Today we are talking all things waffles! For at least one of my kids, waffles are a legit comfort food and they love making sure the freezer is well stocked with a wide range of homemade waffle flavours. Now, I’m a little embarrassed to share this, but I have six waffle makers. That hurt to write. However, in my defense, one of them is separate due to food allergies in the home.
One of the reasons there are so many: I love mini waffle makers. They’re just so dang cute, the perfect size for lunchboxes and snacking, and did I mention they’re cute? One of my fave mini waffle makers is the Dash Mini Waffle Maker, specifically the 2″ waffle maker (I like to call them baby waffles). There’s also a 4″ Dash mini waffle iron that makes waffles that are a commercial size. It means you can freeze leftovers and reheat them in a standard toaster. This makes for a super easy breakfast on busy mornings.
You can see the waffle makers I like (and more) in my Amazon Shop.
Waffles are usually made from simple ingredients and produce a delicious breakfast your whole family will love. In fact, here’s an easy recipe for waffles (it’s gluten free, vegan, and allergy friendly). You’ll notice that I call for easy to pronounce ingredients and a few tools, which makes these classic waffles easy to make. If you have kids, you can even have them help make the waffle batter.
Making Your Waffles Shine
If you’re used to making plain waffles but you’d like to take your waffles to the next level, check out this article on how to jazz up pancake recipes, waffle recipes, and more. Another way you can take your plain waffles to the next level is to add an interesting/delicious topping. My kids’ favorite toppings for homemade waffles include:
- Maple Syrup
- Fresh Fruit (especially fresh strawberries and other fresh berries)
- Chocolate Sauce
- Yuzu Glaze (made with a little vanilla extract for extra flavour)
Here’s the thing about making waffles: you don’t always need toppings. A plain waffle usually begs to be topped with something. Without a topping, many people will complain that they’re dry, or have no flavour. However, a well made waffle can be eaten standalone. Keep that in mind as you look for waffle recipes, especially if you need to eat your waffles on the go, or don’t like/can’t have toppings in general.
Making Savory Waffles
You can make homemade mini waffles with savory flavors, a sweet flavor, or more neutral flavors. The best part about making savory waffles at home: sky’s the limit. As long as it sounds good to you, I think it’s worth trying at least once. Here are some savory waffle ideas:
- Cheesy Waffles
- Garlic Bread Waffle (serve with marinara sauce for extra flavour and fun)
- Pepperoni Waffles (cheese pairs well with this style)
- Keto Bacon Waffles
- Sweet Potato Waffles
- Pizza Waffles (Ingredients you can incorporate include garlic powder, mozzarella cheese, and Italian seasoning)
The goal with your savory waffle should be to create a unique experience you’ll enjoy. If you’re big into social media, you can look online for trendy ideas such as french toast waffles, bacon and peanut butter waffles, and even waffles made with leftover mashed potatoes. I recently saw a friend use hotdog buns in her waffle maker and I was impressed.
Using Waffles in Your Desserts
An easy way to incorporate waffles into desserts is by making a waffle bowl for ice cream. If you’re up for the challenge, Dash has a mini waffle iron that makes little bowls for ice cream. Here’s a picture of what you can expect:
Alternatively, you can also make waffle cones. I’m going to level with you though: I have yet to find a home appliance that will do this well. The commercial grade (expensive) version so a great job, but who really wants to spend that much for waffle cones?
If cones aren’t your thing, you can make waffle ice cream sandwiches! I suggest using the Dash 2″ mini waffle maker for this task. Make your waffles, allow them to cool completely, then add your ice cream. Talk about an amazing treat!
If you have the Dash mini 4″ waffle iron, or any mini waffle iron, you can use your cooled waffles as a base for ice cream and other toppings (think Ice Cream Sundae). This makes for a cool ice cream bar that you can enjoy with friends. Have a range of toppings out and let everyone build their perfect treat.
Looking for a Fun Creative Way to Serve Your Waffles?
- Make a waffle bar (can be sweet or savory).
- For a more dessert style bar, include ingredients such as salted caramel sauce, chocolate chips, sprinkles, and banana slices.
- Make cinnamon roll waffles.
- Make churro waffles.
You can also use your waffles as a base for an individual pizza. To do this, top your waffles with a little marinara sauce or pizza sauce. Then add a cheese you enjoy (parmesan cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and gouda cheese are all great options). You can add extra toppings such as pepperoni or a little sausage. Since the waffles are already cooked, you’ll heat this up under your oven’s broiler. This warms the sauce and melts the cheese for you.
Delicious Recipes for Your Waffle Maker
Here are some delicious waffle recipes for you to try. One of the best mini waffle maker recipes I’ve ever shared is for these maple waffles. My kids eat them faster than I can make them. I’ve also made cinnamon toast crunch mini waffles that will blow you away.
Each of these recipes is gluten free, vegan, and allergy friendly.
- Mini 4″ Root Beer Waffles (GF, V, Top 9 Free)
- Maple Mini Waffles (2″, GF, V, Top 9 Free)
- Savory Dairy Free Cheese Waffles Recipe
- Mini Homestyle/Basic Waffle Sticks Recipe (great for lunchboxes)
- EASY Blender Spinach Waffles Recipe (GF, V, Top 9 Free)
- Super Delicious Chocolate Chip Waffles Recipe
- Amazing Apple Pie Waffles Recipe
- Carrot Cake Waffles Recipe
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Waffle Making Q & A
Do you have a fave waffle maker?
You’d think that with the number of waffle makers I own I’d have a fave. Honestly, I think they all have merit and your end goal is what matters the most. There are a few brands that sell waffle makers with removable plates. One of my faves is the Hamilton Beach because the plates are ceramic and dishwasher safe. However, this doesn’t make a mini waffle.
For mini waffles, I love love LOVE the Dash 2″ mini waffle maker. However, it requires a lot of your time since you can only make so many at once. If you’re pressed for time, or don’t care about how cute your waffles are, I wouldn’t suggest this waffle maker.
The Waring Pro and Cuisinart Double Belgian Waffle Makers are two of my all time faves. This is because they make gigantic waffles, there’s an audible timer/beep, adjustable settings, and you make two waffles in one go. You save an absurd amount of time with this type of waffle maker.
If reheating frozen waffles in a standard toaster is your goal (makes busy mornings SO easy), then the Dash 4″ is the way to go. There may be other brands for this size, but this is the one that I’ve used.
I’ve also dabbled with other mini waffle makers and whilst some of them are fun, I’ve rarely used them (mainly for the photos). Also, I haven’t messed around much with some of the novelty waffle makers because they just seem unnecessary to me. You can see the waffle makers I like (and more) in my Amazon Shop. Hopefully all of this info helps you make a decision.
Do I need a special recipe for a mini waffle maker?
Nope! You can use a recipe that you normally use for regular waffles and use it to make mini waffles. What I’ve found is that due to their small size, mini waffles are very forgiving. This is helpful if you’re egg free and seed free (and can’t do a flax egg or chia egg). Mini waffles tend to bind together easier and fall apart less.
What’s a good sugar substitute for waffles?
The key is to look at the recipe that you’re following and choose a matching sweetener. Here’s what that means: granulated for granulated and liquid for liquid. From there, it comes down to taste preference, dietary needs, and availability.
Granulated sweeteners: white cane sugar, brown cane sugar, maple sugar, coconut sugar, maple sugar. When we say granulated, it’s because you can hold a grain of it in your hand.
Liquid sweeteners: honey, maple, agave, apple syrup, sorghum syrup, rice syrup, golden syrup.
If your recipe calls for a liquid sweetener, any of the list will make an excellent substitute. The same goes for the granulated sweeteners. When selecting one, also look at the other ingredients in the waffle. Try to avoid choosing a sweetener that will clash with the flavour profile.
Do I need to use a cooking spray on my mini waffle maker?
No, you shouldn’t need to use spray. I’ve been making my kids waffles for well over a decade. When I first started, I used a non-stick cooking spray because that’s what you did, right? Well, I ran out one day and the waffles still came out perfect. I’ve tested no-spray waffles across seven different waffle makers and they all come out GREAT.
Make sure your waffles are completely cooked before you try removing them, or they will stick. Tongs will make removing the waffles from the waffle iron much easier. Also know that some mini waffle makers will make a bit of a mess with certain types/sizes of chocolate chips. This can sometimes affect how clean the removal will be.
How can I make fluffy waffles without eggs or egg whites?
Creating a fluffy texture without eggs is absolutely possible. In fact, it’s something I do quite often, as all of my waffle recipes are egg free. To create a fluffy texture, especially if you’re gluten free, start with an amazing flour blend. It’s critical that your flour blend has one or two light fluffy starches such as arrowroot and potato starch.
Second to that, you need to have enough lifting agents. In the case of waffles, baking powder + an acid (lemon juice, vinegar, etc) will aid in giving you that fluffy texture you’re looking for. Be sure to check out the waffle recipes on RAISE if you’d like step by step instructions.
Any tips on making waffles with a crispy texture?
Getting a crispy waffle starts with how long you cook it. If your waffle maker has a browning setting, make sure you have it turned up more than half way. As an example, I use the setting 4/6 on one of my waffle makers and they come out amazingly crisp.
Here’s a warning for you though. If you leave your waffles out overnight, fridge them, or freeze/thaw them, they will lose their crispy texture. To bring back the crisp, you’ll need to heat your waffles in your standard toaster. Be sure to use the Dash 4″ mini waffle maker for this task.
A toaster oven can easily reheat and help re-crisp larger Belgian style waffles.
Have any tips on making chocolate waffles? Mine often come out dry.
One of the best things you can do when making waffles with extra dry ingredients is to balance it out with moisture providing ingredients. In the case of chocolate waffles, since the cacao powder/chocolate powder/cocoa powder adds additional dry ingredients, you can use extra liquid in the waffle batter to make sure they don’t come out dry. Some people like to use an extra egg, more milk, or applesauce to provide the needed moisture.
Another secret weapon: chocolate chips. In fact, it’s a chocolate lover’s dream if you add them and a little melted chocolate on top as well. The semi melted chocolate chips add an extra layer of moisture to your waffles. However, my kids have told me that waffles like these need to be eaten hot/warm. Once they cool and chocolate chips are set, the waffles don’t feel as moist anymore.
Are Belgian waffles different from mini waffles (for the recipe)?
In terms of the recipe, yes, technically they are different. However, not many people know the difference. Traditionally, a Belgian waffle is lighter and in the good old days, they were leavened with yeast. Now, baking powder is used, which is what you’ll find in most waffle recipes.
As you may know, a classic Belgian waffles will have distinct large holes/pockets, and that’s from the type of waffle maker you use. A mini waffle by default won’t be a Belgian waffle, but you can absolutely use a Belgian waffle recipe in a mini waffle iron.
Can I swap almond flour for wheat flour in a waffle recipe?
Usually, no, almond flour is not a 1:1 swap. Almond flour is a common ingredient in keto waffles and some gluten free recipes. Even if you aren’t following a ketogenic diet, you can still look up keto diet waffle recipes and find what you’re looking for.
However, I’ll also add, many recipes for keto waffles call for alternative sugars and other ingredients you may not be used to. If keto waffles aren’t your jam, try looking up gluten free waffle recipes that use almond flour.
If you can’t have eggs, I strongly suggest avoiding Keto waffle recipes and stick to “gluten free + vegan waffle recipe with almond flour” as your search term. A single flour, almond flour, recipe needs a heavy lifter like eggs in good pancakes and waffles.