Nothin’ But A Big, Buttery, Classic Belgian Waffle Recipe
All your waffle-iest dreams—and those of your family—are about to come true! This easy Belgian waffle batter comes together quickly and a stack of big, golden-brown, richly flavored waffles will be towering in front of you in no time. Stock up on your favorite toppings and get the coffee maker going. Put someone on egg duty—we’ll take ours soft-scrambled—and have someone else squeeze oranges for fresh juice. This Belgian waffle recipe is so good that these waffles deserve to star in a full-on brunch party, perhaps with their friend French toast!
What Is The Difference Between A Belgian Waffle and A Regular Waffle?
Despite the fact that your go-to favorite brunch restaurant has been calling your go-to favorite brunch item a Belgian waffle for as long as you can remember, there’s nothing particularly unique or specific that makes a waffle a “Belgian” waffle. Belgian waffles are just, well, waffles! They’re just waffles that are bigger than frozen waffles, and usually topped with butter or syrup or other sweet things. So why do we call some waffles Belgian waffles? Thankfully, to clear thighs up, Kimberly Lord-Stewart touches on the evolution of the term in the “Waffles” entry in the The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. She writes:
“At the 1964 New York World's Fair in Flushing, Queens, Maurice Vermersch sold “Brussels” waffles, using his wife's recipe of thick yeast waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream. The name changed to Belgian waffles when Vermersch realized that Americans didn't know where Brussels was located.”
So there you have it! Call ‘em Belgian waffles, or just call them awesome waffles or call them awesome Belgian waffles—whatever you call them, you can feel confident that they’re delicious.
Everything You’ll Need to Make Our Easy Belgian Waffle Recipe
Nothing too fancy here! Our Belgian waffle recipe is classic and simple—the ingredients are all going to be super familiar. Rather than tricky ingredients, little fluffiness trick—whipping the egg whites and then gently folding them into the batter—is the key to making the very best Belgian waffle you’ve ever tasted. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this waffle recipe:
Flour
Sugar
Baking powder
Sea salt
Eggs
Whole milk
Vegetable oil
Vanilla extract
Cornstarch! This one is totally optional—it makes the waffles extra crisp. But if you don’t have it, skip it!
What’s The Best Belgian Waffle Maker?
The best waffle maker is whatever you’ve got on hand! Truly, you don’t need to go out and spend extra cash—whatever waffle iron you have will probably work. That said, if you don’t already have one (but want one!) all the big, trusty kitchen brands make waffle irons. Here are four waffle irons at a few various price points that would be terrific additions to your kitchen:
How to Make Belgian Waffles
The best Belgian waffles—yes, better than your favorite restaurant serves!—are just minutes away. A little elbow grease, a good waffle iron, and plenty of syrup and butter on hand—let’s get cooking! Here’s how to make these easy Belgian waffles:
Combine the dry ingredients—flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Whisk the wet ingredients—the egg yolks, milk, oil, and vanilla.
Make the batter by combining the wet ingredients and the dry.
Gently—gently!!—fold the whipped egg whites into the batter. This is the key to truly great waffles! The air in the egg whites will help the waffles be fluffy and light and just-so.
Make the waffles! Pour the batter into your warmed waffle iron, and let that glorious kitchen gadget do the rest.
Tools You’ll Need
More Classic Brunch Recipes to Try!
Pass the Syrup!
Or butter. Or strawberries and powdered sugar! Whatever you love to pile on top of a homemade Belgian waffle, we hope you adore this basic waffle recipe—may it be the foundation of many happy lazy mornings! When you try it, we’d love to hear about it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
