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Liege Waffles

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These Liege Waffles are thick, sweet yeast-based waffles filled with clumps of pearl sugar and delicious crispy edges.

Like the authentic Belgian Liege Waffles, they have a particular round shape that makes these waffles easy to grab and go.

Liege Waffles

As a French person, I have been baking waffles, French Crepes, and pancake recipes all my childhood. This version is the most classic and traditional waffle recipe.

What Are Liege Waffles?

Liege waffles are small rounded shaped waffles with a thick, dense texture filled with pieces of crushed sugar.

They are named after the city of Liège, in eastern Belgium, a European country famous for all their Waffle recipes, and for inventing French Fries.

The classic Liège waffle recipe is made from yeasted dough and are very sweet.

Liege Waffles

How To Make Liege Waffles

It’s easy to make Liege waffles at home with any waffle iron and a few classic ingredients. The tricky part is finding pearl sugar.

This is the secret ingredient of authentic Liege waffles. The batter incorporates tiny clumps of sugar that half-melt through baking and leave a sweet and crunchy texture in the dough.

Ingredients

All you need are:

  • All-Purpose Flour – I didn’t try all purpose gluten-free flour, but it should work if your blend has a 1:1 ratio. However, gluten-free flour won’t raise as much as wheat flour, so the waffles will stay dense.
  • Active Dry Yeast
  • Brown Sugar – Feel free to use white sugar if preferred. However, light brown sugar adds a lovely golden color to the waffles and delightful flavors.
  • Milk of Choice – Any milk works, including plant-based milk alternatives. You need warm milk for the recipe. Too hot, it cooks the eggs. Too cold, the batter makes lumps.
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Butter – Prefer butter without salt.

Preparing The Waffle Batter

In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, add the active dried yeast, sugar, and lukewarm milk. Use a wooden spoon to give it a quick stir.

Avoid metal utensils when manipulating yeast. Set aside for about 10 minutes until the yeast foams.

Place the whisk attachment on the stand mixer.

Then, add the egg, melted butter, and sugar to the bowl and beat for 30 to 45 seconds on medium speed until the eggs are just combined with the remaining ingredients.

Switch to the dough hook attachment, add 3 cups of flour, and start kneading the dough at medium speed.

When all the flour is incorporated, gradually add the remaining flour.

Knead for 2 minutes until the dough is soft, elastic, and a bit sticky.

Oil your hands to release the dough sticking on the dough hook into the bowl.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, then add a warm towel on top of the bowl.

Tip: Microwave a Towel

I like to microwave a clean kitchen towel for 30 seconds and then add it on top to keep the dough warm.

Set aside for 30 minutes in a warm place. You can prewarm the oven to 105°F (40°C) and pop the bowl inside.

Wait until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove the towel and plastic wrap and knead in the pearl sugar. You can add more pearl sugar than what I suggest in the recipe card if you like, but the waffles will be very sweet if you do.

How to make Liege Waffle Dough

Cooking Waffles

Preheat a waffle maker until its green light shows, meaning it’s ready to add the waffle dough.

Grease the waffle iron plates with oil spray or coconut oil.

Form a ball of dough of about 4oz (120g) and place it in the center of the rectangle waffle iron plate. Don’t spread it manually, the iron will do that for you!

Close the waffle iron and bake for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

How to bake Liege Waffles

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Serving

The authentic liege waffles are often served as an on-the-go waffle with a dust of powdered sugar or dipped in melted chocolate to form a shell on top.

When served on a plate, liege waffles can be the perfect dessert topped with:

  • Fresh Berries like blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries
  • Dark Chocolate Chips
  • Whipped Cream
  • Slices of Bananas
  • Nutella, chocolate sauce, or my Hazelnut Praline Paste
  • Maple Syrup or my Keto Maple Syrup
  • Ice Cream or Sorbet

Allergy Swaps

Below are some suggested substitutions if you are allergic to some of the ingredients listed on the recipe:

  • Gluten-Free – All-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour should work with a slightly different result. Gluten-free yeasted waffle dough won’t raise as much.
  • Pearl Sugar – If you can’t find pearl sugar, try crushing sugar cubes with a mortar and pillar to form small sugar lumps.
  • Dairy-Free – Dairy-free butter substitutes like margarine, vegan butter, melted coconut, or avocado oil work as well.
  • Egg-Free – You can replace the eggs with 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce, Greek yogurt, or 2 flax eggs. To make the flax eggs, stir 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal into a bowl with 6 tablespoons of lukewarm water. Use as an egg replacer.
  • Vegan – Use both options above to make the vegan Liege waffles.
Liege Waffles

Storage Instructions

This Liege waffle recipe can be stored in an airtight box in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days.

Freezing Waffles

You can freeze waffles in zip-lock bags. Make sure you stack them with a piece of parchment paper between each, or they stick to each other.

Thaw them the day before at room temperature.

Rewarming Waffles

You can rewarm waffles in a warm waffle maker, bread toaster, or air fryer at 120°C for 3 to 4 minutes or in the oven.

Never rewarm waffles in the microwave, or they get soft and gummy.

Liege Waffles

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are my answers to your most frequent questions about this recipe.

Why Didn’t My Dough Raise?

It can be for many reasons. First, if the yeast is not fresh, the sugar and yeast won’t work together to activate the dough.
Next, a poorly sealed mixing bowl or letting the dough rise on a cold surface prevents it from raising properly.
Finally, it could be that the dough didn’t get enough time to rise. Make sure the yeast is fresh, the bowl sealed, and placed in a dark and warm room.

Can I Skip Belgian Pearl Sugar?

The recipe work well without pearl sugar if you can’t find this ingredient.
You can also replace it with chocolate chips or crushed sugar cubes.

What’s The Difference Between Liege Waffles And Belgian Waffles?

Belgian waffles or Brussels Waffles are light, crispy, rectangle waffles made without yeast.
On the other hand, Liege waffles are small round waffles made from a yeasted dough filled with clumps of sugar.
They are heavy, packed, and dense, like brioche dough cooked on a waffle iron.
Their name might seem confusing because Liege is a city in Belgium and so technically, Liege waffles are Belgian.

Can You Freeze Liege Waffle Dough?

You can freeze the uncooked waffle dough in small portions.
Thaw them in the fridge the day before.
If the dough becomes a bit sticky, knead it with a bit of flour, then oil the dough ball and bake as you would bake fresh waffles.

Do I Need A Belgian Waffle Maker?

No, you can make this recipe in a classic American Waffle maker, but you might have to make them slightly smaller.

Did you try this liege waffles ? Share a comment or review below to let me know how it goes.

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Liege Waffles

Liege Waffles

These Liege Waffles are thick, sweet, yeast-based waffles filled with clumps of pearl sugar and delicious crispy edges. Like the authentic Belgian Liege Waffles, they have a distinctive round shape that makes these waffles easy to grab and go.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Yield: 10 Liege waffles (4oz/120g)
Serving Size: 1 waffle
4.77 from 13 votes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add active dried yeast, sugar, and lukewarm milk. I microwaved the milk for 20 seconds to make it lukewarm. Stir with a wooden or silicone spoon to just combine. Set aside 10 minutes until the yeast foams.
  • Clip the whisk attachment to the stand mixer, add the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk on medium speed for 30-40 seconds until everything is combined.
  • Switch to the dough hook attachment, add 3 cups of flour to the bowl and knead for 2 minutes on medium speed until the flour is fully incorporated.
  • Gradually add the remaining flour, until the dough is soft, elastic, and a bit sticky.
  • Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and add a warm, clean kitchen towel on top of the bowl. I microwave my towel for 30 seconds to warm it up.
  • Place the bowl in a dark and warm place. You can preheat the oven to 105°F (40°C) and pop the bowl inside the oven.
  • After 30 minutes, the dough should have double in size. If not, wait a bit longer.
  • Knead in the pearl sugar, shape 10 balls of waffle dough, and place them on a piece of parchment paper.
  • Warm the waffle maker and grease a plate with oil spray or avocado oil.
  • Place one waffle dough ball in the center of the rectangle plate, press, and cook for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
  • Repeat with the remaining waffle dough balls until there are no more left.
  • Serve with whipped cream and berries.

Storage

  • Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed box for up to 3-4 days.
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Nutrition1 waffle
Yield: 10 Liege waffles (4oz/120g)

Nutrition

Serving: 1 waffleCalories: 374.2 kcal (19%)Carbohydrates: 23.5 g (8%)Fiber: 4.5 g (19%)Net Carbs: 19 gProtein: 10.6 g (21%)Fat: 29 g (45%)Saturated Fat: 7.8 g (49%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.6 gMonounsaturated Fat: 3 gTrans Fat: 0.4 gCholesterol: 63.8 mg (21%)Sodium: 95.5 mg (4%)Potassium: 68.1 mg (2%)Sugar: 16 g (18%)Vitamin A: 367.3 IU (7%)Vitamin B12: 0.2 µg (3%)Vitamin C: 0.01 mgVitamin D: 0.4 µg (3%)Calcium: 108.1 mg (11%)Iron: 1.6 mg (9%)Magnesium: 5 mg (1%)Zinc: 0.4 mg (3%)
Carine Claudepierre

About The Author

Carine Claudepierre

Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook, and founder of Sweet As Honey.

I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.

I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet

Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!

All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.

Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.

I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!

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    2 Thoughts On Liege Waffles
  1. 5 stars
    These are fantastic. They rose well, cooked well and taste great! I put white chocolate drizzle on some, powdered sugar on others, some I left as is. All great.

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