Secrets to the Best Homemade Waffle Recipe

Learn the secrets to the best waffle recipe. Make light and crispy homemade waffles with tender, chewy middles. Jump to the Best Waffle Recipe now or read on to see how we make it.

We’ve been searching for a waffle recipe to share with you for quite some time now. We’ve got lots of pancake recipes, but no waffles. We’ve tried different recipes. We loved some, especially this yeast-raised waffle recipe from Smitten Kitchen. They are light, crisp and deliciously yeasty. The problem? You really need to make the batter the night before and as much as we wish we thought that far ahead, we just don’t — not usually anyway.

The recipe made it into our recipe box, but we still needed a simpler, quicker version — the one we’d most likely pull out when the yearning for fresh, hot waffles on a Sunday morning hits. After a few more trials, we found we loved buttermilk waffles — again, though, they didn’t match our need for the everyday, make on a whim waffle. (We never have buttermilk in our fridge and if we do, it’s most likely expired).

Finally, we stumbled onto this recipe. It’s simple, takes little time to prepare, uses ingredients we always have in our kitchen and makes homemade waffles that are light and crisp with tender, chewy middles. Perfect.

You May Also Like our Easy, Fluffy Pancake Recipe and learn how to make fluffy pancakes at home, with ease. Our easy recipe makes pancakes that are light and fluffy and only requires a few simple ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now.

Or, try this easy French Toast Recipe. It is perfect for the weekday or over the weekend – it only takes 30 minutes and a few ingredients to make.

Secrets to Making the Best Waffles at Home from Scratch

After trying multiple recipes, our most common complaint was floppy waffles. We like waffles that are crispy on the outside. After lots of research, we stumbled across Fine Cooking’s article about how to make crispy waffles. In it they share the secret for crispy waffles. It’s cornstarch!

Mixed with flour, cornstarch guarantees that your waffles will be perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

We were skeptical at first, but after trying it we were sold.

More Tips

Don’t overwork the batter. Just like pancakes or muffins, you want to be gentle when mixing the wet and dry ingredients together. Only whisk or stir until just mixed — no need for beating here.

Be prepared to throw away the first waffle. Unless you know your waffle iron like the back of your hand, you’ll probably need the first waffle to test out temperature and cooking time. After the first waffle you should have a better understanding of the amount of batter to add (ours takes a 1/2 cup of batter), the best heat setting and timing.

Before you start making your waffles, heat the oven to 200° F. Once each waffle is done, set the cooked waffle directly on the oven rack to keep it warm and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter, holding the waffles in the oven (try not to stack them). The extra few minutes in the oven adds even more crispiness to the outside of the waffle and keeps them warm for serving.

Try buttermilk. Our recipe calls for milk to be used, but for even more flavorful waffles try buttermilk. We’ve shared tips for how to convert our recipe to buttermilk waffles below.

For extra light and crispy waffles, separate the eggs. Mix the yolk into the wet ingredients. Then, whip the egg white until stiff peaks form. Once you’ve combined the dry and wet ingredients, fold in the beaten egg whites. Separating the egg and beating the white adds airiness to the waffles and makes them extra light.

You May Also Like This: If pancakes are more your style, take a look at these from our archives:

• Easy and Delicious Whole Wheat Pancakes Recipe
• Spiced Buttermilk Banana Pancakes Recipe
• Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes with Butter Pecan Syrup
• Cinnamon Pancakes with a Cinnamon Roll Glaze

Recipe updated, originally posted February 2014. Since posting this in 2014, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne