The Best Crispy Buttermilk Waffles

Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, these Crispy Buttermilk Waffles are the best ever! Using pantry staples and your imagination, you can make an endless variety of waffles to start any day off right!

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As a kid, breakfast followed a weekly schedule. Monday through Friday was cereal or Cream of Wheat. Saturday was scrambled eggs with Poppin' Fresh biscuits and sausage gravy. But Sundays... Sundays were for my Dad's Buttermilk Waffles!

Well, I'm all grown up and make my own waffles now, and I'm here to give you all the hot tips to the best waffles of your life. Over the years I've worked hard to develop the perfect waffle recipe, and with a few secret ingredients, I've finally done it!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• Crispy Texture: Cornstarch creates golden, crunchy edges with a light, fluffy center.
• Simple Ingredients: Everything you need is likely already in your pantry.
• Reliable Results: This recipe cooks evenly and delivers consistent waffles every time.
• Versatile: Perfect for sweet toppings, savory add-ins, or make-ahead breakfasts.
• Crowd Friendly: Great for weekend brunch or freezing for busy weekday mornings.

A classic buttermilk waffle recipe with a crisp, golden exterior and fluffy center, thanks to a simple pantry swap.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Easy to find pantry basics are all you need to make these delicious buttermilk waffles. Let's go over the major players and how you can make any swaps if needed:

• All-purpose flour: No fancy flours needed. All-purpose flour provides the right structure and texture for waffles that hold up to add-ins without turning dense. For extra tender waffles, you can replace all or part of the flour with cake flour.
• Cornstarch: My first secret ingredient and the key to crispy waffles. Replacing part of the flour with cornstarch creates a light, crunchy exterior that stays crisp even as the waffles cool. Do not skip it.
• Butter and oil: Butter adds flavor, while oil keeps the waffles moist inside, even after they cool. This combination gives you the best texture and taste. Neutral oils like vegetable or canola work best.
• Sugar: Just a bit of sugar adds a hint of sweetness to your waffle and also helps with browning. You can use light or dark brown sugar if you want a waffle with a little more depth of flavor.
• Baking powder and baking soda: The leavening agents work not only to give rise and fluffiness to your waffles, but also contribute to the golden waffle color!
• Buttermilk: I am a tremendous fan of buttermilk. It might be from growing up in the South. where buttermilk is so commonly used, but I also love the tang and the tenderness that buttermilk brings to foods. I use it for everything from my buttermilk biscuits, to muffins, to the chicken in my Korean fried chicken and waffles. Try it yourself and I think you'll be a buttermilk convert. Kefir or yogurt thinned with milk are good substitutes.
• Add-ins: This recipe welcomes creativity. Chocolate chips, jam swirls, berries, cheese, or savory mix-ins all work well. Keep total add-ins to about one cup so the batter cooks evenly.

Instructions

Making waffles is similar to, but even easier than making muffins. Whisk your dry ingredients, Whisk your wet ingredients, and combine. Let's do this!

• Prep: Start by placing a wire rack into a large sheet pan and preheating your oven to 250°F. Melt your butter and add vegetable oil and set aside.

Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Step 3: Lightly fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, but don't over-mix. Leave it half mixed at this point.

Step 4: Drizzle in the melted butter and oil while you finish mixing the batter. Doing it now keeps the butter from solidifying and allows it to fully incorporate into the batter. This is also when you would add any add-ins, such as chocolate chips, bacon, cheese, etc.

Step 5: Allow the batter to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This gives time for complete hydration of the batter to take place and for any gluten, that you might have developed in mixing the batter, to relax. Most of the lumps will smooth out as well. Heat up your waffle maker during this short rest time.

Step 6: To avoid drips, I like to use a large scoop to drop batter into my waffle maker. You can also use a measuring cup to ensure even portioning. Follow your manufacturer's directions as to how much your machine holds.

Place in oven: The final secret ingredient is time! A freshly cooked waffle is steaming hot and steam is the crisp killer! While the cornstarch definitely adds crispness to your waffle, placing the finished waffles in a 250° oven for 5-10 minutes to dry out the exterior will reinforce that crisp!

Variations

Now that you've learned all about making crispy buttermilk waffles, it's time to put your knowledge to work. Your waffle variations will be limited only by your imagination! I like to serve mine simply, with a fresh berry salad on the side, but I encourage you to make these waffles your own, here are a few ideas to get you started:

Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Swirl Waffles Replacing part of the buttermilk with rich ricotta, and adding zingy lemon, gives you the lightest and most moist waffles around. Swirling blueberry jam into the batter? Unforgettable!

Chai Spiced Waffles with Maple Cinnamon Apples Adding warm chai spices to your waffle batter and then topping them with maple cinnamon apples will give you all the Fall feels any time of year!

Cornmeal waffles There's something about the extra crunch of cornmeal in a waffle that gets me every time! Just replace the cornstarch with ½ cup of cornmeal to give a cornbread vibe to your waffle. Perfect with fresh fruit and maple syrup, and amazing with jalapeño and cheddar too!

Blueberry jam Just make your Crispy Buttermilk Waffles as directed and top with lightly sweetened whipped cream and a spoonful of my easy blueberry jam.

Make Ahead Buttermilk Waffles (Better Than Eggo)

These waffles are perfect for making ahead and using as a homemade replacement for store-bought frozen waffles. Cook the waffles until lightly golden and crisp, then let them cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, freeze them in a single layer before wrapping individually in plastic wrap and then transferring to a freezer-safe bag or container.

To reheat, pop frozen waffles straight into the toaster or oven until hot and crisp. They come back beautifully with crunchy edges and a fluffy center, giving busy weekday breakfasts the same cozy, weekend brunch feel without any extra work.

This is one of my favorite ways to make weekday mornings feel special using a recipe that was already worth the effort.

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