The 7 Best Waffle Makers for Weekend Brunch, Tested and Reviewed

Our Favorite

Your ideal waffle maker is one that fits your needs and makes waffles the way you like them – crispy, extra golden brown, or on the softer side. We chose the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker as our best overall pick because of its high score during our rigorous testing process. We loved its easy-to-use and clean nonstick plates, customizable settings, and vertical design for fuss-free storage.

Factors to Consider

Style

The two most common types of waffles are Belgian and American. If you prefer American-style waffles, which are thinner and crispier than their counterparts, you’ll want a classic waffle maker with shallow plates. For thick, fluffy Belgian-style waffles, look for models that are labeled “Belgian” or that have deeper plates.

Size

Consider not only the size of the appliance but also the size of the waffles. Waffle makers can be quite large, so you may want to invest in a compact, easy-to-store model if you don't have much space in your kitchen or on your counter. 

The size of your waffles, meanwhile, really depends on personal preference. A mini waffle maker, of course, cooks smaller waffles, which are great for breakfast sandwiches and desserts. Other waffle makers produce waffles as big as your plate. There are waffle makers that make one waffle, two waffles, and sometimes even four. If you're entertaining a large group of people for breakfast or are catering an event, you may want to consider how many waffles a maker gets out and how long this will take.

Settings

For the most part, waffle makers aren’t very different from one another besides the size, shape, and depth of the plates. However, some models have various browning settings for desired doneness, timers for the cooking time, and indicators for when the plate is hot, while others don’t have any sort of functions.

Cleanup

Waffle makers can be tricky to clean, especially if you overfill them with batter and it spills over. A waffle maker with nonstick plates is usually easier to clean (and even more so if you can remove the plates). If batter spills over, you should be able to simply wipe it clean. Some waffle makers have wrap-around moats to eliminate the spillage issue.

The Tests

We scoured the market and tapped our editors for recommendations to come up with a list of more than 17 waffle makers, which we evaluated side by side. We rated the results for cooking performance, design, size, ease of cleaning, and overall value. Using both yeasted and non-yeasted batter, we made three batches of each type with every waffle maker. We measured pre-heating speed, browning and overall doneness, and batter overflow, and we noted observations for use and cleanup throughout. After compiling our notes and data, we picked the very best in seven categories.

What Didn't Make the List

Strong Contenders

Cuisinart WAF-200 Belgian Waffle Maker ($110 at Amazon)

This waffle maker cleaned up like a dream and heated fairly quickly. Despite being fairly happy with this model, we found the batter did not distribute evenly without stirring or swirling around when pouring. It was also a bit bulky to store and the waffle quadrants split when removed from the heating plate.

Cuisinart Double Belgian Waffle Maker ($220 at Sur La Table)

This waffle iron prepares two authentic Belgian waffles with its rotating mechanism and adjustable browning control. The cooking plates are made with nonstick coating and there are readiness indicator lights and audio beeps. Although the waffle maker cleans up nicely, we found that it did not cook as evenly as we wanted with one side either being browner or paler than the other.

All-Clad Classic Round Waffle Maker ($150 at Williams Sonoma)

Glossy stainless steel gives the All-Clad Classic Round Waffle Maker a lavish look. Settings include seven adjustable levels of toasting, but we still found the waffle quite pale using the medium heat setting. Even with the highest level of browning, the edges of the waffles turned out pale.

NordicWare Original Stovetop Belgian Waffler ($65 at Nordic Ware)

You can use this Belgian waffle iron right on your stovetop. Simply preheat both sides on the stove and pour the batter in. Then, close the iron using its interlocking hinges and let it cook for about one minute before flipping over the iron for another couple of minutes, and voila! You have a waffle. It’s lightweight, but we noted difficulties with batter distribution and uneven browning between the yeasted and non-yeasted batter.

Results Still Simmering

Oster Belgian Waffle Maker ($30 at Amazon)

This Belgian Waffle Maker from Oster makes 8-inch round waffles with nonstick plates and a cool-touch handle for extra ease. We found that the recommended ¾ cup of batter worked much better with 1 cup. Its waffles, however, turned out much too thin for us to consider them the ideal Belgian style that the appliance touts. 

Chefman Anti-Overflow Waffle Maker ($30 at Amazon)

Chefman developed its Anti-Overflow Waffle Maker with a wrap-around channel to catch any batter that overflows. The settings are easy to use, but we thought it would have been nice to have audio indicators along with the lights, as the doneness of the waffles isn't very clear with the lights alone. The waffles also had uneven browning and coloring from side to side.

KRUPS 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker ($77 at Amazon)

This appliance prepares up to four Belgian-style waffles with removable die-cast plates. The unit features five browning levels with both audio and light indications for pre-heating and doneness. We found it slow to cook and slow to reheat between batches and the waffle's doneness wasn’t consistent on the same settings. 

Low Performers

Black+Decker 3-in-1 Grill Griddle Waffle Maker ($80 at Amazon)

At first glance, the multiple functions looked great. Unfortunately, we found that it would have been better to have one single function that worked excellently than multiple functions that gave average results. The price, moreover, does not seem justified considering its reversible plates are a hazard rather than a convenience.

Presto FlipSide Electric Waffle Maker ($62 at Amazon)

While the cooking plates are reversible, they're not very secure, and they popped out of place during testing. We found it difficult to secure them back into place, as the plate was already hot. We used 1 cup of batter for all tests, which produced waffles measuring 7.5 square inches.

Nostalgia MyMini Waffle Maker ($10 at Walmart)

The MyMini Waffle Maker from Nostalgia features a preheating light that goes off when ready, but the waffles turned out inconsistent between tests, with uneven browning. The maker did not respond well to making one waffle after the next, so it needed a longer reheat period.

Our Expertise

Lauren Musni is a Food & Wine contributor who holds a journalism degree from Rutgers University and a culinary arts degree from the Culinary Institute of America. For this article, she used our test results and personal experience working in restaurants to determine the best waffle makers on the market.