The Best Buttermilk Waffles
These are the best buttermilk waffles! They’re golden brown and crispy on the outside, but soft and cakey on the inside, all thanks to a secret ingredient you already have in your pantry.
Are you on team waffle or team pancake? I have real trouble picking sides, but if I absolutely had to, I’d probably pick waffles. They’re just a little extra special! And when they’re done right, with crispy edges and soft centers, there’s just nothing better on a lazy morning.
These buttermilk waffles have such incredible flavor all on their own thanks to the vanilla extract and buttermilk in the batter, but I still recommend piling them high with aaalll the toppings. My favorite way to serve waffles is with whipped cream, fresh berries, and maple syrup.
What you’ll love about these waffles
- Easy to make (no extra steps required)
- You likely have most or all of the ingredients already in your fridge and pantry
- They have delicious flavor and aren’t too sweet
- The waffle edges are crisp while the inside is soft and cake-like
Ingredients you’ll need
Here’s everything you need to make these buttermilk waffles, and you can find the full recipe at the bottom of this post.
The secret ingredient
I never loved making waffles at home— mine always turned out limp and floppy— until I heard about this secret ingredient. Cornstarch! (Heidi of Foodiecrush first clued me in and I owe her so much because of it.)
The cornstarch helps combat the problem of too much moisture, which prevents the waffles from crisping up. But a little cornstarch in the batter and boom! super crispy waffles with soft moist centers.
How to make the best buttermilk waffles
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients & add to dry. In a separate bowl whisk together buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredient bowl and whisk just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Cook in waffle maker. Preheat waffle maker according to manufacturer’s instructions and cook waffles in batches.
- Keep warm. Transfer cooked waffles to a sheet pan in a preheated 200°F oven to keep warm until ready to serve (or serve them right away as they’re ready).
- Serve & enjoy! Add your favorite toppings like butter and syrup, whipped cream, berries, chocolate sauce, etc.
Tips for making waffles at home
- Don’t over-mix your batter! A few lumps in the batter is just fine. Mixing too much develops the gluten in the flour, making the waffles chewy and dense.
- Adding warm melted butter to cold buttermilk and eggs will cause the butter to harden in little bits and make the batter look curdled. The waffles will still taste great, but if you want to avoid this, have buttermilk and eggs at room temperature. Or add butter separately when combining the dry and wet ingredients.
- Use non-stick cooking spray as needed to make sure waffles aren’t sticking to the waffle maker. Your waffle maker instructions may also have suggestions for your specific machine.
- All waffle makers are different so be sure to follow the instructions for how much batter your machine needs and the cooking time.
- Look for the steam— If your waffle maker doesn’t have a timer for when the waffles are done, watch for when the steam stops. Chances are the waffles will be cooked through and golden brown.
- Waffles freeze very well! Freeze in a single layer on a sheet pan, then transfer them to a ziplock plastic bag and freeze for a month or more. To reheat, simply pop them into the toaster for a few minutes.
More breakfast recipes
- The Best Buttermilk Pancakes
- Homemade Crepes
- The Best French Toast
- Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
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Recipe originally published January 2014.
Best Buttermilk Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (28 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk (295 ml)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113 grams), melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Preheat a waffle maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Grease with non-stick spray if necessary. Pour scant 1 cup batter into the hot waffle maker (1/2 cup for smaller waffle irons). Cook until golden brown (this was about 5-6 minutes in my waffle iron.)
- Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven in a single-layer.
I love this recipe! Buttermilk waffles are my favorite breakfast!
These look awesome! I’m going to try them out this weekend.
Love to hear what you think, Bruce!
Well, I tried them this morning. After figuring out that our buttermilk was not good and having to run to the store for more…they were delicious! Definitely keeping this recipe!
Yay! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Oh, and just FYI, buttermilk lasts weeks after it’s expiration date. I’ve used it up to a month after and not had a problem!
I knew that, but this one was from November. 😉
Ha! Okay, yeah maybe you want to replace that carton. 🙂
I just ordered myself a new waffle maker. Your recipe came just in time! I’m trying these out next weekend. Lovely photos, Annalise!
Perfect!! Hope you enjoy them. Thanks, Flavia!
I love homemade waffles on Saturday mornings. Saving and pinning this one for later.
These are the most beautiful of waffles! Mine never look that durn amazing!! I’d jump on these in a heartbeat!
I’ve put cornstarch in my waffles on and off over the years- I think they do make for an extra crispy exterior! Can’t go wrong with berries and whipped cream!
Pinned this! The husband is super picky about his waffles…I have yet to find a recipe that blows him away. Here’s to hoping yours is it! Ha!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I’ve been looking for the perfect waffle recipe. I have one questions though, can regular milk be substituted for the buttermilk? And will the texture still come out as crispy outside and fluffy inside? Thanks again for sharing a great recipe 🙂
The buttermilk really does make a difference in the flavor, so I would highly recommend it. If you don’t have it stocked in your fridge, try making a simple substitute: 1 tablespoon lemon juice and enough regular milk to make 1 cup total. Let sit 5 minutes.
Isn’t it crazy what a difference the cornstarch makes? Yours look DEEVINE. I’ll be giving yours a whirl. Those berries will make Smudge say, “MORE!”
we’ve always used 1 c. milk + 1 TBS lemon juice as a substitute for buttermilk.
I have been eagerly waiting for this recipe!! Now I just need to find my waffle maker, and waffles will be on the menu!!
i liked that these waffles had a soft chewy center with a crispy outside, but both my husband and I agreed that there was too much butter…i didn’t have to spray my waffle iron at all and there was still butter oozing out of it…i’ll try this recipe again, but cut down on the butter, to maybe a 1/3 cup and see how that works.
I’m sorry you had trouble with this recipe. Reducing the butter to 1/3 cup shouldn’t affect anything but the flavor, so you should be fine. Better luck next time!
These look perfect. . definitely am going to try this recipe! yum!
Oh my…these have to be the best and most appealing waffles I’ve ever seen! Really, they look simply perfect and oh, so delicious! I can’t wait to start using cornstarch…who knew it would be such a magic ingredient?!
xo, Elisa
I made these this weekend. The flavor was great but my current waffle maker consistently makes soggy waffles. Yours look perfect and crisp. Can you tell me what brand your waffle maker is? Thanks!
Came across this recipe on Pinterest… THANK YOU! I too have gone through several recipes unsatisfied with all of them. Sometimes they were soggy, sometimes way too dry. I was excited to try this recipe yesterday morning and they turned out GREAT! Perfect outside and soft inside. My husband told me to make sure I kept this recipe because it was perfect! Haha
This recipe was just what i needed. I hadn’t used my waffle maker in over a year because of previous bad results. The waffles turned out great and i think i will be using it a lot more this year 🙂
Omg… These are the BEST I have ever made! They were perfect in every way.. Thanks for a great waffle!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed them, thanks for the comment!
My teenaged son inspired me to make chicken and waffles, which I’ve never made nor eaten. (I don’t fry chicken.) well, I fried the chicken then discovered I’ve lost my trusty ‘ole waffle recipe. Thankful for an Ipad and Pinterest, I found your straightforward recipe. They are FANTASTIC. I like easy, these were easy but SO good. The chicken? It’s pretty good. But these WAFFLES!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the waffles, thanks for the comment!!
I found this on Pinterst, looking for a recipe to use up buttermilk left over from another recipe. It’s now replaced my usual waffle recipe and I’ll keep buttermilk on hand.
Thank you!
yum! Thank you for this recipe. My kiddos loved it… I did add some chocolate chips to a few and they were great.
I just made these and they are great! My whole family loved them!
Yay! So happy to hear you family enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the comment!
I bought great Waffle Maker few weeks ago and finally I made waffles. You recipe is awesome. simple and delicious, I love it ! Thank you …
I have tried to make waffles like this for years. I’ve tried many different recipes, I invested in an expensive waffle iron, but I’ve never made waffles like this. Crisps on the outside, soft on the inside wow! I love this it. Thanks so much.
This is my go-to waffle recipe! I love everything about this recipe except for the amount of butter. Is there a way to cut down on the amount of butter or have a substitution?
I’ve just started making mk pancakes and waffles from scratch and I’ve gone thru a bunch of recipes and tried quite a few as well but this waffle recipe is hands down the best I’ve ever tasted honestly. If you want to make some extra good waffles this is the recipe to follow
So happy to hear you enjoyed the waffles, Kymberle! Thanks so much for the comment!
How many does this recipe make?
It makes 4 waffles
Using cornstarch in biscuit recipes is also beneficial. There several on the internet
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to look into that.
Can the batter be stored in the fridge or freezer?
The batter should be used right away because of the baking soda and baking powder. Once the leaveners react with moisture, they only work for a short amount of time. Many baking powders are “double-acting”, meaning they act once when mixed with liquids and again when they encounter heat. But I still wouldn’t mix it all ahead of time. If you want to prepare things the night before, you could mix up the wet and dry ingredients separately and combine them in the morning. Hope this is helpful!
we “bake” them all and freeze leftovers, in the toaster, quick breakfast!
Can’t wait to try this recipe, anything with buttermilk has to be terrific. I like to toast some chopped walnuts on the iron just before putting on the batter, makes them extra yummy!
It’s great to finally find, try and truly LOVE a waffle recipe that is exactly as advertised…CRISPY outside and soft on the inside!!! And I have tried lots. Thank you for a KEEPER of a recipe!!!
These were so good!!! my kids really enjoyed them. Kids are very particular (picky) with what they want to eat, but these waffles were a hit this morning. definitely a keeper❤️
Can I mix the batter the night before and in the morning allow the batter to reach room temp before cooking in the waffle iron?
You can, though I fear the leavening will have lost its boosting power by the time you’re ready to make the waffles. Maybe mix the dry ingredients the night before and add the wet ingredients in the morning?
Made this tonight for the family. I’ve had my waffle maker for 3 years and have never made waffles as good as these! I was only trying to use up some buttermilk and discovered a jewel of a recipe! Thanks!
Perfect texture. This has become a weekend staple for us. Thanks!
Yay! So happy to hear that, thanks for the feedback!
Beauty
we “bake” them all and freeze leftovers, in the toaster, quick breakfast!
Made these tonight and they were delicious! I did cut the butter down a tiny bit…7 T instead of 8. Not sure if that final tablespoon would have made it different or not but as it was they were perfect! Husband and kids agreed and we all ate way more than we should. Thanks! (Loved the difference the cornstarch made…just the right amount of crisp!)
Thanks for the feedback Hope! Sometimes I cut the butter in half to reduce the calories a bit and they still turn out, just not nearly as delicious. Gotta love butter!
Honestly I had high hopes for this recipe however my results were much different than the comments. The batter was extremely thick and did not spread evenly in the waffle maker and the final flavor had a strong corn starch flavor. Not desirable. I am going to try and fix the moisture issue but this recipe has flaws.
So sorry you had issues with this recipe! Yes, the batter is supposed to be thick. I’ve found that thicker batters produce better waffles! If you end up trying this recipe again with alterations, I’d love to hear about it. 🙂
My family LOVED these. Great flavor and the finish with just amount of crisp on the outside. My new go-to waffle recipe.
So happy to hear you loved the recipe! Thanks so much for the feedback.
Truly crispy & tasty
I made these for a romantic brunch with my husband. This must be hands down the best recipe for waffles EVER, and I made my own buttermilk.
Love this recipe! Easy to mix up and tasted awesome!
Sorry but we thought these were not good:(
All these ingredients & trouble for a bland waffle. We threw the rest away…the Bisquick & club soda etc recipe is MUCH better! Crisp and light.
Ok I have been making these waffles for YEARS! THEY ARE THR BEST! Honestly and I’m sorry I haven’t left a review earlier but this is the best recipe I ever came over. I love the idea of adding cornstarch and it even works with my gluten free flour! Excellent work
It’s hard to beat the classic buttermilk waffle, but these are a great alternative if you’re looking for something with a little more flavor. And the fact that they require just one bowl and one stove makes them an easy option for weekdays.
Great recipe! We had these this morning on our new waffle iron – Delicious! Thank you for posting. I did reduce the butter to 1/4 cup and still very tasty. The cornstarch add is a winner!
I made the waffles & they are scrumptious! I am making several batches today to freeze for later.
Love this recipe made it multiple times but I’m wondering if you’ve ever added blueberries?
Yes, for sure!
Completely delicious!