It’s only fitting that I re-share my Grandma’s famous buttermilk waffles while I’m visiting her this week. Many years ago after visiting my Grandmother and spending time in the kitchen cooking with her, I became convinced that my love for food was passed down to me. I know that it’s something that will be a part of me forever. In fact, cooking for others is absolutely my favorite thing in the world.
My grandmother is Puerto Rican, so much of the food she cooks tends to be Spanish-inspired; my Nana (great-grandmother) taught her how to cook everything from scratch when she was a young girl. Ever since then, it’s been one of her favorite things to do. When my Grandma isn’t making homemade pozole, empanadas, and arroz con pollo, she is usually baking muffins the size of my face or throwing together a ridiculous continental breakfast. Seriously give her a half hour and she’ll make you an incredible meal, but provide her with a couple of hours and you’ll have a masterpiece to eat.
She treats every meal she makes with affection, putting the utmost love into her creations; it’s an extraordinary quality. She pours her soul into stews and she throws her spice for life into Spanish rice. Cooking is like an expression to her, and everything is always made with love.
My Grandma and I are two peas in a pod. I admire her in every way. I love her best though when she’s making me brunch, which often includes her famous yet classic buttermilk waffles. Crispy on the outside, warm, fluffy, and perfect on the inside.
This is a picture of my Grandpa & Grandma. They were the ultimate romantics. Unfortunately, my Grandpa passed away a few years ago. I specifically remember this moment though. My grandpa was attempting to fix my Grandma’s watch after it suddenly broke while we were out. He made it his mission to repair it immediately himself, walking to every shop nearby to see if they had a special pin for the band. Sure enough, he found one!
They both took care of each other and I think that’s pretty incredible they were going strong for nearly 60 years. Cuties.
As I’m writing this, I’m fondly remembering the morning my Grandmother made these waffles for us, partly because they are the best waffles I’ve ever had. It was Mother’s Day and we all enjoyed a breakfast full of eggs with green chile, pastries (ugh, SO MANY PASTRIES), waffles, and of course, coffee. As I was spreading peanut butter on my waffles and drenching them with syrup (best combination ever), I looked around the table and thanked God for my amazing family. They’ve taught me so much: to cook, to be determined, to laugh, to love, and to absolutely never give up!
Now I’m the one pouring my heart and soul into the food I cook: whipping up pancakes with such care, crafting a skillet chicken (with pepperoni sauce) that only kids could adore, and browning lots of butter for the best chocolate chip cookies (the way to win anyone’s heart).
Cooking is my romance and I’m bringing it to you. I hope you’ll stay awhile and eat some ridiculously good waffles with me. With butter, syrup, and whatever else your heart desires.
What is buttermilk?
Traditionally, buttermilk is the liquid leftover after churning butter that’s higher in protein and lower in fat. Because many people do not churn their own butter (if you do, more power to ya!) there’s an easy way to make it yourself from things you probably have in your kitchen. All you need is:
- Any type of milk – even your favorite non-dairy milk!
- Add 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar or every 1 cup of milk.
- Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes until the milk begins to curdle, and then it’s ready to use!
You can use buttermilk in tons of baking recipes, but my favorite way to use it is obviously in these incredible homemade buttermilk waffles.
Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
Yes, just add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar to your milk before using it in this recipe!
What’s the difference between buttermilk waffles and homestyle waffles?
I love making homemade buttermilk waffles because they’re lighter, more airy, and fluffier than traditional homestyle waffles. You’ll love the crispy outside of these thick buttermilk waffles paired with the tender, warm inside.
Everything you’ll need to make perfect buttermilk waffles
The best part about making homemade buttermilk waffles? They’re SO easy and made with super simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Flour: we’re using regular all purpose flour to give the waffles the perfect texture.
- Baking staples: you’ll need both baking powder and baking soda, plus some salt.
- Buttermilk: what makes buttermilk special is that the acidity in it reacts with the baking powder to make the waffles extra fluffy. It truly makes all the difference!
- Eggs: we’re adding 2 eggs to this waffle recipe.
- Butter: some melted butter gives these waffles the perfect amount of moisture, plus that delicious, indulgent flavor.
- Sweetener: you’ll just need a little sugar (granulated sugar, coconut, or brown sugar) for sweetness. Don’t forget vanilla extract, too! Learn how to make your own vanilla here.
How to make waffles extra crispy
To get waffles with those golden brown, crisp edges, you can either toast them after they come out of the waffle iron or you place them on a rack in the oven at 200 degrees F for 5-10 minutes.
Our favorite waffle toppings
The options are truly endless when it comes to topping your waffles! Here are some of my fav ways to do ’em up:
- Fresh berries or sliced bananas
- Chocolate chips and/or toasted nuts (you can also add these to your batter if you’d like!)
- Homemade whipped cream
- Nut butter
- Crispy bacon (for a sweet & savory combo)
- Powdered sugar
- Your favorite fruit jam
- Nutella
How to store and reheat buttermilk waffles
- To store: cool the buttermilk waffles completely, then place them in an airtight reusable bag and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months
- To reheat: I find the best way to reheat homemade waffles (especially after freezing them) is to put them in the toaster! This allows them to keep their crispy edges and fluffy insides instead of getting mushy from the microwave. You can also put them in a 200 degree F oven and toast for 5-10 minutes.
More breakfast recipes you’ll love
- Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Puff Pastry Quiche
- Change Your Life Salted Brown Butter Pancakes
- Orange Creamsicle Baked Oatmeal
- Good Morning Healthy Maple Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
- The French Toast I Can’t Stop Eating
Get all of my breakfast recipes here!
I hope you love these amazing buttermilk waffles! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you like them. Enjoy, xo!
Grandma's Buttermilk Waffles
Ingredients
- Cooking Spray
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (360g) buttermilk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sugar (regular, coconut or brown sugar will all work)
Instructions
- Preheat waffle maker. Spray generously with nonstick cooking spray or generously grease with butter.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and sugar until blended. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into a preheated prepared waffle iron; cook according to manufacturer's directions or when steam stops.
- Top with maple syrup, peanut butter, honey, or fresh fruit preserves. Makes 4 belgian waffles.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on June 27th, 2012, republished on April 11th, 2019, and republished on May 9th, 2024.
Oh wow these were FANTASTIC. I doubled the recipe (was very easy to do) since if I am getting the waffle maker out I want a freezer stash for my efforts ha
Amazing! Yes, good idea to freeze some for later 🙂
2nd time making these and absolutely love them!
So happy to hear that!
We were so surprised to see this waffle recipe rated so well and for it to remain on the AB website. We are big fans of the AB so we’re incredibly disappointed by this recipe. The waffles are dense and dry. I verified the recipe ingredients (thrice, as I thought the ratio seemed dry/off). We will go back to our NYT and other waffle recipes and would encourage you to do the same.
Hmm that’s strange and I’m sorry you had an issue, I will put this on my list to retest ASAP and get back to you! Thanks for letting me know.
Love your recipes delicious 😋
Thank you so much!
Great waffle recipe! So easy and they come out flavorful, crispy, yet hearty! My husband said I need to print the recipe so that’s when I know it’s a winner. I’ve made several of your recipes so I was confident it would be good! Thank you!
Amazing! Glad you both enjoyed 🙂
These waffles are great! I had to substitute a homemade buttermilk made with vinegar and whole milk, but it turned out wonderful! I also added some almond extract and sprinkles for a little birthday magic. Highly recommend!
Perfect! I use a homemade version often and it works well 🙂 Love the idea of adding birthday flavor!
We loved these, so easy and delicious. Next time I would cut the recipe in half, it makes so much more than I expected for a recipe that serves 4. I am hoping they freeze well.
Yes these freeze very well! Glad you enjoyed!
100% try these, they are absolutely amazing!!
So good!!
These waffles are so delicious, I used the very cool search feature in “photos” on my phone to search “buttermilk waffles” and yes! There was that amazing recipe I used. Will be making these for Christmas Brunch with the addition of fried chicken and Mike’s Hot Honey!! 🍯 🤤 Also love the story of your grandparents, very heart-warming ❤️
Love that!! Great idea to pair with fried chicken YUM.
First time making waffles and your recipes never disappoint, so good!! Quick question, I had some batter left over, am I able to refrigerate that for the next day?
So glad you loved them! I think you can refrigerate it, you may just need to mix it with a little more buttermilk when you’re ready to use it because it will thicken in the fridge.
I followed this recipe exactly and the waffles turned out great! It’s hard to find a simple waffle recipe these days that are actually good. I have a two square waffle iron and I was able to make 8 full waffles. I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe, my family loved them!
Amazing! Glad you loved these!
I tried this recipe out because I had buttermilk to use up and my normal recipe doesn’t take buttermilk. These weren’t bad, although if I hadn’t beat the egg whites separately and folded them in at the end like I usually do, these would have been way to dense and heavy for my taste . The batter is quite thick but the flavor is good.
Glad that trick worked out well and the flavor was good!
Buttermilk is great! Raising our four kids we always kept it on hand for pancakes, but now with an empty nest, I found a powdered buttermilk that works great. Appreciated your tip about the lemon juice and I have tried that also. Love your post about your Grandparents! What a legacy she has passed down. I come from a family of scratch Southern cooks and I’m now passing those recipes to my children and grandchildren. Such a blessing!
Love the way you explain how each component participate in the process. Also, the fact that if I have missing anything, the substitute that you suggest to use is awesome. Thank you for your recipe.
These waffles are light fluffy and delicious!
These are the fluffiest, softest waffles I have ever had!!! I think the eggs really helped in the fluffiness. 10/10
I made these for my family on Christmas Day (there’s just three of us). They are SO good! The batter seemed really lumpy and thick, so I was a bit concerned, but my fears were unfounded. They turned out great! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
SUPER delicious and easy recipe, tastes like the dreamiest diner waffle you could imagine. I needed to add a little extra buttermilk to mine 🙂
Ahh that’s what I’m going for with this recipe–happy you loved it!!
These waffles are the best ones I’ve made! And I’ve made A LOT. This is my new go-to recipe! I usually drown my waffles in syrup, but these were so great that I barely used any!
Great recipe! Turned out crispy and light without having to whip eggs or add unnecessary ingredients! Will make again!
These were amazing! The batter seemed thicker than what I was used to but I went with it and I’m so glad I did! Super thick and fluffy without the hassle of whipping egg whites like most Belgian waffle recipes. I know it says feeds 4, but I def think that could be stretched to 5 or 6. On my second batch I may have spilled some chocolate chips into the batter… would 100% recommend!
So glad they were easy and delicious, Lindsey! And omg YES to the chocolate chips 😍
Hi Monique, these waffles sound delicious but I don’t eat white all purpose flour? Can I make this with whole wheat or spelt flour ?
Hi, there! I haven’t tried these with whole wheat or spelt flour, but I think a whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour) would be great in here to keep them light and fluffy 🙂