You'll Want to Make Red Velvet Waffles for the Cream Cheese Glaze Alone

The tangy cream cheese glaze perfectly complements the sweet waffles—drizzle it on top, or dunk the waffles in like donuts. Perry Santanachote/TNS

Whether you’re craving breakfast for dessert or dessert for breakfast, these impossibly fluffy red velvet waffles are sure to satisfy. The tangy cream cheese glaze perfectly complements the sweet waffles—drizzle it on top, or dunk the waffles in like donuts. Feel free to add other toppings as well, such as chocolate chips, berries, or walnuts.

Waffle Versus Pancake Batter

Waffle and pancake batters share mostly the same ingredients, but the ratios and resulting textures are different. Waffle batter has the following qualities:

• It’s thicker (think: scoopable versus pourable).
• It has more fat to achieve a soft, fluffy interior.
• It has more sugar to achieve that crisp, golden-brown exterior.

Food Coloring

Liquid food coloring is generally best for batters, but gel food coloring works, too—just use half the amount called for in the recipe since the color is more concentrated. Plant-based food dyes also work, but may impart more of a pinkish hue than red.

It’s OK if you don’t have food coloring—your waffles will still taste delicious.

Should You Let Waffle Batter Rest?

If you can wait, a 5- to 10-minute rest after you mix the batter will give you fluffier and more tender waffles. Why? Resting the batter gives the buttermilk time to hydrate and soften the flour while the baking powder aerates the batter for a proper rise once it hits the hot iron.

How Do I Keep My Waffles Crispy?

If you’re not planning on serving the waffles straight from the waffle iron, place them on a wire rack in a 200-degree-F oven to keep them warm and crispy.

Red Velvet Waffles

Makes about 4 cups waffle batter, enough for 4 (7 to 8-inch) deep-pocket round waffles