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

A stack of gingerbread waffles from the top down.

Why You Need to Make This Recipe

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 these easy 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?

A side view of a stack of gingerbread waffles.

Ingredients

Here's everything we need to make these holiday waffles.

Flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Dark brown sugar
Eggs
Molasses
Buttermilk
Spices
Fresh orange zest
Vanilla extract or paste

All the gingerbread waffle ingredients with black and white labels.

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.

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.

Step-by-Step Instructions

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.

The dry ingredients stirred together in a large metal mixing bowl.

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.

The wet ingredients mixed together in a large metal mixing bowl.

With our dry and wet ingredients prepared, we add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.

Adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in a large metal mixing bowl.

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.

A collage showing the process of folding in the egg whites into the batter.

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.

Spreading the batter onto a waffle iron before closing the lid to cook.

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 on Christmas morning.

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.

Expert Tips and FAQs

Before measuring the buttermilk, give it a good shake.
To grate the orange zest, I recommend using a microplane grater. It produces a finer texture with more intense flavor.
I also recommend using that microplane grater to freshly grate nutmeg. The flavor is much richer, and you'll use it all the time around the holidays, like in Buddy the Elf's favorite eggnog.
If you have a stand mixer, I recommend whipping the egg whites while you prepare the other ingredients for a speedier process.
When spreading the waffle batter on the iron, it should mostly cover each waffle square or circle, but it doesn't have to completely cover it. Once you put the lid down, it will spread the batter.

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. My gingerbread mule, cranberry-apple cider holiday sangria and Baileys eggnog are other delicious brunch options.

I hope you make your Christmas morning extra festive and try these easy gingerbread waffles.

Cheers!

Looking for More Holiday Inspiration?

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Google Web Story: Gingerbread Waffles Story

Gingerbread Waffles With Cardamom-Vanilla Butter