Bisquick Waffles, Crisp Outside and Fluffy Inside

Bisquick waffles are the fastest real waffles you can make: two cups of baking mix, a cup of milk, two eggs, a little sugar, oil and vanilla, whisked in one bowl and cooked in a hot iron. The batter takes five minutes, the recipe makes four large round waffles, and the whole thing is on the table in 30 minutes.

The box directions make a waffle that is fine. Three small changes make one that is crisp at the edges, fluffy inside and worth getting out of bed for: an extra teaspoon of baking powder for lift, two tablespoons of sugar for browning, and a five-minute rest for the batter before it hits the iron. The photos show them stacked with powdered sugar and a peanut butter and honey drizzle, which is the topping in the Variations section, but syrup and butter are never wrong.

What Makes These Bisquick Waffles Better Than the Box

Bisquick is flour, leavening, salt and a little shortening, and the box recipe for waffles adds milk, eggs and oil and stops there. It works, because the mix has everything a quick bread needs, but the waffle it makes is pale and a little flat. Waffles need more lift than pancakes, because the batter is held between two hot plates and cannot spread, and they need more sugar than you think, because sugar is what browns and crisps the outside.

So this recipe adds a teaspoon of baking powder on top of what the mix already has, two tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. The baking powder opens up the crumb, the sugar turns the surface golden and crisp, and the vanilla makes the waffle taste like you made it rather than poured it from a box. Then the batter rests for five minutes, which lets the flour hydrate and the leavening start working before the iron closes on it.

None of those changes costs more than a minute, and the difference is the one between Bisquick waffles you make because they are easy and Bisquick waffles you make because they are good.

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Ingredient Notes

• Bisquick. Two cups of the Original mix. The Heart Smart version works but makes a slightly less tender waffle, and the gluten-free mix works with the same quantities. If you have none, see the swap under Variations.
• Milk. One cup, whole or 2%. Buttermilk makes a tangier, more tender waffle and is worth using if you have it. Plant milks work too; oat milk browns best.
• Eggs. Two large. They are the structure and most of the richness. Separate them and fold in whipped whites for the lightest waffle of all, though the recipe does not need it.
• Baking powder. One teaspoon, on top of the leavening already in the mix. This is the ingredient that turns a flat waffle into a tall one.
• Granulated sugar. Two tablespoons. It is not for sweetness so much as color: sugar caramelizes against the hot plates and gives the crisp golden crust.
• Vegetable oil. Two tablespoons, or the same amount of melted butter. Oil gives a crisper edge; butter gives more flavor. Melted butter needs to be cooled a little so it does not cook the eggs.
• Vanilla extract. One teaspoon. Skip it and the waffle tastes of baking mix.
• Nonstick spray. For the iron, even a nonstick one. Bisquick batter has less fat than a from-scratch batter and will stick to a dry plate.

Is Bisquick the Same as Pancake Mix?

Bisquick is a baking mix, not a pancake mix, and the difference matters for waffles. A complete pancake mix already contains sugar and sometimes dried egg and milk, so you add water and nothing else. Bisquick contains flour, baking powder, salt and shortening, so you add milk, eggs and fat yourself, which is why it also makes biscuits, dumplings and the pancake sausage balls on this site.

That flexibility is the whole point. Because you are adding the eggs and milk, you control them, and you can add more leavening, sugar and vanilla as this recipe does. A complete pancake mix will make a waffle, but you cannot adjust it the same way. The one thing Bisquick does not have is enough baking powder for a tall waffle, which is the gap the extra teaspoon fills.

How To Make Bisquick Waffles

First, put the Bisquick in a large bowl and pour in the milk. Next, crack in the eggs. Then add the vanilla, the sugar, the oil and the baking powder. After that, whisk everything together until it is just combined. The batter should be thick and pourable with a few small lumps still in it, like the one in the last photo above; a smooth batter has been overmixed and makes a tougher waffle.

Let the batter rest for 5 minutes while the waffle iron heats. You will see small bubbles rise to the surface, which is the baking powder doing its work.

Cooking the Waffles

Heat the waffle iron to its medium-high setting and spray both plates lightly with nonstick spray. Pour about half a cup of batter into the center of the iron. The amount depends on your iron; a 7-inch round Belgian iron like the one in the photos takes a scant half cup, and a smaller square iron takes less. Close the lid and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the waffle is deep golden and the steam coming from the sides has almost stopped.

Finally, lift the waffle out with a fork or tongs and set it on a wire rack, not a plate, so the bottom stays crisp. Spray the iron again and repeat with the rest of the batter. To hold a batch warm, lay the waffles in a single layer on a rack in a 200°F oven.

How To Tell When Bisquick Waffles Are Done

Bisquick waffles are done when they are deep golden all over, the steam from the iron has slowed to almost nothing, and the lid lifts cleanly without the top plate pulling at the surface. That takes 3 to 5 minutes on most irons. If the lid resists, give it another 30 seconds; the waffle releases itself once the outside has set.

A waffle that is pale at 5 minutes is a sign the iron was not hot enough when the batter went in, or that the sugar was skipped. A waffle that is dark outside and gummy inside means too much batter, which keeps the center from cooking through before the surface browns. Use a little less next time and let the iron come fully back to temperature between waffles.

Make It Ahead

The batter is best used within 30 minutes of mixing, because the baking powder is already working and a batter that sits for an hour makes a flatter waffle. If you want to get ahead, measure the dry ingredients into one container and the wet into another the night before, then combine them in the morning. Mixing takes a minute.

The better make-ahead plan is to cook the whole batch and freeze it, which is what the storage section covers. A frozen Bisquick waffle reheated in the toaster is nearly as good as a fresh one, and it is faster than any boxed frozen waffle from the store.

Storing Bisquick Waffles

Cool leftover waffles completely on a rack, then refrigerate them in an airtight container or a zip-top bag for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a toaster or toaster oven, never the microwave, which turns them soft. Two minutes in the toaster brings the crisp edge back.

To freeze, lay the cooled waffles in a single layer on a sheet pan, freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag with parchment between the layers. They keep for 3 months. Toast them straight from frozen, which takes a cycle and a half in most toasters, or heat them on a rack in a 350°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Variations and Substitutions

Peanut Butter Honey Drizzle (Pictured)

The topping in the photos is powdered sugar and a warm drizzle of peanut butter thinned with honey. Stir two tablespoons of creamy peanut butter with one tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of hot water until it pours, warm it for 10 seconds in the microwave if it is stiff, and spoon it over the stack. A few flakes of sea salt on top are a good idea. Dust the waffles with powdered sugar first so it does not disappear under the sauce.

Ingredient Swaps

No milk. Use water in the same amount and add one extra tablespoon of oil. The waffle is a little less rich but crisps just as well. Any plant milk also works.

No eggs. Replace each egg with a quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce or three tablespoons of water mixed with one tablespoon of ground flaxseed. The waffle is denser and needs an extra minute in the iron.

No Bisquick. Whisk together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of cold butter cut in fine. The Wheat Foods Council has a clear guide to flour types if you are choosing between all-purpose and self-rising; with self-rising flour, leave out the salt and the tablespoon of baking powder but keep the extra teaspoon.

Buttermilk. Swap it for the milk one for one and add a quarter teaspoon of baking soda. The waffle comes out tangier and softer inside.

Mix-Ins and Flavors

Chocolate chips. Half a cup of mini chips folded in at the end. Regular chips sink and scorch on the plates.

Blueberries. Three quarters of a cup, fresh or frozen, folded in gently. The same trick that works in fluffy blueberry pancakes works here.

Cinnamon. A teaspoon in the batter, with a tablespoon of brown sugar in place of the white. It smells like a cinnamon roll while it cooks.

Savory. Drop the sugar and vanilla, add a quarter teaspoon of black pepper and half a cup of shredded cheddar, and serve them under fried chicken or a fried egg.

What to Serve with Bisquick Waffles

Butter and warm maple syrup are the standard, and a soft butter that melts into the squares beats a cold pat every time. Honey from the dipper, as in the photos, is a lighter option. For fruit, a spoonful of homemade strawberry syrup or the blueberry syrup from the lemon ricotta pancakes turns a plain stack into a weekend breakfast.

On the side, bacon or sausage is the usual choice, and a plate of eggs if it is brunch. Bisquick waffles also make a good base for savory toppings: fried chicken, a poached egg with hollandaise, or pulled pork with a little slaw. For a sweet finish, a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cooled waffles is an ice cream sandwich children remember.

If you are feeding a crowd and would rather bake than stand at the iron, sheet pan pancakes use the oven for the same number of people.

Bisquick Waffles FAQ

More Questions About Waffles

Keep a box of Bisquick in the pantry and a bag of these in the freezer, and a weekday breakfast is a toaster cycle away. For the mornings you have more time, the French crepes are the next step up.