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A waffle-maker is, in my mind, a luxury — a piece of kitchen equipment that doesn’t have the multiple uses of, say, a blender, or the everyday nature of a coffee machine. But what’s become clear to me is that if you’re a waffle person, you’re an enthusiastic waffle person, and a quality waffle iron is just as much of a necessity as any other appliance. To that end, I asked some very passionate folks about the ones they rely on to get their breakfast fix (and even tested some machines out myself).
What we’re looking for
Style
The waffle-makers on this list either create deep-pocketed, super-fluffy Belgian-style waffles, or smaller-pocketed, thinner, crispier American-style waffles (also referred to as “diner-style” and “Eggo-style” by a couple of the experts I spoke to, and as “regular,” “classic,” and “traditional,” according to the Internet). The only exceptions are the Norwegian-style maker (which produces waffles just a bit thinner, and therefore slightly crispier, than American-style ones) and the bubble maker (which produces waffles made up of distinct spherical shapes). Which you go with simply depends on personal preference.
Shape
Do you like square or round waffles? This is another subjective decision that may or may not make your waffles taste different, akin to cutting your sandwich in half or on the diagonal. Again, the outliers are the Norwegian, which spreads the batter into five distinct heart shapes connected at the center and the bubble, which comes out as a hexagonal shape you can eat in bites or rip into individual circles.
Number of waffles
Here, I’ve denoted how many waffles each waffle-maker will turn out at a time, important to consider if you’re going to be cooking for one or two adults on a lazy Sunday morning, or consistently feeding multiple hungry children who want waffles right now.
Best overall waffle-maker
Style: American | Shape: Round | Number of waffles: One
Food stylist Sue Li has been carrying this Cuisinart waffle iron to photo shoots for at least five years and it has never failed her — even with the wear and tear that comes with heavier-than-normal commuting. There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about this model, but in Li’s mind, that’s a good thing. “My preferred kitchen appliances are always the most analog,” she says. “I want the least amount of bells and whistles. Oh, it has smartphone abilities? No, thank you. It connects to Wi-Fi? Okay, bye. This one plugs in and has a manual dial from high to low. It’s light, it’s compact, and it’s always reliable. It heats up quickly and the cleanup is also a snap.” Once cooled, Li takes a wet paper towel, wipes down the nonstick grates, and then lets the iron air dry. “I swear by it,” she says. Gabriella Stern, former development coordinator at Hot Bread Kitchen, bought the same one for herself and her partner a couple of years ago in an attempt to (slightly) change up their pancake routine. She repeated a lot of the same compliments Li laid out — the simplicity of use, the short preheating time, the ease of cleaning. “The higher-end ones might do multiple waffles in one batch, but they take up a lot of space. This is perfect for two people,” Stern says. “Another thing I like is the smaller pockets. It has Eggo vibes.”
In my own testing, I found the waffles it produced to be particularly delicious. Stern’s likening them to Eggo makes sense: They’re quite thin, with a super-crisp exterior and almost custardy center. There are five increasing temperatures, and I cooked them at the recommended level three, which produced a perfectly golden-brown color. Like Stern and Li, I also appreciate the machine’s smaller size. One warning: When your waffle is done cooking, the maker has a light that turns from red to green, but it doesn’t make any sound, so you have to pay attention.
If you like the idea of a simple and affordable waffle-maker, but want deeper pockets and a fluffier interior, Los Angeles Times cooking columnist Ben Mims loves his Oster Belgian waffle-maker. “I make a waffle in it every weekend basically,” he told me. And if you like the way the Oster sounds but prefer a square shape, Li also relies on her Hamilton Beach Belgian-Style waffle-maker, which she described as having many of the same good qualities as the Cuisinart.
Best Belgian-style waffle-maker
Style: Belgian | Shape: Square | Number of waffles: One
Though there are more Belgian-style waffle-makers below, this particular model is incredibly straightforward to use. It’s not quite as small as the American style above, but still more so than all the other electric ones on this list, a big plus when it comes to single-use appliances that you’re likely storing away in a cabinet. It comes with insertable pancake plates — essentially flattops, one of which has four indented circles in it. (And while I don’t find those particularly useful, many reviewers on Amazon do — and not just for flapjacks, but eggs, sandwiches, and sausage patties, too.) All the plates are easy to remove and reinsert, a plus if they need more of a scrub than a wipe to get clean.
The machine has a power button with six heat levels and preheats in just a few minutes. There’s a light and a sound to indicate both when it’s ready to go and when your waffle is done cooking. I find that level four gives your waffles a golden-brown and slightly crisp exterior, with a light and fairly airy inside, almost like the texture of a doughnut.
Recipe developer and cookbook author Kristina Cho has owned this model for seven years and it hasn’t let her down. She likes how intuitive it is to use and says it has “very even distribution of heat across all four quadrants.” Those quadrants also allow her to make four smaller waffles per cook to freeze and snack on later.
Best double waffle-maker
Style: Belgian | Shape: Round | Number of waffles: Two
Cuisinart reigns supreme when it comes to a double waffle-maker — the kind where you fill one side with batter, close it, flip it around, then fill the second side to make two that are done within a few seconds of each other. This recommendation comes from Roxana Jullapat, head baker at Friends & Family in Los Angeles and author of the cookbook Mother Grains, and though Cuisinart has discontinued the exact model she owns, this one is an updated version of it. “It’s very durable,” she says. “No joke, I’ve even used it in restaurants which are super-high-volume.” She appreciates that it holds a solid cup of batter, which she says is enough to make a substantial waffle. Still, batter never seeps over the sides, ensuring an easy clean of the nonstick plates.
Best durable waffle-maker
Style: American | Shape: Square | Number of waffles: Four
Sana Javeri Kadri, the founder of Diaspora Co., has had her fair share of waffle-makers — but none has stood the test of time like her All-Clad model, which she’s been using for four years. It’s relatively pricey, but in a “sea of cute-but-useless” versions, she’s found it to be “super-sturdy — like industrial grade,” she says. Indeed, this one is made entirely from stainless steel on the exterior (as opposed to plastic), including the substantial handle to open and close the machine. Content creator and recipe developer Dan Pelosi, who has the two-square version, says that handle is “massive and great, big enough for my big paws to get a good grip,” and also praises the machine’s durable, solid construction that he says still isn’t too heavy. He’s made seven different waffle recipes in it so far and assures that every one has been crispy on the outside but soft, moist, and fluffy on the inside. Finally, he notes, “the sheer depth of the waffle pockets is stunning.”
Best big-batch waffle-maker
Style: Belgian | Shape: Square | Number of waffles: Four
If you’re consistently making breakfast for more than one or two people, you might want to opt for this bigger version from Krups that makes four waffles at a time (yes, so does the All-Clad, but this one is a couple inches longer in all directions). It’s what recipe developer and cookbook author Jessie Sheehan uses to feed her husband and kids. “I always spray it first, and it works brilliantly,” she says. “I would say literally within five minutes — maybe even four — your waffles are perfectly brown. You can open the top and look. That won’t ruin them at all. One little thing I look for is once the steam disappears, then I know they’re done or close to being done.” She appreciates how easy the Krups is to clean. “The plates pop out and can be put in the dishwasher. We’ve never lost the nonstick, and I’ve had this iron for a long time,” she says.
Best mini waffle-maker
Style: American | Shape: Round | Number of waffles: One
Several years ago, New York Times Cooking editor Nikita Richardson (then a writer for this site) detailed her first foray into hosting brunch in her tiny studio apartment. She was able to pull it off partially thanks to this “palm-size” waffle-maker. “No matter how much I worried that I would overfill the iron, the Dash just kept spitting out tea-plate-size waffles that were perfectly browned and fluffy,” she wrote. The Dash’s super-compact size means you don’t have to sweat adding yet another appliance to your kitchen (especially a unitasker) as it’s so easy to store. Plus, at only $12, we think it’d be worth it even if you only pulled it out of your cabinet a few times a year.
Best waffle-maker for grain-free waffles
Style: Belgian | Shape: Round | Number of waffles: One
Moon Juice founder Amanda Chantal Bacon told me that there’s only one waffle-maker that does justice to her grain-free waffles (and yes, she tried and gave away six different models before finally deeming this one good enough). “With grain free, my goal is to always get a crust, then have a steamed cake on the inside,” she explains. But without any gluten in the batter, it’s all too easy for the waffles to end up sad and flat. This iron solves that problem. It gets supremely hot, which creates a steaming effect and ensures the texture she is after.
Best nonelectric waffle-maker
Style: Belgian | Shape: Square | Number of waffles: One
Just like with a panini press, you can opt for a nonelectric version of a waffle-maker. It presses batter into a waffle shape just like all the others on this list but uses the heat of the stove to do the cooking as you manually control the iron. Nordic Ware, a favorite brand of the Strategist, makes theirs from nonstick cast aluminum, which maintains heat really nicely (good for a crispy outside), but still ensures the waffles will come out of the tool with ease.
Best Norwegian-style waffle-maker
Style: Norwegian | Shape: Hearts | Number of waffles: One
Norwegian-style waffles are made up of distinct heart shapes forming a scalloped circle you can pull apart at the indents. According to Kristi Bissell, the writer and recipe developer behind True North Kitchen, the batter often includes cream or sour cream in place of whole milk or buttermilk to make the waffles extra-rich in flavor, which are traditionally served with brown cheese or fruit and whipped cream. As for the maker itself, Bissell appreciates that the hinges are on the back sides of the handle, as opposed to the back of the maker itself, which creates a more even shape and thickness. She points out that the maker latches tightly in the front, ensuring that the waffles never puff up. Still, there are two cook settings: one that heats more quickly and ensures an ultracrispy texture all the way through and another that heats more slowly, giving the waffle just a bit of tenderness in the center.
Best bubble waffle-maker
Style: Bubble | Shape: Hexagon | Number of waffles: One
Cookbook author Kat Lieu has loved Hong Kong egg waffles, or gai dan jai, since she would eat them from street carts in Manhattan’s Chinatown as a kid. The batter is similar to standard waffles but with the addition of rice or tapioca flour to give them a chewy texture, she says. Then there’s the distinct shape: a myriad of individual bubbles connected by a thin film of crispy batter.
A little over a year ago, she purchased this electric maker to make them at home. She loves that the machine is simple with “no power button or settings you have to mess with,” she says. When you plug it in, it automatically preheats in about a minute, the outside stays cool to the touch, and there’s no greasing necessary because the nonstick surface “really works,” she says. She describes the waffles it produces as having a “smooth, shiny, and golden brown outside with a bit of a crisp” and a tender inside, “sort of like a cross between mochi and tapioca pearls,” she says. Lieu adds bacon bits and cheese to a savory version she makes for her son and sprinkles powdered sugar, matcha powder, or cocoa powder on top for a sweet take. She eats them plain, too, popping individual bubbles into her mouth, “a sensory delight through and through,” she says. To clean, she waits for the machine to cool down and brushes off any excess bits, then runs over the surface with a damp rag.
Some more waffle-makers we’ve written about
Our experts
• Amanda Chantal Bacon, founder of Moon Juice
• Kristina Cho, recipe developer and cookbook author
• Kristi Bissell, writer and recipe developer of True North Kitchen
• Roxana Jullapat, head baker at Friends & Family and cookbook author
• Sana Javeri Kadre, founder of Diaspora Co.
• Sue Li, food stylist
• Kat Lieu, cookbook author
• Ben Mims, Los Angeles Times cooking columnist
• Dan Pelosi, content creator and recipe developer
• Nikita Richardson, New York Times Cooking editor
• Jessie Sheehan, recipe developer
• Gabriella Stern, former development coordinator at Hot Bread Kitchen
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