Learn to make this authentic Liege Belgian Waffle Recipe at home. They’re soft on the inside and perfectly crisp & caramelized on the outside.
- Liege Belgian waffles have a crispy exterior and a soft and fluffy interior.
- Pair these liege waffles with a light roast Ethiopian coffee for best coffee and food pairing practices.
- Grab my free ingredient/tools checklist & recipe card for this waffle recipe at the bottom of this post!
Not to be confused with the Brussels Belgian waffle, Liege waffles are a variety of Belgian waffles that boast of a soft and fluffy interior and a crispy and caramelized exterior. This caramelization is a result of a unique ingredient known as Belgian Pearl Sugar uniquely found in Liege waffles.
You can certainly categorize Liege waffles as Belgian waffles, but know that they differ slightly than the traditional ones you may be more familiar with called Brussels waffles. These are often larger, sport a rectangular shape, and are lighter in texture whereas Liege Belgian waffles are smaller, more round in shape, and they require Belgian Pearl Sugar.
I first tried Liege waffles on a trip to Cambridge at this small coffee bar called Curio Coffee & Wine (apparently, this cafe is award-winning for their waffles!).
This Liege Belgian Waffle Recipe is my attempt to recreate them since I live about 5 hours away from this coffee shop!
Here are a few pointers to help you make flawless Liege Belgian waffles at home.
Quick Links To Info In This Post
Belgian Pearl Sugar cannot be substituted for regular sugar in this Liege Belgian Waffle Recipe.
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In order for these waffles to turn out, you must use Belgian Pearl Sugar. When I went about recipe testing, I had no idea what that was. But soon discovered that it’s a type of sugar that consists of tiny-looking rocks. It’s different than any other sugar I’ve worked with in baking, and it’s an integral part of this recipe.
Please don’t try to substitute it with regular sugar because you won’t be able to achieve that caramelized exterior that Liege waffles are best known for.
You can likely find Belgian Pearl Sugar at a high-end grocery store, but you’ll definitely find it online. I ordered mine from Amazon, which you can grab here. This is the exact brand I used, and it worked beautifully for this Liege Belgian Waffle Recipe. You can find all of the ingredients & tools I used for this recipe by clicking here.
The Secret to Amazing Liege Waffles
Use a warm, damp towel to cover the bowl while the dough rises.
When you’re making this recipe, you’ll find that you’re working with more of a dough rather than a batter such as with traditional waffles. With that being said, you’ll need to let the dough rise in this recipe (two rises in total).
The first rise is the longest lasting about 30 to 40 minutes. I’ve found it’s best to cover the bowl with plastic wrap along with a medium-sized warm, damp towel. This damp towel is my new secret in working with dough. It adds another level of warmth that helps the dough to rise. I also put the bowl with the towel inside of my oven (unheated) while it rises to speed up the process. This just keeps it in a warmer location than on my countertops since I am currently using A/C.
If you don’t allow the dough to rise properly, you may not end up with that soft and fluffy interior, which is the goal for Liege waffles.
Preheat the waffle iron for about 10 minutes before making your first Liege waffle, and grease it well.
Though it’s ideal to use a Belgian waffle iron (has deeper grates than a normal waffle iron), you can totally use a regular waffle iron for this recipe. I actually didn’t have a waffle iron at all up until developing this recipe, and had to run over to Target real quick. They didn’t have a Belgian waffle iron, so I went with a classic waffle iron. It worked flawlessly.
Prior to making my first waffle, I plugged it in and let the iron heat up for about 10 minutes. I also thoroughly greased both sides of the iron to prevent the dough and Belgian Pearl Sugar from sticking. It’s really important to grease the iron, especially in between batches. Also, don’t forget to grease the iron thoroughly before making a new waffle or you’ll end up with a sticky waffle iron.
Start out with a low heat and adjust from there.
When you’re ready to make your first Liege waffle, use a low heat. With the Cuisinart Waffle Iron, I used the lowest setting (level 1). I let the waffle cook for about 5 minutes on the iron (you should use a timer), and I checked in on it at the 3-minute mark. This setting worked well to caramelize the outside while also still cooking the inside of the waffle.
You may have to experiment and taste your waffles as you go along to find the right setting that caramelizes the outside and still cooks the inside. Make sure not to overcook them either, or they’ll end up being too hard to eat.
Slice up strawberries, bananas, and raspberries to toss on the side or as a beautiful garnish.
As for adding extras to these Liege waffles, in all honestly they don’t need anything. They’re quite sweet, so they do just fine on their own. But if you’re looking for a garnish or want to incorporate some fruit into your breakfast, slice up some strawberries and bananas. You can also sprinkle on blueberries and raspberries if they’re in season. I also dusted on powdered sugar to make them look prettier.
Make your own whipped cream and/or add vanilla bean ice cream to make these Liege waffles into a decadent dessert that your friends won’t soon forget.
To make this Liege Belgian Waffle Recipe into more of a dessert, make your own whipped cream. You can do this by using a stand mixer and whisking together 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
Another delicious addition to Liege waffles is vanilla bean ice cream. This addition takes these waffles to a whole new level especially if you add the ice cream on top right after the waffles have finished cooking. The ice cream will melt right onto the waffles, providing you with a well-balanced creamy and crunchy dessert.
Steam these waffles for about 5 minutes to enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, or as an afternoon snack.
If you end up having leftovers (unlikely!), you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container or wrapped in foil for up to 5 days. To reheat them, I used my toaster oven to steam them for about 5 minutes to add in some moisture while still keeping the outside nice and crisp.
Coffee Pairing of the Week
Pair these Liege Belgian Waffles with a light roast Ethiopian coffee.
For my signature recommended coffee pairing, I suggest going for an Ethiopian light roast coffee. And enjoy it as pour over. That’s what I had when I ate these Liege waffles, and pour over coffee was the perfect pairing — just a black coffee bursting with flavor.
Since these waffles are already quite sugary, I found that a black coffee sufficed to cut the sweetness a little. Plus, the Ethiopian dry process roast I had was bursting with flavor on its own, so it was nice to enjoy the purity of its flavors in a plain black coffee.
Grab the stylish recipe card PDF that coincides with this authentic Liege waffle recipe.
To help you keep this recipe on file, we made a downloadable Liege-waffle-themed recipe card, so you can write down additional notes as you make these waffles at home.
Get the recipe card by signing up at the very bottom of the post!
View my Amazon shopping list for this recipe!
Essential Tools & Ingredients to Make Liege Belgian Waffles
– One Waffle Maker – You can also use a Belgian Waffle Iron if you prefer.
– Belgian Pearl Sugar
– Cooking Spray
– Ethiopian Coffee
– Raw Honey
– Light Brown Sugar
– All-Purpose Flour
– Active Dry Yeast
– Kosher Salt
– Pure Vanilla Extract
– Eggs
– Butter
– Half & Half
– Strawberries, Bananas, Raspberries, and Blueberries
– Recipe Card for Liege Belgian Waffles – My free checklist is available in my free resource library – get the password by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.
FAQ Section
Brussels waffles are often larger, sport a rectangular shape, and are lighter in texture than Liege waffles. Liege Belgian waffles are smaller, more round in shape, and they require Belgian Pearl Sugar.
A Liege waffle is type of waffle made with a dough instead of a batter. When prepared properly, Liege waffles are round, thick, and boast of a caramelized, crispy exterior with a soft and fluffy interior. Liege waffles are also almost exclusively made with Belgian Pearl Sugar
As the name suggests, Liege waffles hail from the city of Liege located in Belgium.
Though it’s ideal to use a Belgian waffle iron, you can totally use a regular waffle iron for this recipe. A Belgian waffle iron has deeper grates, which is partly what makes Belgian waffles different from regular waffles. However, if you don’t have a Belgian waffle maker – no problem. You will still be able to make beautiful and delicious Liege waffles (see photos!).
Though there are similarities between American waffles and Belgian waffles, the two differ in a couple of key areas. The recipe for both types of waffles is essentially the same except for the fact that Belgian waffles are typically leavened with yeast. In addition, Belgian waffles are cooked in a Belgian waffle iron that has deeper grates, which makes for a thicker and slightly fluffier waffle.
Liege waffles and Brussels waffles are the two types of Belgian waffles. See question #1 above.
Liege Belgian Waffle Recipe
In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk. Warm the milk to 110°F, and not any higher than that or the yeast won't work properly. Let it sit for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Add eggs, melted butter (make sure the butter is slightly cooled), honey, and brown sugar to the milk mixture. Whisk together. Next, add 3 cups of the flour, vanilla, and salt to the same bowl. Mix until the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 of flour to the bowl and mix for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Wrap a damp, warm towel around the entire bowl and let sit for 30 to 40 minutes (in a warm location if possible). It should look like the dough has nearly doubled in size. If it hasn't, let it rise for another 20 minutes.
Fold in the Belgian Pearl Sugar using your hands. Divide the dough into about 12 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place on a prepared cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cover the prepared sheet with plastic wrap and a warm, damp towel once again. Let rest for about 15 to 30 minutes (depending on how long you can wait - the longer, the better!).
Preheat the waffle maker for about 10 minutes. Thoroughly grease both sides of the waffle maker with cooking spray.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, place one of the dough balls into the middle of the waffle iron, close it, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. I recommend using a low temperature to start and you can increase it as progress to find the right setting that will perfectly caramelize the sugars. Your waffles should have a perfect golden caramel color.
Repeat this process until you've finished all 12 waffles, making sure to grease the waffle maker each time you start a new waffle. Serve immediately. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle sliced strawberries, bananas, and raspberries over the top.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk. Warm the milk to 110°F, and not any higher than that or the yeast won't work properly. Let it sit for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Add eggs, melted butter (make sure the butter is slightly cooled), honey, and brown sugar to the milk mixture. Whisk together. Next, add 3 cups of the flour, vanilla, and salt to the same bowl. Mix until the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 of flour to the bowl and mix for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Wrap a damp, warm towel around the entire bowl and let sit for 30 to 40 minutes (in a warm location if possible). It should look like the dough has nearly doubled in size. If it hasn't, let it rise for another 20 minutes.
Fold in the Belgian Pearl Sugar using your hands. Divide the dough into about 12 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place on a prepared cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cover the prepared sheet with plastic wrap and a warm, damp towel once again. Let rest for about 15 to 30 minutes (depending on how long you can wait - the longer, the better!).
Preheat the waffle maker for about 10 minutes. Thoroughly grease both sides of the waffle maker with cooking spray.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, place one of the dough balls into the middle of the waffle iron, close it, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. I recommend using a low temperature to start and you can increase it as progress to find the right setting that will perfectly caramelize the sugars. Your waffles should have a perfect golden caramel color.
Repeat this process until you've finished all 12 waffles, making sure to grease the waffle maker each time you start a new waffle. Serve immediately. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle sliced strawberries, bananas, and raspberries over the top.
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