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Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle these Sourdough Gingerbread Waffles are quick to whip up and packed with holiday flavor. Made with sourdough discard, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger, give them that sweet, spiced flavor we all love this time of year.
This is my holiday take on these popular sourdough waffles. They are on repeat for breakfast all December long and are perfect when you’re craving something cozy and delicious.
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Why You’ll Love Gingerbread Waffles
- Texture: You’ll love how the outside texture of these waffles is crispy, while the inside is fluffy and soft.
- Kid Approved: This is a favorite for the whole family—and it’s extra fun to use a holiday-themed waffle maker! Kids also love my sourdough blender crepes and my roll-up sourdough pancakes for a special breakfast.
- Sweet Breakfast: These waffles are slightly sweet and delicious, drizzled with pure maple syrup and whipped cream. And if you love the sweet gingerbread flavor of these waffles, you’ll also love this sourdough gingerbread loaf.
- Quick and Easy: Sourdough Gingerbread Waffles are so fast and easy—just like my sourdough pancakes and sourdough pumpkin waffles.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – This recipe for sourdough waffles starts with sourdough discard. You can also substitute bubbly sourdough starter for the sourdough discard.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk makes these waffles tender and fluffy.
- Oil and Butter – I often use vegetable oil, but ANY neutral-flavored oil will work. I also use unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Molasses and Spices – Molasses and ground cinnamon, ginger and all-spice are what give these waffles their delicious gingerbread flavor.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch is a key ingredient to making these waffles crispy on the outside but light and fluffy inside – definitely a “secret ingredient” to this sourdough waffle recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Buttermilk: Equal parts of milk and sour cream can be substituted for buttermilk. Whisk together 65 grams sour cream and 65 grams milk. Replace for buttermilk.
- Butter/Oil: You can substitute the same weight of butter or oil for the butter and oil called for in this recipe. Don’t have butter? Use any neutral-flavored oil. Don’t have oil? Use butter!
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch makes these waffles extra crispy, but you can substitute flour for the cornstarch if needed.
- Flour: Substitute a freshly milled soft whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe if desired. Or substitute half whole wheat/half all-purpose.
How to Make Sourdough Waffles
Mix the Batter
This waffle batter comes together quickly! Before mixing up the batter, pre-heat your waffle iron so it is hot and ready to go.
Step 1: Whisk together the sourdough discard, milk, buttermilk and eggs in a medium-sized bowl until smooth. Add the melted butter, oil, brown sugar, molasses and vanilla extract and stir until completely smooth and combined.
Step 2: Whisk the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, all-spice/cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small separate bowl. Add dry flour mixture on top of the liquid ingredients and mix until just combined.
Cook Waffles
Step 3: Scoop about ⅓ – ½ cup of waffle batter onto hot iron.
Step 4: Bake according to the directions on your waffle iron. Some waffle irons may need a little cooking spray. Others are non-stick. Cook for 2-3 minutes per waffle.
Top & Enjoy
Step 5: Remove the waffle from the waffle iron and serve immediately.
Step 6: Top with freshly whipped cream, syrup and sugared cranberries if desired. Cooled waffles can be re-toasted in the toaster to bring back a little bit of the crispiness if needed.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover waffles can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or ziplock bag for a couple of hours. Freeze any uneaten waffles and use a toaster to heat them up when you are ready to enjoy them!
Amy’s Recipe Tip
In order to get a crispy outside and soft middle, use the cornstarch AND make sure that your waffle iron is pre-heated before pouring in waffle batter. Many waffle irons will indicate this by a light. If yours doesn’t have an indicator, let the iron pre-heat for a few minutes. This ensures a crispy exterior but soft middle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Mix up all the ingredients and stick the batter in the refrigerator overnight. This allows the discard to start fermenting the flour in the batter, giving more of the benefits of sourdough. Pull out of the fridge and make the next morning. Waffle batter can stay in the fridge for 24-48 hours.
I’ve owned a lot of waffle irons in my life. My kids favorite are the mini waffle irons that make a seasonal breakfast fun and this waffle iron that just seems to get the job done for a reasonable price.
Yes. These waffles are a little on the sweeter side, so you can reduce the amount of molasses and sugar in this recipe a little if you want.
More Sourdough Breakfast Recipes
If you tried these Sourdough Gingerbread Waffles or any other recipe on my website, leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Sourdough Gingerbread Waffles
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 230 grams sourdough discard , about 1 cup
- 160 grams milk , whole or 2%, about 2/3 cup
- 130 grams buttermilk , about 1/2 cup, see recipe note for substitutions
- 2 large eggs, about 100 grams
- 113 grams unsalted butter, melted, about 1/2 cup
- 40 grams vegetable oil, about 3 Tablespoons
- 30 grams brown sugar, about 2 Tablespoons
- 60 grams molasses, about 3 Tablespoons, see recipe notes
- 4 grams vanilla extract, about 1 teaspoon
- 150 grams all purpose flour , about 1 heaping cup, see recipe notes
- 40 grams cornstarch , about 1/4 cup
- 5 grams ground cinnamon, about 2 teaspoons
- 5 grams ground ginger, about 2 teaspoons
- ½ teaspoon all spice or cloves, about 1/2 teaspoon
- 4 grams baking powder, about 1 teaspoon
- 6 grams baking soda, about 1 teaspoon
- 6 grams salt, about 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- To a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, milk, buttermilk and eggs until smooth. Add the melted butter, oil, brown sugar, molasses and vanilla extract and whisk again until completely smooth.
- In a small separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, all-spice/cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add dry flour mixture on top of the liquid ingredients and mix until just combined.Note: At this point the waffle batter can be long-fermented in the refrigerator overnight or for 24-48 hours before baking.
- Pre-heat a waffle iron. Add about ⅓ – ½ cup of waffle batter onto hot iron. Bake according to the directions on your waffle iron. Ours usually take 2-3 minutes per waffle.Note: If your waffles tend to stick, you may need to spray non-stick cooking spray on your waffle iron. Because this batter has molasses and sugar in it, it is more prone to sticking if your waffle iron is not non-stick.
- Serve immediately with hot syrup, freshly whipped cream or even powdered sugar and berries! Eat immediately. Waffles can be re-toasted in the toaster to bring back a little bit of the crispiness if you want to freeze the extras for a later time. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These weee fabulous. For me they were just sweet enough that I didn’t need the added sugar of syrup without being overly sweet by themselves. The flavor was comforting like being in your grandmother’s house.
Thanks for the review!
Why cornstarch? Can you replace this ingredient with flour or something else?
Cornstarch is the key to getting a crispy exterior with a soft center to these waffles. If you don’t like a crispy waffle, then you can leave it out and increase the flour by a touch instead.
These were delicious!! Crispy outside, tender moist inside. The perfect amount of spice, sweet enough to balance the spices but not too sweet to limit what you would want to put on top. Printed and added to my recipe binder!! (That only happens to recipes that make the cut! 😉
I’m so glad you loved this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your review.