Stay in your pajamas and cozy up with a batch of gingerbread waffles for the perfect holiday breakfast! This easy recipe takes just a handful of simple ingredients and makes the best crispy waffles the whole family will love. When it comes to easy-prep Christmas brunch ideas, these tasty waffles will get you into the holiday spirit without spending too much time in the kitchen.
Packed with the warm spice of cinnamon and ginger, deep caramel notes of molasses, and rich melted butter, these waffles have the decadent flavor of gingerbread cookies but are so simple to whip up. Make them for Christmas morning breakfast, or serve them up for a festive holiday breakfast! If you’re looking for more holiday breakfast recipes, try my gingerbread muffins recipe, cranberry orange scones recipe, and gingerbread pancakes recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
All-Purpose Flour – plain all-purpose flour makes delicious crispy waffles with a soft inside. I suggest measuring the flour with a food scale to avoid making the gingerbread waffles too dense.
Spices – ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg add a comforting warmth to this gingerbread waffle recipe. Use fresh spices for the best flavor!
Milk – I recommend using whole milk in this recipe for a rich taste and a tender and moist texture. Be sure to bring the milk to room temperature before adding it to the batter.
Butter – unsalted butter is best so the batter is not oversalted. Melt the butter before adding it, and don’t try to reduce the amount. Butter (or fat) is key to a crispy texture! You can use an equal amount of vegetable oil as a substitute.
Molasses – use unsulphured molasses, which has a sweeter flavor than its more bitter counterpart, blackstrap molasses. This is the key ingredient for a classic gingerbread flavor!
Eggs – bring two large eggs to room temperature before beginning this recipe so they easily mix into the batter. To do so quickly, just place the eggs in a bowl of lukewarm water for 5 minutes.
Sugar – dark brown sugar adds to the rich caramel-like molasses flavor. Pack it when measuring out by firmly pressing it into the measuring cup with a spoon and leveling off the top with the back of a knife. Use light brown or granulated sugar as an easy substitute.
How to Make Gingerbread Waffles
1. Preheat a waffle iron. In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients until well combined.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, melted butter, molasses, eggs, and brown sugar until well combined.
4, Whisk the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
5. Grease the hot waffle iron with more melted butter or nonstick cooking spray. Drop about ½ cup of batter into the center of the waffle iron. (Use more or less batter depending on the size of your waffle maker). Cook until the waffle is golden brown and crispy, for 3 to 5 minutes, or according to your waffle maker’s instructions.
6. Place cooked gingerbread waffles on a wire cooling rack to keep them crispy. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Double the batter. This recipe makes about 3½ cups of batter, or about 5 large waffles in a Belgian waffle maker. If you’re feeding a larger group (or some extra hungry bellies), simply double the recipe! You can also freeze the cooked waffles for an easy meal to heat up later, so err on the side of too many, and you’ll make a future delicious breakfast even easier!
- Use a Belgian waffle maker. There’s something satisfying about perfectly round waffles, so I prefer to use a Belgian waffle maker. But this recipe works just as well with a square waffle maker or regular waffle iron! If you use a different kind of waffle iron, keep in mind that your waffle maker may need more or less batter per waffle.
- Preheat the waffle iron. A hot iron is key to making these waffles crispy. Make sure it is at prime temperature before you add the batter. I also recommend using the darker setting if you have that capability!
- Adjust the batter to fit your waffle iron. The amount of batter needed will depend on the size of the waffle maker you are using, so adjust accordingly. This means the number of waffles this recipe yields can vary. Larger waffle makers may take up to ⅔ cup of batter, and smaller waffle makers may use as little as ⅓ cup.
- Serve them crispy. These waffles have the best texture when enjoyed right after making them; they tend to soften as they cool. If you want to serve them all at once, keep the waffles warm in the oven until serving. Preheat the oven to 250°F and place the waffles directly on the oven rack for up to 30 minutes or until you’re ready to enjoy! They should stay crisp in the warm oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Allow leftover gingerbread waffles to cool completely on a cooking rack before storing them. Once cooled, transfer the waffles to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, freeze them with a square of parchment or wax paper between them in a freezer-safe container for up to one month. Reheat by popping them into the toaster oven or regular oven until crisp and warm all the way through!
Serve these delicious flavored waffles warm with butter, maple syrup, a dollop of homemade whipped cream, or your favorite festive toppings. Bake up my easy vegetable frittata recipe to serve alongside it, and enjoy the waffles with a mug of hot chocolate, or for the adults, an Irish coffee!
Absolutely! The best part about Christmas breakfast recipes is dressing them up as you please. Try mixing pecans, walnuts, or chocolate chips into the batter before cooking. Or make it super fancy by topping cooked waffles with sugared cranberries, candied pecans, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar!
If you’ve tried this Gingerbread Waffles recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Gingerbread Waffles
Equipment
- Waffle iron
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (300g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 2½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1½ cups whole milk room temperature (360ml)
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted (113g)
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses (80ml)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat a waffle iron.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, molasses, eggs, and brown sugar until well combined. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined.
- Grease the hot waffle iron with more melted butter or cooking spray. Drop about ½ cup of batter into the center of the waffle iron. (The amount will depend on the size waffle maker you are using, so adjust accordingly.)
- Cook until the waffle is golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes or according to your waffle maker instructions. Place on a wire rack to keep the waffles crispy. (You can store them in a warm, 250°F, degree oven to keep warm while cooking the other waffles if you’d like.) Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.
Notes
- Double the batter. This recipe makes about 3½ cups of batter, or about 5 large waffles in a Belgian waffle maker. If you’re feeding a larger group (or some extra hungry bellies), simply double the recipe! You can also freeze the cooked waffles for an easy meal to heat up later, so err on the side of too many, and you’ll make a future delicious breakfast even easier!
- Use a Belgian waffle maker. There’s something satisfying about perfectly round waffles, so I prefer to use a Belgian waffle maker. But this recipe works just as well with a square waffle maker or regular waffle iron! If you use a different kind of waffle iron, keep in mind that your waffle maker may need more or less batter per waffle.
- Preheat the waffle iron. A hot iron is key to making these waffles crispy. Make sure it is at prime temperature before you add the batter. I also recommend using the darker setting if you have that capability!
- Adjust the batter to fit your waffle iron. The amount of batter needed will depend on the size of the waffle maker you are using, so adjust accordingly. This means the number of waffles this recipe yields can vary. Larger waffle makers may take up to ⅔ cup of batter, and smaller waffle makers may use as little as ⅓ cup.
- Serve them crispy. These waffles have the best texture when enjoyed right after making them; they tend to soften as they cool. If you want to serve them all at once, keep the waffles warm in the oven until serving. Preheat the oven to 250°F and place the waffles directly on the oven rack for up to 30 minutes or until you’re ready to enjoy! They should stay crisp in the warm oven.
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