Southern Cornmeal Waffles

Change up your breakfast with Southern cornmeal waffles, heartier and spicier then your standard Belgian waffle. Which means these stand up better than most to more inventive toppings.

This was originally written back in 2016, and has been updated with a better photographs, improved recipe and tips and variations.

Do you like waffles? I’m yet to meet a person who doesn’t. Sure, if you grew up on Eggo waffles, your concept of what a proper waffle is might be a bit skewed. Making them at home can be really easy, and in our family, it is a Sunday morning treat. Years ago (in the time BC) I was looking for a way to take our normal waffles and change them up. Basic Belgian waffles are great, but I wanted to make something that was more savoury, could be used as a base for some of my breakfast sandwich ideas, and potentially a bit healthier.

So, after some messing about, I came up with these Southern cornmeal waffles. The inclusion of cornmeal makes for a heartier and a crispy waffle. Adding in some warming spices gives you a waffle that is different from any other type of waffle you’ve had.

Unlike a normal Belgian waffle, cornmeal waffles are more savoury than sweet. That and they demand accompaniments. With Belgian waffles, you could easily just cover them with butter and maple syrup. With cornmeal waffles, you need toppings that work with the spice and heft. This includes rich egg yolk, spiced sausage, or fresh herbs. In the past, I’ve loaded these with scrambled eggs and pico de gallo, fried eggs and chimichurri, and most recently I turned them into a sandwich with poached eggs and a sausage patty. Oh, they are good, even my spice aversion husband liked these crispy nooks. Check out the tips and variations for some topping ideas.

Ingredients

• All purpose flour
• Cornmeal
• Maple syrup or honey
• Eggs
• Butter
• Hot paprika
• Cumin
• Cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Separate your egg yolks. Here is a super simple way to do it (a YouTube video of using bottle to separate the egg yolks)
2. Mix all dry ingredients together, including spices. In a separate bowl, place all wet ingredients including egg yolks except for the egg whites.
3. Using a whisk, whip the egg whites until they are light and fluffy with peaks.
4. Add all the wet ingredients (except for egg whites) with the dry, and then slowly fold in the egg whites. This will help the waffles be a bit airier, especially when the cornmeal will make them heavier.
5. Finally, let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes while you heat up the waffle iron. When hot, lightly grease with butter or nonstick spray. Pour a bit of batter onto the iron, and cook until golden brown. Top with your toppings of choice, such as poached egg and sausages.

Equipment

• Waffle iron – one with deep holes (so, not really the heart-shaped one you might have bought in the 90s)
• Mixing bowl
• Ballon whisk

Tips and Variations

Huevos Ranchero waffles

Get all your ingredients for the Huevos Ranchero, but rather than a tortilla load them onto of one of these cornmeal waffles.

Argentina steak and egg waffles

Season and cook some sirloin steak, and slice. Place this and a fried egg on a southern cornmeal waffle and top with chimichurri.

Spanish waffles

Pan fry some Spanish chorizo with white onion and red pepper. Load onto a southern cornmeal waffle and a poached or fried egg.

Classic breakfast sandwich with a waffle

Don’t use an English muffin, or even French toast for a breakfast sandwich, use these waffles. Add a sausage patty and a poached egg, and voilà!

Can you freeze waffles?

Absolutely. Cook the waffle like normal, let cool and then wrap tightly in cellophane and freeze. When you are ready to use them, toast them in a toaster or warm in the oven.

Can you make waffles healthier?

Waffles by their nature aren’t exactly healthy, but there are some things you can do. Use maple syrup (like in this recipe) which has a lower GI than white sugar. Rather than using white flour, use wholewheat / wholemeal flour. Because this recipe already uses some cornmeal rather than only all purpose flour, it will have much higher amount of fibre.

You might like these other recipes

Switch up your regular breakfast with some of these ideas.

• Deceptively simple mock hollandaise sauce
• Blueberry Maple sauce
• Cheesy Easy Baked Eggs
• Three Cheese Tomato Galette (Grain-Free) from Crumb Top Baking

Pairings

Drinks

Classic breakfast options work here. Coffee or fresh Orange juice would work well!

Music

Check out the music page for some ideas, but the Wild Kitchen playlist is good for a fun breakfast.

Recipe

Southern Cornmeal Waffles

Matt

Southern Cornmeal Waffles, heartier and spicier than your standard Belgian waffle. Which means these stand up better than most to more inventive toppings. That and they need fresh accompaniments.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Servings 6 people

Calories 343 kcal

Equipment

• Waffle maker
• Mixing bowl
• Ballon whisk

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup ground cornmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs separated
• 1/4 cup honey or Maple Syrup
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Hot paprika

Instructions

 

• Separate the egg yolk from the egg white.
• Mix all dry ingredients together, including spices. In a separate bowl, place all wet ingredients including egg yolks except for the egg white.
• Using a whisk, whip the egg whites until they are light and fluffy with peaks.
• Add all the wet ingredients (except for egg whites) with the dry, and then slowly fold in the egg whites. This will help the waffles be a bit more airy, especially when the cornmeal will make them heavier.
• Finally, let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes while you heat up the waffle iron. When hot, lightly grease with butter or nonstick spray. Pour a bit of batter onto the iron, and cook until golden brown. Top with your toppings of choice, such as poached egg and sausages.

Keyword eggs, flour, sausages, Waffles