Traditional Belgian Liege Waffle Recipe (2024)

Published: | Updated: | By Ashlee

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Letting this yeast waffle dough rest overnight gives the dough a chance to develop better. Start it the night before and enjoy fresh waffles in the morning. With a crunchy melted sugar crust and soft on the inside these belgian waffles are one of the most popular items I make!

Traditional Belgian Liege Waffle Recipe (1)

How I created this Liege waffle Recipe

Over the past few years Belgian Liege waffle trucks and restaurants have showed up everywhere. My Dad was obsessed with them and asked me to figure out how to make them!

It’s so rare that he really LOVES a food item enough to request it that I got RIGHT on it! I scoured the internet and found quite a few recipes.

It seems like there were two camps, the traditional overnight 2nd rise recipe (developing flavor and texture) and the quicker few hour version.

You guys KNOW I’m all about getting the best possible flavor and not cutting corners when it comes to… well anything, but esp GOOD food. So I went for the authentic overnight version and WOW sooooo good.

I’m all about preping the night before for a big meal anyway, then the day of everything is ready to go and serve to my guests! So the time it takes doesn’t bother me at all.

I’ve TRIED quicker versions and they are OKAY, but still lacking the flavor that the overnight rise gives these waffles.

Just take me to the Belgian Waffle Recipe already!

If you’d rather skip the tips and tricks and tools to make these Liege Waffles, and more Belgium waffle recipe ideas – and get straight to this delicious Liege waffle recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

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How to make Belgian Waffles – tips for cooking

Sugar burns at 375, so you want to cook your waffles at 365-370 degrees (you don’t want those big sugar chunks to start burning, trust me, nasty to eat and nasty to clean).

Regular home waffle irons heat anywhere from 420-550, which is a problem. So to make what I had work what I did was heat it up, put the dough in for 1 min then unplug the machine for 3 mins.

Depending on how hot your machine gets you might have to play with the time a bit (make an extra large batch the first time so you have extra dough to play with).

The professional liege waffle irons are cast iron, weigh over 20 pounds and cook at exactly 365-370 degrees. But I DOUBT any of you have one at home, I don’t.

So being annoyed with my regular electric waffle iron I bought thisstove top waffle iron to see if I could control the temperature better on the stove top.

Stove top temperate range from 200 – 500, so I went just above the middle, trying to achieve 360. I found mine cooked best 1 1/2 min on the first side (where the side was already hot) and then 2 1/2 on the other side (started cooler).

OR I would put the dough in and immediately flip, cook 2 mins, flip again and cook another 2 mins. BEST purchase EVER, and it made a HUGE difference in my waffles.

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Can you freeze Liege waffles?

YES there are a few times you can freeze them.

After the first rise you can freeze the dough ball – wrap it in plastic a few times and use 2 freeze bags as well. When you’re ready to make them place the dough in the fridge for 12-24 hour then go on from there.

The second good time for freezing is AFTER the overnight refrigerator time – you can place the dough in two layers of freeze bags and freeze. when your ready to make the waffles leave out on the counter until soft enough to knead in the pearl sugar.

The third place is after you have kneaded in the pearl sugar and divided the dough into balls – leave out what your going to cook and wrap each of the extra balls in plastic, place the wrapped balls in two layers of freezer bags and freeze. Pull out the balls a few at a time – let come to room temp and cook. This is great when you want just a few at a time.

Finally you can freeze the already cooked waffles – this is my LEAST favorite way as they never are as good as they are fresh.

To make Liege Waffles you’ll need:

Traditional Belgian Liege Waffles

If you love this liege waffle recipe as much as I do, I’d love a 5 star review. Be sure to share on social media and tag me if you make it @ashleemariecakes! If you want to stay updated on new recipes sign up for my newsletter and join my Facebook Group!

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If you love this Belgian Waffle recipe you’ll love these other Liege Waffle recipes!

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Coconut Liege Waffles | Pumpkin Liege Waffles | Lemon Raspberry Liege Waffles

Connect with Ashlee Marie Online!

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Traditional Belgian Liege Waffle Recipe (13)

To watch me make these liege waffles play the video in the recipe card. You can find all my cooking show style recipe videos on YouTube, or my short recipe videos on Facebook Watch, or my Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.

Traditional Belgian Liege Waffle Recipe (14)

Traditional Belgian Waffles aka Liege Waffle recipe

Letting this yeast waffle dough rest overnight gives the dough a chance to develop better. Start it the night before and enjoy fresh waffles in the morning. With a crunchy melted sugar crust and soft on the inside these belgian waffles are one of the most popular items I make!

4.70 from 83 votes

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes minutes

rising and chilling time: 10 hours hours

Total Time: 10 hours hours 34 minutes minutes

Servings: 13 Liege Waffles

Calories: 405kcal

Author: Ashlee Marie

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 3/4 C whole milk warmed, 110-115 degrees
  • 2 lrg eggs room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
  • 3 1/2 C Bread flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 C butter softened
  • 1 1/2 C belgian pearl sugar not Swedish pearl sugar

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Place yeast, sugar and milk into your mixer and proof yeast 5-10 mins

  • Add the egg, vanilla, honey, 2 1/2 C flour, brown sugar and salt and mix until cohesive

  • add butter 4 Tbsp at a time kneading until totally incorporated

  • Add the rest of the flour and knead 5-10 mins

  • Cover and let rise until doubled in size, around 2 hours.

  • Then knock the dough down and wrap the dough in plastic wrap, 2-3 times around

  • refrigerate the dough overnight, 8-24 hours.

  • The next day, let the dough come to room temp, about an hour and knead in all the pearl sugar

  • Once mixed, divide the dough into 12-13 pieces of equal size.

  • Cook in a waffle iron for about 4 mins at 360 degrees (see note for regular waffle iron)

  • Give each waffle a few minutes to cool slightly before eating. that sugar melted on the outside is HOT!!!! I serve mine with fresh whipped cream and strawberries, but they are also good stuffed with dark chocolate, or served with with bananas, blue berries, nutella, cookie butter, ice cream, or plain with some powdered sugar!

  • you can keep the cooked waffles warm in an oven at 200 degrees while you cook them all so they will all be ready to serve at the same time

Video

Notes

Sugar burns at 375, so you want to cook your waffles at 365-370 degrees! Use a waffle iron with a temperature gage or a stove-top one like mine.

Stove top waffle iron – Stove top temperates range from 200 – 500, so I went just above the middle, trying to achieve 360. I found mine cooked best 1 1/2 min on the first side (where the side was already hot) and then 2 1/2 on the other side (started cooler). OR I would put the dough in and immediately flip, cook 2 mins, flip again and cook another 2 mins.

Traditional home waffle irons – because they tend to be so hot they will burn the sugar without some tweaking – when they are at full heat put the waffle dough ball in the iron, leave for 1 min, then turn off the waffle iron for the last 3. Then plug it back and and bring back to full heat for the next batch.

Nutrition

Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 401mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 460IU | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Did you make this recipe?Mention @ashleemariecakes or tag #makesomeawesome and I’ll share your image in my Instagram stories!

Traditional Belgian Liege Waffle Recipe (15)

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Traditional Belgian Liege Waffle Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a Belgian waffle and a Belgian Liège waffle? ›

Belgian waffles (from the U.S.)

A Belgian waffle in the United States is called a Brussels waffle in Belgium. This waffle is lighter and crisper than the Liège waffle (see below), has deep pockets, and is typically served for dessert. Brussels waffles are rectangular or square and much larger than American waffles.

What is the difference between Belgian and traditional waffles? ›

Belgian waffles are usually thicker than their American counterparts. These Belgian beauties are made with a recipe that includes yeasted batter and crunchy pearl sugar. Belgian waffles have extra-deep pockets—the better for filling with butter, jam, maple syrup, or whipped cream.

What does Liège style waffles mean? ›

A Liège waffle is filled with unevenly distributed clusters of caramelized pearl sugar, which gives a slightly bitter contrast with the buttery waffle dough. It's a convenient snack, easily eaten at any time of day (a good one loses nothing when cold). To me, Brussels waffles—as tasty as they can be—just can't compete.

Do you need a special waffle iron for Liège waffles? ›

Do I need a special waffle iron to make Liege waffles? Liege waffles are thicker than traditional waffles, due to the dough expanding during the cooking proccess. We recommend baking with a waffle iron that has deep pockets (0.7 in to 1 in).

Is Brussels or Liège waffle better? ›

While added vanilla and sprinkles of cinnamon can add a touch of sweetness to Brussels waffle recipes, these are generally less sweet than a Liège waffle. Better for those who prefer savory dishes, Brussels waffles are the variety that will most commonly be topped with meats and cheeses.

What are the 2 types of Belgian waffles? ›

We have two types of waffles in Belgium: the Liege waffle and the Brussels waffle. And you should know that the difference is very important for all true waffle lovers. They are both yeast waffles, but that is really where the similarities end.

Why are Belgian waffles so crispy? ›

Texture – In Belgian waffles, the eggs are separated. The yolks are whisked together with the other wet ingredients, while the whites are whipped to stiff peaks and then folded into the batter at the end. This creates a texture that is crisp on the outside and light and tender on the inside.

Why would the Belgian waffle be better than the regular waffle? ›

Belgian waffles are appreciated for their deep pockets, perfect for generously filling with butter, jam or maple syrup. These waffles are frequently thicker than their American counterparts and are created using a yeasted batter infused with crunchy pearl sugar.

Why are Belgian waffles so dense? ›

However, Belgian waffles are heavier and thicker than a regular waffle. The recipe for Belgian waffles also contains yeast and egg whites, which gives them a fluffy texture on the inside and crispy texture on the outside.

How do you keep Liège waffles crispy? ›

Bake Them in the Oven for That Crisp Finish

You probably already know the trick to keep your waffles warm by placing them in a 200°F oven until you're ready to eat. But if you set your oven a little higher, to 300°F, this trick will crisp waffles even further in addition to keeping them nice and warm.

How do you eat Liège waffles? ›

Street vendors just wrap them in wax paper and happy customers eat them as a treat any time of day. Think of them as more like a pastry. Eventhough purists like their Liège waffles plain, we're in the United States so we love our toppings like strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, ice cream, etc....

Can you use a regular waffle maker to make Belgian waffles? ›

If you don't have a Belgian waffle maker, you can use a regular waffle maker. It likely won't create the larger, thicker, deeper grooves, but you may still end up with fluffier waffles. Keep in mind that the time it takes to make Belgian waffles may vary depending on serving size.

Can you make Liège waffles ahead of time? ›

Make Ahead

The waffles can be kept warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve. If you want to freeze waffles, shave a minute or so off the cooking time so they won't overcook when you reheat. Place the waffles on a baking sheet and pop into the freezer until solid.

What is different about a Liège waffle? ›

Firstly, each one has their own particular shape. The Liege waffle is small with rounded edges, whereas the Brussels waffle is larger, and has a rectangular shape. Moreover, the Liege one is thicker and contains little clumps of sugar, whereas the Brussels one is lighter and is sprinkled with icing sugar.

What are Liege waffles made of? ›

Yeast: Liege waffles use a yeasted brioche-like dough base while regular Belgian waffles typically use a looser batter containing chemical leaveners (i.e. baking soda/powder)

What size are Liege waffles? ›

Makes 16 thick waffles, just about 4 inches across each.

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