This is my family’s favorite waffle recipe! These homemade waffles are quick, easy to make from scratch, light, and crispy. I love them!
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These are the best waffles we have ever made at home. I often find waffles too dense and eggy, but not these. These are light on their feet.
Our waffle recipe makes 4 thinner waffles (like in the photos) or 2 to 3 thick, Belgian-style waffles. It is also easy to double the recipe, so if you need to serve more people, you can.
Key Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. It keeps the waffles light on their feet. You can substitute whole grain flours like whole wheat or spelt flour, but expect the waffles to be more dense.
- Cornstarch: The secret ingredient for making the crispiest waffles. Cornstarch guarantees that the waffles will be perfectly crisp and tender.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help our waffles rise and brown. I recommend using both for the best waffles.
- Sugar, salt, and vanilla extract: Make our waffles taste amazing. I keep the sugar amount low since I love pouring maple syrup on top, but you can increase the sugar for sweeter waffles.
- Vegetable oil: My favorite fat for these waffles. I’ve tried melted butter, and while it does add a buttery flavor, I prefer the texture with oil.
- Milk or buttermilk: These waffles work with either! Buttermilk adds more flavor, but milk works perfectly well in this recipe.
- Egg: Adds tenderness and provides structure. See our tips in the recipe for making even lighter, fluffier waffles by whipping the egg white (totally optional).
How to Make the Best Waffles
Say goodbye to flavorless, floppy waffles and hello to waffles that are light and crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. Start by whisking your dry ingredients together, then whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Then, whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until only tiny lumps remain in the batter. There’s no need to thoroughly this batter. Set the batter aside for 10 to 20 minutes (this gives the baking powder a chance to activate and the flour time to absorb some moisture).
When your waffle iron is ready, add enough batter to fill the lower grid, close the lid, and cook until crisp and golden brown.
So that your waffles don’t start to steam and turn floppy while you cook the remaining batter, slide your cooked waffles into a preheated 200°F oven to keep them warm and crisp (this is my best tip for perfectly crispy waffles).
Optional step (great for thick, Belgian waffles)! If you’re up for it, you can separate your egg and whip the egg whites to make your waffles even more fluffy in the middle. Whisk the egg yolk into the wet ingredients, but hold off on the whipped egg white until after combining the wet and dry ingredients. Then, gently fold in the whipped egg whites. The whipped egg whites thicken your batter and make the middles of your waffles more fluffy and tender.
Storing Homemade Waffles
Homemade waffles last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, they can be frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet, transferred to freezer bags, and then frozen for up to 3 months.
The best way to reheat waffles is in a toaster oven or bake in a 350°F oven for a few minutes.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
Easy Crispy Waffles
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
I love these homemade light and crispy waffles. Cornstarch is the secret to crispy waffles. It guarantees that your waffles will be perfectly crisp and tender. Separating the egg is optional but is recommended (especially for deeper waffle irons).
This recipe makes 4 standard waffles (1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick). If you want to make thicker Belgian waffles or use a deep waffle iron, you will get closer to three waffles using our recipe below.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup (235ml) whole milk or buttermilk
1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Butter, syrup and/or berries, for serving
Directions
1Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a large bowl.
2In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract.
3For the lightest waffles, separate the egg. Whisk the egg yolk into the milk mixture. If you do not plan on separating the egg, whisk the whole egg into the milk mixture.
4If you separate the egg, add the egg white to another bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat until stiff, and then set aside.
5Whisk the milk mixture into the dry ingredients until only small lumps are left. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the whipped egg whites.
6Set the batter aside for 10 to 20 minutes while preparing the waffle iron.
7Heat the waffle iron to the highest heat setting.
8Cook waffles until golden and crisp, adding enough batter to the waffle iron to fill the entire lower grid. If the waffles look too dark, turn the heat down slightly.
9Serve the waffles immediately or keep them warm and crispy on a rack in a 200°F (93°C) oven until ready to serve. Stacking them outside the oven will cause them to steam and become floppy.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Buttermilk substitute: Use whole milk or to mimic buttermilk, stir 1 cup of whole milk with 2 tablespoons lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken, and then use in the recipe above.
- Melted butter: Makes these waffles a little heavier but is delicious. Use 1/3 cup melted butter.
- Recipe updated May 2022 to improve results when making thicker waffles. For the original recipe, use 3/4 cup of flour.
- Recipe inspired by Aretha Frankenstein’s recipe
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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Made these- and my husband and I devoured them served with fresh strawberries and a tiny drizzle of pure Canadian Maple Syrup. I used the melted butter for the decadence in the batter and also to prep the waffle iron with each run. For sugar i used maple sugar. i only had half a teaspoon left of my premium Vanilla extract so i added a little splash of cogñac to round out the flavor! They were PERFECTION Thank you for highlighting the what fors and whys and putting together this amazingly easy to follow professionally created recipe!
Wow, Deliz, thank you for such a thoughtful comment. I’m thrilled you and your husband enjoyed them so much!
This was amazing! I’ve tried quite a few.. stodgy pancake batter, too man6 eggs batter, and proper Belgian yeast prove-overnight waffles. These were better than all of them, except the Belgian, but without having to wait overnight! So crispy! I recommend checking them at least 1-2 minutes before recommended cooking time as my first few were overdone, but they were light, crispy and tasted wonderful. Highly recommended:)
Wonderful! We are thrilled you enjoyed them.
Thank you so much for sharing. This recipe is the best for crunchy waffle.
I made it this beautiful waffle recipe and my husband loved it. Thank you very much for your clear and neat steps.
Great recipe! I did start adding 4 tablespoons melted butter, it thinned the batter a bit and made that perfect waffle flavor that really needs no toppings. If you like to eat your eggos plain, that’s the perfect amount of melted butter (I used salted). I don’t separate the egg either. I make a batch then freeze them to be toasted and eaten later and they are perfection!
Thanks for coming back and letting us know, Dierdre! So happy you enjoy the recipe!
I never leave reviews, but seriously…THIS RECIPE!!! All I can say is WOW. I’m so glad I came across this because it has become a new breakfast staple in our home. My husband said they taste like they came from a restaurant. Light, fluffy, and tastes so good without having to add tons of sugar. I eat these without syrup and they are delicious. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
My search for the best waffle recipe has ended. Thank you for sharing this. It was exactly what I was looking for. I quickly shared the recipe with family.
That’s amazing, Carol! Thanks for coming back!
Hello I haven’t made it yet but I was wondering how to make buttermilk because I’m very confused 😅
Use store-bought buttermilk in this recipe OR make a DIY buttermilk with 1 cup of whole milk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. Mix and set aside to thicken for 5 minutes before using in the waffles recipe.
This recipe is by far the best out there! I’ve tried MULTIPLE and I’m so happy this one popped up. These are crispy and that was what I was after. I’ve made with powdered milk and whole milk but buttermilk is the only one I will use. I mix this up and put in a old coffee creamer bottle and it pours out sooo easy. I mix the day before leaving and take with us to hunting camp and take to the lake when we go camping. Best recipe ever!
Wow! My search for the perfect waffle recipe has ended! This recipe delivers everything it promised. The waffles are light, but crispy and so delicious! I doubled the recipe for my family of five. Everyone loved them. Thank you!
Wow! What a nice review. So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Love love love, this recipe is perfect! So light and crispy – I followed the recipe almost exactly, using light milk and lemon juice in place of buttermilk (all I had) and it just blew my mind. Thank you!
Wow! Just wow! This the best waffle recipe I have ever tried and I’ve done the pain-in-the-neck Belgian waffle recipes where you have to separate the yolks from the egg whites and beat separately, mix it back in, yadda yadda yadda. You could do it with this one but it’s not necessary. It truly is crispy on the outside and light as air in the middle. I think the corn starch does make the difference. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
What a nice comment 🙂 So happy you enjoyed the waffles!