This is my family’s favorite waffle recipe! These homemade waffles are quick, easy to make from scratch, light, and crispy. I love them!
These are the best waffles we have ever made at home. Honestly, of all the breakfast recipes we have shared on Inspired Taste, these waffles are high on my list of favorites! I often find homemade waffles too dense and eggy, but not these. These are light on their feet.
Our waffle recipe makes four thin 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. For more of my favorite recipes for the morning, see our fluffy pancakes, my favorite French toast, or these incredible homemade biscuits.
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 them 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 (also true for blueberry muffins). 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.
Easy Crispy Waffles
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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
- Storing: Homemade waffles last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, transfer them to freezer bags, and then freeze 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.
- 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.
Best waffle recipe I have found by far!
This isn’t a review but I have a question. I just bought a waffle iron and can’t seem to get the overflow residue that cooked onto the outside cleaned off. Any suggestions?
Hi! That cooked-on residue can be tricky. Try wiping it while the iron is still warm (unplugged!). I use a non-abrasive sponge (something that’s recommended for nonstick pans)! Your manual might have other suggestions.
Amazing recipe. The only recipe I’ll ever use now.
Made these with my 8 year old who did all the mixing. They turned out great – I got 3 big fat Belgian waffles. Only change I made was to double the baking powder/soda so they would be a little more tall/fat. I let the batter rest about an hour in the fridge before cooking. Very crispy and delicious. Plus now my whole house smells like waffles, so that’s a bonus 🙂
Is the 1/3 cup of melted butter modification to replace the oil or in addition to?
The butter would be a substitute for the oil.
I’ve made this recipe two weekends in a row. I may never go back to box mix again. Easy, crispy and delicious waffles! Thanks!
That’s amazing, Stacy! Thank you so much for letting us know!
I was inspired to make waffles today, using my Belgian waffle maker. I’ve made waffles before, but they usually are not as crisp as they could be. My expectations were on the low side. I made these without separating the eggs, cooked for about 5 minutes, and left all day in the oven . I turned on 200 for a few minutes for anyone wanting them. Took them out of oven and , surprise! They are very crispy. They tasted good and the inside was the right texture. Wonderful waffles , :).
Made these waffle for breakfast and love them! I was looking for something soft inside but crisp on the outside and this was a close one to what I was hungry for. I didn’t beat the egg white separately but might do that next time. I have no problem giving this a 5 star. Thanks for the recipe!
After 50 plus years of using my mother’s waffle recipe, which is excellent. I will not be using it again after this recipe. I never made waffles much because I had to beat the egg whites. You do not have to beat The egg whites with this recipe. The only thing I did do different than the recipe was add the two tablespoons of white vinegar to whole milk. Don’t need to do anything to this recipe. It is excellent, crispy and light. Thank you thank you thank you. I will make waffles more now. I absolutely love waffles and now this recipe I do not make Belgian waffles because most likely they’re going to be soggy and I don’t like soft waffles. I’ve never had a Belgium that’s been crispy. I may try this recipe on a Belgian waffle iron, but I got rid of mine. I have the old fashioned kind
Genuine Belgian waffles are made with yeast but yours are tasty too!
I used homemade buttermilk and whisked the egg whites. The waffles came out crispy and delicious. I will use this recipe again.
I have finally found my FOREVER waffles! For the record; just in case you’re out of milk/buttermilk, 220 grams of water and 15 grams of apple cider vinegar works perfectly as your liquid! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
After purchasing a Belgian Waffle maker we tried a few recipes, even my sisters tried and trusted recipe and was met with soggy lifeless waffles. We were really disappointed, and the waffle maker was close to being “donated”. Thankfully I found your recipe. And we finally had success! Waffles were crispy on the outside and light on the inside. Just the way we like them. I did make a slight alteration, because we discovered malted waffles. So we add 1 extra tablespoon of sugar and about heaped 3tbsp malt milk powder to the dry mix. Worked wonderfully. Thanks for sharing. And my waffle machine thanks you too.
Finally, a recipe that got my kids off Eggo! I’ve been trying go get my waffles crispy until I came across this. They turned out perfectly crispy on the outside yet soft inside. I added some blueberries and froze them overnight for school day, popped them in the toaster and they were excellent. First time I made waffles and my kids didn’t ask ‘Mom, why don’t you just buy Eggo?” Instead They asked, “where did you get these delicious waffles?”. I was like I made them, of course! #feelinglikeasupermom…hahaha. Thanks again!!!
Great recipe! Waiting 10 min. and putting them in the oven rack at 95°C really helped. Also appreciate metric measurements.
Hi, thanks for the wonderful recipe. I tried few others with 5stars and thousands of good reviews but this is the best light and crispy a little bit more effort and waiting time but trust me worth it. Don’t go soggy like others. Very happy to find this recipe
Hiya! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe! Wanted to know if you can prepare the batter day before and leave in fridge? Thanks
Hi there, I think you will be okay, but I have not tried this myself. Make sure that you use double-acting baking powder so you still get the benefit from the baking powder when the waffles cook.