Belgian waffles are a favorite breakfast indulgence of mine. They’re super-light and tender inside but crisp and golden on the surface. Best of all? They are an AMAZING vehicle for whipped cream and berries along with a generous splash of maple syrup.
PRO TIPS FOR THE BEST BELGIAN WAFFLE RECIPE
- MEASURING FLOUR: most of us won’t break the kitchen scale out for breakfast and will use a measuring cup to scoop some flour out of the bag. If this is you then use two cups of flour. Give it a light fluff before scooping. If you are using a scale use 270g which is actually 2 1/4 cups. Sounds odd but after lots of recipe testing this is my best advice.
- This recipe uses beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Be careful when folding the egg whites in, you don’t want to crush all those little bubbles and deflate the batter.
- Use a darker setting if possible. These waffles are best with a CRISP golden exterior.
- You can make a big batch of waffles and enjoy them for a few days afterwards. Wrap them up once they’re room temp and place in fridge. Pop them into the toaster on a low setting and they’ll be warm and crisp!
- Don’t over-mix the batter. It’s really just getting mixed until it comes together. If you see a few pumps don’t worry. They’ll disappear in the waffle iron.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are Belgian waffles?
Belgian waffles are traditionally made with a deeper waffle iron AND a batter leavened with yeast. Many recipes, like mine, use beaten egg whites as a quicker alternative to lightning the batter. It’s important to gently fold the egg whites into the batter so the tiny air bubbles do not deflate.
Can you make these ahead of time?
You can make a big batch of waffles and refrigerate or freeze them for later. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for two months.
They’re crisp and amazing after a quick trip in the toaster. For refrigerated waffles I usually use the number two setting and for frozen waffles I use the number four setting.
Can you make these without a waffle iron?
Not really! It might be a bit of a pain to have another gadget in the kitchen but a good waffle iron definitely earns it’s keep. Try my Fluffy Pancake Recipe if you’re looking for an easy alternative. You also do not need a belgian waffle maker as a regular waffle maker will do and is what I used.
CAN YOU FREEZE Belgian WAFFLES?
- Frozen waffles make for an amazing on demand treat. I place min in a freezer bag between layers of parchment paper so they don’t get stuck together but you can also freeze in a single layer then toss into a freezer bag.
- These will keep for quite a while in the freezer but I like to put a two month limit on them.
- When you’re ready to enjoy just pop into the toaster and enjoy.
HOW TO MAKE BELGIAN WAFFLES
1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and HALF the sugar then whisk together.
2. Separate the egg whites and yolks.
3. Add the milk, egg yolks, vanilla, and melted butter to a bowl and whisk together.
4. Whip the egg whites with the rest of the sugar until stiff peaks form.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until almost combined.
6. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
7. Add about a 1/3 of a cup of batter for each waffle.
8. Belgian waffles really need to be served with whipped cream, please don’t question this rule. Mix one cup of cold cream with a tablespoon of vanilla and two tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks form.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried these homemade Belgian waffles then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Belgian Waffles
Equipment
- Waffle iron
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour see notes below
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder plus a teaspoon
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 3/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Large Eggs DIVIDED
- 1/2 cup Butter melted
- 2 Cups Milk
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
For the Whipped Cream
- 1 cup Heavy Cream cold
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
For the Waffles
- Warm your Waffle iron. If you can choose settings I recommend doing darker for a crispier waffle. In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and half the sugar then set aside.
- Separate the egg yolks and whites. Melt the butter in a small bowl.
- In a medium bowl whisk the milk, egg yolks and vanilla together. Stir in the melted butter.
- Whip the egg whites and remaining sugar in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until almost combined, then fold in the egg whites.
- Add about 1/3 cup of batter for each waffle. This will depend on the size of your waffle maker so feel free to experiment with amounts.
For the Whipped Cream
- Mix one cup of cold cream with a tablespoon of vanilla and two tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks form. You can make your whipped cream more or less sweet and substitute the vanilla for bourbon, maple syrup or even orange blossom water.
Made these this morning on my new Cuisinart wafflemaker. OMG this recipe is perfect! Crispy on the outside, fluffy on in the side. I was able to get almost 7 full waffles out this batter mix and they were amazing. Thank you John!
I have watched your youtube channel for more than a year but just today discovered your website and all the recipes I’m missing out on! This is a good recipe but wondering if you’ve ever tried using pearl sugar? I love using pearl sugar because it creates almost like a caramelized candy shell and you don’t need any syrup! Would be great to see a video on this.
I always crave these at restaurants and was so excited to try the recipe. New favorite, they were great!!
thanks for the recipe! can’t wait to try it!
it’s baking powder or baking soda?
powder listed in ingredients.. soda in the steps?