Liege Waffles (Classic Recipe)

These Liege Waffles are thick, sweet yeast-based waffles filled with clumps of pearl sugar and delicious crispy edges. These authentic Belgian Liege Waffles have a typical round shape that makes these waffles easy to grab and go.

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As a French person, I have been baking waffles, French Crepes, and pancake recipes all my childhood. This version is the most classic and traditional waffle recipe. Liege waffles are small rounded shaped waffles with a thick, dense texture filled with pieces of crushed sugar.

They are named after the city of Liège, in eastern Belgium, a European country famous for all their Waffle recipes, and for inventing French Fries. The classic Liège waffle recipe is made from yeasted dough and are very sweet.

Ingredients and Substitutions

It’s easy to make Liege waffles at home with any waffle iron and a few classic ingredients. The tricky part is finding pearl sugar.

This is the secret ingredient of authentic Liege waffles. The batter incorporates tiny clumps of sugar that half-melt through baking and leave a sweet and crunchy texture in the dough.

• All-Purpose Flour – I didn’t try all purpose gluten-free flour, but it should work if your blend has a 1:1 ratio. However, gluten-free flour won’t raise as much as wheat flour, so the waffles will stay dense.
• Active Dry Yeast – This makes the dough soft and airy.
• Brown Sugar – Feel free to use white sugar if preferred. However, light brown sugar adds a lovely golden color to the waffles and delightful flavors.
• Milk of Choice – Any milk works, including plant-based milk alternatives. You need warm milk for the recipe. Too hot, it cooks the eggs. Too cold, the batter makes lumps.
• Eggs – I use large, free-range eggs.
• Vanilla Extract – For flavor.
• Butter – Prefer grass-fed butter without salt.

How To Make Liege Waffles

1. In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, add the active dried yeast, sugar, and lukewarm milk. Use a wooden spoon to give it a quick stir. Avoid metal utensils when manipulating yeast. Set aside for about 10 minutes until the yeast foams.
2. Place the whisk attachment on the stand mixer.
3. Then, add the egg, melted butter, and sugar to the bowl and beat for 30 to 45 seconds on medium speed until the eggs are just combined with the remaining ingredients.
4. Switch to the dough hook attachment, add 3 cups of flour, and start kneading the dough at medium speed.
5. When all the flour is incorporated, gradually add the remaining flour.
6. Knead for 2 minutes until the dough is soft, elastic, and a bit sticky.
7. Oil your hands to release the dough sticking on the dough hook into the bowl.
8. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, then add a warm towel on top of the bowl. I like to microwave a clean kitchen towel for 30 seconds and then add it on top to keep the dough warm.
9. Set aside for 30 minutes in a warm place. You can prewarm the oven to 105°F (40°C) and pop the bowl inside.
10. Wait until the dough has doubled in size.
11. Remove the towel and plastic wrap and knead in the pearl sugar. You can add more pearl sugar than what I suggest in the recipe card if you like, but the waffles will be very sweet if you do.

12. Preheat a waffle maker until its green light shows, meaning it’s ready to add the waffle dough.
13. Grease the waffle iron plates with oil spray or coconut oil.
14. Form a ball of dough of about 4oz (120g) and place it in the center of the rectangle waffle iron plate. Don’t spread it manually, the iron will do that for you!
15. Close the waffle iron and bake for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Serving Suggestions

The authentic liege waffles are often served as an on-the-go waffle with a dust of powdered sugar or dipped in melted chocolate to form a shell on top. When served on a plate, liege waffles can be the perfect dessert topped with:

• Fresh Berries like blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries
• Dark Chocolate Chips
• Whipped Cream
• Slices of Bananas
• Nutella, chocolate sauce, or my Hazelnut Praline Paste
• Maple Syrup or my Keto Maple Syrup
• Ice Cream or Sorbet

Allergy Swaps

Below are some suggested substitutions if you are allergic to some of the ingredients listed on the recipe:

• Gluten-Free – All-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour should work with a slightly different result. Gluten-free yeasted waffle dough won’t raise as much.
• Pearl Sugar – If you can’t find pearl sugar, try crushing sugar cubes with a mortar and pillar to form small sugar lumps.
• Dairy-Free – Dairy-free butter substitutes like margarine, vegan butter, melted coconut, or avocado oil work as well.
• Egg-Free – You can replace the eggs with 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce, Greek yogurt, or 2 flax eggs. To make the flax eggs, stir 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal into a bowl with 6 tablespoons of lukewarm water. Use as an egg replacer.
• Vegan – Use both options above to make the vegan Liege waffles.

Storage Instructions

This Liege waffle recipe can be stored in an airtight box in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. You can freeze waffles in Ziploc bags. Make sure you stack them with a piece of parchment paper between each, or they stick to each other.

Thaw them the day before at room temperature. You can rewarm waffles in a warm waffle maker, bread toaster, or air fryer at 120°C for 3 to 4 minutes or in the oven. Never rewarm waffles in the microwave, or they get soft and gummy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are my answers to your most frequent questions about this recipe.

More Waffle Recipes

If you like waffles, you’ll love these other versions: