Crispy Waffles
I’m sharing my top 6 tips for how to make the best Crispy Waffles for breakfast or brunch. These homemade waffles have wonderful flavor, and the batter is simple to mix together. Serve them piping hot while crisp, topped with butter, maple syrup, or your favorite toppings.
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.
The best waffles are 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 Savory Bacon Cheddar Waffles, which are neither crisp nor should you put maple syrup on them, but are insanely delicious.
After a decade experimenting with various waffle ingredient combinations and several tiers of waffle makers, I’ve discovered there are 6 major secrets to perfect waffles.
Tip #1: Add stiff egg whites
For the most crispy waffles, we will be separating the egg yolks from the egg whites, and mixing them separately.
When you beat egg whites to stiff peaks, they hold in a TON of air (think about what’s going on with a soufflé). Incorporating stiff egg whites into your batter makes the waffles incredibly light instead of heavy and dense.
I mix the small amount of granulated sugar needed in this recipe directly into the egg whites, both to make the beaten egg whites more stable, but also to dissolve the sugar thoroughly.
It takes an extra minute, but this step is important for a more crisp exterior.
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. It makes a big difference! The addition of cornstarch protects the waffle from getting soggy from cooking steam.
What’s interesting is that over the years, I have noticed more and more people incorporating cornstarch into their baking as a secret ingredient. When added to baked goods like cakes, cookies, and so on, it helps the texture quite a bit.
Tip #3: Swap Amaretto for vanilla
Vanilla extract is classic in sweet applications, and you may certainly use it here if that’s what you have. But I love adding a little amaretto liqueur to the batter instead. 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 that’s necessary for a great waffle.
Tip #4. Use real buttermilk
Real 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 regular milk! A vinegar milk mixture might work out chemically, but it does not compare to the real thing.
If you have leftover buttermilk, you can freeze it, or use the leftovers for Lemon Buttermilk Pie, Buttermilk Pancakes, this amazing Cornbread Recipe, or this legendary Fried Chicken Recipe.
For the wet ingredients, mix the buttermilk with egg yolks, melted butter or vegetable oil, and your amaretto or vanilla.
Add it to the dry ingredients of all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, in a separate bowl:
Once the buttermilk amaretto liquid is added to the dry ingredients, it’s time to fold in those stiff egg whites I mentioned earlier:
Fold gently in a large bowl with plenty of room to turn, so as not to deflate the whites. This ensures crispier waffles.
Tip #5: Use a flip waffle maker
As good as your crispy waffle recipe may be, if you have a crummy waffle maker, you’re going to get crummy 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, so the waffle cooks evenly on both sides.
Also take care not to overfill the waffle maker, as it will just spill over the sides and make a mess.
With a good quality preheated waffle iron, each waffle should come out crisp, golden brown, and ready to eat. If this doesn’t happen, the following tip will save you.
Tip #6: Crisp five 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 250 degrees F oven for 5 minutes, directly on the metal racks of the oven (not on a baking sheet).
This will crisp the waffles even further and putting it on the wire oven rack will allow the steam to escape and prevent sogginess. This is also good for maintaining the waffles’ crispy exterior while you’re cooking the remaining batter.
How to Serve
My favorite toppings for these crispy waffles are simply some good quality butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Classic waffles always please! But you could also dust with a little confectioner’s sugar, add Homemade Orange Honey Butter, Blueberry Sauce, or fresh fruit.
You may also want to balance these delicious waffles out with some healthier savory options. I love Poached Eggs with Hash Browns, Sausage Breakfast Casserole, and this Potato Frittata.
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!
Recipe Tips and FAQ
Keep leftover waffles in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, keep in an airtight container or sealable plastic freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Reheat in a 350F oven (or toaster oven) for 5-10 minutes, until warmed through. If reheating straight from frozen, you will need to add an extra 5 minutes. It is also possible you can pop them into the toaster, depending on how thick your waffles are.
No, I do not recommend using this recipe for pancakes. Try Buttermilk Pancakes or Whole Wheat Pancakes instead.
Yes. Sprinkle up to 1/4 cup of chocolate chips per waffle immediately upon adding the batter to the hot waffle iron.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Crispy Waffle Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 eggs separated
- 2 cups whole buttermilk
- 1/3 cup melted butter or oil of your choice*
- 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, melted butter or 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.
226 Comments on “Crispy Waffles”
I have a different method and recipe, but really appreciate the corn starch suggestion. Immediate improvement. Thanks very much.
I was really excited for your recipe because I have tried many different ones hoping to find The One Recipe that gave me the crispy, airy waffles I have always wanted. I don’t know if I hyped myself up too much, but it definitely did not turn out how I expected.
I tried making these waffles yesterday and they were an absolute mess. I don’t understand, considering I followed the recipe exactly with no deviation and my meringue was quite stiff by the time I folded it into the batter. I likewise have a flip Belgian waffle maker, but even on the highest setting (and with extra cook time), these didn’t turn out crispy at all. My first waffle came out completely soft and borderline chewy, with nary a bit of crisp to any of its edges. Adjusting the temperature and cook time didn’t help much; the only time they were crispy was when they ended up burnt from overcooking.
I was rather disappointed by the experience, considering I was expecting fabulously crispy waffles.
Hi Renee, I am sorry to hear these didn’t go well for you, as many have had success with this recipe. From what you described, particularly about being soft and borderline chewy, is that the batter may have been overstirred, resulting in excess gluten in the batter.
I just tried this recipe for brunch this morning and they were really good. Thank you very much. I used almond extract instead of amaretto and evaporated milk instead of buttermilk, since I didn’t have those two specific ingredients at home. Definitely will do this recipe again, trying it with the specific ingredients.
Awesome! Glad to hear those substitutes worked!
I tried this recipe over the weekend, turned out wonderful! Mine didn’t turn out as thick but I think its because of my waffle maker. Great recipe, definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing! ~Donika
To save a few steps — and still get the crispy result — just warm the egg, milk and oil to around 100-110 degrees, before adding them to the mix. Then the egg white whipping and cornstarch won’t be necessary (and you can probably flip back to melted butter, which will help with the flavor), because the batter will be loose enough to let the leavening do its job. Also, if you cut the sugar down to 1 1/2 or 2 Tbsp., that will help keep the waffle a good bit crispier.
Waffles were easy to get crispy back in the old days because no refrigeration meant all your ingredients were generally around room temp or warmer (as they would be, getting prepped near a fire/wood stove to heat the iron), and they all used butter (not oil) . . . where the only way to incorporate it was to melt it. There are some other factors (like density of the iron and the use of yeast vs. chemical leavening), but that was the key. Pam Anderson’s recipe didn’t take that into account, so she had to find workarounds to a not-so-obvious, yet very simple problem.
Made these waffles today, and hands down, they are the best waffles!!! Fluffed up perfectly and nice and crispy on the outside. Substituted vanilla for the amaretto and coconut oil for the vegetable oil. Do you think there would be a way to add cocoa powder to make chocolate, dessert waffles while maintaining the appropriate consistency?
YAY! Glad to hear that Courtney! And I’m glad those substitutions worked well for you. I’ve actually never put cocoa powder in the batter for these, but will try it next time I make them. I make them often =)
Made these today. Made a little tweak and added vanilla instead of amaretto. Cooked up deliciously. Was a huge hit with the husband. Will definitely try this again maybe with fruit! Thanks for sharing!!!!!
That’s wonderful, Christy! Glad you all enjoyed the waffles.
Do you ever make these waffles in bulk and freeze them? If so, what is your method for freezing and storing?
Hi Shelly, I’ve never done that before but my guess is the waffles would do well frozen. You’d need to reheat them well in the oven to crisp them again.
What should I do if I wanted to make banana waffle by using this crispy recipe?
These are delicious! Nice and light and crispy. This will be my “go to” waffle recipe from now on. Yummy!
Hi,
I recently purchased a stove top, cast waffle iron. I followed most of your recipe (no Amarretto nor cornstarch. I used melted butter instead of oil), the iron was heated to the suggested temp. Instead of butter or cooking spray, I put cake release on with a brush before pouring in the batter. Tried this a few times. The waffle itself came out great tasting as I was hoping, but no crispiness on the outside at all. Any ideas?
Hi Kevin, I’m glad the waffles tasted nice, but in order to have crispy waffles it is very, very important not to substitute ingredients. It sounds like quite a few major ingredients here were substituted. The amaretto isn’t essential but the cornstarch and oil definitely are. Hope that helps!
We are very excited to be making these this morning. Although we do not have the flip waffle maker you suggest, we do have a heavy duty Cuisinart. We used vanilla as we did not have the liqueur. Bar none – the best waffles I have eve made. Thanks so much for the recipe.
That is so wonderful you enjoyed the waffles so much! Hope you enjoy them again and again!
I am allergic to almonds. Do you think vanilla extract would work in place of the amaretto liqueur? I just got a waffle maker and am dying to try some homemade recipes.
Yes that would be fine, you can use less…maybe 1 or 2 tsp of vanilla extract.
I could write a best-seller on the number of disastrous Waffle episodes I have had trying out different recipes that I found online. You, Joanne, have thankfully, provided me the epilogue to that book! Thank you! This recipe absolutely nails it and I love the way you have broken down our woes into these 5 simple secrets. Even if I don’t find this recipe again, I will have no problem remembering these tips! Today’s breakfast has been fantastic. I no longer fear the Waffle! 🙂
Next on my list of to-do’s is bungee jumping!
Hi Sujata, I’m really happy to hear the waffles turned out really well for you! Enjoy!
I’ve tried a half a dozen different recipes, including some professional and highly touted recipes, and you’ve nailed it. This is my go-to recipe for the family and guests. I’ll normally sub almond or vanilla extract for the Amaretto, and I’ll add lemon/orange zest and cinnamon/nutmeg.
Great find and post. Thanks
Hi Abdul, I’m so glad that you and your family enjoy these waffles! Your additions sound wonderful too.
i’ve made waffles using this recipe today and my oh my, i loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed the waffles, Jessie. Happy cooking!