The Best Overnight Yeast Waffles Recipe

So many things give me joy in life, and overnight anything is one of them. If I can prep something the day before and easily (breezily) wake up in the morning to something delicious. I’m in. 100%. Which is exactly what happens with these Crispy Overnight Yeast Waffles.

We whisk together the ingredients the night before (flour, yeast, milk, butter and sugar) and let the mixture mingle overnight. When you wake up in the morning, you whisk together three eggs with some leavening and voile, you’ve made yourself the easiest, fluffiest, crispiest batch of waffles in the same amount of time that it takes you to open a bottle of champagne and make your way through one glass.

In the wise words of Ina Garten: how easy is that?

I really like the taste of my Crispy Buttermilk Waffles (we love this recipe if you can’t be bothered with yeast) and so I wanted these to have a similar vibe, but prepped the night before.

I’ve been futzing with this recipe for months and I’m so happy these Overnight Waffles are finally ready for you!!

The Baker’s Guide to Measuring Flour

One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes in baking is how we measure flour. If you find yourself without a scale, see my top tips on how to properly measure flour for the perfect amount every time!

Overnight Yeast Waffles Tips

• FLOUR. I use a combination of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour for these. This latter flour offers wonderful flavor. I use white whole wheat flour often in recipes (think cookies), so I hope you’ll pick some up. I use King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat which has 15% protein…if you’re going to swap in another flour, try to keep it around that protein level.
• YEAST. I tested this recipe with both store bought yeast and my sourdough starter. I give you the quantities for both below. If using store bought yeast, grab active dry yeast. If using your sourdough starter, make sure it’s active and ready to go. My favorite way to check this is by dropping a small bit into a glass of water. If it floats, it’s ready to go!
• TEMPERATURE. When you melt your butter and milk together, make sure that the temperature of the mixture isn’t screaming hot when you put the yeast in. The ideal temperature for yeast is around 100F to 115F (37C to 46C). If you don’t have a thermometer, stick your finger in it. If it burns or feels hot, let it cool off a bit before adding the yeast. You want it to feel just warmer than your body temperature. One other temperature note…if the ambient temperature in your home is over 70F (21C) then keep the waffle batter on the counter for just several hours and then cover and place in the fridge overnight.
• WAFFLE MAKER. My waffle maker isn’t on the market anymore, but this one looks pretty comparable. The double-sided, two-waffles-at-once schtick is a game changer.
• WEIGHT. I’m adding weight measurements in here so all of my overseas, out-of-the-US followers will have an easier go at it. I’m going to do this from now on with my recipes, feel free to use either measurement method.
• GRANOLA. If feeling frisky, add 1 cup of granola to the waffle batter (omitting any nuts or big, hard chunks). Weird, but SOOOOO GOOD.
• TIMING. You start this recipe the night before, so just make a mental note of that. If you want immediate satisfaction, head over to this waffle recipe.

Let’s make some fabulous overnight waffles, shall we?

More Breakfast Treats

I love breakfast more than anything! I also have Crispy Buttermilk Waffles, Granola Waffles, my Favorite Blueberry Muffins, Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Homemade Sourdough Bagels (you can read about how to make a sourdough starter here), this Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake and Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. 

Enjoy your overnight yeasted waffles!!

The Best Overnight Yeast Waffles Recipe

The most delicious overnight yeast waffles are the easiest, fluffiest, crispiest batch of waffles you'll ever make. Just a short 10 minutes to mix together the ingredients and then let the batter sit on the counter overnight. In the morning, as your waffle iron heats up, whisk together the eggs and leavening (baking powder and baking soda) and your waffle batter is ready! These will quickly become your new favorite waffles! These can be made with store-bought yeast or your sourdough starter. Enjoy! xx

4.80 from 5 reviews

Print SaveSaved! Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes minutes

Overnight Rest: 8 hours hours

Course: Breakfast Brunch

Cuisine: Waffles

Keyword: Waffles, Overnight, Breakfast, Brunch, Yeast

Servings: 8 waffles

Author: Rebecca Firth

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 g) milk (use 2% or higher fat)
• 6 ounces (12 tablespoons/1 1/2 sticks/168 g) unsalted butter, (cut into 12 pieces)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet/7 g) active dry yeast (or (120g) active sourdough starter)
• 3 tablespoons (36 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup (170 g) all-purpose flour (how to measure flour)
• 3/4 cup (90 g) white whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 large eggs (room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• To Serve: Real maple syrup, blueberries and all of the toppings that give you joy

Instructions

The Night Before

• In a large microwave-safe bowl add the milk and butter and run the microwave on high until the butter is melted. This takes a little over a minute in my microwave. You could also do this in a medium saucepan over medium heat on the stove. Stick your finger in the liquid, if it feels hot, hold off adding the yeast until it gets closer to body temperature. If it feels cozy and warm, the yeast will likewise find it cozy and warm. Once the temperature feels right, add in the yeast or starter and let it sit for five minutes or so. The yeast should get a bit frothy.
• When this happens, add in your sugar, vanilla, all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour and sea salt and use a whisk to fully incorporate the dry ingredients into the liquid. This is completely contrary to the way you mix traditional waffles (they're best when the batter is a bit lumpy). Ignore the instinct to leave it lumpy, and blend completely. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter overnight.

In the Morning

• Turn on your waffle iron to get it nice and hot to yield the crispiest waffles. On my maker, that means the temperature is set to 4 1/2. If your waffle iron isn't nonstick, brush the top and bottom with melted butter.
• In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, baking powder and baking soda and then fold into the waffle batter until blended. Pour the batter* into your waffle iron (my waffle maker takes about 1/2 cup) and set the timer on 4 minutes…your waffle maker may cook faster or slower. Use that number as a ballpark depending on whether your waffle iron runs hot or cool.
• If you’re serving a crowd, you can double the recipe and have the oven on a low 200°F/93°C. Set a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Set the finished overnight waffles on the cooling rack in the oven as they come out of the waffle iron. Ideally, you serve the overnight waffles as soon as they come out of the waffle iron. They’re best that way.
• We like to sprinkle with powdered sugar. It looks pretty. Always 100% pure maple syrup in our house. Sometimes we sprinkle with fruit so it’s transformed into a pious breakfast fit for Gwyneth.

Notes

*How much batter you put into your waffle maker depends on the size of said waffle maker. Additionally, how many waffles you make depends on the size of your waffle maker as well.

Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo