Traditional Belgian Liege Waffle Recipe (2024)

Published: August 6, 2013 | Updated: February 2, 2021 | 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).

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:

Sugar Pearls
Stove top waffle iron
Waffle Iron with temperature controls and removable plates for cleaning
a good non stick spray

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!

Traditional Belgian Liege Waffle Recipe (4)

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

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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 Waffles aka Liege Waffle recipe

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 Customary – Metric

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

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

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Traditional Belgian Liege Waffle Recipe (2024)

FAQs

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

Through the decades, Belgium's waffle styles diversified, resulting in two distinct groups – the crunchier, bread-like Liege waffle and a softer, lighter Brussels variety made with a yeast-leavened batter. Today, the Liege waffle incorporates crystals of pearl sugar for more crunch and caramelization on the outside.

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Can you make Liege waffle dough ahead of time? ›

The golden rule is to keep dough in the freezer until you're ready to bake within 24 hours. 💡 You can refrigerate Liege waffle dough for up to 24 hours. For any longer storage period use the freezer.

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What makes a Belgian waffle different from a regular waffle? ›

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.

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).

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Is Liège or Brussels waffle better? ›

Liege Waffle

They are thicker, richer and chewier than the Brussels waffle. I've tried both. Although both are delicious, I prefer the sweeter, thicker Liege waffle. You can find waffles in most restaurants and cafes in Belgium, and you can find street vendors selling them in many of the city squares.

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Are Liège waffles better than regular waffles? ›

The Liège waffles are made from a yeast dough adapted from brioche bread dough. They're also sweeter and heavier than the Brussels waffles and have irregular edges, as compared to the Brussels waffles, which are rectangular or square with even sides.

Get More Info Here ›

What do you eat with Liege waffles? ›

These Liège waffles are sweeter than Brussels Belgian waffles and can be served for breakfast or dessert. Serve waffles warm or cooled with whipped cream and berries or drizzled with warm, melted chocolate.

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What is a substitute for Belgian pearl sugar? ›

If you can't find pearl sugar, other decorative sugars such as sanding sugar, sparkling sugar, or any other coarse-grained sugar will work just as well. Other decorative sprinkles, such as nonpareils, sequins, jimmies and edible glitter are also good alternatives.

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

Belgian waffles taste more soft and crispy, while waffles in the Netherlands are made from a heavier batter with a chewy and sticky texture. Another prominent difference lies in the shapes used by Belgian and Dutch styles. The former is in the shape of rectangle and the latter is round.

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How do Belgians eat their waffles? ›

Many Belgians are waffle purists, enjoying them with nothing but a dusting of powdered sugar. We recommend trying a waffle or two this way to have the experience in its unadulterated form…but don't skip chocolate, caramel, Nutella, all sorts of fresh fruits, and whipped cream if that's your thing.

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What are waffles called in Belgium? ›

We have two types of waffles in Belgium: the Liege waffle and the Brussels waffle.

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What happens if you put pancake batter in a waffle iron? ›

If you just put pancake batter into a waffle maker, chances are it will spill over the edges of the iron, burn, and create a mess. Also, they'll come out a bit flat and too crunchy, as opposed to having that fluffy soft center that you usually look for in a waffle.

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Can you refrigerate Liège waffle dough? ›

Conservation. Ideally, you should bake directly the dough you have just prepared. However, if you still want to store some of the production, this is possible. Before fermentation, place the dough pieces in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0 to 2°C (maximum 24 hours).

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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.

Read On ›

What does Liège style waffle 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.