This homemade waffle recipe has a simple trick for crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside waffles every time. With just a few pantry staples, you can skip the waffle house and make them fresh at home!
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Light, crispy, golden-brown waffles with cozy vibes from vanilla and just a hint of sugar.
- Skill Level: Make diner-quality waffles in minutes with a few easy tips and tricks!
- Recommended Tools: This easy waffle recipe works with any size or shape of waffle maker: regular, mini, or Belgian.
- Make Ahead: Double the batch so you can pop these freezer-friendly waffles into the toaster for weekday breakfasts.
- Time-Saving Tip: Want an even quicker version? Try this shortcut for Bisquick waffles instead.
Simple Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients: For the lightest, fluffiest waffles, be sure to spoon measure flour to ensure an accurate amount. Swap half the flour for whole wheat or use a gluten-free blend. You can also use a sugar substitute; just follow the package directions.
- Wet Ingredients: Whole milk, melted butter, and room-temperature eggs make waffles golden and crisp. You can use other milk alternatives if you’d like.
Toppings
- Sweet: Try topping them with fresh berries, blueberry sauce, whipped cream, chocolate chips, or a drizzle of maple syrup for a cozy treat everyone will love.
- Savory: You can make dinner versions with savory toppings, too! Make pizza waffles with pizza sauce and shredded cheese, or go with a classic chicken and waffles for a fun twist on dinner.
How to Make Homemade Waffles
- Whisk: Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl (full recipe below).
- Mix: In a smaller bowl, combine egg yolk with the other wet ingredients and set aside.
- Whip: In a third bowl, whip egg whites to stiff peaks.
- Combine: Mix wet ingredients into flour mixture, then gently fold in the whipped egg whites.
- Cook: Drop waffle batter into a prepared waffle iron and cook until golden brown.
Storing Leftover Waffles
- Keep leftover waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Reheat portions in the toaster or the air fryer to get crispy edges again.
- Homemade waffles freeze beautifully! Once cooled, layer waffles between sheets of parchment paper and transfer them to zippered bags. Freeze for up to 6 months
More Ways to Waffle
Did you enjoy these Homemade Waffles? Leave a rating and comment below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs yolks and whites divided, room temperature
- 1⅔ cups milk
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted (or vegetable oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's directions (or to 400°F if your waffle maker has a temperature gauge).
- Place flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- In a small bowl, mix egg yolks, milk, butter, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. *see note
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Gently fold in the egg whites.
- Drop by large spoonfuls onto greased waffle iron until most of the wells are covered. Close the lid and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 7 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. Place sheets of wax paper or parchment between waffles before placing in freezer bags. Reheat briefly in the toaster until crisp. Watch for burning.
- This recipe assumes you are using unsalted butter. If using salted butter, eliminate the salt ingredient.
- *Whipped egg whites make the lightest, fluffiest waffles, but you can make this recipe without beating the egg whites. If you do not, then reduce the milk to 1 1/2 cups, and add whole eggs to the butter mixture.
- Keep waffles warm in a 200°F oven while you make the remaining waffles.
- Buttermilk Waffles: To make, replace milk with buttermilk, reduce baking powder to 1 1/2 teaspoons, and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.
- Don’t overmix the batter, it should be slightly lumpy.
- Preheat the waffle maker and lightly wipe with vegetable oil. Do not use cooking spray.
- Put enough batter in the iron so the waffle compartment is almost full so it will cover the edges when closed.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 313 | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 247mg | Potassium: 378mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 534IU | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Very nice waffles
I really like this waffle recipe so so fluffy and delicious
Can you add mix ins to these? Like raspberries etc inside the batter?
Hi Haleigh, we haven’t personally tried adding berries directly into the better but other readers have with great results! We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
I was looking online for boxed pancake or waffle mix and I came across your recipe. You have convinced me that homemade from scratch is the better choice. I have a round, flip-over, Belgian waffle iron and it does a good job of cooking. I do think you couldn’t go wrong if you amend your basic recipe to incorporate some of the suggestions people have made here. A little freshly ground nutmeg and a sprinkle of cinnamon as well as a teaspoon of vanilla can do wonders for the flavor. Another “trick” for crispy on the outside, tender on the inside waffles is to add a fourth of a cup of cornstarch to the dry ingredients. Remember to have eggs at room temperature when you beat the egg whites. It only takes a minute to whip up a couple of whites even with a manual egg beater. I stir the melted butter into the batter separately just ahead of the egg whites. It makes a silky finish.
Yum! This recipe creates the PERFECT waffle. They cook up nicely and have that fluffy texture (thank you egg whites!). Great recipe!!
Wonderful recipe that turns out just right! Made it several times; always a delicious treat!
Super fluffy inside with a nice crisp outside. My 8 y.o. says it holds up the maple syrup great!
Y’all!!! Let me tell you something. These are the best waffles. My husband who doesn’t even like waffles said this was the best he’s ever eaten. So, stop tripping, put your bowl and beaters in the freezer the night before so that they are good and cold and whip up those egg whites. Do add a bit of vanilla and cinnamon. And then enjoy with some real maple syrup. Thank you for an awesome recipe. I love your website.
Holly, these helped us feel like we were at a nice B&B; so good, and easy to do on the spur of the moment when we felt like having a fancier breakfast this morning! Had with air-fried sausage links–so yummy. Thank you! Your recipes are reliably delicious! ☀️
Thank you J! What a lovely compliment!
Just made it today, perfection! Thanks for sharing with us.
These were Excellent. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Everyone in my family enjoyed them. The only modification that I made was to add 2 tsp of vanilla as several others mentioned. I also heated up syrup with some blueberries for a topping along with some whipped cream. What can I say — waffles are a splurge for me so the extra calories won’t hurt too much :-)
Best waffle recipe I have made. I can stop looking for a waffle recipe. I will make these again. I added one large peeled and diced apple to make apple waffles.
So happy to hear that, Rosalie!
I am excited to try this recipe, just waiting for my waffle iron to arrive from Amazon!
One question. If I freeze any extra waffles do I reheat them in a toaster?
Thanks, Holly
Yes, I love reheating in the toaster or air fryer! Enjoy the waffles Leslie!
Your waffle recipe sounds like my Moms and hers are the best. There are 2 spices she uses Nutmeg and Cinnamon. Try them with the spices they are perfection.
Thank you for the idea Jae Lyn!
This waffle recipe is one of the best I’ve ever had. Very fluffy and flavorful. But I have one question, can you keep the leftover waffle batter or would it be better to make the waffles and then freeze them?
Hi Lillie, I think it would be best to make the waffles and freeze those instead of the batter.
It was perfectly fluffy and crispy! There wasn’t one waffle under cooked, over cooked, not crispy, or not fluffy. I am going to give this recipe to all of my friend. I’m bad at cooking but this was pretty smooth sailing for me. Better than my friend’s waffles who is a professional baker.
Yay! We love to hear that, Charlotte!
Hi, going to be on a time frame when I make these to get my guests to the airport, wondered if I could make the batter the night before? I am worried that the beaten egg whites might not survive an overnight in the fridge.
I would suggest measuring all of the ingredients and then beating the eggs and mixing the batter just before cooking.
I was looking for a recipe that would come out fluffy and light like Eggo’s because that is the waffle of choice for my husband. We both loved them he even though they were Eggo’s which was a great compliment. I used buttermilk and adjusted the recipe as instructed for the use of buttermilk.
Great flavor! This came out nice and light/fluffy, as promised. Thank you for posting such great recipes. I’ll be trying out many more of your recipes.
I usually use waffle mix but didn’t have any and tried this recipe. Found a keeper for sure. Took a little more time and effort but it was worth it! It just added more “love” to the outcome (cooking for your family is love)..