The $13 Waffle Maker I Think Everyone Should Own

Sunday morning waffles are great, but there’s something downright thrilling about a freshly made waffle on a Monday morning. In the past, at least in my house, waffles have been relegated to Big Project Weekends or complimentary hotel breakfasts, so I was beyond excited when I got to welcome the Dash Mini Waffle Maker into my kitchen. Something about its small size (a super-cute four inches!) makes waffles feel more approachable, more doable.

And approachable, doable waffles is exactly what this little machine delivers. After my first waffle run-through, I realized that this was something that I could do any day of the week, much to the pleasure of my two kids. It’s tiny, so it’s wildly easy to pull it out of a cabinet or even a drawer. It also makes waffles that are super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside — in a matter of minutes. Did I mention the waffles are also small and adorable? Since I got this machine, we’ve enjoyed dozens of waffle breakfasts. (Fun fact: We save any leftover waffles and heat them in the toaster oven the next day, and they’re just as crispy and light as the day before.)

Once I established a reliable waffle routine (I actually really like the simple recipe from the instruction manual!), I decided to experiment with other waffle-able things. You know, beyond batter. First up, I tried waffle-ing a bright-green, assertively spiced falafel mix. In the waffle maker’s steamy embrace, the falafel mix crisped up perfectly after about five minutes. I added some garlic whip and Israeli salad, and lunch was served. On New Year’s Day, I whipped up some Jiffy cornbread mix and poured that into the waffle maker for a cornbread waffle that was the perfect foil for my black-eyed peas and collard greens. Note to self: A cornbread waffle would be delicious with chili.

Get a recipe: Buttermilk Waffles

Then my kids realized that a waffle maker is basically a panini press with attitude, and they wanted in on the fun, so they put their grilled cheese sandwiches on it. The results were weird and wonderful — a waffled grilled cheese sandwich to dunk in a bowl of tomato soup, the winter comfort food we didn’t know we needed.

Next up, I plan to test its abilities with liege waffles (which are definitely Big Project Weekend material). Liege waffles have a yeasted dough with lots of raw sugar that caramelizes on the outside of the waffle, creating an extremely crunchy, sweet, dessert-like waffle, and I can only imagine how adorably delicious a four-inch version will be.

The Dash Mini Waffle Maker is as easy to use and clean as it is adorable, and it’s available in a variety of colors and patterns, including a trendy copper, millennial pink, and rainbow print. Dash also offers mini waffle makers that churn out various shapes — hearts, skulls, dreidels! — and at about $12.99 each, you might find yourself collecting them for all of your seasonal waffle creations. At least that’s something I’m planning for myself.