The Best Electric Belgian Waffle Makers

The Flipside made well-browned waffles that were almost an inch and a half high. On the downside, if we wanted to make adjustments, doneness could only be varied by increasing or decreasing the duration of the cooking time using a built-in timer that must be reset before every waffle. But the timer itself proved quite useful, giving you an audible alert not only when the waffle was done, but also a minute before—a smart feature that helps ensure that you’ll never overcook your waffle. One small safety issue: Like several of the other machines, the Flipside tended to collect condensation in its handle, dripping hot water when flipped.

On the whole, this iron did a good job of browning waffles, though hot spots were visible, and the bottom side of each waffle tended to be lighter and slightly less evenly colored than the top. It was also one of the speediest irons to produce acceptable waffles, making each waffle in just over 3 minutes at the recommended setting. A removable drip tray caught stray drips of batter, making cleanup quick and easy. But the machine lacked an audible alert; as with many of the cheaper models, it was necessary to keep an eye on the indicator light to know when a waffle was done.

This model is from the Crux collaboration with the Bronx-based chef collective Ghetto Gastro. We were intrigued by its striking black and red design. It cooked two 1-inch waffles in under 5 minutes on the medium heat setting. We also liked that it came with a drip tray and measuring cup but were disappointed by its performance. Unfortunately, this iron didn't make very good waffles—they were often unevenly browned and spongy. We liked that it had a six-point browning dial, but while increasing the browning to the highest setting helped crisp the waffles, they still came out splotchy. 

With a simple, solid build and an audible alert system, this waffle maker felt like a premium machine. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite perform like one. Measuring 8 inches across—the widest in our testing—each waffle took more than 6 minutes to cook, and they were often unevenly browned. Because of their size, the waffles were also harder to remove from the iron intact; their extra weight caused them to break along quadrant lines. In addition, an outward-extending metal bracket on one end of the waffle maker got incredibly hot during cooking, causing accidental burns and making it impossible to move the iron without protection.

Even on the middle setting on the waffle maker’s four-point doneness dial, this waffle maker ran hot, maintaining an average interior temperature of 463 degrees. Consequently, this iron had no trouble creating crispy waffles quickly but was prone to overbrowning, particularly toward the center of the waffle and at the bottom of the pockets. Not surprisingly, given its enormous heat output, this iron was the hottest on the outside, too, making it dangerous to touch. Still, the machine worked relatively well out of the box, and the removable drip tray contained most messes, making cleanup a cinch.

We had high hopes for this model from Cuisinart. It has a six-point dial system, audible and visual alerts, and the ability to make two waffles at once. This model even had a removable drip tray, a perk that didn’t come with our previous winner. Despite these winning traits, it fell short. The one-cup measuring tool that came in the box and was recommended by the manufacturer “for the best results” caused the waffle maker to overfill and prevented it from closing completely. Even when we reduced the amount of batter to ¾ cup, the waffles were slightly pale, undercooked, soggy, and splotchy. We could only achieve a crispier exterior when we turned the waffle maker up to its highest setting, but even then, the waffles were unevenly browned. 

Whatever benefits were conferred by Oster’s unique Duraceramic nonstick coating, they certainly weren’t cooking-related. Although this model made the tallest waffles and took a reasonable 4 minutes each to do so, the waffles themselves simply weren’t very good. Perhaps because the iron wasn’t able to maintain adequate heat throughout the cooking process, the texture of the waffles often suffered. When the iron actually managed to give a waffle a bit of a crispy shell, the wet, doughy crumb soon steamed it into a leathery skin. Browning was often patchy and uneven, especially on the sides of the waffles, which rarely seemed to get any color. 

Besides being the smallest and cheapest model we tested, this machine didn’t have a lot going for it. Its waffles were short, only ¾ inch. And the iron ran cool, requiring us to increase the doneness setting almost to the maximum in order to get the interior temperature up past 400 degrees. Because this stationary iron didn’t close securely, whatever heat did accumulate tended to leak out through the handle end. As a result, even at higher settings, this model made unevenly browned waffles. 

Like several of the other irons, this waffle maker needed to be turned up to nearly the maximum doneness setting in order to make decent-looking waffles. And even then, the iron produced a browning pattern that resembled a bull’s-eye, with a much darker center and a blond perimeter, particularly on the waffle bottoms. Worse, the waffles had a soft, limp texture that reminded one taster of chewing on a wet sponge. To top it off, after a single use the iron developed a serious tilt, refusing to sit level in the holster after flipping, which led to less-balanced batter distribution and overflow. It also had seams and crevices where the crumbs could get stuck and a drip tray that didn’t extend far enough beyond the waffle plates, allowing batter to run onto the base.

Despite its name, this cute, compact waffle maker essentially makes traditional, American-style waffles: square, short, and with shallow pockets. And unfortunately, it doesn’t make them particularly well, taking an average of 5½ minutes at the maximum doneness setting to produce erratically browned, cardboard-textured waffles. If you actually wanted slightly lighter waffles, you’re still out of luck: The dinky, imprecise slider-style thermostat made it hard to set the doneness at any but the most extreme ends of the spectrum.

Even with the power maxed out, the Kalorik yielded flabby, floppy, soggy waffles with irregular browning. And that’s when we didn’t let all the heat escape by opening the lid 10 times—the green pilot light cycled on and off during the cooking process, making it hard to know when the waffle was actually done. Finally, with its flimsy, extra-long plastic handle, this iron was awkward to operate and too tall to open under or near a cabinet. 

This waffle iron boasted a piercing audible alert and the most extensive set of customization options, with both a dial to modify doneness and a toggle switch that allowed users to choose between waffles with a “Crisp Exterior/Moist Interior” and waffles with “Uniform Texture.” Yet even with so many options, it was hard to find a combination of settings that produced a good waffle. At the doneness level recommended by the manufacturer, the crisp/moist setting made mottled, sodden waffles in less than 2 minutes. At the same doneness level and the uniform texture setting, the iron made brittle, overly browned waffles with the texture of water crackers in 4 to 6 minutes. Even if we had managed to find the perfect settings, the waffles were far too short to resemble our ideal Belgian waffle, measuring only ½ inch tall.

With no adjustable settings or flip mechanism, this waffle iron was appealing at first glance for its simplicity: Just insert your batter, put the lid down, and cook until steam ceases to billow out. But flaws mounted up fast. The waffles were short, less than an inch tall. And there was no definitive indicator of waffle doneness—no visual cue or audible alert. What’s more, it took upwards of 6 minutes to produce each patchy, unevenly browned waffle. While the white plastic casing generally stayed cooler than many of the other irons we tested, it collected a fair amount of condensation under its stubby handle, creating a small puddle under the machine.

Like our top-performing waffle maker, this model makes two waffles simultaneously. The problem is, the machine doesn’t save you much time. On average, each waffle needed 6½ minutes to cook through­. And while you could produce two waffles in that period, both turned out dry and cottony due to the longer cooking time. The flaws didn’t end there. With no adjustable heat settings, a condensation venting problem, an awkward rotary mechanism, and lots of open seams and cracks for batter and crumbs to fall into, this machine just didn’t rate.

We liked that this inexpensive model wasn't a hassle to clean. It was relatively lightweight and came with a drip tray, but the machine overall looked and felt cheaply made. Although the manufacturer of this machine promised “restaurant-quality” waffles, the results were severely underwhelming. Waffles from this machine were consistently pale, spongy, and undercooked. Even though the waffles met the 1-inch requirement when they were fresh out of the machine, they were so soggy that they quickly shrunk in size. And although this model has nine heat settings, turning up the dial made little to no difference in the quality of the waffles. 

This brightly colored waffle maker looked fun and easy to use because of its straightforward design, which included a bright indicator light that let us know when the machine was preheated. It cooked waffles in under three minutes, but the results were an underdone mess. This model didn't have any brownness settings; the only way to customize a waffle's doneness was to leave it in the machine for longer or shorter times. But no matter how long we kept the waffles cooking, they still turned out undercooked and inedible. Because they were so soggy, the waffles couldn’t maintain the height we expect of a standard Belgian waffle. 

Featuring a six-point dial for customizing waffle doneness, this waffle maker quickly and consistently turned out two perfect waffles at a time, each with a crisp, evenly browned exterior and custardy interior. With indicator lights on both sides of the waffle maker and a loud audible alert, it was easy to tell when each waffle was done. Weighing nearly 10 pounds and measuring over 20 inches tall with the lid up, this model was by far the biggest and heaviest of those tested—but that extra bulk ensured stability and durability. Two minor flaws: the lack of a removable drip tray and the shortness of the handle, on which hot condensation tended to accumulate.