The question, “What can you make in a waffle maker?” might seem silly to some.
If you’re new to using your waffle maker, you may assume these devices are solely for making waffles and nothing else. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. Waffle makers, or the classic waffle iron, are versatile products. You can make anything with waffles once you’ve learned the right recipes, from a fried chicken dish to delectable feasts with potatoes, vegetables, and even meat.
Waffle makers may be ideal for cooking waffles, but if you’re willing to experiment and get creative, there are a variety of treats you may explore. Today, we will cover just some of the recipe options you can make in a waffle maker.
Delicious Foods You Can Make in a Waffle Maker
Alternative Waffles
A waffle iron offers an excellent alternative to frozen waffles if you want to create the perfect treat to top with whipped cream and maple syrup. However, you can make a lot more than just batter-based recipe waffles with this product. Unlike a skillet, waffles are great for cooking foods on both sides simultaneously. This means you can create a range of different products in waffle form.
Mashed potato and sweet potato mixes are perfect for creating unique hash browns with your waffle maker. You can even experiment with shredded cheese, carrots, and zucchini to create interesting waffles for your everyday meals. Try mixing up a “batter” with shredded potato, carrot, zucchini, and squash, and cook the mixture in your waffle iron.
You can also add your favourite herbs and spices, like garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and coat the waffle iron in olive oil to get the perfect unique hash browns made with extra veggies.
Leftover Waffles
If you’re ever left wondering what to do with your leftovers, why not turn them into waffles? Mac and cheese waffles are a fantastic treat for those who love the crispness a waffle maker can create. You need to add your mac and cheese to the waffle maker, sprinkle on some extra cheese, and wait for several minutes for the waffle to go crispy. You can even add the marinara sauce for dipping.
An alternative option could be to add spaghetti and pizza sauce to a waffle iron and coat the mixture in bread crumbs for a delicious golden-brown treat to go in the middle of some unique sandwiches. Your waffle iron can create brand-new meals from leftovers, from an exciting new sandwich made with breakfast items like bacon and eggs to a waffle created entirely from French fries.
Dessert Waffles
Dessert waffles are rapidly growing more popular as a real treat for today’s food lovers. Provided your waffle maker is clean enough, you can use it to create unique desserts with a failed cupcake project or some brownie batter. Brownies are excellent when cooked for dessert in a waffle iron because they come with extra holes where you can add whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Make sure you experiment to find the best recipe.
Another option could be to create cinnamon rolls with your cookie maker. You can either make your cinnamon roll batter yourself or use some of the pre-packaged cinnamon dough you can get from the supermarket. The great part about cooking your cinnamon roll in the waffle iron is you get a crispier, more caramelized finish, often in less time. You can also spruce up your dish with extra things like ice cream, fresh fruit, and other toppings.
Savoury Waffles
Technically, you could count a cinnamon bun as a breakfast item, but there are various other foods for breakfast you can create with your waffle iron too.
Think about your favourite breakfast food, for instance. Waffle irons are great for making fully-cooked omelettes in a snap. They can cook the omelette from both sides to ensure it’s ready to add to a breakfast sandwich.
Alternatively, you can use scrambled eggs with a range of toppings like zucchini, potatoes, and other foods to make a unique fast breakfast experience. Adding chopped peppers, ham, onion, and bacon bits is another way to bring this recipe to life. You can also make hash browns in your waffle maker, ready to serve with bacon for the perfect breakfast meal. Experiment with your recipe until you find the ideal blend of crispy and soft potato.
Complete Waffle Meals
With so many waffle recipe options out there for your waffle iron, you’re bound to find more ideas the more you experiment with your machine. There’s something for everyone, from cooking crispy potatoes into hash browns to making your own waffle cake and cookie dough mixtures. You can even use your waffle maker to create entire meals.
For instance, why not try creating your own waffle cheeseburger? You’ll end up with interesting crispy buns on the outside and a unique patty, ready to top with cheese and sauce in no time. We’ve already mentioned melted cheese waffles and mashed potatoes turned into hash browns, but how about waffled pizza pockets or entire pizzas cooked in your waffle iron? Cook your pizza down in your iron until it’s around 90% done, then add the toppings to the pizza, so the cheese melts perfectly.
Waffle Bread and Sandwiches
There are tons of people ready to share creative waffle maker recipes. You can use your appliance as an alternative to your panini press to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
Not only does your waffle iron cook your grilled cheese sandwich perfectly, but it creates a unique-looking lunch that’s sure to capture your kids’ attention. Experiment by using different cheeses and adding meat and greens.
Waffle makers are also ideal for making cornbread. Just whip up a batch of cornbread mixture and cook it in your waffle maker until it looks like it’s ready to eat. The result should be a great taste, combined with crunchy and soft parts. Add an egg or two into the mix, and you can even create French toast waffle style. The perfect treat for breakfast or dinner, this recipe is ideal for adding something sweet to your meal schedule. Banana bread is another excellent option here.
More Ideas for Creative Waffle Iron Recipes
It seems as though a new waffle iron recipe appears on the internet almost every day. There’s a recipe for everything from bread to cake.
Once you’ve learned how to use your waffle maker for everything from grain-free sandwiches to pizza, there’s no limit to what you can do. Here are some other recipe ideas to try if you’re looking for some extra inspiration:
- Waffle iron hot dogs: Waffle iron hotdogs are a unique recipe, perfect for parties. You can dip some hot dogs wrapped in bread into pancakes or waffle batter for a memorable meal.
- Waffled s’mores: There are tons of great recipes for making waffles with smores, but you’ll have to follow the recipe carefully to avoid a mess.
- Waffle doughnuts and cake: With the right recipe, any batter can be waffle batter for your iron. Make sure you keep an eye on the cooking time to get a great flavour from your cake.
- Waffle iron chicken: You’ll need to be extra careful when cooking a chicken recipe in your waffle iron to ensure the meat is cooked through
- Cheese waffles: Aside from grilled cheese waffles, you can also try things like cheese waffles, made with mashed potato and cheese for a unique side-dish
From sweet treats like soft waffled cake to delicious extras like cornbread, waffle pizza, and grain-free waffle peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, there’s something for everyone.
Can You Cook Meat on a Waffle Iron?
Your waffle iron makes more than just awesome cinnamon rolls and dessert recipe items. It could also be ideal for making grilling meat and various meat products too. Although you’ll need a little practice to cook meat with a waffle iron correctly, you can get great results.
You can experiment with chicken and waffle iron bacon to spruce up your waffle iron recipe list. Preheat your waffle iron on high and coat the waffle iron with non-stick spray or oil to ensure your meat or bacon doesn’t stick.
Additionally, you can also cook steak on a waffle iron. When cooking steak, pour salt and pepper onto a plate to coat your steak evenly on both sides. Make sure your appliance is set on high and you have coated it with non-stick spray before placing the steak as far away from the hinges as possible. You should be able to achieve the same great flavour with your waffle iron as you’d get with a skillet.
Make sure you pay attention to how long your waffle iron takes to cook your steak according to your preferences. Different machines might take longer than others to get your meat to the “well done” stage. Once again, it’s essential to ensure everything you cook is thoroughly cooked through when experimenting with these dishes.
Cooking With Your Waffle Maker
Now that you know the answer to “What can you make in a waffle maker?” you can enjoy experimenting with many different recipes that will impress your family. As you can see, the possibilities are endless when discovering what you can create using a waffle maker. With a little bit of creativity, you should be able to come up with some great ideas of your own.
If you’ve recently tried making delicious foods in your waffle iron, please share your experience in the comments section below. And feel free to browse through this site for more kitchen tips.
