Belgian waffles from scratch

Carrie Honaker is a freelance writer specializing in food, belgian waffles from scratch, travel, and culture. Her work has appeared in Bon Appetit, Wine Enthusiast, Allrecipes, and more.

If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. From fluffy Belgian-style to thin American-style, waffles are a breakfast staple. We researched to find the best waffle makers for an at-home treat. Waffles are a breakfast staple and often the indulgent treat to look forward to during a hotel stay—they have become ubiquitous on continental breakfast bars. From a space-saving, mini machine that makes various shapes to a four-slice version with a robust range of settings, here are the best waffle makers.

The Breville Smart 4-Slice Waffle Maker has all the bells and whistles. Yes, the price is steep, but the consistency, capacity, and speed make it worth it, especially if you’re feeding a hungry family in the morning. 17 pounds, it takes up 15. Of course, we had to see for ourselves if this lived up to Emma’s hype. Even though this is larger than most machines, it took less than 5 minutes to heat up. Waffles turned out perfectly golden when set to medium, and the design was easy to understand.

The Breville Smart 4-Slice makes perfect golden waffles, but it is also intuitively designed with a built-in overflow moat to keep counters clear of excess batter, a locking lid to aid in storage, and a gorgeous low profile stainless steel exterior. To me, the perfect waffle is golden in color, slightly crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. This waffle maker exceeded my expectations, allowing me to quickly turn out a big batch of beautiful waffles that are extra thick thanks to the deep cooking plates. This Cuisinart waffle maker is the classic workhorse of 0. It is compact, easy to clean, and produces consistent waffles quickly. We sent this home for testing with one of our small apartment dwellers. While this machine is small, it proved to be mighty when it comes to making waffles on the fly.