Few things beat a nice, crispy, fresh waffle when it comes time to eat breakfast.
Sweet (but not too sweet), the perfect vehicle for all kinds of toppings and extras – and not just maple syrup – the best waffles have a crispy crunch that gives way to a tender bite that just can’t be beat.
Unfortunately, anyone that has ever made waffles for a bunch of people at once understands that these tasty little treats don’t hold their crispness very long.
In fact, the moment that you pull your waffle out of the iron it starts to steam all on its own – and that softens the bite, the crunch, and turns the otherwise delicious waffle into a bit of a soggy mess.
Thankfully though, you can get that bite back without a lot of headache and without a lot of hassle – and you can even maintain that crispness far longer than you would have thought when you use these tips and tricks, too.
How to Keep Waffles Crispy
Keeping your waffles crispy is a lot easier than you might realize, especially when you are using the tips we highlight below.
The secret is maintaining a steady (warm) temperature for your waffles, not allowing them to steam too much but also making sure that they don’t go cold in the process.
Let’s dig in.
Dial Oven Temps Down Low
Keeping your oven temperature low (we are talking about 200°F or lower if it will go that low) and then sticking your waffles in them is a game changer.
The oven will let the waffles steam a little bit, but that steam and that moisture will be boiled off ASAP – preventing the crisp on your waffles from getting ruined.
Best of all, you can leave your waffles inside of a low temperature oven for up to 20 minutes without any issue at all. You won’t change the texture, you won’t change the taste, and at such low temperatures you aren’t going to run the risk of burning your waffles, either.
You can stick a dozen or more waffles in your oven (try to keep them all on the same rack) for up to 20 minutes, too!
Turn the Oven Off as You Hit Preheat
If you don’t want to leave your oven on that long, you might want to turn simply preheat your oven up to 200°F and then – just as soon as that preheat indicator goes off – turn the oven itself off (after you slip the waffles inside, of course).
The thing here, though, is that you aren’t going to be able to continue to open and close your oven to sneak one or two out at a time with this approach.
You need to use your oven like a giant insulated cooler (or heater, in this case) – and every single time you cracked the seal you’re going to be letting a lot of the heat you generated out.
This doesn’t keep the crisp as quite well-maintained as the super low temperature tip will. There’s going to be a little more steam, but there’s not going to be quite as much consistent heat to evaporate that steam and guarantee it doesn’t soften your waffles.
Still, this is a whole lot better than letting your waffles sit out on the counter to get soggy and cold.
Cook Your Waffles – And Then Freeze Them?
A lot of people naturally recoil at the idea of this tip, but we are telling you that there might not be a better way to keep your waffles crispy than this:
Cook up a batch of your favorite waffles, making sure that they are only slightly undercooked, and then tossed them in your freezer.
Yes, you’re reading that correctly, we are telling you to freeze your waffles.
This approach works for a couple of different reasons.
For starters, by slightly under cooking your waffles you are going to be able to reheat them and get them not only to the perfect temperature in a hurry – but you’re also going to avoid overcooking and potentially burning your waffles, too.
Secondly, by slightly under cooking your waffles they are going to be a little bit on the cooler side of things when you go to pop them in the freezer. There’s not going to be quite as much steam pouring off of the waffles and you’re not going to have to worry about moisture getting trapped inside of them.
All that extra moisture would have turned into frozen little crystals that could burst inside the waffle. When you went to thaw and cook it the texture would be thrown off completely.
This is a pretty good idea if you’re going to cook your waffles in advance. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to freeze waffles that you’re planning on eating an hour or two!
Bust Out Your Favorite Frying Pan
Here’s a fan favorite for sure, something designed to help you get crispy waffles even if they have started to get soggy out on the counter.
All you need to do is break out your favorite frying pan, heat it up (using medium heat), and then add a pad or two of butter followed by your waffles.
Let those waffles crisp up in that butter (keeping a close eye to make sure that things don’t burn) and then flip to the other side when the first is ready to rock and roll.
You’ll add a much firmer crunch than you would have had with waffles fresh out of the iron, but a lot of people really love the texture of this approach – and the bit of extra flavor that the toasted butter brings to the mix, too.
Closing Thoughts
Now you have all the secrets you need to know about keeping waffles crispy no matter what.
Mix and match the tips we highlighted above until you find ones that work for you. Keep them all in your kitchen “toolbelt”, though – you never know which one you’ll need to get the job done the next time you are making breakfast!