The best waffle makers in 2025

Business Insider

22-05-2025

Golden brown crust, airy texture, and pools of maple syrup — the perfect waffle is a work of breakfast art. With one of the best waffle makers at home, you can experience that crispy, fluffy, and nostalgic delight any time you want.
After consulting with the pros and cooking more than 60 waffles on ten waffle makers, we chose the Cuisinart Classic Round Waffle Maker as the best waffle maker on the market. It isn't too pricy, is easy to store, and makes consistently crisp and airy waffles. If you're a Belgian waffle loyalist, check out the Hamilton Beach Belgian Waffle Maker which fully rotates while cooking to make the fluffiest waffles possible.
Our top picks for waffle makers
Best overall: Cuisinart Classic Round Waffle Maker - See at Wayfair
Best overall
Cuisinart Classic Round Waffle Maker
Making crisp and airy waffles has never been simpler than with the compact and easy-to-use Cuisinart Classic Round Waffle Maker.
The Cuisinart Classic Round Waffle Maker is the best waffle maker if you want to make evenly baked American-style waffles every time. During my tests, each heat setting produced a fully cooked waffle, and higher heat resulted in darker and crispier exteriors. The crust was the key factor between this machine and the Breville Classic. All waffles soften the longer they're off the iron, but the Breville did not crisp the outside of the waffles as well as the Cuisinart. The waffles from the Cuisinart maker stayed crisper longer than those from other waffle makers.
It was easy to remove the waffles without them breaking into sections, and each batch only needed one coat of vegetable oil to stay nonstick.
I should mention that the green "ready" light is not a reliable indicator of doneness. It turns on two to three minutes after you put in the batter, which I did not find long enough to make the crispier waffles I was aiming for on the higher heat settings. However, the indicator light never turns on before the waffle is fully shaped, so you don't have to worry about tearing it when you open the lid to check the color.
Best Belgian
The waffles from the Hamilton Beach Belgian Waffle Maker were the thickest and the most aerated ones I made. And that's pretty impressive when you consider that I cooked three types of waffles in every Belgian waffle maker I tested: American, Americanized-Belgian, and traditional Belgian. While the other Belgian makers failed to produce American-style waffles on the lowest heat setting,
the ones I made in the Hamilton Beach came out fully cooked and light brown.
This maker was also the only one that flipped 180 degrees. "Waffle makers flip to more evenly spread the batter," said Fisback. Traditional Belgian waffles are somewhere in between a dough and batter consistency. The Belgian waffles made in Hamilton Beach seemed to benefit from the flipping: they never stuck, browned evenly, and rose equally across the sections.
The indicator lights are not intuitive. Because the maker flips, you have lights on the top and bottom, but I didn't find either to accurately signal when the waffles were browned. This was a common problem among the best waffle makers, likely because doneness is a matter of preference and quantity of batter.
Best small
Overall, I was impressed with the American-style Dash Mini Waffle Maker. It doesn't have any heat settings, but after testing, the temperature seems in line with medium heat on other makers. Because the waffles are small, there is simply less surface area for the heat to reach. Every waffle I made in the Dash Maker came out thoroughly cooked and golden brown.
The 4-inch waffle is about the size of one section of a full-size waffle. It is slightly smaller than commercial frozen waffles, however, so keep that in mind if you're using them as a DIY alternative. As with most waffles, the Dash waffles freeze well and are just as delicious reheated in a toaster.
This is perfect for a college dorm or first apartment, or for anyone who prefers small portions. You do have to be careful when putting batter on the plates, though; start with small scoops to gauge how much fits on the 4-inch surface.
Best double
The All-Clad 4-Slice Waffle Maker has one of the largest surface areas of any of the best waffle makers we tested, making the evenness of its cook all the more impressive. A green light turns on and a beep sounds when the maker is done preheating. It also beeps when the waffle is done cooking.
Belgian waffle makers have larger and deeper squares than American-style makers, but there can be variation within that. The All-Clad had thin ridges between the squares, which led to crispier waffles. Even with that, the All-Clad maker did not sacrifice the signature depth of a Belgian waffle — these were among the tallest Belgian waffles we made during testing.
The removable plates are easy to install and take out. Being able to fully submerge the plates or just put them in the dishwasher makes cleaning a lot easier. Because of the locking lid, you can easily store it horizontally or vertically, but it is a bulky and heavy appliance.
What else we tested
Breville No-Mess Classic Round Waffle Maker: This maker was the runner-up for best overall. It produced fluffy and evenly cooked waffles that were deeper than those made by other American-style makers. The Breville is that it has a drip tray surrounding the waffle plates, so any overflowing batter is caught before it hits your counter. There is definitely less mess, but the structure makes it much harder to remove the waffles.
Cuisinart Belgian Waffle Maker: The waffles from this maker were not very thick for Belgian waffles. Additionally, the lowest heat setting did not fully cook the American-style waffles.
Holstein Housewares Mini Waffle Maker: This mini maker performed almost identically to the Dash, but it's slightly more expensive.
Hamilton Beach 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker: Surprisingly, this waffle maker did not have heat settings. The pre-set heat did cook all three types of waffles to a golden brown. The grid has thicker ridges between the waffle squares, which do not stay as crisp while cooling or re-toasting.
Oster Belgian Waffle Maker: This Belgian waffle maker produced waffles that are more comparable to American-style ones in thickness. The browning was also uneven.
All-Clad Classic Round Waffle Maker: The lightest heat setting produced waffles that were far too pale, only just cooked. Ultimately, it's too bulky and expensive to recommend for a standard waffle maker when there are others that do a better job for less.
What to look for
Style: Before shopping for the best waffle maker, decide if you prefer Belgian or American-style waffles. One of the main differences between American and Belgian waffles is the size and depth of the waffle grid. Belgian waffles have deeper pockets than thinner American waffles. This is reflected in the waffle makers themselves, as Belgian waffle makers have larger and deeper grids.
Size and storage: Consider how often you make waffles and how much counter space or storage you have. An easy rule of thumb is that the more often you use a small appliance, the more counter or storage space it deserves
Settings: Most waffle makers have a range of heat settings, which allows you to choose your preferred level of crisp. Smaller machines, and often lower-budget options, have no settings or less accurate ones. If you won't eat a paler waffle or can't stand a crispy breakfast, choose a machine with heat settings.
How we test waffle makers
Before writing this guide, I spoke to two waffle experts: Shumski, David Solomon, founder of Mountain Waffle Co., and Max Fisback, owner of The Waffle Window in Portland, Oregon.
We used three recipes in our testing for the best waffle makers: King Arthur Baking Company's Classic Buttermilk Waffles for American waffles, Melissa Clark's NYT Cooking Waffle recipe with stiff egg whites for Americanized-Belgian, and King Arthur Baking Company's Yeasted Waffles for traditional Belgian waffles.
In the Belgian waffle makers, we made all three waffle types: American, Americanized-Belgian, and traditional Belgian. In the American waffle makers, we made Americanized-Belgian and American-style waffles. Additionally, we made waffles on the lowest, middle, and high settings on the makers that had adjustable temperatures.
Belgian-style waffles: Traditional Belgian waffles are made with a yeast-risen dough left to rest overnight, while the shortcut method (also known as Americanized-Belgian) uses baking powder and whipped egg whites to provide the rise. With both recipes, we looked for the waffle makers to produce evenly browned waffles that were cooked all the way through, but maintained a light and fluffy texture.
American-style waffles: American waffles are thinner and crispier than Belgian ones. The recipes for American-style and shortcut Belgian (or Americanized-Belgian) waffles are almost identical, except that true American-style waffle recipes don't have whipped egg whites and only use chemical-raising agents.
Ease of use: Depending on the cook, waffle makers can be once-a-month or everyday appliances. We considered how easy it was to store the waffle makers, if there was a convenient way to wrap their cords, and if other dishes like cake pans could balance on top of them.
We noted how quickly the plates heated and when the waffle makers indicated they were ready to use. We also noted how quickly the irons cooled down after being turned off because you should never store a waffle maker until it is completely cool and clean.
Waffle maker FAQs
Can you put pancake batter in a waffle maker?
Yes, but your waffle will likely be less crispy and thinner than if you used waffle batter. Waffle mixtures have more sugar and fat than pancake batter — this helps brown and caramelize the exterior while maintaining a fluffy inside.
When should I replace my waffle maker?
Treat your waffle maker like other small appliances — replace it if the wires start to fray or if it starts smoking even after you clean it thoroughly. Some waffle maker plates have nonstick coatings, which can wear down over time. If you notice any flaking coming off the plates, it may be time for a new waffle maker.
Can you make American-style waffles in a Belgian waffle maker?
It is a rectangle-square situation: it will not work well to make Belgian waffles in an American-style maker, but you could make American waffles in a Belgian maker. In our testing, we tried making American waffles in all of our Belgian makers and we tested Belgian waffles in our top American-style maker. On the lowest heat setting, the Belgian waffle makers did not cook the American waffles. The waffles cooked on higher heat settings and were thicker than those made on American makers because of the difference in grid size. The American makers essentially flattened the Belgian waffles into American ones.
Can I use a waffle maker to make pizzelles?
You can waffle a wide variety of doughs and even meats, but you can't make a traditional pizzelle. These thin and airy cookies are made on pizzelle presses with the shallow pizzelle pattern. Even if you don't care about the traditional pattern, a waffle grid is too deep to get the thin pizzelle texture.
How are Liege waffles different from Belgian waffles?
Liege and Belgian waffles are both from Belgium and are recognizably waffles, but their textures are different. Liege waffles are made from a dough that creates a sturdier, thicker waffle; even traditional, yeast-raised Belgian waffles are made from a liquid batter. According to Solomon, this also makes Liege waffles better at supporting toppings without getting soggy.
The Belgian Pearl Sugar is key to the Liege waffle experience. Solomon said, "The pearls then burst and caramelize when the dough hits the waffle iron, spreading a sugary crunch throughout the waffle."