth-delicious waffles for years. Thank you thank you thank you 😀
First of all I want to say thanks for you time and I enjoy your website. I am sorry to report that I made these twice and both times no luck. I made a half recipe for a trial run and they just were not crispy or flavorful. I made them again since I bought the amaretto however I used half vanilla, a dash more salt and made sure I oiled the waffle iron instead of Pam. They still were not crispy. I turned the temp up but the indentions were overdone. The waffle cooking tips go right alone with cooking science but for me it didn’t work. Please do not take this as criticism, just baffled as your waffle photo is just beautiful.
Hi Deb, I’m so sorry to hear that this hasn’t worked for you. I know it is frustrating when you cook something and it doesn’t turn out with the results you want. Do you happen to know what brand of waffle iron you are using?
It is a Oster flip. It has made good waffles, I just want that Perfect waffle. I may have over beat the egg whites. With the sugar, it was more like meringue.
Thanks gain.