Classic Waffle Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making good waffles? ›

Belgian waffles are usually thicker than their American counterparts. These Belgian beauties are made with a recipe that includes yeasted batter and crunchy pearl sugar. Belgian waffles have extra-deep pockets—the better for filling with butter, jam, maple syrup, or whipped cream.

Medieval origins

In ancient times the Greeks cooked flat cakes, called obelios, between hot metal plates. As they were spread throughout medieval Europe, the cake mix, a mixture of flour, water or milk, and often eggs, became known as wafers and were also cooked over an open fire between iron plates with long handles.

Recommended overnight or 2 hr resting – for the tastiest waffles, rest the batter overnight in the fridge or for at least 2 hours. This makes the flour grains absorb the liquid so it makes the inside of the waffles softer.

The ingredients for both regular waffles and Belgian waffles are similar and include flour, milk, eggs, and butter or oil. However, Belgian waffles use egg whites to give a fluffier texture. Additionally, Belgian waffles have yeast in their recipe while regular waffles use baking powder.

The secret ingredient in Belgian waffles is the pearl sugar, which gives the waffles a unique texture and slight, satisfying crunch. Belgian waffles are also fantastically light, which adds to their perfection. Fun bonus fact: traditional Belgian waffles are usually eaten with your hands, not a fork and knife.

Best Overall

The Cuisinart WAF-200 is a classic and reliable waffle maker that rightfully cemented itself as our top pick after testing. Its six separate heat settings are actually all useful: The lowest made soft but fully cooked waffles, and the highest gave us crispy crusted, browned-but-not-burnt ones.

The square bumps give the waffle little square holes, perfect for holding syrup and melted butter. Of course, waffles can be many other shapes; our all-time favorites are these furniture-shaped waffles shown here. But they all taste great with syrup.

Like many of Western civilization's finest achievements, the long and delicious history of waffles can be traced to ancient Greece, where Athenians cooked flat cakes called obelios between two metal plates. The word waffle is related to wafer, as in the Communion wafers that were a staple of early Christian fasts.

What country invented waffles? ›

The waffle in Old Greece was a fundamental variant of flat cakes, which were produced by baking the cakes between two metal plates. Obelios, as these cakes were called, weren't especially sweet, but their design developed over time as people started customizing the food.

Without any doubt, the Brussels waffles are the most liked ones that you will come across.

Neither carb-tastic treat is exactly spa food (though both can be made healthier and/or made to suit special diets—by using almond flour for gluten-free versions, for instance), but if you're counting calories, waffles have about 100 more of them than pancakes, and more cholesterol too, but that's before you factor in ...

Waffeln / German Waffles

German waffles are typically heart-shaped and much thinner than Belgian waffles. The batter has more sugar than other waffle types which makes them incredibly delicious on their own.

Making pancake and waffle batter ahead of time is a huge no-no and will lead to flat, dense results every time. Even letting your batter hang out for just a few minutes after you've mixed it before you start ladling it onto the griddle will lead to less fluffy results.

The problem is moisture. You need some of it to make sure your waffles are tender, but too much and that extra moisture will quickly soften the waffle's outer crust. Buttermilk is also a tricky ingredient because it tends to make a heavier batter, which results in less crispy waffles.