This Homemade Waffle Recipe is almost always the waffle recipe that we make these days – my whole family loves them!
This classic waffle recipe results in crispy-edged, perfectly golden waffles with fluffy interiors and those classic divots that fill with butter and syrup and result in breakfast nirvana.
There are a couple of tricks to getting the perfect crispy homemade waffles, and I’m going to share everything you need to know to make delicious, easy waffles from scratch. Let’s get our breakfast on!
Table of Contents
- The Story Behind the Recipe
- Why You’ll Love These Waffles
- Homemade Waffle Recipe Ingredients
- Adaptation/Variation
- How to Make Waffles
- Tips for Success
- More Waffle Recipes
- More Waffle Recipes
The Story Behind the Recipe
I have a handful of waffle recipes on Kitchen Treaty, like these impossibly light and crisp vegan waffles, almond butter waffles, and pumpkin waffles. But the waffle recipe that we actually make most often? These classic homemade waffles!
This waffle recipe is THE waffle recipe around our house. Yes, it’s a little fussy because it involves whipping the egg whites until fluffy, but trust me … it’s worth it. That’s tip #1: You’ve got to whip the egg whites. I purposely skip that step in my pancake recipes because I find they get fluffy enough with the baking powder/baking soda, but for the waffles, I think it’s really necessary.
These waffles make the perfect weekend morning breakfast. Along with fluffy buttermilk pancakes or banana pancakes, it’s our fave on Saturday and Sunday
Why You’ll Love These Waffles
- No surprises – These homemade waffles are EXACTLY what you’re expecting when you’re looking to make classic waffles.
- Crispy golden deliciousness – They cook up perfectly golden, a little fluffy inside, crispy on the edges. Waffle perfection.
- Freezer friendly – Because we’re a family of three, we can’t eat an entire batch of these waffles. That’s a good problem to have! Because they freeze perfectly. Then it’s just a matter of pulling them out of the freezer and popping them in the toaster for quick and easy breakfasts later on.
Homemade Waffle Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – I like to use unsalted butter so I can better control the amount of salt in recipes. You’ll want to melt it and let it cool a bit.
- Flour – I prefer to use all-purpose flour for a nice light waffle. Swapping in some whole wheat flour works well though, though I wouldn’t swap more than half.
- Baking powder
- Salt – I like to use fine-grain sea salt or table salt as opposed to kosher salt (the grains are too big in kosher in my opinion)
- Sugar – Granulated sugar helps these homemade waffles get nice and caramelized-golden-brown, plus a bit of sweetness is needed in a good waffle recipe, in my opinion!
- Milk – Whole or 2% dairy milk work great, though I often will use unsweetened oat milk.
- Eggs – You’ll want four total, and you’ll be separating them.
- Vanilla – A must for flavor!
- Syrup, butter, berries, peanut butter, and whatever else you want for topping. Yum!
Adaptation/Variation
- Dairy-free waffles: Use vegan butter and plant-based milk. Or, if you want completely vegan waffles, I highly recommend this light and crispy vegan waffle recipe – they’re SO good and easy!
How to Make Waffles
Click here to jump down to the full, printable recipe
- First, melt the butter so that it has a chance to cool a bit. Then preheat your waffle iron so it’s nice and hot when your batter is ready.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients – flour, banking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Set up two medium bowls. In one, mix together the milk, 2 egg yolks (whites go into the second bowl!), and vanilla. Drizzle in the butter and whisk until blended. Crack two more egg whites into the second bowl and discard the yolks (or save them for some other eggy goodness later on).
- Whip the egg whites until they form peaks.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold in the egg whites.
- Spray your waffle iron with some non-stick cooking spray or brush with melted butter if needed, then cook your waffles. My waffle iron takes about 1/3 cup of batter per side. You don’t want it to go all of the way to the edges – that will happen when you close the waffle iron.
- Cook until golden brown and perfect.
- I like to stack cooked waffles on a plate and cover them with a clean dry dishtowel to keep them warm until it’s time to serve them.
Tips for Success
Separating Egg Whites
Crack your egg on a flat surface, then open it just slightly over your bowl. Let the white slide out while holding the yolk in with the shell. Gently pass the yolk back and forth between the shell halves, letting the rest of the white drip into the bowl below. Place the yolk in a separate bowl.
If a little yolk slips in or a tiny bit of shell falls in, scoop it out with a clean piece of shell. Even a small amount can keep the whites from whipping properly.
Whipping Egg Whites
Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. The whites should look fluffy and hold their shape, but the tips will gently fold over when you lift the beaters.
Make sure there’s no yolk in the bowl and no grease on your equipment, or the whites won’t fluff up as well.
I hope this waffle recipe becomes your family’s very favorite, too! They’re golden, perfect, and everything you want when you’re craving waffles. If you love this recipe (or even if you don’t!) please scroll down to leave a review – that helps others find the recipe and helps me to make sure it’s the best waffle recipe there is!
More Waffle Recipes
- Vegan Waffles – light and crispy vegan vanilla waffles made in one bowl. So good.
- Almond Butter Waffles – a bit more protein and wonderfully crispy!
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles – yummy!
Homemade Waffle Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted; 1 stick)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (11 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (or table salt; 4 g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
- 1 1/2 cups milk (whole or 2% or unsweetened plant-based milk like oat milk all work great; 34 g)
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 egg whites
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (8 g)
Instructions
Melt the butter & preheat waffle iron
- I like to start by melting the stick of butter, so I've listed it first in the list of ingredients though it's one of the last ingredients added to the batter.
- Place the butter in a microwave-safe container and heat until melted or place in a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat and warm until melted. Then you'll want to set it aside to cool a bit so that it doesn't cook the eggs when you mix it into the batter.
- I also like to start heating my waffle iron now so that it's ready to go once my batter is made.
Mix together the dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Mix together the wet ingredients
- Set up two medium bowls. In one, mix together the milk, 2 egg yolks, and vanilla until completely combined. When adding the egg yolks to the first bowl, crack the egg whites into the second bowl.
- Whisk the melted but slightly cooled butter into the milk mixture.
Mix the dry and wet ingredients together
- Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients. Use a whisk to blend the ingredients together just until a batter forms – a few small lumps are okay.
Whip the egg whites
- Add two more egg whites to whites bowl. Using a hand mixer with the whisk attachment – or a clean whisk if you feel like getting an arm workout – whip the egg whites until stiff. They should be white, fluffy, and hold a peak when you lift the mixer/whisk out of them.
Cook
- If needed, spray your preheated waffle maker with a little cooking spray or brush with melted butter. Pour the batter into your waffle maker according to manufacturer instructions – for my waffle maker, I scoop 1/3 cup per waffle.
- Cook until golden brown, as per your individual waffle maker. Serve warm with butter, pure maple syrup, fruit, peanut butter, or whatever else you love to top your waffles with!
Storing leftovers
- Keep leftover waffles in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days. Reheat in the toaster. You can also freeze these waffles for up to 3 months – I just pull them straight out of the freezer and toast them.
Nutrition Facts
More Waffle Recipes
- Vegan Waffles – light and crispy vegan vanilla waffles made in one bowl. So good.
- Almond Butter Waffles – a bit more protein and wonderfully crispy!
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles – yummy!
Hi! I’m Karen – I’m a real person with real recipes. No A.I. here! Since 2009, every recipe on Kitchen Treaty is thoroughly tested and loved before I hit “publish.” I’m a home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m a vegetarian married to a carnivore, and my goal is to coexist deliciously.
