I Tried as Many Frozen Waffles as I Could Possibly Find — These Are the Ones I’ll Be Buying Again
Waffles are simply wonderful any day of the year, but they seem to be extra enjoyable come winter. And although waffles are my thing, I admit that, as the daughter of parents who hail from the islands (Guyana and Barbados in the Caribbean), I am not a huge fan of cold weather. Anyone who knows me knows that I go into hibernation for the winter; brunch at a nice, local restaurant is officially tabled until spring.
Of course, nothing beats a freshly made waffle (whether it’s by a chef or with my own two hands), but a good frozen waffle can be perfectly delightful — especially one that offers flavors, like cinnamon and pumpkin, that remind me of my Caribbean roots as well as warm, comforting moments spent indoors with loved ones. So I set out to find the very best, at-home brunch-worthy frozen waffle I could find and held an official taste test.
How I Tested the Frozen Waffles
I hit up my local grocery store in Westchester, New York, to find the perfect frozen waffle and hosted a brunch with my son and his friend. I had a whole bunch of waffles, including organic ones, whole-grain ones, vegan ones, and gluten-free ones. Each waffle was heated in a toaster set to medium to achieve a browned and slightly crunchy consistency on the outside. Prior to tasting, the prepared waffles were drizzled with organic maple syrup and melted butter. We judged the waffles on two components: taste and texture.
Best Overall Frozen Waffle: Nature’s Path Homestyle Waffle
These waffles were well-balanced, and offered a little bit of everything. They’re gluten-free and had a nice texture, with a soft interior and a light, crispy exterior. Their slight sweetness made them stand out amongst the plainer varieties, without being as sugary as others. They’d be wonderful with butter and syrup or jam, although I’d be happy to eat these waffles straight from the toaster.
Buy: Nature’s Path Homestyle Waffle, $3.50 for 6 waffles on Instacart
Best Waffle with Mix-Ins: Kellogg’s Eggo Thick & Fluffy Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Waffles
This waffle holds up to its name’s claim of being fluffy, which came as a pleasant surprise compared to some of the other waffles we tasted. This was indeed the most flavorful of them all and offered a prominently pleasing taste of cinnamon, with a hint of apple (my son’s friend shared that this waffle reminded him of apple cinnamon oatmeal). It also had a really nice texture all around: a crunchy exterior and fluffy interior. I would just note that, because this waffle is on the sweeter side, it does not require lots of syrup.
Buy: Kellogg’s Eggo Thick & Fluffy Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Waffles, $2.98 for 6 waffles at Walmart
Best Gluten-Free Waffle with Mix-Ins: Julian’s Recipe Cauli-Wafels, Maple & Brown Butter
The petite portion size of these waffles had me thinking they would be the underdog in this taste test, but I was pleasantly surprised. If you’re hungry you’ll finish out the box of eight within a meal (maybe two); though, they also make for a good snack. The texture of this waffle also caught us off-guard, offering a soft and smooth consistency that sets it apart from the others we tested. Its understated flavor profile benefited from some sweetness; both of my testers agreed that the texture holds up nicely after being drizzled with syrup. So even though you’re eating cauliflower, these waffles still give you the wonderfully fluffy, buttery, brunch experience.
Buy: Julian’s Recipe Cauli-Wafels, Maple & Brown Butter, $3.45 for 8 waffles at Instacart
Do you have a favorite brand of frozen waffles? Any brand we missed that we have to try? Let us know in the comments!