Gingerbread Waffles With Cardamom-Vanilla Butter

Waffles have never tasted so festive! Full of warm holiday spice, these gingerbread waffles with cardamom-vanilla butter are the perfect Christmas morning breakfast.

If there’s one occasion that calls for waffles, it’s Christmas morning. But we’re talking Christmas here, so not any waffles will do. No, for the most fun and festive Christmas breakfast, we have to go with a big stack of gingerbread waffles with cardamom-vanilla butter and plenty of warm maple syrup for good measure.

Look, I’m not hating on other waffles. I love classic waffles, but we can have those any time of year. While it’s still the holidays, I insist on taking full advantage of the season and eating as much gingerbread-flavored treats as possible. Who’s with me? 🙋‍♀️

Ingredients

So what makes these waffles gingerbread flavored as opposed to your classic buttermilk waffle? Good question. Obviously, ginger is a major player here, but we also include additional warm holiday spices: cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

For the nutmeg, I highly recommend grating it fresh. The flavor is much richer, and you’ll use it all the time around the holidays, like in Buddy the Elf’s favorite eggnog. Trust me — it’s well worth the few extra seconds it takes to run a whole nutmeg across a microplane grater.

On top of our spices, we also use molasses, which is a classic gingerbread flavor, along with dark brown sugar. I’m a proponent of dark brown sugar over light brown sugar, but that’s even more true with these waffles. Dark brown sugar comes with a more prominent molasses profile that’s needed for our gingerbread flavor.

In a pinch, could you use light brown sugar? Sure, your waffles will still turn out, but for best results, go with dark brown sugar.

How to Make

Let’s get into it. As you would expect, you will need a waffle maker for this recipe. I have a Cuisinart square waffle maker, and it works beautifully. The nonstick surface works like a charm, and it has a wide range of heat levels, so you can make your waffles as soft or crispy as you’d like.

To start, we stir together flour, dark brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, we mix buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla, egg yolks, molasses and orange zest and add the dry ingredients. I love how orange pairs with ginger, and that touch of zest makes these waffles extra special.

Now we just have one more step before we’re ready to put the batter on the waffle iron: beat egg whites until they’re stiff and fold into the mixture. Whipped egg whites give the waffles a fluffy texture. If you have a stand mixer, I recommend whipping the egg whites while you prepare the other ingredients for a speedier process.

From here, we pour the batter into our waffle iron, and within minutes, we have perfectly spiced, delicious gingerbread waffles. Is there a more festive Christmas breakfast? I don’t think so.

Can You Make Waffles the Night Before Serving?

With the whipped egg whites and leavening, I don’t recommend making our waffle batter the night before serving. That said, we can prepare some elements ahead of time, which still makes for easier entertaining.

For make-ahead waffles, we mix together the dry ingredients and store in one container and do the same with the wet ingredients in another container. When we’re ready for gingerbread waffles the next morning, we beat our egg whites and then proceed as normal.

Perfect Pairing

For the most jolly holiday breakfast, you’ll love these waffles with my cranberry-spice Christmas mimosas. The tart cranberry works beautifully with the fresh orange zest and brightens up our rich, warm spices.

I hope you make your Christmas morning extra festive and try these gingerbread waffles. Please let me know how you enjoyed this recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Cheers!

Looking for More Holiday Inspiration?

• Maple-braised turkey legs and thighs
• Spiced-brandied cranberry sauce
• Cranberry-apple cider holiday sangria
• Pumpkin crullers with caramelized maple glaze

Gingerbread Waffles

---

★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

• Author: Amanda McGrory-Dixon
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 8 waffles 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Waffles have never tasted so festive! Full of warm holiday spice, these gingerbread waffles with cardamom-vanilla butter are the perfect Christmas morning breakfast.

---

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For Cardamom-Vanilla Butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

For Gingerbread Waffles
2 cups flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 orange, zested
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
Cooking spray

---

Instructions

1. For the cardamom-vanilla butter, mash together butter, cardamom and vanilla extract until well combined.
2. Stir together flour, dark brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make sure you stir it well enough to get rid of any lumps from the brown sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, orange zest, buttermilk, molasses, melted butter and vanilla extract.
4. Using a mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. If you have a stand mixer, you can take care of this step first and then prepare the other ingredients to make the process go a little quicker.
5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Fold in whipped egg whites.
6. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and cook according to the unit’s directions. Serve with cardamom butter and warm maple syrup. Enjoy!

---

Notes

• For full tips, please see blog post.
• Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Griddle
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 waffle
• Calories: 400
• Sugar: 27
• Sodium: 564
• Fat: 17
• Saturated Fat: 0
• Unsaturated Fat: 0
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 53
• Fiber: 0
• Protein: 10
• Cholesterol: 175

Keywords: waffles, gingerbread, gingerbread waffles