Savory Buttermilk Cheddar Belgian Waffles

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.

• Flour
• Buttermilk
• Sharp cheddar
• Egg
• Butter
• Salt, sugar and baking powder

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.

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 tbsp 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.

• 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.

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.

• Healthy Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothie (without yogurt)
• Easy Vegan Cashew Cream
• Pumpkin Browned Butter Donuts
• Blackberry Buckle Cake
• Egg White Oatmeal