The waffle maker is a great tool to own in your kitchen. Not only is it inexpensive, but it allows you to create restaurant-worthy dishes in the comfort of your own home.
But there’s no need to stop at your run-of-the-mill, maple-syrup drenched Belgian waffles — you can make much more than your standard flour waffle using just some nonstick cooking spray and your waffle iron.
Whether you want to make a protein-filled breakfast, a comforting dinner, or a no-bake dessert, your waffle maker can do it all. You can make creative food that is not only delicious, but that takes very little cook time. Next time you want to switch up your meals with a little waffling, try one of these nine creative uses for your waffle iron.
1. Hash Brown Waffles
Making hash browns is as easy as just throwing on some frozen tater tots. You can even get creative and add in some cheese, herbs, or spices for extra flavor.
2. Pizza Waffles
Instead of waiting for a pizza to bake in the oven, cook your favorite pizza ingredients into a waffle maker for a meal that will be ready within minutes. If you don’t want to make your pizza from scratch, you can also just stick in any leftover slices to reheat with a twist.
3. Waffle Omelette
Whip up a batch of eggs along with your favorite omelette ingredients, and just pour the mixture into your waffle iron just as you would the batter. This yields fluffy eggs that don’t require maintenance and can easily be served to guests.
4. Falafel Waffles
Fans of falafel will enjoy this lightened up version that doesn’t involve any frying or baking. Falafel waffles can also be topped with typical falafel sandwich ingredients for a healthy and filling lunch or dinner.
5. Polenta Waffles
Waffling your polenta is another tasty alternative to grilling or frying, and it makes a great option for those who are gluten free. This works best with precooked polenta rolls that can be cut into slices and placed into the iron.
6. Waffle Grilled Cheese
Making grilled cheese in a waffle iron not only makes a sandwich that is crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, but has an interesting texture that is sure to be more satisfying than a plain piece of bread.
7. Waffled Cookies
Cut down bake time on your favorite batch of cookies by preparing them in a waffle iron instead. Any recipe should work and will yield textured and tasty cookies sure to impress.
8. Sweet Potato Waffles
If you’re more of the all-natural type, you’ll be pleased to know that waffles can be made solely with sweet potatoes. Just spiralize the vegetable (or any other one of your favorites), and mix with an egg and any other desired flavors for a healthier version of the breakfast food.
9. Waffled Macaroni And Cheese
Macaroni and cheese is delicious on its own, but imagine a waffle made of the stuff that’s gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside. All you need is your leftover mac and cheese, an egg, and some flour and breadcrumbs for a fancy take on the comfort food.
