Liege Belgian Waffles are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Not only is this the perfect breakfast, it also serves as an awesome dessert!
Liege waffles will change the way you think of waffles forever. The yeast dough takes them to another level. They have a beautiful, light and fluffy appearance that’s perfect for hosting a fancy weekend brunch.
These waffles can pass for breakfast or dessert. Serve them with jam, syrup, butter, Nutella or sweetened condensed milk — or all of the above, no one is judging!
How To Make Liege Belgian Waffles
What’s a Liege Waffle?
Liege waffles (or pearl sugar waffles) hail straight from Belgium. But don’t confuse them with “Belgian waffles”! The difference between Belgian waffles is that they are made with yeast-leavened batter, making them crispier and lighter. Typically, they are rectangular and have defined edges.
Liege waffles, on the other hand, are made with a thicker batter that is reminiscent of bread dough. Pearl sugar is then mixed into the dough and carmelizes beautifully as the waffle cooks. Appearance-wise, Liege waffles look more rustic, with open edges and a messier look. In my opinion, they are much more delicious than traditional Belgian waffles!
Tips for the best Liege Waffles
Follow these tips to nail liege waffles every time:
- Make sure your milk is the right temperature. Milk should be warm at 110 ℉ to activate the yeast and make your waffles super fluffy.
- Be patient with rising time. Fluffiness is the signature quality of these waffles. Don’t skimp on the rising time!
- No need to spray. Typically, I spray the waffle maker between each waffle. But, Liege waffles are special because the dough already has a ton of butter — don’t bother greasing!
- Use a flat beater. A flat beater attachment makes kneading that much easier.
- Using pearl sugar. This might be the first time you use this ingredient. It’s the most authentic approach to making liege waffles, as it helps create that crunchy and caramelized texture.
- Hot Tip: Pearl sugar pieces add a nice touch to the dough, but don’t stress out if you can’t find a bag in the store. The waffles come out just as amazing without the sugar pieces!
Freezing Waffles
If you’re going to make a big batch of waffles and freeze some for a rainy day, you’re on the right track. Allow the waffles to completely cool to room temperature and then place them in a sealed airtight container or Ziploc. You can easily reheat them either in a microwave or a toaster.
Tools to Make the Waffles
I wanted to highlight a few of our favorite tools that come in handy to make this recipe. Check them out:
- KitchenAid Mixer – I have been using this mixer for over 10 years and it’s still going strong. It’s a bit of an investment, but if you are an avid baker, it’s so useful!
- Waffle Maker – This waffle maker is so LOYAL. We have been using it forever and I couldn’t imagine using another.
- Scoop – Use an ice cream scoop to ensure that you are using about the same dough for each waffle. It makes the process so much easier!
Other Waffles you Will Love
Okay, Brunch Master, here are all the waffle recipes you could EVER need:
- Buttermilk Waffles – This classic recipe makes the most fluffy and lightly crunchy waffles. Oh, and it has deep holes to hold that extra drizzle of syrup.
- Quick Buttermilk Waffles – When you’re in a pinch, this recipe will save the day.
- Chocolate Waffles Recipe – Oh yes, you read it right — chocolate waffles.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 cup flour
- 6 eggs
- 2 cup melted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine yeast, lukewarm milk and two table spoons of sugar into a bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until bubbles appear.
- Combine the flour, reminder of sugar and salt in a separate bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the bubbly yeast mixture into the well and mix until combined. Into the mixture, add eggs, one at a time.
- Add melted butter and vanilla extract to the dough. The dough will turn out sticky. Let the dough sit for about an hour in a warm place or until it doubles in volume.
- Heat the waffle iron to a medium. Place a spoonful of the dough in the middle of a waffle iron and flatten it slightly.
- Cook waffles until they turn golden brown.
Wow, I've made many different waffle recipes trying to find the best one and never found it until now. This is so amazing and it's pretty rich so one was good enough. I did the exact recipe in Metric since it's way more accurate. I mixed everything by hand. When I added the butter, it was shocking that all that butter actually incorporated with the dough. After the rest, the yeast went to work and strengthened the gluten. I wouldn't change a thing to this recipe. I would add maybe some pecans (maybe crushed candied pecans) or something to that nature. So good, thanks!
Hi Josh, I am thrilled that you found a recipe that you love so much! The added nuts would be so tasty! I will have to give that a try. Thank you for sharing your feedback. Enjoy!!
I added Heath English Toffee to it and topped it with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and a homemade strawberry syrup with strawberry chunks. So good. It tasted like something you'd get at a fare or amusement park. Thanks for this.
Hi Josh, wow, that sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing your process and feedback. Enjoy!!
Question about the cinnamon, how much do you ad? You stated in one comment that you ad cinnamon in step one. Sorry I must have missed it but cant find it..
Also, how do you store the rest in the fridge.
Hey Jahnin, we have removed cinnamon from the recipe. If you wanted to add some, you can add about 1tsp. Hope this helps!
These waffles are very bready and heavy, it is a bread recipe, I would prefer to use this recipe for waffle sandwiches rather than for breakfast.
Hi Donna,
Liege waffles are made with a thicker batter that is reminiscent of bread dough, so that could be the reason you found them more "bready".
Really yummy 😍 just im not sure its really 480 g . Butter? 🙂
Hey, yes, the amount of butter is accurate. Enjoy
This recipe is confusing. If it’s called a liege waffle isn’t it supposed to have pearl sugar? I started to make factoring that in but there are no measurements or directions for the pearl sugar. In the comments it mentions to fold into dough and let rise again and another says to use when it goes into the waffle iron. In either comment though there are no measurements for it.
Hey Summer, I think our video for this recipe would be useful for you. But, you can add pearl sugar after it rises and let it rise again. Amount would depend on your preference. Enjoy
Would these work for chicken and waffles?
Hey Jade, for sure. They do have more of a chewy texture but they are incredibly delicious.
I was wondering what kind of flour you used. You mentioned it being like bread dough, which makes me think bread flour, but you also mention the incredible fluffiness, which makes me think cake flour. Then there's good ol all purpose in the middle. Suggestions?
Hey Patrick, all-purpose flour works great in this recipe. Its very forgiving, so you really cant go wrong.
Thank you for such a delicious and easy recipe! The waffles were such a hit at the party!!
Julie, thank you for sharing. I am so happy to hear this!
So I made those waffles on the next day you posted the recipe. Those waffles are so fulfilling, definitely no more than three waffles you can eat. Waffles were ok. However, since we could not finished those waffles in the same day, I ended up freezing more than half of waffles. So yesterday and today in the morning I reheated those waffles, oh words can not describe how delicious they are. They are so delicious and ending up being crispy if you de-froze them in toaster. Thank you for the recipe.
Hey Kate, I am so happy to hear this feedback. I am so happy to hear that you loved them. I am in the same situation with you, I love toasting them straight of the freezer! They are the best!
When and how do you add the pearl sugar?
After the dough and let it rise again.
So tasty. This is our new favorite waffle recipe!
Aimee, thank you so much for sharing! I am so happy!
Definitely took your advice and made these tonight's dessert. My youngest added a scoop of ice cream, drizzle of chocolate sauce and loads of whipped cream. It was safe to say, this was a SUCCESS!
Oh, that sounds heavenly! Ice Cream is the perfect combo!
Yummy! I have had this style of waffles at a waffle restaurant. So so good. Who knew it would be this easy to replicate at home?
Hey Lisalia, yes, they are so amazing and so easy!
Do you use 2 cups or 2 sticks of butter? Two cups is a lot of butter.
You would use 2 cups of butter. This is a large portion, 5 cups of flour. The butter makes all the flakes in the waffles.
How many waffles does this recipe make?
This makes about 20 of them but this would depend on the size of your waffle maker.
Hi Natalya so what kind of sugar do you use?
Inside dough granulated sugar but you can also add pearl sugar while you are making waffles in the iron.
Natalya,
I lived in Belgium and fell.in love with these waffles while there. So much so that I shipped some back to the US until i earned now to make them.
Here's a quick pearl sugar hack for you that works well. I take one cup of sugar and add it to a small saute pan. I drizzle a out 1 tbs of water in the sugar and mix it well. You may need to add a wee bit more water. Turn the heat on the lowest setting on the stovetop and just let the sugar dry out. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes on my stove. One it hardens, your ready. Just get a spoon and tap the hardened sugar and you have just made your pearl sugar substitute. It works wonderfully!
Hi Marty - Thank you for this tip! I'll have to try this ASAP. So glad you are enjoying the recipe. Happy New Year (I hope it's full of a ton of waffles!).
Hi Natalya! I saw this recipe and wanted to give it a try. At what point do you add pearl sugar? Its not listed in the ingredients list but in the comments section. I just want to make sure I am not missing anything. Thx
Its option to add pearl sugar to the dough while you are making it on waffle iron. I stopped adding pearl sugar. I should add more details to the recipe
With this new recipe my dough doesnt double in volume second time trying already. Cant figure out what im doing wrong.
There could be a lot of factors. is yeast fresh? Maybe the liquids are too hot and make yeast inactive or cold. As long as the steps are followed, it should work. Did you like the taste in the end?
Oh maybe my milk was cold...it was last minute idea to make waffles and i didn't warm up the milk. Definitely have to plan ahead next time. It tasted the same but sadly got less waffles out of it ?
Yeah when milk is cold it doesn't activate the yeast. Hope they turn out perfect next time.
I used 1 cup of melted butter, for sugar used brown sugar and didn't use pear sugar, nor added more sugar. Came out perfectly! Not too sweet, so I still could eat it with syrup or jam 🙂
That sounds delicious, I bet that brown sugar makes them really good.
What do you do with the cinnamon?
Hey Jillian, I added cinnamon to the instructions in step one. Great catch 😉 Thanks
I am a little bit confused, your recipe calls for 2 tablespoons and I have seen similar recipes that call only for 1. When I made these waffles, the yeast smell was so strong I didn't want to continue cooking and the taste was very prominent throughout the waffles as well. Has anyone else experienced this or might I have done something wrong?
I had the same thing happen, my waffles had strong taste of yest,
Gave this recipe another try today, had yeast, milk and sugar develop for about 20 minutes before adding to the flour mix and waffles turned out to be delicious. The only thing i would want to try next time is adding less butter as dough was very oily. 🙂
I will test the recipe again and see how they turn out. I have made them a few times and they were great.
I haven't heard this from anyone else. So far this is the way we have been making waffles. Maybe it's the yeast you used a bit more powerful.
where do you buy the pearl sugar?
I used sugar cubes and crushed them into pearl size peaces. I know you can find pearl sugar on amazon.
This looks heavenly! Im so looking forward to trying them. 😀 Thank you for the recipe! Can the dogh sit in the refrigerater over night so its ready to go without prep in the morning or no?
I havent tried letting dough sit overnight. But I think it would work, just dont add pearl sugar until right before cooking them.
You can make it night before and after rising place it in the fridge, it needs to get to room temperature before using it in the morning
Dasha, thank you so much. Thanks for amazing recipe
Okay, thanks!
What if I decide using regular sugar. How much cups would I need?
You can't use regular sugar instead of pearl, pearl sugar is what makes this liége waffles, without it it's not liege waffles.
I haven't tried using regular sugar, pearl size chunks of sugar add waffles nice crunch. If you dont want the sugar crunch, you dont have to add additional sugar. You can also add coconut flakes instead.