Liege Waffle Recipe from The Food Charlatan. (2024)

My kids are in the kitchen making lunch by themselves, like they have most days this summer. Truman, 6, just came in and told me that he really loves honey, so he covered his entire sandwich in it. I didn’t even get up to investigate what exactly this means. I’m gonna let Future Karen deal with that situation.

Which basically sums up our summer over here. We’ve got a week left before school and we are all craving a schedule I think. Turns out when you’re 6, being bored results in mountains of honey. When you’re 2, it results in a full-on potty training regression, because WHY NOT? I can tell she’s thinking, “Even Mom looks bored. Let’s shake things up around here! FREEDOMMMM!”

I am ready for school to start and for the mountains of honey to stop, but I’m not actually ready. Meaning my kids need new clothes (seriously we got all the highwaters over here), we need to make a plan for lunches, buy pencils and…stuff. Back to school shopping has always been so intimidating for me, even when my first started kindergarten. And now my kids have somehow multiplied and I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing.

My kid’s soccer team was gathering supplies for a raffle basket we were in charge of. For some reason someone picked the theme “Back to School Survival Kit for Parents.” I’m sorry but WTH? What does that even mean??

They kept bugging us for donations and no one came up with anything (because seriously, what?) Finally someone said they were donating hydration sticks. After that they said they were cancelling the raffle basket, so no donations necessary. What in the heck are hydration sticks?? Probably that’s the exact question the powers-that-be asked themselves, so we really have crazy hydration lady to thank for getting the raffle basket cancelled. Bless you.

What is a Liege Waffle?

I feel like Liege waffles would be a good thing to put into an survival kit of any kind. Have any of you been to Belgium? I haven’t, but it has made one flying leap to the top of my “places I want to go in Europe” list. Here’s why:

I honestly don’t know much else about Belgium, but I don’t need to. These waffles are alllllll I need to know.

I’ve always been more of a pancake girl. (Try The Best Pancakes I’ve Ever Made! So good.) But this Liege Waffle recipe has changed everything. Everything! No other waffle stands a chance now. Because no other waffles have giant chunks of crunchy, delicious sugar in them.

On the left, you can see the soft yeasty center of the brioche dough used for these waffles. On the right, you can see the big chunk of sugar in the center, just waiting for you to bite into it. It’s THE.BEST.

Pearl sugar is the secret to this magical crunchy delight. Each sugar is a little smaller than a pea, and instead of melting into the waffle, they stay crunchy, so when you bite in, you get these delicious little nuggets of awesomeness. Like I said, every other waffle is now ruined. Pearl sugar Belgian waffles ftw!

They sell these famous little pastries on the street corners over in Belgium. My brother vacationed there once and wanted to recreate them at home. The first time we made them he had people over so he made a triple batch. One recipe calls for a cup of butter, so that means he used 6 sticks of butter. 6 sticks of butter. Can you tell why I love these waffles yet?

But guys, it’s not just the pearl sugar or the butter. It’s the waffle batter itself. It’s not really waffle batter, it’s waffle DOUGH. A yeast dough that you have to let rise. Yes, it’s a bit more of a time investment, but it’s SO worth it. Believe me.

Ingredients for Pearl Sugar Waffles

Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!

Liege Waffle Recipe Substitutions

Liege waffles are a very specific type of waffle. The dough base needs to remain unchanged, and if you don’t use pearl sugar, you’re not making liege waffles anymore. However, if you want to play with flavors, you could definitely try a different extract (like almond, coconut, or rum) or add citrus zest (like lemon or orange).

Tips to making the best Liege Waffles

Liege waffles aren’t your typical waffles. They’re made with yeast, so all the typical yeast bread rules apply. Here are a few ways to make sure your waffles are perfect:

• Keep your yeast alive. Add water that is lukewarm, not hot. Killing your yeast at the beginning is a surefire recipe for disaster.
• Let your dough rise. I know. It’s morning. You’re in a hurry. Save these for the weekend when you’ll have time.
• Use a Belgian waffle maker. Liege waffles are traditionally thicker, as Belgian waffles are. The recipe will still work in a regular waffle maker, but they won’t be quite the same.
• Spring for the pearl sugar. I know, your store might not carry it, you might have to order it from Amazon or something. But Liege waffles and their famous sweet crunch deserve the best. You won’t regret it!

How to make Sugar Waffles

Have you heard of brioche dough? Brioche has a gloriously soft and tender dough that has a lot of eggs and milk, and bakes (or in this case, waffles) with gorgeous golden dark edges. The magic is in the butter: instead of melting the butter or adding a bit in the beginning of the process (as with most yeast doughs), we’re saving it til the very end, after adding the flour in, and we’re adding a FULL CUP of the stuff.

Add softened butter a tablespoon at a time until the dough is, sticky and stretchy, making it completely unworkable if you were going to be rolling it out (but we’re not.) Check out my Homemade Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Pecan Rolls for more breakfast treats using brioche dough. It’s unreal my friends.

After the dough is done resting, you dunk it in powdered sugar before waffling, giving you the most delicious caramelized edges of all time, like you see in the above photo. Just be careful to let your iron cool in between waffles, or the sugar ends up burning. You can also forego the powdered sugar altogether if you’re having issues, the waffles are still going to be amazing.

Our favorite ways to serve up Sugar Pearl Waffles

Liege waffles are delicious all by themselves. Don’t put maple syrup on them! It’s just totally unnecessary when you’ve already got all those delicious crunchy pearl sugar bits throughout.

If you do want to serve them with something, I recommend spreading or drizzling on a little Nutella or serving them with fresh fruit, like sliced strawberries or peaches, and whipped cream. If you really want to go over the top you could add ice cream, but I promise–they’re really perfect all by themselves.

How to store leftover Liege Waffle dough:

Can Liege Waffle Dough Be Frozen?

Technically yes, the dough can be frozen. I give detailed instructions on the notes in my recipe. But as the dough thaws, the pearl sugar will melt into the dough, meaning the resultant waffle will have all the flavor but not the signature sugary crunch. It might be a better option to cook up all the waffles and then freeze them to pull out and reheat whenever you want.

These waffles would be a perfect Christmas morning breakfast…or dessert. Top with strawberries and whipped cream, or Nutella, or ice cream. I actually prefer them without maple syrup, I feel like it competes with the flavor of the waffle too much.

For old time’s sake, here’s the old photo I posted of these waffles back in 2013! Good times!

More breakfast recipes you are going to love!

Classic Waffle Recipe << I know I’m talking crap about waffles that aren’t Liege waffles in this post, but there is still a special place in my heart forregular waffles doused in maple syrup. This is my favorite recipe! It’s from my mother-in-law Kris.

Dark Chocolate Waffles with Ganache and Strawberries << I.LOVE.THESE.

Cheesy Overnight Bacon and Egg Casserole << so satisfying!

The Best Pancakes I’ve Ever Made << No lie.

Banana Macadamia Pancakes << If your mouth needs a trip to Hawaii…

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes << this is an oldie but a goodie

Cheesy Overnight Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole << I could eat this for breakfast lunch and dinner!

Soft and Sticky Caramel Pecan Rolls << these are perfect for Christmas morning!

More breakfast ideas from friends!

Double Berry Puff Pancake from Recipe Girl

Caramel and Sea Salt Pear Pancakes from Cookin Canuck

Sheet Pan Pancakes from Belly Full