Strawberry Waffles
Fresh Strawberry Waffles are the best weekend sweet treat! Made with a combination of fresh strawberries and freeze-dried strawberries, this homemade waffle recipe bursts with fresh fruit flavor. This breakfast or brunch centerpiece is perfect for any warm weather gathering.
Well, we’re continuing with our WAFFLES theme this month, and we’re using an in-season fruit.
Strawberries are the best in the summertime, and they are utterly delicious. However, they do not have a strong flavor, so we had to get creative with this recipe.
Enter: freeze-dried strawberries, one of my favorite strawberry recipe tricks.
Why I love this recipe:
It’s official: this is an Easy Strawberry Waffle recipe. It’s got excellent strawberry flavor, thanks to a double whammy of strawberry. (And no, you do not need something artificial like strawberry extract.)
In the same vein of other fruit waffles on this site, we start with a buttermilk waffle mix base. This provides acidity to help make our batter fluffy and delicious.
We add two types of strawberries to the batter. Freeze-dried strawberries, which we blend into the buttermilk. And fresh strawberries, which we dice and add to the batter.
These waffles are the perfect texture: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They’re light as a feather and aren’t tough at all. All without the fuss of whipping egg whites.
My favorite way to serve them is with fresh strawberry slices, a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of homemade strawberry sauce.
So pull up a seat and check these homemade waffles out. They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, Easter or Mother’s Day brunch. You could make ‘em for Dad on Father’s Day. And they make an excellent centerpiece at any Sunday brunch.
More waffle recipes to try: Blueberry Waffles | Chocolate Chip Waffles | The Best Waffles | Chocolate Waffles | Banana Waffles | Peanut Butter Waffles
What you’ll need to make this recipe:
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- Large bowl
- Small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup
- Blender or food processor
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- ½ cup measuring cup
- Waffle iron or waffle maker
- Silicone pastry brush or nonstick cooking spray
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here are the simple ingredients you need to grab at the grocery store, too:
- All-purpose flour — we always have unbleached AP flour at our house, but the regular kind works, too!
- Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this adds sweetness to the waffle batter.
- Leaveners — we use a combination of baking powder and baking soda to make these beauties fluff up. Make sure yours are fresh.
- Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt is my go-to. Diamond Crystal is my favorite brand. You may use a similarly sized sea salt. Keep in mind that table salt is saltier than kosher.
- Buttermilk — this makes an impact on the texture of these waffles. If you don’t have buttermilk at your house, you can make a buttermilk substitute with whole milk and lemon juice! If you need to use non-dairy milk, you can make a vegan buttermilk substitute.
- Freeze-dried strawberries — if you’re wondering how this recipe has a strawberry kick, it’s because of these. We blend them up with the buttermilk before mixing the rest of the wet ingredients to have a super strawberry-flavored waffle batter. There is no replacement.
- Eggs — large eggs or extra large eggs are what I use in all baking recipes.
- Flavorless oil or melted butter — avocado oil, vegetable oil or canola oil are perfect. If you’re using melted butter, make sure you give it a little time to cool so it won’t scramble the eggs!
- Vanilla extract — the real deal pure vanilla extract is where it’s at. This adds amazing flavor.
- Strawberries — you need fresh berries for the batter, as well as the topping. Make sure yours are ripe and sweet.
How to make strawberry waffles
First, we’re going to make our waffle batter.
Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl. This is the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk them together until combined and set aside.
Pour the buttermilk into the base of a blender. Add the freeze-dried strawberries, and blend until smooth.
This might feel like an extra step, but it’s really important to grind up those freeze-dried strawberries into the batter.
Add the eggs, oil (or butter), vanilla and extracts. Blend until they’re all combined.
DID YOU KNOW?
We mix these vigorously because if you don’t give them a good mix, there will be ribbons of egg white in the cooked waffles. It’s not a pleasant look or texture, so please learn from my mistakes. The blender makes this step in the process incredibly simple for us.
Once the wet ingredients are well combined, pour them directly into the flour mixture.
Use a rubber spatula to gently stir them together until just combined.
Add the chopped strawberries. Gently fold them into the batter.
It’s important to be gentle or you could smash the strawberries. Also, if you overmix the batter, the waffles will become tougher. It’s OK if this blueberry batter has lumps.
Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes. It can rest up to 30 minutes. You’ll notice that the batter almost immediately starts expanding, thanks to the chemical reaction between the buttermilk and the baking soda.
While the batter rests, preheat the waffle iron and give it a spritz of nonstick cooking spray or brush it with melted butter.
Use a cookie scoop or a measuring cup to dollop the batter onto the hot waffle iron.
We use a ½ cup of batter in each of these waffles. The scoop amount is dependent on the size of your waffle maker.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until your waffle iron alerts you that the waffle is done. Open the waffle iron and remove when golden brown and delicious.
Serve your waffle with sliced strawberries, a pat of butter or whipped cream and pure maple syrup.
How to store:
Leftover strawberry waffles store and freeze well! This is one of my kids’ favorite breakfasts… and they make early mornings a little easier with an already made (and tasty) breakfast.
Store leftover waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven or a toaster oven on a lower heat until crispy.
To freeze, line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Place the leftover waffles in a single layer. Transfer to the freezer, and freeze until frozen. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat frozen waffles, defrost in the refrigerator OR defrost for 30 seconds in the microwave, then toast until crispy.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
Strawberry Waffles are the perfect breakfast or brunch.
Making waffles for a crowd requires a little patience, planning and working ahead. If you’re like me, you’re not going to want to make each waffle individually for your guests.
However, if you do want to make them for each guest, you might consider borrowing a waffle iron or two from a friend to make this a quicker endeavor.
Here are a few tips and tricks to transforming these waffles into a brunch centerpiece:
- Depending on the amount of people you’re serving, you can double this recipe.
- Make the waffles before guests arrive, and keep them warm in the oven. We put ours on baking sheets* (affiliate link) and keep them warm in a 200°F oven. You could also reheat them in a toaster oven for an extra crispy exterior.
- Transform your table into a waffle bar! Offer various toppings, like real maple syrup (or a flavored syrup, like vanilla syrup), butter (or homemade honey butter or strawberry whipped cream), fresh berries (like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries) and more. Let guests dress their waffles.
Frequently Asked Questions
While they’re similar, my waffle batter contains more fat than any of my pancake recipes. For the waffles to get crispy on the outside, I like the combination of oil and cornstarch — so my recipe calls for both. None of my pancake recipes involve cornstarch. I do not advise using pancake batter to make waffles because the texture will be very different.
In my opinion, to secret to fluffy waffles is the chemical reaction between buttermilk and baking soda. I also believe that mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately so you don’t overmix the batter is important. Also, making sure your leaveners are both fresh so that the waffles puff up!
Make sure you spritz the iron with nonstick cooking spray or brush it with melted butter before the waffle batter is added to the iron.
To get a crispy exterior on your waffles, your waffle iron needs to be warm. It also needs to have a little fat on it. We brush ours with butter, but you can also spritz it with nonstick cooking spray.
Quick Tips and Tricks for the Best Strawberry Waffles
- Don’t overmix your batter! Just mix the batter until it has just come together. Lumps are OK. If you mix until it’s smooth, the waffles won’t be as fluffy.
- Use a cookie scoop or measuring cup to ensure all your waffles are similarly sized.
- Keep the waffles warm in a 200°F oven after cooking. When each one has finished cooking, add it to a lined baking sheet. This will ensure you can serve all the waffles at the same time.
- Like your fruit a little sweeter? Chop the strawberries before making the waffles and add a sprinkle of sugar to the bowl. When the waffles are done, the strawberries will be extra juicy.
- Leftover waffles? Freeze ’em! Line a baking sheet with wax paper, place the completely cooled waffles on the paper in a single layer and pop them in the freezer for 4-6 hours. When the waffles are fully frozen, transfer to a freezer baggie. Reheat in the toaster oven, toaster or the oven until warmed through.
More waffle recipes to try:
Looking for a classic? Try out The Best Waffles or Buttermilk Waffles.
Want something that tastes like dessert? We adore Chocolate Waffles and Peanut Butter Chocolate Waffle Sandwiches.
Love seasonal flavors? Try out Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Maple Syrup.
Fresh Strawberry Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 270g
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 32g
- 1 tablespoon baking powder 14g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 8g
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt 2g
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries 24g
- 2 large eggs ~100g
- ¼ cup flavorless oil avocado, vegetable, canola all OK (58g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8g
- 1 cup chopped strawberries 150g
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Pour the buttermilk and freeze-dried strawberries into the base of a blender. Blend until combined.
- Add the eggs, oil, vanilla extract and almond extract into the blender. Blend thoroughly until combined. The eggs need to be completely incorporated. This might take a few moments.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Stir until just combined. The batter does not need to be completely smooth, so do not mix it until it is smooth or it will be overmixed.
- Add the chopped strawberries to the batter. Gently fold them into the batter until incorporated.
- Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes and warm your waffle maker.
- Pour ½ cup of the waffle batter into a greased, hot waffle iron. (This will be dependent on the size of your waffle maker, so you might need more or less, and depending on this, you will have more or less waffles.)
- Close the waffle iron, and cook until crispy and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per waffle. This cook time is dependent on your waffle iron.
- Repeat until all the waffles have been made and enjoy with your favorite toppings. Be sure to spritz the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray after each waffle so that the waffles do not stick.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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