Perfect Waffles from Scratch
Perfect Waffles from Scratch are simple to make at home using pantry staples! These homemade waffles are a delicious way to start the day!
Fluffy and crispy, Perfect Waffles from Scratch is so easy to make whenever you’re craving something scrumptious, using ingredients right from your pantry! Gather your flour, sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla for a perfect breakfast treat any time of the day!
Wonderful Waffles
In this house, we’re all suckers for waffles, with their little pockets that hold the perfect amount of butter and syrup. Warm, light, and crispy, Perfect Waffles from Scratch are a breakfast tradition for us to celebrate those rare days that we don’t have to rush off to various activities. I learned long ago that the secret to the delicious combination of fluffy and crispy waffles is folding egg whites into the batter to keep the inside of the waffle airy, and I’m pretty sure this is also the secret to why I can eat so many waffles! Whether you top your waffles with butter and syrup or fresh fruit, these amazing waffles are breakfast perfection!
Now that you’ve found your new favorite waffle recipe, why not try out new mouth-watering syrup flavors, like luscious Buttermilk Syrup or sweet-tart Raspberry Pancake Syrup?
Other Recipes to Serve with Homemade Waffles
- Are you hosting a brunch, or do you feel like having a savory addition to your waffles? Cheesy Breakfast Casserole with Bacon and Eggs is a snap to assemble and bake while you make allll the waffles!
- Tropical Orange Juice is a great way to make a delicious drink the whole family will love and is also great as a brunch cocktail if you add a little liquor!
Ingredients
Pantry Items: For the perfect waffles, you will need all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract.
Refrigerated Items: Set out milk and melt some butter for this recipe. You will also need to separate a couple of eggs- both the whites and the yolks will be used in different stages.
Produce: For this recipe, you will also need a little lemon juice; either use fresh squeezed or bottled lemon juice.
How to Make Waffles from Scratch
STEP ONE: In a measuring cup, measure the milk and stir in the lemon juice. Let this mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. While the milk sits, use a stand or hand mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then set this aside.
STEP TWO: In a large bowl combine the flour, butter, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, egg yolks, vanilla, and the lemon-milk mixture. Mix well.
STEP THREE: Fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined.
STEP FOUR: Preheat a waffle iron and coat it with vegetable oil, non-stick spray, or butter. Spoon the batter onto the waffle iron, spreading it evenly. Cook the waffles until golden brown and repeat with the remainder of the batter.
Tips for Success
- Using fresh or bottled lemon juice is totally up to you, but it is needed to mix with the milk to make a buttermilk substitute, which gives the waffles a great richness. You can also use white distilled vinegar if you don’t have any lemon juice on hand.
- Set the eggs out beforehand to warm up slightly, making separating and mixing the eggs even easier.
- Once the waffles have completely cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for over a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
What’s the trick to making waffles?
There are a few tried and true tricks that we’ve all experimented with in the search for the perfect waffle from scratch and a few tips that most agree with. As you have already read about, the first is folding in egg whites. Whipped egg whites make waffles with a fluffy interior and a crispy exterior, something most people love!
Secondly, ensure the waffle iron is nice and hot before adding the batter. Attempting to cook waffles while the iron is just warm will give you pale, floppy waffles. Lastly, don’t stack your waffles on a plate or baking sheet while cooking the rest- this will make the bottom waffles soggy! Set your oven to low heat and place finished waffles directly on the rack or baking rack to stay warm and crispy.
Can I make different kinds of waffles?
Nothing is stopping you from adding some of your favorite ingredients when it comes to waffles! If you like sweet waffles, add chopped berries, such as strawberries or blueberries, or go sweet with mini chocolate chips. Savory waffles are a thing, so don’t be shy about adding in cheese, bacon, sausage, or even a dash of hot sauce to liven things up! When adding more ingredients, stir your choices into the batter before you fold in the egg whites to still get fluffy perfection.
Need More Waffle Inspiration?
- Cinnamon French Toast Waffles
- Red Velvet Waffles
- Birthday Cake Waffles
- Chocolate Waffles with Raspberry Sauce
- Blueberry Vanilla Protein Waffles
*This post was originally posted on 04/24/2014
Perfect Waffles from Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup milk (2% or whole)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
- 2 large eggs separated
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Butter for serving
- Maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a bowl or glass measuring cup. Stir in the lemon juice. Let stand for 5-10 minutes at room temperature to make sour milk.
- Beat the egg whites in a medium mixing bowl with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sour milk, egg yolks, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until well combined.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in beaten egg whites.
- Preheat a waffle iron and spray the plates with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon about 3/4 cup of batter onto the waffle iron, spreading it out towards the edges.
- Close the lid and cook until golden brown. Remove from the iron and butter immediately. Repeat until all of the batter has been. Serve warm with maple syrup.
Ok, I just found this recipe and decided to make it this morning. My family loves it !! My sister made fried chicken, and we had fried chicken and waffles as a treat🙂So fluffy and the perfect layer on the outside. The beaten egg whites make a difference from any other waffle I have had. This is definitely a keeper for us ! Thank you so much 😁
If you don’t have a waffle iron, can you cook the waffles like pancakes on the stove or how would you prepare them?
If you don’t have a waffle iron, can you cook the waffles like pancakes? How would you cook them if you don’t have a waffle iron
Hello Gayle! Yes, I would cook them like pancakes on a hot griddle.
With the exception of using a can of reduced fat coconut milk in place of the milk (I didn’t have milk in the house) I followed this recipe exactly and my husband said these are the best waffles I’ve ever made. Definitely bookmarking this for future use!
Waffles were amazing!
Glad you liked them!
These were the best homemade waffles I ever made. This will be the only recipe I ever use!!
That makes me so happy!!
I did the recipe nearly exactly as stated. Except I didn’t have brown sugar so I used powdered. And I accidentally used 4 teaspoons instead of 1 tablespoon (mixed it up with the baking power, I did measure the baking powder correctly). I tasted the batter once it was done and I felt it needed more sweetening so I added 4 teaspoons of organic granulated raw sugar. Also I added a tablespoon of frontier pumpkin pie spice, which I could taste in the final product! It does make exactly 8 normal sized waffles which I do consider to be 4 servings. I served these waffles with maple syrup and twice battered boneless fried chicken. The waffles were PERFECT. Much better than bisquick and I had all the ingredients, meaning I’ll be making these again and often. I see the replies saying they would use buttermilk but I don’t keep it around and I prefer to make my own when recipes call for it, so that bit was idea for me.
If it’s worth mentioning, I don’t have a working mixer at this time so I got my boyfriend to beat the egg whites (:
Perfect, I played around with the temperature on my waffle iron until I got the perfect crisp….will also go with buttermilk the next time, maybe some blueberries….thank you Krissie for sharing
Delicious the kids loved them thank you
This was so good! I will definitely be making this again. I may use buttermilk instead of the milk and lemon juice next time, but this was wonderful! Thanks for the recipe you family loved it and I even had some leftover that I’m going to freeze to eat for a quick breakfast later in the week.
Delicious. Thank you for sharing. My new waffle recipe! Five stars!