If you’re a fan of crispy waffles, these are the best waffles in existence. They come out beautifully golden with a crispy, crunchy exterior and light and fluffy insides every time.
Today’s recipe is one I’ve gotten a TON of requests for: waffles!!
The Best Waffle Recipe (Fight Me)
If you’re a crispy waffle fan, these are the best waffles in existence. They come out beautifully golden with a crispy, crunchy exterior and light and fluffy insides every time.
They are substantial and sturdy enough to pile whatever you want on top. Soak them in syrup, strawberry sauce and whipped cream, scoops of ice cream and hot fudge sauce. However you eat these waffles, they’re going to be great.
And, as should be expected of the best waffle recipe in all the world, they’re very, very, very easy to make. You just need one bowl and a waffle maker.
How to Make Crispy Waffles
1. Start the waffles by combining all your dry ingredients: flour, corn starch, sugar, baking soda and powder, and salt, in a large bowl and whisking them together.
2. Then make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and add all the wet ingredients: buttermilk, vegetable oil, an egg, and vanilla. This might seem like a lot of liquid, but don’t freak out! The recipe is correct, and the batter will be just fine. I promise.
Once the liquid ingredients are added, switch to a wooden spoon, and stir everything together until just combined. There will be some lumps, but that’s okay. Just make sure you don’t have any dry flour at the bottom of your bowl.
3. Let the batter rest for about 30 minutes. Remember all that liquid we were just talking about? The resting time allows the batter to thicken and the gluten to relax so you get that really tender and fluffy waffle interior rather than chewy waffles. (Here’s a good article on what’s happening while batter is resting, if you’re curious).
If you’re serving waffles with sides, this is a great time to cut fruit, prep any meat you’re making, or make a fruit sauce.
4. Once your batter is ready, preheat your waffle iron and cook the waffles according to your iron’s instructions. This recipe makes pretty exactly 2 cups of batter, so it will make 2 to 4 waffles depending on the capacity of your waffle maker.
Keep waffles warm in a 200°F oven while all the waffles cook, and then top with toppings and enjoy!
Variations
- Blueberry waffles: Stir ⅔ cup of washed and dried blueberries to the batter just before cooking.
- Chocolate chip waffles: Stir ½ cup of chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate to the batter before cooking.
- Strawberry and whipped cream waffles: Serve topped with strawberry sauce and whipped cream. (My FAVORITE way to eat waffles!)
Waffle Recipe Substitutions
This recipe uses a couple ingredients that not everyone keeps stocked in their baking cupboard. These waffles are best when made as written, but you can make the following substitutions and still end up with a pretty great waffle.
- Substituting for buttermilk: To make a buttermilk substitute, put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice (fresh or bottled) in a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill the cup the rest of the way with milk. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to “sour,” and you’re good to go.
- Substituting for cornstarch: Corn starch is one of the ingredients that makes these waffles so crispy, so I recommend using it if possible, but in a pinch, you can replace the corn starch with the same amount of flour.
FAQ
Do I have to let the batter rest?
Yes. As mentioned above, resting the batter gives it a chance thicken slightly and let the gluten in the batter relax so you get the best waffle texture possible.
How many will this recipe serve?
This recipe makes about 2 cups of batter, which depending on your waffle maker will make 2 to 4 waffles. It generously serves 2, but if serving to children/with a large breakfast, it could be stretched to serve 3 to 4.
If you would like to double the recipe, go for it. It scales up with no preparation changes needed. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can I freeze waffles for later?
Yes!! Extra waffles freeze extremely well, and I often double the recipe just so I have extras to freeze for later. Store cooked waffles in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months.
To eat, place frozen waffles on a baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
Troubleshooting and Tips
Batter is too thin: This batter will be a little thin-looking. This is normal, and it will thicken slightly as it rests!! If it looks like the photo of the batter above being poured onto the waffle maker, you’re good to go.
If you’re worried about it oozing out the sides of the waffle maker, make sure your iron is completely preheated before adding the batter. Ladle it on slowly, filling holes where more batter is needed, and then give it a moment to set (about 5 to 10 seconds) before closing the lid. This will help prevent batter from squeezing out the sides when you close the lid.
Waffle Maker: If you don’t own a waffle maker, this is the one I own, and I absolutely love it. I’ll be totally honest, I was little iffy when I took it out of the box, because it felt a bit cheap compared to waffle makers I’ve handled in the past, but it does such a good job cooking waffles that I don’t care. And you can stand it upright for storage, which is a nice space-saver.
More Favorite Breakfast Recipes
The Very Best Crispy Waffles
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) corn starch
- 1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Melted butter optional for serving
- Syrup optional for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, corn starch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Make a shallow well in the dry ingredients and add buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla, and stir together until just combined.
- Allow batter to sit for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200°F and set a baking sheet inside to place the waffle(s) on after cooking to keep warm while you cook the rest of the batter.*
- Preheat waffle iron and cook batter according to your iron’s instructions*, typically 4 to 6 minutes per waffle, until waffle is nicely golden and has mostly stopped releasing steam. Waffle may not initially seem crispy to the touch, but will crisp up out of the waffle maker.
- Top with melted butter and syrup if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from The Waffle of Insane Greatness
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Sloane says
These were excellent! I have been searching for a recipe for crispy waffles and THIS IS IT!!! I doubled the batch and it made 5 standard round waffles (non Belgian).
Phil says
Just tried these and they are the best. Crispy and light just the perfect waffle thank you so much for this recipe I was just about ready to give up on waffles until I found this
P Roche says
The perfect waffle. Made these this morning following recipe exactly and they were heavenly.
Tracy says
So happy to hear it!!
Zane says
best waffle recipe yet! i did the vinegar + milk to sub buttremilk since it’s not easy to find in my country. and it worked well! i love the crispiness on the outside and softness on the inside. i’ll memorize this recipe and use more in the future. thank you so much for sharing with us! 🙂
Ann says
Flavor was very good. My waffle iron did not make them crispy but I left it in for a second cycle and it was perfect. However, I would recommend whisking the egg before adding with the wet ingredients. When I poured the batter into the waffle iron, I got ‘strands’ of egg white. Really runny even after the ep min wait but it worked out okay!
Sarah says
These waffles were the best Ive ever made! I made them exactly as the recipe said. I have a Dash waffle maker which makes waffles about the size of store bought frozen waffles. It made about 12! I am freezing the rest and can pop them in the toaster when the mood strikes for an easy breakfast. Thanks!!!
Kama says
I am not sure what’s wrong with this recipe… but it did not come out neither crisp or delicious, llike the other say…it was .a desaster!! And I am good cooker..First of all, the liquid was why to much in receipe, via dry ingredients. I have to add almost another 1/2 cup of flour. Yes I add the corn starch as well. I check duble the recipe to see if I forgot something or what?!? Second I don’t understand why so much oil?!?.Way to much for a smal amount of wafers bater. Anyway, thanks but….sorry,. No thank you.
jj says
I am not a good cook and they came out light and crunchy for me. I subbed buttermilk with almond milk and white vinegar and it still worked out. I’d note it is runny batter so my waffle sensor said it was done too early, it needed to stay in longer to get golden brown.
Lynn Woodward says
I found this while looking for a crispy waffle recipe – didn’t care for the last one I tried.
This turned out GREAT! Quick and easy to make, no separate egg white to beat, no yeast.
The family agrees. Keep this recipe!
Becky says
I made these and my family all wondered why we haven’t been eating them our whole lives. They loved how crispy they were. The only change I made was to substitute melted bacon grease for the oil. This will be my new go-to for waffles.
Maria says
Loved the waffles even though my batter seemed even more liquid than yours they came out crispy and fluffy. One question – have you tried mixing the batter in the evening, leaving it in the fridge overnight and then baking them first thing in the morning? I know that works with yeast but not sure if it will be ok with powder and soda…
Linda says
Made these this morning. I didn’t have oil so I substituted with butter. They came out perfect. This is a keeper. They were so crispy outside & tender in the middle.
TAVANA K. BAIN says
Indeed! The best waffle recipe! Thank you.
Beatrice says
I’m so excited to try this! If I’m allergic to corn can I substitute the cornstarch for something?
Tracy says
You can replace the cornstarch with the same amount of AP flour. The waffles will still be good, but won’t be as crispy.
Tracy U. says
Thank you Tracy! A wonderful recipe, crispy and fluffy absolutely! My 10 year old daughter took charge of your recipe this morning! Wonderful that there was no need to seperate the egg white as some recipes require…with the whisking and then adding in later. We waited out the half hour as per your instructions. Spooning in only 1/3 cup batter at a time, on 3/4 heat setting for a total time of two minutes (for a one waffle maker).
Another suggestion from another, for making buttermilk is mixing half natural Greek yogurt and half whole milk. Works a treat.
AG92 says
I would like to know how to make these in an oven, as I do not have a waffle maker. I have a waffle silicone mold for oven baking. Any help would be great. Thank u.
Tamie says
I only have one complaint about these waffles! And that is, they are soooooo good I want to make them ALL the time. Best recipe for waffles ever. Thank you.