The Best Overnight Belgian Waffle Recipe

This Belgian waffle recipe, leavened with yeast makes homemade Belgian waffles that are crispy on the outside with a light and fluffy interior.

Before we dive into this yeasted Belgian waffles recipe, know that there are two main waffle types you can find in Belgium - Brussels Waffles and Liege Waffles. 

This crispy Belgian waffle recipe is for making the light and airy Brussels waffles.

Jump to:

• What’s the difference between Brussels waffles and Liege waffles 
• Belgian waffles with yeast
• Ingredients
• The method
• Serving and storing
• What waffle maker is best for belgian waffles 
• Related recipes
• Full Recipe

What’s the difference between Brussels waffles and Liege waffles 

Brussels waffles (known as Brusselse wafels) are amazing waffles. They are not reguar waffles. They're super light and airy with a crispy outside and make one of the best breakfast foods. They are leavened with yeast, are traditionally rectangles, and feature deep wells in which to hold powdered sugar and other fillings. The batter for this waffle is like a pourable cake batter that fills up all the grooves in the waffle iron. 

Liege waffles (Luikse wafels) are very different. They are also known as sugar waffles. Though they have a similar grid waffle pattern to Brussels waffles, Liege waffles are denser and very sweet, almost like sweet pastry or bread. They often have pearl sugar throughout the waffle for a sweet crunch. The batter for liege waffles is more like a sticky dough that is pressed into the waffle iron. Liege waffles aren’t even rectangles like Brussels waffles are,. They are shaped rustically when the dough ball is pressed into the waffle iron.

Belgian waffles with yeast

The best Belgian waffle recipe has yeast as the raising agent instead of baking soda or baking powder. This makes lighter waffles, with extra flavor. You can use instant yeast or active dry yeast. Yeast gives an airiness to the waffle, it creates a crispy outside and it adds a lot of flavors.

The batter for the waffles is best prepared the evening before and placed in the refrigerator overnight for overnight yeast waffles. This long and cool ferment lets the batter rise slowly and increases the flavor the following day.

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

• Milk
• Eggs
• Butter (unsalted butter or salted)

Dry ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Sugar
• Instant or active dry yeast
• Salt

The method

Preparing the batter the night before not only increases the flavor in the waffles, it also means that making waffles for breakfast the next day is nice and easy since the work of preparing the batter has been done the night before. 

Overnight waffles

In a saucepan combine the milk and cubes of butter. Warm it over medium-low heat until the butter has melted. Take it off the heat and stir the milk and melted butter to let it cool slightly, then pour it into a large bowl.

To the warm milk mixture add the yeast, sugar, salt, all purpose flour, and eggs and whisk them together until combined. It will be a bit lumpy and that is fine. Cover bowl with a lid or a plate and place it in the refrigerator for an overnight rise.

For faster waffles, let the waffle batter rest on the bench at room temperature instead, for 2 hours or until doubled. This way is much quicker but they won't be as flavorful.

The next morning

Take the batter from the refrigerator and stir it with a fork to deflate it. Add in 2-3 tablespoons more milk to create a pourable cake batter consistency.

Heat the Belgian waffle iron. Once hot, pour in approximately ½ cup of batter per waffle, though this will depend on the size of your waffle maker and the manufacturer's instructions. Bake them for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Serve them immediately.

Serving and storing

To keep your homemade waffles crispy, serve them the moment they come from the hot waffle iron. If they sit and cool down they will lose their crispiness. You can get it back by placing them back in the waffle iron on low heat to crisp up again. Leftover waffles can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Waffles can also be frozen and reheated in the toaster.

Serve the waffles with your favorite toppings. Brussels waffles are often served purely with powdered sugar and eaten by hand, however you can add many more toppings such as: 

• Chopped berries or berry compote
• Chocolate spread
• Maple syrup or Apple syrup
• Whipped Cream
• Creme fraiche
• Brown sugar
• Fresh fruit

What waffle maker is best for belgian waffles 

You do need a special Belgian waffle maker to make the classic ones. Choose a rectangle waffle maker with deeper pockets. This will make the most traditional Belgian waffles. If you have one that can flip upside down, this will create a much more even bake

Pour the waffle batter in, close the machine and flip it upside down for a minute, before flipping it back the right way round and continue baking. This allows the batter to coat the top of the machine evenly. 

Related recipes

Love waffles? Why not try sourdough waffles too! Or for another yeasty sweet treat try these buttermilk donuts.

Or, if you're in the mood for pancakes instead, these sweet cream pancakes are so fluffy!

This recipe is written using grams as the main measurement.

If you don't have a scale US* cup equivalents are also included, however, using a kitchen scale to measure grams will give the best and most consistent results.*US cup sizes are smaller than metric cup sizes.