This savory waffle recipe for cheddar and buttermilk Belgian waffles is the perfect alternative to the typical sweet breakfast. Make them in a traditional Belgian waffle iron, or use a mini heart iron for a special Valentine’s Day breakfast!
We make waffles so often in our house that I actually gave my husband a new waffle iron for Christmas! Our old one had seen better days and was starting to fall apart, so we now own 3 waffle makers; the old one to serve as a backup, the new one, and a mini heart shaped waffle iron. We have the DASH heart iron and and LOVE it! Affordable, reliable and comes in a ton of colors.
Because we’re such fans, I decided to switch things up a bit and dabble with a savory waffle recipe. Every Christmas morning, I make Ina Garten’s buttermilk cheddar biscuits, so these waffles are a riff on her biscuit recipe. You’re going to be blown away at how easy these are to make, as well as how effortlessly they switch back and forth between sweet and salty. Top them with butter and syrup, or alongside thick slices of tomatoes and shaved prosciutto.
Ingredients for Cheddar & Buttermilk Belgian Waffles
- Flour
- Buttermilk
- Sharp cheddar
- Egg
- Butter
- Salt, sugar and baking powder
How to make
Begin my adding your dry ingredients to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together with a fork or any type of mixing spoon.
Stir in your wet ingredients of buttermilk, whisked egg and melted butter. Mix until just combined.
Lastly, gently fold in the cheese! Give yourself a high five if you read that in a Moira Rose voice 😉
Your waffle batter will be thick, similar to a wet biscuit dough. Add a scoop of batter to your preheated waffle iron, and cook away!
This recipe will yield enough to make 2-3 standard size Belgian waffles, or 10 mini waffles. There was plenty to feed our family of 5, but double the recipe if you’re cooking for a larger crowd.
What to do if you don’t have buttermilk?
Using buttermilk will give these waffles the slightest bit of tang, that offsets the cheddar ever so slightly. Don’t fret though if you either don’t have buttermilk or don’t want to use it! To make your own, simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of whole milk, and allow it to sit for a few minutes.
If you would rather just skip it all together, that’s fine! Swap out the buttermilk for whole milk.
Tips for making this savory waffles recipe
- Spray the waffle iron down just a bit, especially if using a mini waffle iron.
- Make sure your waffle iron is nice and hot before adding your batter. This will ensure they cook all the way through and you get a slightly crispy texture.
- Don’t overload your waffle iron with batter. Because this is a thick batter, you won’t see it spread out when it hits the iron. You may be tempted to add more to fully cover the waffle iron, but it’s not necessary; the batter will disperse once the waffle iron is closed.
- Store any unused batter in the fridge for up to a week.
- Leftover waffles can be frozen in a well-sealed container for up to 6 months. To reheat, place them in a toaster or oven till defrosted and warmed through.
What to serve with savory waffles
I love this savory waffle recipe because it’s surprisingly diverse! It tastes delicious topped with a slice of bacon and drizzled with maple syrup. Or go for a fresher approach and add a thick slice of tomato and just a couple of shavings of prosciutto. They also taste wonderful with fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream.
And stay tuned for my next post, which will detail out this lovely Valentine’s Day spread I created, featuring these waffles. I was largely inspired by this book, Plates & Boards. In it, they share all sorts of fun ideas for food nibble boards, and feature 1 unique recipe in each board. I love that idea of making a snack/charcuterie board a bit more homemade and personalized! I’ll share all the deets in my next post.
Buttermilk Cheddar Savory Waffles
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg beaten
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium mixing bowl.
- Gently stir in the egg, butter and buttermilk
- Gently fold in the cheese
- Lightly spray preheated waffle iron with cooking spray, and add batter. About ½-3/4 cup for a large Belgian waffle iron, or a heaping tablespoon for a mini waffle iron, and cook through, about 4-5 minutes.
Ale says
The flavor is great but the portions were way off for me — I doubled the recipe and still barely had enough for 4 waffles (using a Belgian waffle maker).
Andrea Howe says
oh I’m sorry, it’s because the quantities were made using a mini waffle maker that just makes 1 waffle. I will add that to the notes to make sure it’s more clear
Melanie C says
I made these today, they were fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing, I’ll be keeping this recipe to make again!
Debbie says
I adore savory waffles and your recipe sounds amazing. Between the tangy buttermilk and the cheddar cheese I know I would adore these babies. This will make an appearance I my table next weekend for a weekly brunch.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
We love savory waffles and this recipe was perfect for our weekend brunch. My boys eat the savory waffles with maple syrup and that is one of their favorite.
Sharon says
These savory waffles are perfect for brunch. They are also great to replace bread on sandwiches.
Candice says
I wanted to try a savory waffle and I’m so glad I came across this recipe. They came out so good… Delicious! Easy recipe, and one I’ll be making again.
Amy Liu Dong says
Looks delicious! I immediately saved your recipe and so excited to make this for tomorrow’s breakfast. Yum, yum, and yum!
Farrukh Aziz says
Waffles? Count me in! I absolutely love waffles and can have them everyday for breakfast! And, I’ve never thought of making buttermilk waffles! I’m sure they would turn out to be amazing! Can’t wait to make it!
FOODHEAL says
We have a waffle factory here that makes only Belgium waffles and oh my! they are delicious! I can now see why reading your recipe.
Ramona says
These waffles look super delicious and healthy, and I always love a healthy recipe! they seem like the perfect breakfast idea and I would love to give them a go. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I cant wait to make this for me and my family!
Paula Montenegro says
I’m definitely giving this recipe a try asap! I made cheese waffles a couple of times and they were too greasy. These look and sound perfect! Thanks for sharing.