My family’s favorite staple recipe for Thick and Fluffy Homemade Buttermilk Waffles. This recipe will give you golden, buttery waffles that are perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and can be topped with a variety of delicious ingredients.
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These are hands down, the best buttermilk waffles I’ve ever had. They come out nice and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside with the yummiest rich, buttery vanilla flavor.
Homemade waffles are such a delicious and versatile breakfast food that can be enjoyed in so many ways! Whether you like them with syrup and butter, topped with fruit and whipped cream, or enjoyed as a savory meal with bacon and eggs, waffles are such a yummy addition to any breakfast table.
After I shared my buttermilk pancakes recipe, I knew I had to share my favorite buttermilk waffle recipe with you all. Need more breakfast ideas? Try my soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls, cinnamon roll crescents or overnight French toast!
Fluffy homemade waffle ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Buttermilk – If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by mixing 1 3/4 cups of milk (what this recipe calls for) with 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Stir well and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until thickened.
- Eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
How to make buttermilk waffles
- Preheat waffle iron.
- Whisk all dry ingredients. Make a well in the center, and add rest of wet ingredients. Mix until everything is fully combined without over-mixing. Let the batter rest for two minutes.
- Pour waffle batter onto iron and cook until crispy and cooked through.
- Place waffles on a wire rack in a single layer and repeat this process with the remaining batter.
Waffle topping ideas
- Fresh berries: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.
- Fruit jam or spread – You can find my blueberry preserves recipe in my blueberry turnovers post, cherry preserves in my cherry cheese danish post
- Mape syrup or other flavored syrups.
- Whipped cream
- Cinnamon sugar – this will create churro-like waffles.
Savory Add-ins and Variations
Feel free to try these savory waffle recipe variations!
- Add a fried or poached egg on top
- Add Fried chicken on top for chicken and waffles
- Mix cheese into the batter
See this savory ham and cheese scone recipe for another savory breakfast option!
Tips for the best waffles
- Be sure not to over-mix the waffle batter, it should be a little lumpy. Over-mixing results in the gluten developing more than it should which results in tough waffles.
- For crispy waffles that stay crispy: After each waffle is done cooking, place each one individually in a single layer on a wire cooling rack – do not stack waffles! This will ensure that the waffles stay nice and crispy. Further, ou can even preheat your oven to 200 degrees, turn it off and put the waffles on a wire rack on top o a baking sheet to keep them warm.
- Make sure your waffle iron is preheated nice and hot before you put the batter into it.
As long as you grease your waffle iron very well before cooking, then you shouldn’t have too much stuck on afterwards. While the waffle iron is still warm (NOT hot, you don’t want to burn yourself!) just take a warm, wet cloth or sponge and wipe it down very well. Avoid using anything sharp or metal on the non-stick surface.
Waffle batter usually contains more fat and sugar. More fat will help to crisp up the outside of the waffles and make the inside nice and fluffy. Additional sugar in waffle batter creates more caramelization while cooking, also aiding in the browning and crispiness of your waffles.
Belgian waffles have much deeper pockets due to using a different kind of waffle iron specifically for Belgian waffles and are also lighter in texture. Buttermilk waffles are made with the addition of buttermilk, making them much more rich-tasting and are a little more dense.
Related Recipes
Thick and Fluffy Buttermilk Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tbs granulated sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk see notes to make your own
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Begin by heating up your waffle iron and greasing it if you need to.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Mix until everything is fully combined without over-mixing. Let the batter rest for two minutes.
- Every waffle iron is different size wise so this may be different for everyone – pour about 1/2-3/4 cup of batter per waffle to get a perfect, full waffle. Place waffles on a wire rack in a single layer and repeat this process with the remaining batter.
- Buttery Golden Buttermilk Waffles are best served immediately.
Notes
- After each waffle is made, place them on a wire rack in a single layer instead of stacking them so they stay nice and crispy on the outside.
- To make your own buttermilk, stir in 2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar to the milk. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until thickened.
This was a great recipe. Nice and light waffles with good flavor and NO sticking!
Yes! No sticking is the best part!! Thanks Mary!
These waffles are so amazing! My husband loves them!
Would I be able to substitute honey for the granulated sugar? And would i be able to make my own buttermilk (by combining milk with white vinegar)?
Yes and yes! 🙂
What type of waffle iron do you use? I love how the waffles aren’t too thick! I’ve been looking to find a waffle maker that can make thinner waffles (similar to eggo size). Thanks!
Hi!
Do you have the receipe of your buttermilk and can you froze them?
Add 1 tbs of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk – adjust to recipe. Yes, they can be frozen!
Hi! It’s my first time making waffles and the batter is thick and clumpy. Is it suppose to look like that? I afraid to overmix or I probably did over mix!
The batter will be very thick and a little lumpy. Let me know how you liked them! 🙂
I made this recipe today and they were excellent, thanks.
Judy
Awesome! You’re welcome, Judy!
I do not have unsalted butter. Can I use the regular butter and just omit the pinch of salt. Thanks.
Sorry for the delayed response! Yes, exactly!
I made the waffles a couple of weeks ago and they were a big hit!!!!!!!!!!! Making them again tonight for family night…Chicken and waffles
Yay! Sounds AMAZING!
Excelent recipe.. been doing waffles with oil and regular milk instead butter and buttermilk!.. love the crispy in the outside and really tender inside!!. My recipe now on!! Thanx!!
These look so good. I cant wait to make them. Would these be okay to freeze?
Sure! I do all the time. Just break them up and pop them in the toaster in their frozen state.
I never leave comments! These were so good! I feel like my husband usually just tolerates all the breakfast items the kids and I like (crepes, pancakes, waffles…) and he even said these are delicious and asked for more. Definitely my new go-to waffle recipe for classic waffles.
I did not have buttermilk, so I used 3/4 c. greek yogurt and 1 c. milk. The batter is very thick and I had to spread it on the waffle iron, but it cooked up wonderfully – crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. Nice flavor, too.
Can you use powdered sugar in place of the granulated sugar?
And if so, how much powdered would I use?
No, you cannot substitute the granulated for powdered. Sorry!
Not sure what I did wrong but they were not very good. Tasted like baking powder and had no flavor 🙁
These turned out great! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Lisa!
I ran out of box mix and came across the recipe on Pinterest. This was THE BEST recipe I’ve ever tried for buttermilk waffles!! My husband and I agree this was so much better than the box stuff lol….. thanks so much!!!
Yay! Thanks so much, Candace!
My favorite waffle recipe to date! Loved them!!!
They came out perfect! We loved them.
Awesome! I’m glad they were enjoyed. 🙂
Just to verify on the measure of buttermilk
It’s 1- 3/4 cup (almost 2 cups) or 1 measuring of 3/4 cups?
1 cup + 3/4 cup
I’ve made waffles for a LOT of years and I daresay this is the best recipe I’ve ever found. No beating the egg whites and no letting it sit for 30 min. This one is quick and easy and tastes the best. Thanks for posting it.
These waffles were absolutely delicious. My husband said these were the best waffles I ever made. ?
Woo! I’d consider that a win. 🙂
Absolutely perfect. After searching and searching for waffle recipes to make with my new waffle maker received for Christmas, I decided to make this one the first recipe I tired. The kids LOVED and RAVED about them! I froze the leftovers so fingers crossed we can toast them up for a treat later in the week. Now onto a search for a chocolate chip waffle recipe. THANK YOU!
Awesome!! Just add chocolate chips to these waffles! I do it all the time.
They sound delicious and I plan to make them tomorrow morning! Do you put them on the wire rack on the counter or could they be put in a warm oven?
Made them this morning. They were delicious
Hi, just making sure about the baking powder. It says in the recipe 4 tbs of baking powder. Isn’t that right?
Yes!
I thought it was 4 tsp?
Teaspoons, not tablespoons. Big difference.
No 4 tsp, not 4 tbs
I’m so happy I found this recipe. No separating eggs and beating egg whites. No waffles sticking to the iron. Plus my whole family enjoyed them!
Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Jessica….first I j like to say that this is the best waffle recipe I have ever tasted. I have one question, although I am not sure if I want to know because they are so good….do you have a calorie count for this recipe?
Lol! I do not. You can plug the recipe into a calorie counter, though!
Great waffles. Made them this Christmas morning. I just used 1 tsp. vanilla, though, and that was just right for us. Doubled the recipe for 6 of us (2 teenagers).
That’s awesome!
– Jessica
I made these! These are delicious! Does it make much of a difference whether I sift the flour or not?
Sifting the flour makes them a little lighter, but I honestly don’t think you’d be able to tell too much of a difference!
This is the best waffle recipe ever. I’ve made it for several brunches and it’s always a hit. Thank you so much for sharing.
These were the best waffles I have ever had. Can’t wait to serve them again.
I make a batch and freeze the leftovers between sheets of waxed paper and reheat them in the air fryer. A new batch is made as soon as the frozen ones are gone!
That’s such a great idea, Kathy!
I have made this several times and the are delicious every time. The only recipe for my family.