Skip to Content

Heavenly Light and Crispy Waffles Recipe

This light and crispy waffles recipe is absolutely divine, and so simple to make. With no added sugar, the waffles have a mellow flavor profile that allows your toppings to stand out. The texture is crisp and airy, much lighter than a traditional sugar and buttermilk based waffle. 

Top these waffles with fresh fruit and cream, maple syrup and creamy butter, or use them as a base for a hearty sausage gravy breakfast. 

In this post we are sharing our tips and tricks for cooking the very best waffles. There is a bit of finesse and skill to master when baking a breakfast pastry such as waffles, but it’s well worth the effort.

Crispy Light Waffles Recipe
Crispy Light Waffles with cream and fresh strawberries

Along with the skills that you need to learn, an important thing to remember is that the secrets are often in the details and ingredients of your recipes. We are breaking down the importance of understanding what exactly is in your waffle recipe, and how it will affect the type of waffles you will get. 

How do you make waffles crispy?

In order to get a light and crispy waffle, you need your ingredients themselves to be on the lighter side. One of the best ways to achieve this is by swapping out buttermilk for milk. Milk has a thinner consistency which will yield a thinner, lighter batter that will inevitably make lighter, crispier waffles without sacrificing the delicious flavor that we all love. 

Looking for more excellent breakfast Ideas? Check out our Breakfast Section!

Should you let waffle batter rest?

Allowing your waffle batter to rest while your waffle iron heats, roughly 10 mins, is a great trick that can help in getting a crispier exterior to your waffles. Resting the batter will allow the gluten to relax and expand, giving your waffles a softer interior texture. Cooling the batter will help the interior cook a bit slower and prevent overcooking while the exterior has a chance to get crispy. 

Crispy Light Waffles
A stack of fresh waffles

Are waffles better with oil or butter?

Another important ingredient consideration is the use of oil or butter in your batter. Butter is a solid fat while oil is a liquid fat. If you are looking to get lighter and crispier waffles, using a high quality oil such as avocado or coconut will help thin out the batter, resulting in a lighter, crispier waffle. Butter will give you a thick, flavorful batter which will result in a scrumptious, heartier waffle; but oil is key if you are looking to enjoy that iconic crispy waffle texture.

How Much Do You Stir Waffle Batter?

Mixing your waffle batter is a very important factor that will affect the finished texture of your waffles. You want to first combine your dry ingredients, followed by the wet ingredients. Once your wet ingredients are added the batter will lighten and rise. It is very important to mix until the wet ingredients are just combined.

Over mixing your waffle batter will remove the air resulting in flatter, denser waffles. Resist the urge to break down any small lumps you may see. Once your egg whites are folded in, you do not want to continue mixing the batter.

This delicious, sustaining waffles recipe is straight from Grandma’s recipe box. It is just what we would expect from her. A straight forward, no-fuss recipe for homemade waffles that are to die for! Grandma knew how to cook really good food.

Are you a sourdough cook? Try our Sourdough waffles recipe too!

How can I tell my waffles are done?

The best rule of thumb is to follow the manufactures instructions on your waffle iron, many will have a light indicator, an audible alarm or even a timer.  Cook them until they are visibly brown and crisp, and easily release from the waffle iron. Generally waffles take 2-3 minutes to cook.

Why Are My Waffles So Heavy?

If you are getting heavy waffles it’s most likely due to not properly lightening your batter. This skill takes some practice to master, but it is very important for the light, crispy texture that you are looking for in your waffles.

Here are a few Important tips for creating Light waffles:

  • First you will separate your eggs. Egg separators like these on Amazon make it simple.
  • The egg yolks will be mixed in with the wet ingredients, then you will whip the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry.
  • You are looking for a thick consistency but not peaks in your egg whites.
  • Once the egg whites are whipped, fold them very gently into your batter.
  • Do not mix the batter anymore.
  • Set the batter in the fridge while your waffle iron heats. This will allow the gluten in the batter to relax and expand, as well as cool slightly. This technique gives the interior of your waffles the chance to cook while allowing the exterior of your waffles time to crisp up without overcooking. 

This waffles recipe is light due to beating the egg whites separately and gently folding them in. If you don’t do this step, or do it incorrectly, the waffles will be heavier.

And really, this is an easy recipe for waffles. Just don’t skip beating the egg whites. The results are worth it!

Light and Crispy Waffles Recipe Notes:

This classic waffles recipe will make 6 or 7 waffles.

These light and crispy waffles can be enjoyed with sweet toppings or savory. Our Savory Waffles And Gravy recipe makes a wonderfully hearty breakfast, or even a breakfast-for-dinner meal. We used this waffles recipe for the foundation. Delicious!

Remember to use a high quality oil from a trusted brand. Many oils are over processed and cut with fillers, try to find the best organic option possible. 

Making Crispy Light Waffles
The process of making crisp light waffles recipe is very simple. Beat the wet, sift the dry. Mix together. Beat the egg white and fold them into the batter. Let the batter rest in the fridge while you heat the griddle.

Can you freeze This Homemade Waffles Recipe?

These waffles freeze and store beautifully! Here’s how to freeze these waffles.

  • After you have cooked them, allow them to cool completely.
  • Place the waffles in a freezer safe airtight bag.
  • Label the bag with the date and place them in your freezer.

They will keep well for up to 2 months. Longer than that and you may encounter freezer burn or compromised flavor and texture.

To reheat simply pop them into your toaster! They will crisp and warm through beautifully. This recipe can easily be made ahead for quick breakfast options.

Crispylight Waffles
This waffles recipe makes crispy, feather light waffles with great loft. And they freeze well too.
Crispy light Waffles Recipe printable Card:

This light crispy waffles recipe is simple and gives great waffles your family will love.

Crispy Light Waffles
Yield: 6 waffles

CRISPY LIGHT WAFFLES

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Crispy Light Waffles are sugar free waffles from my Grandma Cash's recipe collection. These vintage waffles are tasty with either savory OR sweet toppings.

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 Cup milk
  • 3/4 Cup water
  • 1/2 Cup avocado oil
  • 3 separated eggs

Instructions

  1. Sift together all the dry ingredients.
  2. Beat egg yolks and add liquids
  3. Add in the sifted dry ingredients, beating slowly with an electric mixer.
  4. In a separate bowl:Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry.
  5. Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter gently. Do not overmix.
  6. Cook on a preheated waffle iron for 3 to five minutes until done.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1 large waffle

Amount Per Serving Calories 365Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 95mgSodium 604mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 9g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Visit our Breakfast Recipes for More Great Ideas

Follow Us:

We enjoy meeting you on our social networks. Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram . Tag us with your pictures of our recipes and comment on how it went for you. We would love to see what you do with them.

We often like, comment and share your posts of our recipes on our daily Instagram stories.

Ask questions and rate the recipe in the comments section below. Please share what you did with this recipe. We are always looking for more and better ways to make homemade food. Other cooks love your ideas!

Recent Posts:

Simple Homemade Fluffy Waffles-Pin Image
This light and crispy waffle recipe is absolutely divine, and so simple to make. With no added sugar, the waffles have a mellow flavor profile that allows your toppings to stand out. The texture is crisp and airy, much lighter than a traditional sugar and buttermilk based waffle. 

Jeni

Saturday 7th of April 2018

Just made these for my family of seven. I did one and half of the recipe and had two waffles leftover. Absolutely amazing. What a wonderful waffle recipe! So glad I found it! Yummmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!

Diane

Saturday 7th of April 2018

Hi Jeni, I'm delighted your family enjoyed this recipe too. It's one of my very favorite waffle recipes. I will always be grateful to Grandma for this one. Many thanks for your lovely comment and five star rating! Have a lovely weekend!

Megan Dryer

Sunday 25th of February 2018

These were absolutely amazing waffles! They turned out light, fluffy, and flavorful! My 7 year old had a sleepover with her two best friends last night, and we made these this morning. I was looking for an alternative recipe that didn't need vegetable oil and stumbled upon this, so glad I did. The girls sprinkled some milk chocolate chips on top of the batter before we flipped the waffle iron closed to cook. This is a keeper! This is coming from a mommy who hadn't eaten waffles in years because of the doughy taste, these are light! Can't wait to make again.

Diane

Sunday 25th of February 2018

Hi Megan, This recipe is a treasure. I'm delighted you enjoyed these Crispy Light waffles as much as we do.I think of my Grandma gratefully every time I make them. Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback on this recipe and the rating. I love the chocolate chip idea! I'm thrilled the girls had a hand in making them. Sounds like fun in the kitchen. Have a great day.

Nicky

Thursday 5th of February 2015

These look wonderful. I love old family recipes. I inherited my grandmother's cookbooks and recipes when she passed. I love the memories contained in them.

homemadefoodjunkie

Thursday 5th of February 2015

Nicky I am so grateful to have Grandma's recipe book. It's like a diary. Much of it handwritten with notes. It's lots of fun and very nostalgic to go through and use her treasures. These Crispy light waffles are really good!

Joanne/WineLady Cooks

Thursday 5th of February 2015

Your Crispy Light Waffles look amazing. I've been using avocado oil for quite a while now, I love it. I also love your recipe for the waffles which I'm going to try this weekend. A great weekend breakfast.

Jennifer Johnson

Thursday 5th of February 2015

We just got a new waffle iron! I will try this recipe this weekend.

homemadefoodjunkie

Thursday 5th of February 2015

Jennifer if you try this recipe let me know how you like it. Thanks for the visit!

Skip to Recipe