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“Best Ever Belgian Waffles in the World” Yeah I know that’s a big statement there for a simple waffle. But you don’t understand, coming from me – that woman who doesn’t care for waffles, pancakes, french toast, or crepes, THESE THINGS ROCK!
It’s not that I don’t care for them as I love the taste of the first or second bite but after that, I’m done. They just ‘get to me’ and well it’s not bacon or a dippy egg. Sure I’ve added bacon to waffles or topped it with a dippy egg but it’s just too much for me.
Traditional Belgian waffles are yeasted (See my Liege Waffle Recipe!) and the batter rests in the fridge overnight. So I went with those initially. The next morning I got out my brand-new waffle iron and got to cooking them. I gave Mr. Fantabulous one and after one bite he looked at me and said “Um, can I have eggs instead as these are terrible.” I took a bite and yep, he was right. The batter was a loose dough consistency which I found odd but figured that’s how yeast batter would be. I couldn’t stand the taste so needless to say I pitched the entire batter.
So I went back to the drawing board and looked at some of my other waffle recipes. Then it dawned on me my Mom used to make these waffles when I was really little. After digging through my old recipe book I found hers. After studying the ingredients I knew I had to tweak it to get it to a Belgian waffle taste, appearance, and thickness.
These waffles are more like Brussels waffles so they have baking powder instead of yeast for the leavening agent. That being the case, just like any pancake batter or waffle batter once you whisk it together (but not over-whisk it) you allow it to set out for a good 30 minutes to allow the leavening agents to work their magic. Now me being me I am a batter girl. 99% of the time I can tell you how a dish is going to turn out just by how the batter tastes.
Which Waffle Maker?
I’ve made this recipe using a round waffle maker and a square one.
Since this was a new machine for me, I had to figure out the settings. See this one went from 0-8 on the temperature gauge however, I had no clue what the baking temp was. Needless to say, the first one was waaaaaaaaaaaay too dark and raw in the middle and the 2nd one was too light (and I didn’t put enough batter on the maker). I WISH this machine would have come with instructions of “Pour X amount on the hot iron so ensure an even bake AND to not have it overflow out the sides, onto your counter and everywhere in between!”.
Yeah… she overflowed.
… A LOT but live and learn.
By the third waffle, I had it down to a science – almost a cup of batter with the machine on #7. But when you make these you’ll have to go with what your manufacturer’s instructions say. As you can tell by these pics, these came out to about 1″ thick with deep crevices to house all that maple syrup or toppings.
What do you top yours with? Mr. Fantabulous loves pure maple syrup (must be warmed). Yes, he’s spoiled, but I blame his mother for that. I just continue it. LOL
Initially, I only made a half batch I only had enough batter to make 4. Since the first 2 didn’t turn out right and Mr. Fantabulous was nomming on #3 I had only one left. So I got to make the last one when I heard “Wow baby, these are amazing! Are there any more???” Now folks these things are pretty big. As I said an inch thick by 10″ round. I honestly was surprised he wanted a second one (okay not really but it still amazes me just how much he can eat!) so I gave up my waffle.
But this recipe, I nailed it the first time out of the gate with my tweaks off of my Mom’s original recipe. It was light and airy, the texture was perfect. It wasn’t heavy but it was filling.
Always test, test, and re-test recipes!
Now like any food blogger, or cook, you test, test, and re-test a recipe for consistency. You want the same results every single time with minimal variance in outcome. So later that afternoon I set out and made 2 more batches. Perfect every single time. Now I will tell you that I have enough Belgian Waffles in my freezer for quite a while but I have plans for those babies in future recipes. You know me, I can’t just stick to the norm. I have to venture outside of the box and push the limits. I already have another adaption of this recipe coming up (just waiting on me to edit the photos) and 3 more uses of these. Oh yeah, I got plans baby!
Chef’s Secrets To Perfect Waffles!
Needless to say, I went through many iterations of this recipe and finally figured out the secret (or secrets to the perfect Belgian waffle).
- Separate your eggs. You want your egg whites whipped to a stiff peak. By folding the egg whites in, you’re ensuring you have a light and airy waffle instead of one that weighs as much as a brick.
- Cornstarch – yep, cornstarch. The cornstarch binds the waffle together and helps it create that crispy exterior (once you cook it thoroughly per your machine’s instructions).
- Resting the batter – you need to let the batter set to allow the leavening agents to work their mojo.
You know, I think I already know what I’m having tomorrow for lunch. One of my Belgian Waffle makeover recipes I’m working on. I think it’s going to be all kinds of awesome! Until then you NEED to have these in your life, your freezer, and most importantly, in your belly!
♥If you want thicker than 1″ waffles, this model makes 1.25″ Thick waffles.
♥For even thicker waffles, 1.5″ thick, go with this model!
♥The KRUPS, 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker With Removable Plates is great for thick, square Belgian waffles. Plus it has removable plates. The negative, they aren’t as thick as the round one above. Both are awesome and work amazingly well!
Best Ever Belgian Waffles in the World!
- Yield: 4-6
- Cuisine: breakfast
Find more fantabulous recipes, tips and tricks at www.thekitchenwhisperer.net. Also, join our TKW Family on Facebook
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (has to be buttermilk)
- 1/3 cup melted butter, unsalted
- 1 egg, room temperature and separated
- 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- In a bowl beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
- Add the milk, butter, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla and mix just until combined. Do not overmix as you do not want air in this. Some lumps are OK.
- Gently fold in the egg whites until combined. Do not deflate the egg whites. This is what will give your waffles that light texture.
- Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat a waffle iron.
- Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles.
- Serve immediately hold in a 200 degree oven, directly on the rack. I would not recommend stacking them as they are heavy and may get smushed or soggy on the plate.
Notes
To freeze, allow to cool completely and wrap individually in plastic wrap.
To reheat just place frozen in the toaster.
We personally like a sweeter waffle so when I make them I like almost a 1/2 cup however you can certainly add the lesser amount.
Depending on how big your waffle iron is, will depend on how many waffles you get out of this. Mine is fairly large so I get 5-6 waffles that are pretty big.
Cakemaster2000 says
Well hats off to you, Kitchen Whisperer! I have tasted many a waffle in my day & made many a waffle for my kids when they were growing up & this by far is the best waffle in the world! Yes, you got that title right! I made them with fried chicken & the combination was great! The waffles were crispy on the outside and light & fluffy on the inside. I had just gotten a new waffle maker & wanted to try it out, boy was this the perfect recipe for it! I don’t know why the other reviewer got a soggy waffle right out of her waffle maker, but maybe it was her waffle maker just giving out on her, or maybe she did not beat her egg whites until they were stiff enough. Whatever it was, I urge them to give this recipe another try. I made 2 batches, and all of them came out perfectly crispy & golden on the outside, & light as air on the inside. I shared some with my neighbors & they thought the waffles were beyond great too. I didn’t even need to spray the waffle iron before putting in the batter & none of them stuck to the machine! Great, Great recipe, can’t say enough about it!To anyone else who tries it, enjoy! I’m sure you will! Thanks so much Kitchen Whisperer!
TKWAdmin says
Thank you so very, very much! I truly appreciate your kind words and praise. OMG Fried chicken and waffles! Marry me! 🙂
Yes, stiff egg whites are the key to making these waffles truly perfect – soft and fluffy on the inside, crisp on the outside. I make up a big batch about once a month now and store them in my freezer. I’m right now addicted to making waffle sammiches. A waffle with roasted turkey, asiago and red pepper jelly… EPIC!
But again I really appreciate everything you said; you totally made my day!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Scheila says
Wow these are amazing! Super delicious and so light and fluffy. I made a triple batch of these; one for breakfast, one for the freezer and one to give my brother to take home. The waffle house has nothing on you!
Love your recipes!
TKWAdmin says
Thank you so much Scheila! I really appreciate it! And wow a triple batch?! I’m coming to your house!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Thao says
Hi, I have a question. I read some of the comments saying that if the batter is left overnight in the fridge, the texture will be different, meaning less crispy, chewy, because the air in the batter deflated in the fridge. But you said you put your batter in freezer. Did it work for you? And how you defrost the batter?
TKWAdmin says
Hi Thai!
Oh no I mean I freeze the cooked waffles, not the batter. The batter will deflate and the texture would turn icky.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Anderson says
This is a very poor waffle recipe. The batter is much to sweet and loose for waffle perfection. The waffles are soft and floppy out of the iron. Ditch this recipe.
TKWAdmin says
I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you Anderson. You will have a loose batter if your egg whites are not stiff. Plus when they were added to the batter, they may not have been folded in gently, thus losing their height. In the post I do have the following notes:
Needless to say I went through many iterations of this recipe and finally figured out the secret (or secrets to the perfect belgian waffle).
– Separate your eggs. You want your egg whites whipped to a stiff peak. By folding the egg whites in, you’re ensuring you have a light and airy waffle instead of one that weighs as much as a brick.
– Cornstarch – yep, cornstarch. The cornstarch binds the waffle together and helps it create that crispy exterior (once you cook it fully per your machine’s instructions).
– Resting the batter – you need to let the batter to set to allow the leavening agents work their mojo.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
K-Mo says
I would say these tasted fantastic, but mine came out softer as well, even with the whipped ( not deflated ) eggs and proper amount of corn starch. I had less sugar, as I found it too sweet. But the sugar is really what helps it crisp up on the outside due to caramelization. So for those whose are coming out soft, it may be that they adjusted the sugar
TKWAdmin says
Hmmm… When you folded in the stiff egg whites your batter should have increased in volume as it should have been lighter and airy. I did go in and update the recipe to 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar. We personally like a sweeter waffle thus the half cup but definitely go with personal preference. The other thing is let the batter rest for 30 minutes before cooking. That’s just as important as folding in the egg whites. I’m wondering perhaps if your waffle maker wasn’t up hot enough? I know I just got a new one and when I first made these in that maker they turned out not as crisp as I liked. So the next batch (same batter) I turned up the heat on my maker and poured in my next ladle of batter. It came out perfect after that.
Best Kitchen Wishes and Happy New Year!
Christina says
Hi there I am anxiously getting ready to make these but am getting a bit confused as your recipe states one egg but all of the instructions mention egg whites…Should I be using more than one egg white? Or should I be doubling the batch? Maybe I missed that.
Thank you!
Thanks!
TKWAdmin says
Hey Christina!
Sorry, that’s a fat-finger typo. It’s just a single egg white. No it’s a single batch recipe though I’d make a double or triple as they freeze beautifully!!!
What time’s breakfast? 🙂
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Deanna Luna says
There is no way, if prepared correctly, these could ever be soggy! This is the first recipe of yours I’ve prepared… I’ve been baking since I was 8 so I can anticipate if a recipe is what I’m looking for by the authors explanation, the ingredients & the directions & sometimes the comments lol. Once I read this post, I knew I had to try them (I’m not a big pancake, waffle, French toast lover either) Funny that I had wished it was a sour cream waffle recipe, and I had just thrown out the carton of buttermilk so I did make that one substitution initially…. I say initially because I ended up (like you) having to immediately make another batch! HA! The second batch I used about 3/4 C sour cream & 1/4 C milk and I had ran out of corn starch the first batch, so I used 1 1/4 C cake flour and they were phenomenal, I was worried the ‘crunch’ may be compromised but they had a slight crunch, not sure how so compared with the first batch that I didn’t get to try lol EXCELLENT recipe! THANK YOU! Can’t wait to see what else I wanna try 🙂
TKWAdmin says
Thank you so much Deanna! Yeah I couldn’t understand why 2 people had theirs turned out soggy. I’ve been making them this way for years and never once had a soggy waffle. The only thing I can think of is that the egg whites flattened either from not being stiff or not folded in. I’m thrilled they worked out for you!
Definitely let me know what else you try! I love hearing from folks on what they like or don’t like!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Connie says
The waffles looks amazing, really simple to make and delicious, thanks !
TKWAdmin says
Thank you so much Connie! I’m also working on a yeast version of these (Liege waffles) with the sugar crystals in them. Want to come taste test? 🙂
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Coleen Yap says
Hi! Can i make these the night before then put it in the waffle maker in the morning? Will it deflate?
TKWAdmin says
Hi Coleen!
I had to re-read what you asked a few times because for me, it was just not sinking in (long week at work *wink*).
Sadly no you can’t make the batter the night before. Because it has egg whites folded into the batter, by morning they will end up deflating. I’m working on a Liege Waffle recipe (it’s a yeasted recipe) that you actually do want to make the ‘dough’ the night before.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
lisa says
Out of most of my waffles i have made this one is by far the very best, i have no idea of why someone would give these a low rating i want to say thank you so much, now my family will enjoy tasty waffles.
Alyssa says
Despite negative comments I decided to make this recipe. I went on a hunt a few years back for the perfect waffle recipe and was never completely satisfied.. UNTIL NOW.
Your waffle recipe is hands down the best recipe I have ever tried (and I’ve tried 50+). My husband agrees. Follow the steps to a tee and you will not be disappointed.
TKWAdmin says
Alyssa,
THANK YOU! That really means a lot to me. I still am not sure how those 2 folks ended up with soggy waffles. The only thing I can think of is the egg whites weren’t actually folded in but rather just stirred. You need them to retain their airiness – that’s what will give you the light texture and crispy exterior.
I’m thrilled that you and your hubby loved them! I actually have a chocolate version of these as well on the website. If you’re a chocolate lover, try them out! Plus these standard ones, (minus the vanilla) make KILLER ‘bread’ for sandwiches! Make pulled pork and put that between two crispy waffles with some melted cheese. YUM!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Jamie says
We made this for Mom this morning for Mother’s day and we loved them! Super light and airy with that almost crispy outside. Thanks again for another killer recipe!
TKWAdmin says
Thank you so much Jamie and happy mother’s day to your Mom!
Best Kitchen Wishes!