We love waffles at our house. There are some great waffle recipes out there, but a lot of them require you to whip egg whites or prepare the batter the night before, and sometimes you just want an easy waffle.
Enter Light and Crispy Waffles, also known at our house as the Waffles of Insane Greatness. I made them for the first time a few months ago after discovering them on the Food Network site and they have become a weekly deal for us. I mean, we pretty much always have the ingredients, they take a few minutes and a few dishes to whip up, and everyone’s happy with breakfast. Airy, crispy-tender, insanely great waffles. What more could you ask for?
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Table salt
- Buttermilk
- Vegetable oil
- Egg
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
Equipment
- Waffle iron – Waffle irons can vary a lot in size and capacity. Using a Belgian waffle iron (the round kind), this recipe will yield 7-8 4-inch Belgian waffles, or about 4 7-inch Belgian waffles. Does it have to be a Belgian waffle iron? Nope! Any waffle iron will do, your yield will just vary based on how much batter it needs.
How to Make Light and Airy Waffles
- These waffles are so simple! Whisk together the dry ingredients and then whisk in the wet ingredients. If you have time, you let the batter rest for a few minutes to allow the flour to fully absorb the wet ingredients, but you can also just cook it right away.
- Preheat your waffle iron. When hot add your batter and cook until golden brown. Serve immediately with chopped fresh fruit, whipped cream, maple syrup, or buttermilk syrup.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished, cooled waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- You can make this batter smoother than you make pancake batter–don’t worry too much about over-mixing the ingredients!
- If possible, allow the batter to stand for 30 minutes. This allows the flour to fully hydrate, relaxes gluten, and allows air bubbles to form. All of these things help give the waffles their delicious light, airy texture.
- You can also refrigerate the batter overnight if you need to.
Frequently Asked Questions
To reheat from the fridge you can pop these in a toaster, or bake at 350°F for 5-8 minutes.
To reheat from frozen, you can toast straight from frozen or bake at 375° for 8-12 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200°F with a baking sheet inside and transfer waffles to the baking sheet as you take them out of the waffle iron. If you want to keep them extra crispy, place them directly on the oven rack and do not stack. You can keep them in there for 30-45 minutes before serving this way.
Yep. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm (about an hour). Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and enjoy within 2 months for best results.
I can’t guarantee exactly how these waffles would turn out with substitutions but, in theory, you should be able to replace the flour with a good 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and the buttermilk with a dairy-free milk or yogurt. If you need to substitute both, you may need an extra egg to help with structure.
Light & Crispy Waffles
Equipment
- waffle iron – Waffle irons can vary a lot in size and capacity. Using a Belgian waffle iron (the round kind), this recipe will yield 7-8 4-inch Belgian waffles, or about 4 7-inch Belgian waffles. Any waffle iron will do, your yield will just vary based on how much batter it needs.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, if possible.
- Heat a Belgian waffle iron. Make waffles by ladling a generous ⅓ cup of batter into the waffle iron and cooking until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per waffle. Serve with desired topping (Buttermilk Syrup is our favorite!)
Notes
- Store finished, cooled waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- You can make this batter smoother than you make pancake batter–don’t worry too much about over-mixing the ingredients!
- If possible, allow the batter to stand for 30 minutes. This allows the flour to fully hydrate, relaxes gluten, and allows air bubbles to form. All of these things help give the waffles their delicious light, airy texture.
- You can also refrigerate the batter overnight if you need to.
Questions & Reviews
Now I KNOW I need a new waffle iron!!
Do you really use a belgian waffle iron? Knowing my deep love of waffles, my husband got me a belgian waffle iron for Christmas (we had been waffle maker-less for six months) and I’m not loving it. Now I feel guilty for not loving his thoughtful gift.
I really do use and love mine, but I did NOT love the Belgian waffle maker I had before this one. What don’t you like about it? And what kind is it?
It’s the Krups one that is available at Costco right now. Yes, my hubs did buy my christmas gifts from Costco AND did all his shopping on Christmas Eve. I love him anyway.
Mostly I haven’t found a recipe that makes a light waffle that doesn’t require beaten egg whites–really? I’m not beating egg whites in my PJs. My favorite recipe is ATK overnight yeasted waffles. In the belgian iron, they turn out heavy and gummy in the middle.
Try this recipe because those are my exact feelings. 🙂 And yeah, there was that one Christmas where my husband went to wrap my presents on Christmas Eve and realized he had forgotten the bags at Target weeks before. So he went to Walmart at 8:00 on Christmas Eve and I literally got the dregs of consumerism for Christmas that year.
ah you’re right, it’s too stinkin cute! Thanks for sharing that link, I am going to have to buy it now haha.
I know this does not have to do with the tasty waffles, but I LOVE the measuring cups for the buttermilk& the oil. Where did you get those!??
I have a little guy in my daycare that has severe allergies to egg (and peanuts and sesame), and was wondering if you have any tips on making waffles without the egg? Is that even possible to make a delishious waffle without the egg…? I don’t have a lot of knowledge about cooking/baking without egg and what to use as a replacement, so any help would be very appreciated. Thanks in advance. 🙂
There are lots of great egg substitutes out there–I would just google it and see which one would meet your needs best. I’ve used flax meal before with a lot of success, but I’m not sure why the exact proportions would be here. Hope that helps! 🙂
Yes, thanks for the reply. 🙂
Ground flaxseed works well. Use 1 T ground flax seed and 3T hot water. It turns into a goo similar to eggs. That’s what has worked best for us. We have soy and egg allergies.
Sorry. That is per egg- it’s a 1 to 3 ratio
We also have an egg allergy in our house. A lot if times I sub a couple tbsp applesauce for an egg in recipes. I’ve successfully made egg free waffles and started a blog with my recipes. If interested,its eggfreebakery.blogspor.com 🙂
I read that a few months ago – that after you make the batter (for pancakes too) let it sit for about 10 mins and WOW what a difference it made! I had thick fluffy yummy pancakes!!!
Ode to Waffles – how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
Waffles freeze really well for me. I can fit two cooled waffles from my iron (which makes a large, round waffle) into a gallon sized freezer bag. If I break the round into two halves, they fit in my toaster and come out perfectly for the kids for a weekday breakfast.
AND they make an unexpected dessert! Once for “chick flick night” at my house I made a plain and a chocolate-marshmallow waffle batter (from Joy of Cooking) and we made waffle sundaes. Ultimate indulgence.
You may have just talked me into a waffle iron, the one missing item in my kitchen appliance arsenal.
Thank you for this! I am definitely going to try it. I agree with all of your thoughts on pancakes and waffles. We do “breakfast for dinner” at our house probably once a month and it is the kids’ favorite night! I have tried a lot of waffle batters, but the one that is my “go to” is as simple as yours, from The Joy of Cooking. It calls for milk (not buttermilk) and a stick of melted butter (not oil) and it gives variations to go between a half stick (lower fat, but not as crispy in the end) to a stick and a half (ultimate indulgence) of butter. A waffle dinner is my “we’re home for dinner and I didn’t plan anything” meal because the ingredients are all pantry for me: I always have bacon in the freezer, and I always have enough random fruit around to make a fruit salad. Buttermilk is not something I always have in the fridge, but I like your recipe because it uses up a full cup. In the northeast you can only buy a quart of buttermilk and it goes off within a few days once opened. I don’t love the powdered buttermilk because I feel like I can never whisk all the clumps out of it, and the consistency is much thinner than commercial buttermilk. Frustrating. To that end, I recommend a pancake recipe on Pinterest called Overnight Buttermilk Pancakes (which I think is from Better Recipes). The overnight part does require forethought, but that works for me in some instances, and it uses up a full 2 cups of buttermilk. Additionally, it has no oil or butter, and I have had good success with it a few times.
Thanks again!
We have BRINNER (breakfast for dinner) all the time. On some nights when we need to get out the door fast, waffles are my go to meal. My favorite recipe is definitely the Joy of Cooking (buttermilk waffle) one because I like the taste of butter over oil in my waffle mix. If you look past the waffle recipe in the JOC book you’ll see the recipe for the buttermilk waffles. The difference in the recipe is substituting the buttermilk for the milk and adding 1/2 tsp of baking soda. As for the waffle maker, I love the Williams Sonoma All-Clad. Even cooking, cleans well, it’s deep, and with mine you can make 4 at a time. With four kids, this is a must have. Hooray for waffles!!!
Your buttermilk goes “off?” I’ve kept buttermilk in the fridge for weeks, even months without any problems. If it separates I just shake it up before I use it.
Yes, I think it doesn’t smell right after a few days. And it says on the container to use within seven days of opening. I don’t usually get too crazy about expiration dates on shelf products, but with dairy I am more cautious.
It’s easy to make your own buttermilk. 1 cup of milk and 1 tbs lemon juice or vinegar. I never buy buttermilk anymore–and this way you can make as much or as little as you need with no waste.
What waffle iron do u have and do u love it? I have been reading reviews on amazon and I can’t decide which one to buy! Thank you!
I have a Waring Pro waffle iron that I’ve been using regularly for about five years and I am very happy with it. My only issue with it is after cleaning the outside so many times, the numbers on the dials/settings have worn off. Fortunately I am familiar enough with my machine to know where the knobs should be turned.
I have the Waring Pro, too, and I love it!
Hey
I like the sound of this recipe, but I don’t have a waffle iron….do you think the mixture would work for pancake batter? Would it keep it nice and light and crispy?
Thanks
Ibbs x x
Hmmmm…I really don’t know. Sorry I can’t be of more help!