These homemade buttermilk waffles are perfect every time! Each is delightfully crisp on the outside and light-as-air on the inside. Follow this recipe and my 3 best tips for waffle success.
What Makes These the Best Buttermilk Waffles?
These homemade waffles are a comforting breakfast treat on the weekends or any morning when you need a special pick-me-up. Admittedly, I only make waffles a couple times per year, but maybe when my children are older, they’ll become a weekend tradition. Because each time I take that first bite, I wonder why I don’t break out the waffle maker more often! These waffles come straight from my family’s kitchen and if you’re looking for an all-star buttermilk waffle recipe, this is the one. Here’s why:
- No overpowering flavors
- Delightfully crisp edges
- Soft and tender centers
- Light and fluffy texture
- Butter and vanilla in every bite
- 100% from scratch
- Ready in minutes
These from-scratch waffles taste infinitely better than a packaged mix, and if the holiday season is coming up, you’ll enjoy my gingerbread waffles variation!
How to Make Buttermilk Waffles
Homemade buttermilk waffles are easier than you think. They’re an impressive and delicious homemade breakfast treat that will wow anyone lucky enough to pull up a chair and dive in. Between you and me? No one will know how quickly they come together! I’m positive these homemade waffles will be your new Sunday morning tradition.
- Preheat your waffle maker. Here’s the waffle maker I own. And if you’re looking for heart waffles, this waffle maker is outstanding.
- Combine the dry ingredients. I like to use a large mixing bowl with a pour spout. Makes pouring the batter into the waffle maker much easier. I use it every time I make my whole wheat pancakes, too.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Combine but do not over-mix!
- Whisk the egg whites. You want stiff peaks to form; I typically use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whisk the egg whites. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
- Pour batter into waffle maker. Close the lid and cook the waffles until golden brown and crisp, 5–6 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
Keep waffles warm as you cook the rest: If serving all of the waffles at once, transfer the cooked waffles to a wire rack on a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200°F (93°C) oven. You’ll want to keep them warm until the whole batch is ready.
Homemade Waffles Success Tips
For the lightest, fluffiest, and most flavorful waffles, follow these 3 success tips:
- Use real buttermilk. This is a buttermilk waffles recipe and is developed for the inclusion of buttermilk. No alternatives for this particular recipe. Grab some buttermilk from the store; you won’t be sorry! (P.S. Use extra buttermilk in any of these recipes, including whole wheat waffles.)
- Separate the eggs. My secret to their fluffy centers? The same trick I use for my red velvet cake. Separate the eggs, add the yolks to the wet ingredients, whip the egg whites, and fold the whites into the batter. If a light and fluffy waffle is what you are after (of course it is!), then separating the eggs is key.
- Avoid over-mixing. Over-mixing results in tough, dense-textured baked goods from cookies to cakes to muffins to breads. And waffles are no different. The solution is gentle patience. And this is coming from a girl who has the patience of a hungry 2-year-old. Using a whisk with a gentle hand, whisk the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Then, using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the egg whites.
Waffle Toppings
Let’s talk toppings! I’m a waffle purist—I want that fantastic buttery waffle flavor to truly shine. A pat of butter and drizzle of maple syrup are my preferred waffle toppings, but you can go wild with any (or all!) of the following:
- whipped cream
- fresh fruit
- chocolate ganache
- strawberry sauce
- raspberry sauce or blueberry sauce
- confectioners’ sugar
- apple butter
- lemon curd
More Homemade Breakfast Recipes
- Homemade Monkey Bread
- Whole Wheat Waffles
- Raspberry Twist Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Blueberry Muffin Bread
My Favorite Buttermilk Waffles
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes (includes batches)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 4-inch waffles
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade buttermilk waffles are delightfully crisp on the outside and light as air inside. This is my favorite recipe for fluffy homemade waffles with hints of butter and vanilla in each bite!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) buttermilk*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- toppings: butter and maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat waffle maker on medium-high heat. Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C). Place a wire rack on a baking sheet; set aside.
- In a large bowl preferably with a pour spout, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, melted butter, and sugar together. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then whisk gently until combined. Do not over-mix. Some small lumps are OK.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed until fluffy soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. With a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
- Grease the preheated waffle maker (I use nonstick spray). Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into each well of the waffle maker (or less if your waffle maker is smaller) and close the lid. Cook the waffles until crisp, about 4–5 minutes. (Follow the cooking instructions for your waffle maker.) Transfer the cooked waffles to the wire rack and keep warm in the preheated oven as you cook the rest. Repeat to cook the remaining batter.
- Serve the waffles immediately with butter and maple syrup, or your choice of toppings.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Waffles are best enjoyed freshly made. I recommend freezing any leftover cooled waffles. Waffles can be frozen for up to 3 months, then warmed in the toaster.
- Special Tools: Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Waffle Maker | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer)
- Buttermilk: Though I typically suggest a DIY buttermilk option using regular milk and vinegar/lemon, I highly recommend real buttermilk. I used low-fat buttermilk, but full-fat works too. I do not suggest any substitutions. You can use any extra buttermilk in any of these recipes.
- Waffle Maker: You can use this recipe in either a Belgian or traditional waffle maker or iron. The suggested cooking time is just a suggestion. Follow the cooking instructions for your specific waffle maker.
- Can I make these as pancakes? Yes! No changes to the batter recipe. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Once hot, drop about 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle. Cook until the edges look dry and bubbles begin to form on the surface. Flip and cook on the other side until cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Coat griddle/skillet again with cooking spray or butter for each pancake or batch of pancakes.
Keywords: buttermilk waffles
What a wonderful recipe! My waffles were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I followed the recipe and didn’t make any alterations. After reading reviews I made sure that my waffles were a golden browned and cooked through. I enjoyed them with maple syrup, fruit, cream and of course Sally’s lemon curd. Delicious! Thank you Sally 🙂
★★★★★
Limp, not crispy at all. Too sweet. I should’ve read the comments first.
★
Applause! Once again a winner! Served with Nashville Hot Chicken and a little real maple syrup! Delectable
I forgot 5 stars all the way!
★★★★★
I had the same soggy and limp outcome like others. I too typicall love Sally’s recipes but this one needs to be revisited.
★
I have great success with Sally’s recipes so it is with trepidation that I rate this recipe as a meh. These waffles are just “ok.” And definitely not worth the effort of peaking egg whites, etc. They are too soft and the taste is honestly not as good as a mix like Krusteaz which you can mix in a hot minute. Sorry Sally.
★★
I reduced the sugar by half, added 1/4 tsp cream of tartar to the egg whites before whipping. DO NOT overmix wet and dry ingredients and gently fold in the stiffly beaten whites. Do NOT listen to your waffle iron. Watch the steam releasing from cooking waffle – when the steam reduces to barely any then check on them. IF your waffle is still steaming like a demon they are not ready to be removed from the iron.
★★★★★
Oh this was such a delicious recipe!! I think the buttermilk is the perfect ingredient for this recipe! They taste amazing!
★★★★★
Great recipe! I got my husband a waffle iron for Christmas, and have since tried several different recipes. This one was the best by far. My husband said to make a not of it! We loved the dark coloring, and the flavor of them. Thank you, Sally!!
★★★★★
First Sally recipe i did not like, waffles are very whimpy.
Not crispy, tried twice, same outcome.
Not recommended
★
Delicious! These are a hit in my family!
★★★★★
Hi. This is the first recipe from Sally that I tried that did not do well and i have tried dozens. Like some others said, it came out soggy and limp and I’m not sure why. The waffle iron is a week old and is working well with other recipes. The batter seems to puff up, but then as soon as u open the top, it deflates and doesn’t crisp up (almost gooey inside), though the taste is really good. I’m wondering what I could have done wrong because I double checked everything I did.
★★
Hi Maya, I wonder if the waffles simply needed longer to cook. Make sure that your egg whites reach stiff peaks before gently folding them in. If there isn’t enough air in the egg whites, they’ll be too liquid and the batter will be too wet. (Which can lead to soggy waffles.)
These were the best waffles I’ve ever had! I added 1/3 cup of frozen blueberries as well.
★★★★★
This has become my go-to waffle recipe. The texture is perfect. It has one more egg in it than many recipes, so you do get the egg flavor profile. That doesn’t bother me. But the second time I made the recipe I decided to crank up the other flavors slightly for balance.
I used 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 brown sugar. I also added an extra 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Then I added 1/4 tsp cinnamon (not enough to make the waffles taste like cinnamon, just enough to add depth). And just for fun, I put 1 tsp of maple syrup in the batter. Next time I might make it 1 tbsp. The results aren’t drastically different from the original. But I liked the balance and will likely continue to do this in the future.
I read the tip from one of the comments that corn starch makes waffles brown better. A site I found said you might need to add between 1/3 to 1/2 cup. But I wasn’t that brave. I decided to try adding 1 tbsp. The waffles with the corn starch had a nice even brown. But since I didn’t have an A/B test, I can’t really say whether the corn starch made a difference. What I can say is it didn’t seem to do any harm. So try it if you’re not getting the level of browning you’re looking for. I also found that I had to set my Belgian waffle maker on the highest temperature setting to get a decent crispiness.
Thank for the great recipe.
★★★★★
I’m not a fan of this recipe at all. Of all the waffle recipes I’ve made, I’ve never made waffles that come out of the waffle iron soggy like these do. I cooked them the same amount of time that I cook every other waffle recipe. They turn too brown too soon. I thought they were burnt at first but they were soft and Soggy which a waffle should not be. there is no golden brown and crispy with these waffles, which is what a waffle should be. I cooked one batch a little longer just to try to crisp them up, they were not crisp all over, but they were borderline burnt in some spots. Very disappointed with this recipe.
★
I have never been a waffle person (so I thought)… made these for my family tonight. OMG sooooo delicious… light & fluffy, sweet, and a little crispy. Thank you for the amazing recipe!!!!
★★★★★
These are so good! Made them for the third time today and every waffle has turned out perfect!
★★★★★
Would I be able to make this batter the night before I intend to make the waffles?
I don’t recommend it. The leaveners are activated when the batter is mixed together and should be baked right away. However the leftover baked waffles heat up wonderfully in a toaster.
I followed the recipe exactly and did not over mix them, but I find them too sweet, and not crispy at all. I tried cooking them longer but that didn’t help either. Disappointing.
My family raved about these waffles! Perfect on Sunday morning! This recipe will be my go to recipe! Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Your buttermilk Waffles are fabulous. Light, fluffy, sweet enough, and crunchy. Perfect way to help relax and appreciate all we have, even during a viral pandemic. Baking (and hand washing) will help get us through!!
★★★★★
My absolute favorite waffle recipe! Separating the egg whites, beating them, and folding them back into the batter elevates the fluffiness to new levels. Thank you so much for sharing it!
★★★★★
Hello! Can this recipe be cut in half?
Definitely! Use 1 egg, then crack a 2nd egg, beat it, and use half of that mixture to yield 1 and 1/2 eggs.
Hello, I just came across your buttermilk recipe and want to try it for the upcoming holidays. Can I make the batter the night before, refrigerate it over night and cook them the next morning?
Hi Jon, the baking powder is initially activated once it’s wet, so I don’t recommend prepping the waffle batter the night before. It should be fresh before pouring into the waffle maker.
I tried the recipe today. I added walnuts and frozen blue berries, I used vegetable oil in place of the butter, and I had no buttermilk so I used whole milk and a tablespoon of lemon juice and let it set about ten minutes. I beat the heck out of the egg whites and folded them in last. I use to always make waffles for my kids this recipe turned out great. That was roughly fifteen years ago now there coming home for thanksgiving so I get a chance to surprise them. Thanks so much, one happy Dad
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★★★★★
I made this recipe this morning for my family’s special Sunday breakfast and we did an experiment this week! We made this recipe as well as a store bought mix to compare the two. Omg, your recipe was AMAZING with so much flavor compared to the store bought mix. It’s so worth it!! Thanks so much Sally! Your recipes never let me down.
★★★★★
Made these this morning and they are amazing! I added chocolate chips on some and on others, blueberries and pecans! Thank you for this recipe! I will be using it from now on!
★★★★★
Dear Sally,
I stumbled onto your blog in search of a recipe for butterscotch pudding, which I had never made. I’m thrilled to know about you and all the dedicated research you have put into your recipes. I love baking, and I’m excited to try every new recipe you have to offer. My son is home after 14 months away, and he requested waffles, so I’m trying this one today. The flavor is incredible, but the texture is a little soggy. Not sure if my waffle iron is the culprit but my solution is a quick minute in the toaster oven. We’re all happy with the results. Again, thank you for being there.
★★★★
Forgot to mention that the batter puffs up immediately in the iron but then flattens. The iron is really old, was my mom’s. It’s a Super Electric. Perhaps the lid is too heavy. I just have fond memories, so I like using it. Hmm, time to retire it?
Hi Karen! What a thoughtful message, thank you so much for the comment! I’m so happy to share my recipes. 🙂 For the waffles– it could be the waffle iron, but I’m glad you quickly fixed the problem with the toaster oven.
Made these with DIY buttermilk (didn’t have any other one), turned out great. Kids fought over them. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
I made these for the first time today. My husband’s comment – OMG these are the best waffles I’ve ever had! I agree! Awesome recipe! Thanks Sally!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Would it be possible to double or etc. the dry ingredients and keep them mixed together in a canister in my pantry, so on mornings I take a specific measurement of the dry mix and add all the other ingredients, or is this not possible. Thank you!
You can certainly pre-mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together to make your mornings easier!