This is the best Belgian waffle recipe we’ve ever had! They take a little time to whip up, but oh my gosh, are they worth it!!

Belgian waffles are the bee’s knees, hands down my family’s favorite breakfast. More than pancakes, more than eggs in a basket, more than cereal. It’s all about the waffles during the weekend. Sure, the kids will settle for toaster waffles if they’re fending for themselves, but almost every Saturday morning they give me the “waffle look”. That “I’m so cute, PLEASE mom!” look. I cave, and the waffle making begins.

stack of waffles on a plate with butter and syrup

My boys didn’t just start craving waffles on their own. Oh no. Their dad is the biggest waffle aficionado I’ve ever met. I’ve been making Mike waffles since we moved in together, and now he’s taught the kids our boys’ weekend waffles.

Sure, sometimes the thought of doing the dishes afterward makes me second-guess starting a batch. But in the end, thinking of paying $11+ per waffle at a breakfast place has me breaking out the flour, sugar, and eggs pretty quickly.

ingredients to make homemade belgian waffles laid out on a counter with text labels

What is a Belgian waffle

Belgian waffles are happiness on a plate. They’re round waffles with deep pockets on top and bottom. The crust is nice and crispy, and the inside is tender and flaky.

Ingredients for homemade Belgian waffles

Eggs
Cake flour
Baking powder
Salt
Sugar
Vanilla
Unsalted butter
Milk – 2% or whole

If you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can swap out for a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. It’s not the same thing, but I’ve done this countless times, and the waffles come out great!

Yes, you can buy Belgian waffle mix at the store. But let me tell you friends, that stuff doesn’t hold a candle to this easy Belgian waffle recipe.

What is the difference between Belgian waffles and regular waffles?

Belgian waffles have deeper pockets so they can hold lots of syrup! The texture is lighter and crispier than American waffles.

Honestly though, in the US, Belgian waffles are pretty much THE waffles served at restaurants. So if you like waffles, you’re going to love this recipe!

How to Make Belgian Waffles

You’ll start by preheating your waffle maker. Mine just turns on or off. If your waffle maker has temperature settings, turn it to HIGH.
While that gets going, separate your eggs. Place the yolks into a large mixing bowl and the whites in a medium mixing bowl. Beat the egg whites until medium peaks form. I usually do this in my stand mixer while I mix the other ingredients together.
After that, grab another medium bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Stir it all together and set it aside.
Now you’re ready for the egg yolks. To the yolks, add the sugar and mix that up until the sugar dissolves and the yolks become pale, about 1 to 2 minutes. Next, you’re going to add the melted butter, milk, and vanilla to the egg yolks. Mix that all up. It’s going to look broken. Don’t worry. It’ll all be okay.
Once that’s done, pour the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk together until the flour is just incorporated. No overmixing, friends! Then all you need to do is fold the egg whites into the batter, and you’re ready to cook! There might still be some small pieces of eggs white in the batter. That’s alright.
To make the waffles, spray the hot waffle irons with non-stick cooking spray to help them release the waffles later. Pour in enough batter to cover the irons. I usually use about 3/4 cup. Close the waffle maker and let it go.
Once the indicator light turns on, check your waffle. It should have a crispy top and be a nice golden brown. If it doesn’t look like that, close the iron and cook for another minute or two. When your waffle is ready, take it out of the waffle maker and repeat this cooking process with the remaining batter. I spray the irons every two waffles.

syrup being poured over a stack of waffles

Tah-dah! You just made homemade Belgian waffles!

You can keep the cooked waffles warm in a 200-degree F oven while you cook the rest of them.

Or just throw them on plates and hand them to your family. Then they can come up for another waffle when they’re finished.

That way no one is staring you down waiting for their waffle fix.

Heathens.

stack of waffles with butter and syrup with a portion cut out to show the texture

It’s not a tricky recipe. There are just a fair amount of dishes at the end. Oh well. 100% worth it!

Want to go really over the top? Turn your waffles into a Together Breakfast – Steven Universe fans, you know what I’m talking about.

Can you make Belgian waffles in a regular waffle iron?

You can. They won’t have those classic deep pockets, but they’ll still taste great!

If you want to get really crazy, you can get a double Belgian waffle maker. It makes two waffles at once! I’m seriously considering this upgrade. We eat enough waffles in this house to allow for it.

square image of a stack of waffles on a plate with a pat of butter on top

Julie Kotzbach

Belgian Waffle Recipe

4.72 from 35 votes

Beaten egg whites folded into the batter are the secret to waffles that are genuinely crispy on the outside and light on the inside. Worth every extra minute.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 7

Total Time 22

Servings: 8 waffles

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Calories: 237

Ingredients Equipment Instructions Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

4 egg whites
2 cups cake flour (see note)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
2 cups milk

Equipment

Instructions

Preheat waffle iron. Mine just turns on, but if there are temperature settings choose HIGH.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form. (I start my egg whites in the stand mixer and let them go while I mix everything else together.)
In another medium bowl, stir together 2 cups cake flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together 4 egg yolks and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, and 2 cups milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. The mixture will look broken, that's okay.
Pour the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk until just blended. Do not over mix. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the waffle batter until they're just almost incorporated. Do over mix.
Coat the inside of your waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour enough batter in the iron to just cover the waffle grid. I use about 3/4 cup in my waffle maker.
Close and cook according to the waffle makers instructions until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. If the indicator comes on and your waffle isn't a nice crispy golden brown, close the iron and let to cook for another minute or two.
Remove waffle from the iron. Repeat with the remaining batter. You can keep the cooked waffles warm in your oven at 200 degree F. When ready to serve, spread with butter and top with syrup. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can substitute 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup cornstarch.
The egg whites and egg yolks are shown as individual ingredients, but really all you need to do is separate 4 eggs.

Nutrition

Calories: 237 kcalCarbohydrates: 29 gProtein: 9 gFat: 9 gSaturated Fat: 5 gCholesterol: 102 mgSodium: 207 mgPotassium: 245 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 6 gVitamin A: 354 IUVitamin C: 1 mgCalcium: 133 mgIron: 1 mg

Tried this recipe?

If you made this recipe, leave a comment and star rating to let others know how it turned out.

Ready for more delicious ways to start your day?

4.72 from 35 votes (35 ratings without comment)

One Comment

Tasha says:

at

They’re decent but the batter is definitely too watery. I’m not a new baker and I followed it exactly. It did seem odd the milk and flour ratio but I went with it
They’re good, just not thick enough batter