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Crispy Overnight Yeast Waffles

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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!

syrup drizzling on a stack of yeast waffles

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!

Reasons to ♡ yeast waffles

  • you can get them started the night before
  • the yeast infuses a ton of extra flavor into the batter
  • they are buttery, crispy, and the best waffles I’ve had!

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.

Don’t forget to pin this post to save it for later!

ingredients required to make overnight yeast waffles

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 images for how to make yeast waffles

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 1/2 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

waffles on a fork

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

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!

syrup drizzling on a stack of waffles
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5 from 4 votes

Crispy Overnight Yeast Waffles (Bacon & Rosemary)

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brunch, holiday, meal prep
Calories: 288kcal
Author: Denise Bustard
Servings: 8
Buttery and crispy, these overnight yeast waffles are perfect for a special occasion. The best part? Breakfast is halfway made the night before!
Prep Time12 hrs
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time12 hrs 25 mins

Ingredients

The Night Before:

  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast (1 package)
  • 2 cups warm milk note 1
  • 1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g; fluffed, spooned + levelled)

The Next Morning:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 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 (~3/4-1 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.

Notes

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 3/4 cup cooked and cooled bacon (chopped). Mix it into the batter, and scatter out bacon pieces on the waffle iron (if needed).

Nutrition

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

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

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About Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more. read more

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Comments

  1. Caitlin

    5 stars
    I made these and they were THE BEST WAFFLES OF MY LIFE! I didn’t have bacon or rosemary, but plenty of butter and maple syrup on hand. They sent my man and I into an extended waffle coma of bliss. So glad I found this recipe.

    Reply

  3. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel

    Wow, these really sound amazing, Denise! I have never tried yeasted waffles… actually I’ve never made ANY waffles… perhaps I need to add a waffle maker to my Christmas list! I love the combo of bacon and rosemary with the sweet syrup. That sweet and salty mix is right up my alley! (And I LOVE rosemary!)

    Reply

    • Denise

      Yes! You should totally get a waffle maker…it was on my ‘list’ for quite awhile, and I was get one when my grandparents sold their home. Thanks, Kathy 🙂

      Reply

  5. Sarah@WholeandHeavenlyOven

    Oh my gawsh, I LOVE that these waffles are overnight!! I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen in the morning either so these are perfect for me! Dying over how crispy and golden they look! I’ll bet the flavors are just unreal from sitting overnight too! Pinned and gorgeous photos Denise!

    Reply

  6. Isadora

    I am not a morning person at all either! It is 9pm and I’m already dreading having to wake up early tomorrow morning. Everything about these waffles sound totally amazing! Bacon in waffles?! Yes please!

    Reply

    • Denise

      Ugh, mornings are the worst! My kiddo is waking up at 5am these days, he has not caught onto the daylight savings time change. Luckily my husband gets up with him…I’m very lucky!

      Reply

  7. Leah | So, How's It Taste?

    Ooo, I’m totally in love with the idea that I can have waffles in the morning and do the work the night before! I’m with ya with looking more like the walking dead when I wake up…and the last thing I want to do is work for my breakfast! Plus bacon…hello!

    Reply

  9. Helen @ Scrummy Lane

    Oh my goodness. I just love the idea of those extra crunchy waffles. I guess it’s the yeast that makes them so super light and crispy? Waffles aren’t so popular over in the UK, but I think I need to help change that! I think I need to put a waffle-maker on my list for Santa Claus!

    Reply

    • Denise

      To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what makes them so crisp! It’s waffle magic {ha ha}. I think the yeast makes them very light, and gives them a ton of flavor. You should totally bring waffles to the UK, they’re so good!

      Reply

  10. Denise

    Thanks, Jessica! Waffles are the best, aren’t they? Thanks so much for the comment on my photography 🙂 {I don’t actually know what I’m doing, I just try 8000 angles and get a good one once in awhile LOL}

    Reply

    • Denise

      You should give yeasted waffles a try, Ceara! I generally stay away from yeast because I don’t want to hang around waiting for it to rise, so these waffles were the perfect solution for me 🙂 Thanks, Ceara!

      Reply

    • Denise

      These definitely had a yeasty flavor…but I liked it! I am going to try next time leaving them in the fridge overnight rather than the counter, we shall see if that tones it down a bit for the non-yeasty people out there 🙂 Thanks, Cheryl!

      Reply

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