Belgian Waffles

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.

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. 

PRO TIPS FOR THis 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 Belgian 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 them?

Frozen Belgian 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.

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!