In my humble opinion, the best waffles and pancakes are crisp and golden-brown on the outside, yet light and fluffy on the inside. I’ve never been a big fan of dense waffles or pancakes, because they always leave me feeling too full and like I need a nap just to digest properly, which is not a very productive way to start the day!
But how do you ensure that your waffles will turn out light and fluffy instead of dense and nap-inducing? Well I’m glad you asked, because I’ll be sharing that very secret here with you today! :-)
See how to make a sweet and savory twist on traditional pancakes in my video at the end of this post!
The Secret To Making Fluffier Waffles And Pancakes
My mom made the best waffles when I was a kid (and still does, from time to time!) I eventually learned what she did differently that made her waffles so light and delicious, and it turns out that the “secret ingredient” was whipped egg whites!
My mom would simply whip a few egg whites until they formed soft peaks, then carefully fold them into her waffle batter. This extra step ensures that her waffles always turn out light, airy, and oh-so-delicious, and it’s so simple that anyone can do it! Just add 1 whipped egg white to every 2 servings of waffle or pancake batter you’re planning on making.
As a bonus, I thought I’d include the “recipe” for my personal favorite version of waffles. Back when I was a little girl, every holiday and celebration started off with a breakfast of strawberry waffles, but you certainly don’t need to wait for a special occasion to make them. :-)
This is one of the many time-tested recipes you can find in my eBook My Favorite Family Recipes. Check it out in my shop, or download it for free if you’re an OGT Plus member!
Strawberry Waffles
Ingredients:
6 servings of prepared waffle mix
3 egg whites
1 cup frozen sliced strawberries
1 Tbsp sugar
Whipped cream for serving
Directions:
Put your egg whites into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Use an electric mixer to whip the egg whites to soft peaks. (You can also use your stand mixer if you have one.)
Carefully fold the egg whites into the prepared waffle batter. (Be careful not to over-mix. You don’t want your egg whites to lose all the air you whipped into them!)
In a separate bowl, sprinkle the frozen sliced strawberries with the tablespoon of sugar. Use a potato masher to mash the strawberries until they achieve a sauce-like consistency.
Carefully spoon your waffle batter onto a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until they are golden-brown and a bit crispy on the outside.
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Serve them topped with the strawberry sauce and a big dollop of whipped cream!
So there you have it—the simple secret to fluffy waffles and a recipe you can use to put that secret to good use! Give it a try and let me know what you think. :-)
What do you like to put on your waffles?
This sounds delicious. I’ll have to show this to my mom. We usually use maple syrup or jams to put on top.. When we see my mom’s sister in another state she’ll usually give us a jar of her homemade raspberry jam. We weren’t able to see them and other family last year because of Covid. Anyway I recently discovered a foreign brand – it’s more expensive than the US made ones but it has that homemade taste. I don’t know why the American brands can’t duplicate this with their brands.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My mom did the same thing with the egg whites. She also made her own pancake and waffle batter. I wish I had her recipe for those. I do remember her adding vanilla sugar to it though.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Delores, I have a great Pancake recipe, from scratch, my late aunt used to make for me as a child when I spent the night with her many years ago, I’m almost 73 so this recipe is OLD. She whipped the egg whites, oh so light an fluffy, to die for: 1 cup plain flour, 1/4 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar, add 1 cup buttermilk to the dry ingredients and mix. Add 2 Tbsp oil & 1 egg yolk and mix. Beat 1 egg white stiff and FOLD into the batter, don’t over stir, pour into hot skillet what ever size you want. Hope you can try this and that you will like them. Gail
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Your recipe sounds delicious and I look forward to trying it. I think my favorite recipe for this includes buttermilk since it has that slight tanginess and is light and fluffy too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My mother-in-law, who is the best cook in 7 counties also adds the egg whites! I totally agree!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you add 2 tsp of cream of tartar to the dry ingredients, it will make you waffles crispier. It also works well with French Toast !
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you are using a mix like the Krusteaz pictured, “prepared mix” means use whatever eggs the recipe calls for and three more egg whites on top of that? (Eager to try this. The few times I’ve made waffles previously, they’ve only been so-so.)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was going to ask this exact question. I figured I’d search the comments first! Thank you
Been doing that for years
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I know you deal with gluten issues. What do you use for gluten free? My daughter and I just found out we have a sensitivity to gluten and are having a hard time figuring out what tastes good. Some of the stuff is great and some is so awful.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Have you tried Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix? I’ve been using it since being diagnosed with celiac in 2010. There are recipes on the bag as well as tons of recipes on their website http://www.pamelasproducts.com/products/baking-mixes/pamelas-baking-pancake-mix/
It also makes great quick breads and muffins.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thats good. Im starting to think I probably have Celiac. I break out in rashes and they are alot better when I cut back on the gluten. I ve heard of Pamela’s baking mix. i just wish all that stuff was’nt so expensive.
Hi Cathy! I really like Bob’s Red Mill: https://amzn.to/2LZ1wCp and Pamela’s: https://amzn.to/2vf27pZ
I also like making my own flour blend, you can find the recipe here: https://jillee.co/2KkIAtb
Good luck!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you’re using a from scratch recipe that calls for eggs, would you just separate the egg whites and whip those? Or would you add the whipped egg whites on top of the eggs already in the recipe?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve always made waffles from scratch using my mom’s recipe and it calls for separating the eggs and whipping the whites.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would do a little bit of both. For example, if the recipe calls for three eggs, I would whip two eggs whites, and add one whole egg. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I thought for sure this was going to be a from-scratch recipe. So I was happy to see that we can just add the egg to the waffle mix…. cuz I’m an “instant pancake mix” kind of gal.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s how we do cakes in Portugal, actually :) instead of just adding eggs, we always whip up the egg whites separately, and the cake always ends up fluffier!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I do add about 1 t. of vanilla extract to the pancake mix and I also add 1t. almond extract to he crushed strawberries for a bit of extra flavor. Strawberries and almond extract go well / mixed together
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yum!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This sounds so delicious. I’m definitely going to try that whipped egg thing it sounds very cool and I love the idea of the airy and fluffy addition to the batter. Thank so much for sharing Jillee.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.THIs sound yummy. I’ve never heard of adding egg whites before to the waffle battter. While we were I never vacation my Aunt added blueberries to her waffle batter . It was delicious.May have to try this.
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