Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, these sourdough waffles are a healthier version of the traditional Belgian waffle.
I’ve always liked waffles. Who doesn’t!?
Then I traveled to Belgium and figured I’d reached waffle heaven. Once you’ve had crispy, chewy, yeasty Belgian waffles there’s no going back. I thought Belgian waffles were the pinnacle of waffle perfection!
But I was still willing to try another kind of waffles. I wanted to use some of my sourdough starter, but didn’t feel like making bread. I love the health benefits of sourdough, so I figured I’d try sourdough waffles and see how I liked it. How could I not like waffles?
Little did I know I was about to step into the best waffle eating experience of my life….
I know believe sourdough waffles made in the Belgian style really IS the pinnacle of waffle perfection!
They are….
- Crispy on the outside
- Thick and chewy on the inside
- So flavourful, with just the right amount of tang!
What to eat with these sourdough waffles
I honestly love just eating these straight up but they’re also really good topped with
- Fresh fruit or a fruit sauce
- Vanilla custard sauce (aka vanilla sauce for us Mennonites)
- Nutella (or try making your own homemade healthier Nutella!)
- Peanut butter
- Yogurt
Why sourdough waffles are a smart choice
Health Benefits
This article has a great summary on the health benefits of sourdough bread. Check it out for all the references but here’s the TLDR version:
- The lactic acid bacteria cultured from sourdough starter breaks down most of the gluten in wheat flour. Although it’s still not recommended for people with Celiac to run out and buy sourdough bread, this is a promising area of research for Celiacs. This is good news for people with gluten intolerance, who may be able to handle a small amount of gluten.
- The sourdough bacteria are able to breakdown phytic acid found in whole grains. Phytic acid binds to minerals, rendering them useless for absorption by the body. So sourdough bread gives us more minerals to absorb such as iron, magnesium, and zinc!
- Acrylamide, a carcinogenic compound, is formed when the amino acid asparagine is dry heated with other nutrients. This happens in the crust of bread or when bread is toasted. Sourdough bacteria reduce the amount of asparagine, thus reducing acrylamide production!
- Sourdough bread has the lowest effect on raising blood sugar. In this study, subjects who ate sourdough bread for breakfast saw improved blood sugar control after lunch and even hours after lunch!
How to make a sourdough starter
In order to make sourdough waffles you’ll first need to have a sourdough starter!
If you’re new to the world of sourdough, this recipe will take you a week to make. You have to build up a healthy starter first! But don’t worry: good things come to those who wait. Click here for the tutorial.
If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.
Overnight Sourdough Waffles
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup fed sourdough starter watch a video here for the difference between fed and unfed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Place the butter and milk in a large microwaveable bowl.
- Microwave on high for 1 minute.
- Take out and stir until butter is melted. You may need to put it back in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
- Then stir in the sourdough starter, salt, brown sugar, and flour.
- Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 8-14 hours (this is where the overnight part comes in)
- In the morning add the eggs and baking soda.
- Heat your waffle iron and cook according to your machines instructions!
Want more sourdough recipes?
Amazing recipe. Never any leftovers. Thanks Jessica.
Great waffles! Crispy and chewy just like the ones in Belgium. I substituted buttermilk for the milk which made the waffles flavourful, but a bit tangier than I typically like them. Am making the recipe again but will use milk instead to see how it changes things. Really delicious though even with the buttermilk.
Thank you for your comment! So glad you enjoy them!
Made these tonight for Sunday family dinner. Grandsons loved them. The one change I made is separating the eggs. I added the egg yolks with the baking soda to the overnight batter (added just a teaspoon of vanilla also). Then beat the egg whites until stiff and folded into the batter to help with the lightness of the batter. Turned out yummy and crisp.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for the sharing your alterations!
I love these, just like you said crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. I made these and will have for many breakfasts.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! Thanks for the comment!
Yay! I’m so glad you could enjoy them!
Just made these this evening for “brupper”, mixed the batter this morning then added the eggs and baking soda this evening before cooking. Oh my goodness, so delicious! My husband and I both count them as absolute winners. This is one of the first recipes that I have tried with my sour dough discard, will be a regular on our menu planning! I just started with my own starter about three weeks ago, can’t wait to try some more recipes. Thank-you for this delicious recipe!
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed them so much! Thanks for the comment!
Oh my, wonderful! . My husband and adult son were in seventh heaven with these tasty waffles. No left overs on this recipe.
Thank you very much. I got 10’s from them.
Carol, NE Texas
Yes! They really are the best, thank you for taking the time to comment!
Thank you for this recipe! I just got back from Belgium a few days ago and have been craving an authentic, Brussels Style waffle. I actually made this sourdough recipe and a regular yeast Brussels waffle recipe last night to do a head-to-head comparison… your recipe won hands down. Much better texture and flavor. Perfectly crisp exterior with a delightfully doughy interior. I did make three slight modifications with the last bit of batter as a test… (1) I added a dash of vanilla extract, (2) a spoonful of sugar, and (3) thinned the batter down to a pourable consistency with sparkling water which is a trick used in traditional yeast recipes. The result really pushed it to the next level for my tastebuds. The water gave a lighter interior and the vanilla and sugar made the waffle a perfect compliment to just fresh strawberries on top. Thank you again! This will be my go to recipe from now on. My only question, have you tried making them with less butter? I wouldn’t mind reducing the calorie content if the result wasn’t compromised too much. Thanks!
Yes, I think you could make them with less butter! Thank you so much for your review and the tips you gave! I’d like to try adding sparkling water now 🙂
I’ve made these several times and we love them, but I’ve always used my unfed discard starter and they come out great and are so delicious!
Good to know! Thanks for the feedback!
Hello! I’m new to the sourdough world and just fed my starter for the first time a few hours ago. Would it be ok to take a cup out to prepare your recipe or should I wait until tomorrow evening to begin? Thanks in advance!!
Did you get an established starter from someone else or is this just day one of a brand new starter?
Did you use a fed or unfed starter for this recipe?
Good question! I posted this recipe when I was more of a sourdough newbie! I’ve updated the post, it uses FED starter!
Isn’t this recipe from Nancy Silverton from La Brea Bakery?
Not familiar with it. I have a new recipe plug-in on my site. With my old one there was a spot to fill in for where you adapted a recipe from but now that info was lost in the migration process!
Just made this recipe for the second time this morning. It is so easy and delicious. This time I substituted 100%whole wheat pastry flour and sprinkled in a few dried.cranberries for a special treat. They were amazing. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
ooo, those sound like great modifications! Thanks for sharing!
Do you use just fed starter? Or is I lit ok to get it to room temp and use the discard when feeding?
The waffles are fairly forgiving. You could probably do either option!
These are so good! I make them at least twice a month and always try to double the recipe (and freeze for toasting). I have made them with flaxseed instead of egg, soy milk, and coconut oil instead of butter for a vegan option. They still turn out really good! (But not as good).
Yay! Glad you enjoy them! Thanks for sharing that those substitutions worked out!
Made these this morning and they are by far the BEST waffles I have ever eaten. I did not alter the recipe at all and they turned out perfect. Thanks for sharing such a fantastic recipe.
Thank you so much for the comment. I’m thrilled that you enjoy them as much (or maybe even more!) as I do!
Can these be made without eggs? Our granddaughter is allergic to eggs so we are looking for recipes that she can eat.
Sorry to hear about your granddaughter’s allergy! I haven’t tried them without eggs. I would suggest making a half batch as a trial and substitute the eggs for a flax “egg”. You can find a great tutorial for how to make this egg replacer here: http://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
I was always taught to never overstir pancakes or waffles and one they’re mixed to leave them alone. Just thinking of adding the eggs and baking soda after they’ve been sitting puts me in a panic . Do I literally just stir it in?
Yup! It’ll be fine! Just don’t go stir-crazy! hehe
Hi! Would this recipe work with almond milk?
Hi!
I haven’t tried it with almond milk so I can’t say for sure how it would taste but I would imagine that they would turn out well using almond milk!
making my first batch of starter and can’t wait to make waffles! What kind of waffle maker do you have? I love the mini size!
Sourdough is so rewarding! You’ll love it 🙂 I have a 4-waffle capacity waffle maker and I love it! I think it’s a Breville. Dear friends gave it to us for our wedding ( a few years ago now).
Just made my second batch of these! I plan on freezing them and popping them in the toaster for a quick and tasty breakfast. I’m so glad you shared this recipe as it is tasty, easy and good for you too! I think this will become a family staple.
Awesome! So glad you like the recipe! Would you mind sharing your GF version?
These sound amazing.
Jessica do you think it would work with Rice Flour? I’ll try it if you think it might.
They are amazing! I haven’t made them with rice flour and can’t be confident of the switch. Corinna has made them with her GF sourdough starter so she would be the one to go ask!
I love sourdough too! I got into it when off on mat leave with my first. This post has got me inspired to start again. My new starter is hopefully brewing yeast on top of the fridge right now! I also loved to make sourdough crackers for my little one. So easy and I felt good about her eating them!
Sourdough is so delicious! So far I’ve made basic bread, crepes, and a seed bread (recipes to come!). I thought about the idea of crackers. Would you mind sharing your recipe?