Crispy Buttermilk Waffles

These crispy buttermilk waffles have just 6 ingredients and are so easy to prepare! With crispy edges and soft, fluffy insides, these waffles are the best of both worlds.

Are you on team waffle or team pancake? While you might suspect me to be on team pancake (since I have 7 homemade pancake recipes on the blog), I am actually more of a waffle gal.

I mean who can resist those crispy edges and soft, fluffy insides?

My go-to buttermilk waffle recipe is simple to prepare- no need to separate your eggs and you can mix everything up in one bowl!

They are soft, crispy, and the perfect vessel for your favorite waffle toppings.

Recipe video

Want to see exactly how these waffles come together? Watch the video below (please refrain from drooling on your keyboard). You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

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Which ingredients do we need?

First, we will gather our ingredients.

• Eggs- go for large eggs
• Flour- you can use all purpose, white whole wheat, or a mix of 50% all purpose, 50% whole wheat flour. Even the whole wheat versions of this recipe got crispy!
• Buttermilk- I do recommend real buttermilk as it gives so much delicious flavor to these waffles, however you can use regular whole milk, or almond milk in a pinch. See how to make buttermilk from whole milk here!
• Sugar- yes, sugar, it's only 2 tablespoons, but if you'd prefer you can use coconut sugar
• Baking powder- make sure it's not out of date!
• Salted butter- if you have unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon salt. I haven't tested with coconut oil but I bet it would work great as a butter alternative!

Mix up that batter!

This buttermilk waffle recipe only requires one bowl- YAY!  Make sure that you mix your batter in the correct order:

1. Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and sugar).
2. Add in the buttermilk and eggs and fold into the dry mixture.
3. Add the melted butter and then mix until completely combined.

We add the melted butter last so that the buttermilk doesn't chill it and make it re-solidify. This also helps protect the eggs from cooking upon contact with hot/warm melted butter.

Cook your waffles according to your waffle maker's instructions! I am still using my Nana's ollllld Philips waffle maker. This Waffle Maker looks like a great one to try!

Can I use almond flour/gluten-free flour/ any other flour?

This recipe has been tested with all purpose flour and white whole wheat flour and worked well with both. I have not tested with alternative flours and don't believe the ratios would work the same.

Are buttermilk waffles healthy? 

I would consider these waffles a once a week kind of treat (hi, half a cup of melted butter!). You can certainly up the health factor by choosing white whole wheat flour, and topping with healthy ingredients. I like using fresh berries, a little drizzle of peanut butter, and sprinkling of hemp hearts.

Can I make this recipe into pancakes? 

I haven't actually tried this, but if you are looking for pancake recipes, I have 7 Delicious Homemade Pancakes flavors on the blog!

Tips for crispy waffles

When it comes to crispy waffles, a few small details can make a big difference:

1. do not over-mix your batter- this will cause your waffles to be dense and chewy. Fold your batter until *just* combined.
2. preheat your waffle maker- though it's tempting to just get them cooking already, the waffle maker must be heated to the right temp if you want those crispy edges
3. spray your waffle maker- this really depends on the model. I tested this on a newer teflon waffle maker (which I promptly returned and won't recommend to you 😉 ) and it benefitted from an extra spray of oil. Old school waffle makers like my Nana's really do require a spritz.
4. check on them near the end of the cook time- especially for the first couple of waffles...it can be a fine line between crispy and burnt.
5. store them on a wire rack- do not stack your waffles! They will loose their crisp if you stack them. I recommend serving immediately, but if you can't, store in a single layer on a wire rack while you cook the rest. You can keep them warm in the oven at 200°F
6. use a thinner waffle maker- thicker waffles, like a Belgian-style waffle maker will produce, may not be as crispy as thinner waffles. It's just the way it is 🙁

More brunch recipes

• How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
• Peach Baked Oatmeal
• Blueberry French Toast Overnight Bake
• Broccoli Cheese Crustless Quiche
• Pumpkin Pancakes