Crispy Overnight Yeast Waffles

Buttery and crispy, these overnight yeast waffles are perfect for a special occasion. The best part? Breakfast is halfway made the night before!

Waffles are popular at my house any day of the year. We love making crispy buttermilk waffles for an easy Sunday brunch, but when it comes to special occasions (like the holidays) these overnight yeast waffles go on the menu!

To make yeast waffles, we start our batter the night before. As the batter sits overnight, the yeast infuses so much additional flavor into it. These waffles will truly knock your socks off!

Recipe video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these waffles. You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

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Ingredient notes

• flour- all purpose flour can be subbed for white whole wheat flour. Gluten-free or other alternative flours have not been tested.
• butter- I highly recommend using real butter, however in a pinch, you could sub for vegetable oil. The waffles will lack that buttery flavor, though.
• yeast- look for dry active yeast for this recipe; if you use instant yeast, let it rise at room temperature for an hour before transferring the the fridge for the rest of the night.
• sugar- you may swap for maple syrup
• milk- almond milk may be used make these dairy-free

Step by step directions

Scroll to the recipe card for ingredient quantities.

1. Stir together water and yeast in a large bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then stir in warm milk, cooled melted butter, salt, sugar and flour. Use a hand mixer to blend until smooth. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight.
2. The next morning, add the eggs and baking soda.
3. Cook on the waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.
4. Enjoy your waffles!

Recipe notes

Ingredient temperature is important

When working with yeast, it's important to use warm, but not hot, ingredients. If you use cold ingredients, the yeast will take a long time to activate and will require a longer incubation period. If you use hot ingredients, you can scorch and kill the yeast.

When heating the water and milk, ensure that it is warm to the touch, but not hot. For melted butter, allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes after melting, so it is warm to the touch.

Let the mixture sit at room temperature

After mixing together the first set of ingredients, we cover the mixture and allow to sit at room temperature overnight. You may put the mixture into the fridge, but this will reduce the yeasty flavor of your waffles.

On the other hand if you don't like a strong yeast flavor, storing your waffle batter in the fridge overnight may be a good idea for you.

Batter will be thin

This waffle batter is definitely on the thin side, but don't be deterred by this! Try out a test waffle, and if you are not satisfied, consider whisking in an extra ½ cup of flour. We love these waffles as written.

Toppings

Serve these waffles with your favorite toppings:

• berries
• powdered sugar
• bacon
• maple syrup
• yogurt
• nut butter
• whipped cream

Storage and reheating directions

Overnight yeast waffles work well for meal prep- consider making a double batch for easy meals through the week!

• fridge- store cooled waffles in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
• freezer- wrap waffles in plastic or parchment and place into a large meal prep container or freezer bag. Alternatively, you can store single serve portions in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• reheat- heat in a toaster oven, in the waffle iron, or in an air fryer until warmed through and crispy

More brunchy recipes

• Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
• Healthy Blueberry Muffins
• Herb & Zucchini Egg Bake
• Crockpot French Toast
• 7 Delicious Homemade Pancake Recipes

A note about this post- originally published in 2014, this recipe included bacon and rosemary. We rewrote the post as an 'all purpose' waffle recipe, but have included the bacon + rosemary in recipe card notes in case you want to include them!

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Crispy Overnight Yeast Waffles (Bacon & Rosemary)

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time: 12 hours hrs

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 12 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

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Print Rate

Buttery and crispy, these overnight yeast waffles are perfect for a special occasion. The best part? Breakfast is halfway made the night before!

8

Ingredients

The Night Before:

• ▢ ½ cup warm water
• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast (1 package)
• ▢ 2 cups warm milk note 1
• ▢ ½ cup butter melted and cooled
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g; fluffed, spooned + levelled)

The Next Morning:

• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Instructions 

The Night Before:

• Combine warm water and yeast in a large bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
• Mix in the warm milk (not hot!), melted butter (make sure to cool it slightly if it becomes hot while melting), salt, sugar and flour. Use a handheld mixer to get rid of all lumps. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise overnight on the counter *see note 2.

The Next Morning:

• Mix in the eggs and baking soda.
• Pre-heat your waffle maker. Spray with oil. Scoop batter (~¾-1 cup) onto heated waffle maker.
• Cook until golden brown and cooked through. The time will differ by waffle maker and quantity of batter used. My waffles took an extra few minutes longer than usual waffles.
• Enjoy with maple syrup or your favorite waffle toppings.

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Tips:

1- For thicker waffles, use buttermilk. For thinner, crispier waffles, use 1% milk.

2- If you don't want a strong yeast flavor, let the waffle dough sit at room temperature for a few hours in the evening, then transfer to the fridge for the night.

 

Keeping waffles warm

To keep waffles warm while you cook other batches, place a wire rack on a baking sheet and place waffles on the rack. Keep in the oven at 200°F while you cook other waffles.

 

Ingredient swaps

• all purpose flour may be swapped with white whole wheat flour
• butter may be swapped with vegetable oil *but you will lose some flavor
• sugar may be swapped for maple syrup
• milk may be swapped for your favorite non-dairy milk

Storage

• fridge- store cooled waffles in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
• freezer- wrap waffles in plastic or parchment and place into a large meal prep container or freezer bag. Alternatively, you can store single serve portions in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• reheat- heat in a toaster oven, in the waffle iron, or in an air fryer until warmed through and crispy

Bacon + rosemary

The original recipe contained 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (chopped) and ¾ cup cooked and cooled bacon (chopped). Mix it into the batter, and scatter out bacon pieces on the waffle iron (if needed).

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1waffle, Calories: 288kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 279mg, Potassium: 146mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 515IU, Calcium: 83mg, Iron: 1.7mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

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Recipe adapted from Epicurious