The Best Waffle Makers

This pricey Belgian waffle maker produced consistently beautiful waffles every time. They were thick and evenly browned with a crisp exterior and moist interior. The machine was simple to use Just turn on the power button, select your darkness level, and add the batter. A beep tells you when your waffles are done (and a light switches off as well). This machine makes exceptionally large waffles; you get four square sections at a time, each measuring about five inches across. An outer moat collects excess batter to minimize drips and mess, even cooking it to minimize waste, although these bits were on the pale side.

The FlipSide made well-browned waffles that were almost an inch and a half high. And it was incredibly simple to use, with just one button that lets you determine how long you want your waffle to cook, setting off a built-in timer. (For the waffles we made, 4 minutes was the perfect amount of time, though your results may vary slightly.) The timer gives an audible alert not only when the waffle is 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.

This circular, classic waffle maker made waffles that were slightly thicker than those made by some of the other classic waffle irons, but they were still noticeably thinner than those made by our favorite Belgian waffle irons. The waffles were relatively evenly browned, but were a bit pale toward the edges. The control panel was very simple to use; twisting the darkness dial turns the machine on and a light signals whether the machine is on and/or ready. It also has an audible alert.

This expensive machine has plates for both classic and Belgian waffles. It made great thin, classic waffles. The Belgian waffles were also evenly cooked, but only ¾-inch tall, a bit too short for that style. However, if you want a more versatile machine, this might be a good option for you. The control panel was overly complicated, displaying options for type of waffle, darkness, and crunchiness. Between batches of waffles, the machine went to sleep and blacked out instead of staying at the ready, so we had to preheat it all over again, delaying our progress.

This no-frills machine was easy to set up and cook with, but it produced unevenly browned waffles. It was one of the lightest machines we tested and was a little unstable on the countertop. It lacked a locking mechanism, making it feel less secure to move around.

We focused on the waffle-making capabilities of this machine, which can also function as a grill and griddle. It ran much cooler than the other machines we tested, hovering around 370 degrees during use. This meant it took over 5 minutes to cook a waffle, lending the waffle a slightly dry, stale texture. It also lacked a locking latch, making it harder to transport securely.

This was the most expensive machine we tested. It had an overly complicated control panel with settings for six different types of waffles. It also had a dial for controlling the shade of the waffles. The medium setting made overly browned waffles, so we had to turn it to low to achieve the proper golden shade.

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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.

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. For a Belgian waffle iron, it made waffles that 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. 

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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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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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.

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.