Packed with the warm spice of cinnamon and ginger, deep caramel notes of molasses, and rich melted butter, these waffles have the decadent flavor of gingerbread cookies but are so simple to whip up. Make them for Christmas morning breakfast, or serve them up for a festive holiday breakfast! If you’re looking for more holiday breakfast recipes, try my gingerbread muffins recipe, cranberry orange scones recipe, and gingerbread pancakes recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
All-Purpose Flour – plain all-purpose flour makes delicious crispy waffles with a soft inside. I suggest measuring the flour with a food scale to avoid making the gingerbread waffles too dense. Spices – ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg add a comforting warmth to this gingerbread waffle recipe. Use fresh spices for the best flavor! Milk – I recommend using whole milk in this recipe for a rich taste and a tender and moist texture. Be sure to bring the milk to room temperature before adding it to the batter. Butter – unsalted butter is best so the batter is not oversalted. Melt the butter before adding it, and don’t try to reduce the amount. Butter (or fat) is key to a crispy texture! You can use an equal amount of vegetable oil as a substitute. Molasses – use unsulphured molasses, which has a sweeter flavor than its more bitter counterpart, blackstrap molasses. This is the key ingredient for a classic gingerbread flavor! Eggs – bring two large eggs to room temperature before beginning this recipe so they easily mix into the batter. To do so quickly, just place the eggs in a bowl of lukewarm water for 5 minutes. Sugar – dark brown sugar adds to the rich caramel-like molasses flavor. Pack it when measuring out by firmly pressing it into the measuring cup with a spoon and leveling off the top with the back of a knife. Use light brown or granulated sugar as an easy substitute.
How to Make Gingerbread Waffles
- Preheat a waffle iron. In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients until well combined.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, melted butter, molasses, eggs, and brown sugar until well combined. 4, Whisk the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Grease the hot waffle iron with more melted butter or nonstick cooking spray. Drop about ½ cup of batter into the center of the waffle iron. (Use more or less batter depending on the size of your waffle maker). Cook until the waffle is golden brown and crispy, for 3 to 5 minutes, or according to your waffle maker’s instructions.
- Place cooked gingerbread waffles on a wire cooling rack to keep them crispy. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
Double the batter. This recipe makes about 3½ cups of batter, or about 5 large waffles in a Belgian waffle maker. If you’re feeding a larger group (or some extra hungry bellies), simply double the recipe! You can also freeze the cooked waffles for an easy meal to heat up later, so err on the side of too many, and you’ll make a future delicious breakfast even easier! Use a Belgian waffle maker. There’s something satisfying about perfectly round waffles, so I prefer to use a Belgian waffle maker. But this recipe works just as well with a square waffle maker or regular waffle iron! If you use a different kind of waffle iron, keep in mind that your waffle maker may need more or less batter per waffle. Preheat the waffle iron. A hot iron is key to making these waffles crispy. Make sure it is at prime temperature before you add the batter. I also recommend using the darker setting if you have that capability! Adjust the batter to fit your waffle iron. The amount of batter needed will depend on the size of the waffle maker you are using, so adjust accordingly. This means the number of waffles this recipe yields can vary. Larger waffle makers may take up to ⅔ cup of batter, and smaller waffle makers may use as little as ⅓ cup. Serve them crispy. These waffles have the best texture when enjoyed right after making them; they tend to soften as they cool. If you want to serve them all at once, keep the waffles warm in the oven until serving. Preheat the oven to 250°F and place the waffles directly on the oven rack for up to 30 minutes or until you’re ready to enjoy! They should stay crisp in the warm oven.
If you’ve tried this Gingerbread Waffles recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
