Best Waffles Recipe (Homemade Waffles)

The Best Waffle Recipe ever! These golden-brown, crispy,  fluffy homemade waffles turn out perfectly every time! They're made completely from scratch, are freezer-friendly, and are lightened up by using applesauce in the batter! Plus this recipe makes a large batch, so you will have leftovers to enjoy all week long! 

 Today I have a special treat for you in honor of Mother's Day, a guest post from my husband Ritch! He developed this recipe, tested it (for over a year), made it, styled the shoot and took all the photos! He's the best (ever), just like these waffles! We literally make them every Saturday!

Have you ever tried making homemade waffles? If not, today is your day! This is the best waffles recipe ever! These golden-brown, crispy,  fluffy homemade waffles turn out perfectly every time!

These waffles are made completely from scratch, freezer-friendly, and lightened up by using applesauce in the batter! Plus this recipe makes a HUGE batch, so you will definitely have leftovers to enjoy all week long! 

Waffle Recipe: Ingredients & substitutions

Here are a few possible substitutions for this recipe! However, as mentioned above, it has been tested over and over again with many variations and the recipe, as written, is pretty perfect!

• All-purpose flour. If desired, you may substitute up to half of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour. This will make the waffles less fluffy but still delicious.
• Milk. We always use whole milk because that's what we buy at the store. You can substitute your favorite variety (including non-dairy milks like almond milk). Just remember, the higher the fat content, the richer and tastier your waffles will be.
• Butter. Ghee or canola oil can be used in place of butter in this recipe. However, real butter adds such an amazing flavor I don't recommend making substitutions. 

How to make waffles

As always, let's walk through this waffle recipe step-by-step to ensure your success, and don't forget to watch the video!

Combine dry ingredients

The first step in this recipe is to combine the dry ingredients, then set them aside to use later! 

Beat the egg whites

Beating the egg white separately is the key to crispy fluffy waffles. Beat them until soft peaks form, then transfer them to another bowl and set them aside to use later. 

Combine wet ingredients

Next, combine the eggs and butter. Then add vanilla, milk and applesauce and beat on low speed to combine. 

Add dry ingredients

Next, add the dry ingredients you mixed together in the first step, and beat until just combined. 

Fold in beaten egg whites

Next, fold in the beaten egg whites carefully with a spatula until they batter in uniform throughout. Be careful not to over mix. 

Cook in a waffle maker

Next, add the waffle batter to a pre-heated waffle maker and cook until they are done. The amount of batter used really depends on the size and shape of your waffle maker. For our Cuisinart Waffle Maker (which we LOVE), it takes about 1 cup of batter to make 4 waffles. 

Note: this waffle recipe makes a very large batch

This waffle recipe makes a huge batch of waffles, about 18-20 waffles. We always have lots leftover, even though our kids sometimes eat 3 per sitting!

Serving suggestions:

Here are our favorite ways to enjoy these homemade waffles: 

• With a glug of pure maple syrup (of course).
• Topped with a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
• With a side of fresh berries or other fruit
• Drizzled with nutella, peanut butter, etc. 

Store

Let leftover waffles cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the toaster.

To freeze

I suggest freezing these waffles to keep them fresh. Let them cool completely, then lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer until they are hardened. Once hardened, transfer the waffles to an airtight container or freezer-friendly storage bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.

Recipe FAQs

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Commentary from Ritch: 

My kids love Saturday mornings. As a pastor, I work each Sunday, and Laura gets all four kids ready for church by herself and out the door in time for service. So Saturday is really the only day in a given week where we get to wake up slow together. I usually stay in bed until the kids come bouncing in at [precisely] 7:30am. We snuggle in bed together, as I let them watch an episode of PJ Masks, or Spirit (the horse) on my iPad, before we all head downstairs in our pajamas together.

But one of the most special things that our kids love about Saturday mornings is having a big “Daddy-made” waffle breakfast using this Best Waffles Recipe!

I don’t consider myself much of a cook…for a few reasons: 1) I have an AMAZING chef for a wife, who loves to make incredible meals for us (I know, I am totally spoiled!), and 2) I have a very unsophisticated palette (to put it lightly). Seriously, I often confuse beef for chicken. Ha!

But after our last baby was born, I took a couple of weeks off, and worked from home to help Laura out around the house. {It's true ladies, it was glorious and I love him so much for it} After a few mornings of serving the kids a sub-par breakfast, I decided to hunt down a good waffle recipe. I found a few that were decent…but felt uncharacteristically picky, and wanted to find a really great recipe.

After combining a bunch of good ideas from several other recipes, and testing out half a dozen different tweaks over a few months, Laura helped me dial in on what has become a family favorite...this Best Waffles Recipe! I hope you enjoy it too!

More of our favorite breakfast recipes: 

• The best healthy pancakes!
• Cinnamon rolls that taste better than Cinnabon! 
• My all-time favorite peanut butter breakfast bars.
• Baked oatmeal: Peanut Butter Banana baked oatmeal, Blueberry baked oatmeal, apple cinnamon baked oatmeal, pumpkin baked oatmeal. 
• The best green smoothie ever. 

Thank you Ritch, for this beautiful post! I am one blessed lady to be married to such a stud! He's artistic, he knows how to cook, is the best daddy in the world AND he loves me very much! XOXO love you babe!

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