Use your waffle maker to make Potato Waffles. They taste very similar to potato pancakes or latkes but are thicker and have a crisp, golden crust that the waffle maker creates.
Potato Waffles are a delicious and creative way to make use of your waffle maker beyond the usual sweet options, like these Belgian Waffles or Sourdough Waffles. These savory waffles have a crispy, golden exterior and a soft, fluffy interior, making them a fun twist on traditional potato pancakes or latkes. If you're someone who loves multifunctional kitchen gadgets like me, your waffle maker will quickly become your go-to tool for savory meals like these.
Not only are they easy to make, but they also give you the perfect combination of crunch and comfort in every bite. Whether you're serving them for breakfast, brunch, or a savory snack, these Potato Waffles are sure to become a new favorite in your kitchen.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Potato Waffles
- Watch Video of How To Make Potato Waffles
- Why Does the Waffle Maker Work So Well To Cook Potatoes?
- Ingredients
- What Potatoes Are Best for Potato Waffles?
- Grating Options: Fresh Potatoes vs. Frozen Hash Browns
- How To Cook Potato Waffles
- Serving the Potato Waffles
- Potato Waffles Variations
- Potato Waffles
Why You'll Love These Potato Waffles
Another Use for Your Waffle Maker: Another Use for Your Waffle Maker: If an appliance is going to take up space in my kitchen, it’d better do more than one thing😊. Instead of just making sweet waffles, your waffle maker can now be used for savory treats too. It’s the perfect way to get more out of your kitchen gadgets.
Extra Crispy on the Outside: One of the best things about using a waffle maker for these Potato Waffles is the crispy, golden crust that forms on the outside. The waffle plates work their magic, giving you that satisfying crunch with every bite, just like your favorite crispy potato pancakes or latkes.
Thick and Hearty: Unlike traditional thin potato pancakes (which I love too!), these Potato Waffles are thick, hearty, and satisfying. You’ll get that perfect balance of crispy outside and soft, flavorful inside.
Versatile and Customizable: You can customize these waffles with your favorite add-ins! Whether you want to throw in some shredded cheese, fresh herbs, or chopped ham or bacon bits, the possibilities are endless. You can even try them loaded up with some crunchy slaw and smoked salmon, like these Potato Pancake appetizers.
Watch Video of How To Make Potato Waffles
Why Does the Waffle Maker Work So Well To Cook Potatoes?
The heat from both sides of the waffle maker cook the "waffles" quickly and get a nice crunch on both sides.
For the best results, I found that it's best to use freshly grated potatoes. The starch from the potatoes helps to hold the potatoes together as they cook and they don't fall apart.
Ingredients
- Potatoes: I love using gold potatoes for this recipe. They’re medium-starch, which makes them perfect for a crispy exterior and soft, fluffy interior. Plus, they don’t brown as easily, making them ideal for these Potato Waffles.
- Onions: Not only do onions add a wonderful savory flavor, but they also help keep the raw potatoes from oxidizing and turning gray—keeping your waffles looking fresh.
- Egg: The egg acts as a binder, helping everything stick together while cooking and giving the waffles their perfect texture.
- All-Purpose Flour: Flour absorbs some of the liquid from the potatoes and helps bind the batter, ensuring your waffles hold together nicely and come out with that perfect crispy texture.
The complete list of ingredients and their exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
What Potatoes Are Best for Potato Waffles?
While you can technically use any type of potato for Potato Waffles, gold/yellow potatoes are my personal favorite. They have a medium starch content, which is perfect for achieving a crispy exterior and soft interior. Plus, I think they just taste better! But feel free to experiment with other varieties—each one will bring a slightly different texture and flavor.
Grating Options: Fresh Potatoes vs. Frozen Hash Browns
When it comes to grating the potatoes, I’ve tried a few different methods, and here’s what I’ve found works best:
Medium Holes on the Box Grater: The medium holes (see photo) are your best bet for achieving the right balance of small enough pieces that cook through quickly but still have enough texture for those crispy edges. This method gives the most consistent results.
Large Holes on the Box Grater: I’ve also tried using the large holes, but I found that the larger potato shreds sometimes didn’t cook through completely, leaving me with uneven results.
Frozen Hash Browns: Frozen hash browns can work as a shortcut, as they’re usually partially cooked already. They tend to fall apart more easily in the waffle maker due to having less starch than fresh potatoes. They still make a tasty waffle, but the texture is a bit more delicate and may not stay together.
How To Cook Potato Waffles
- Preheat the waffle iron. On my waffle iron, I can choose different levels of crispness, so I usually choose the most crisp option. (This is the one the I use.*)
- Grate potatoes. In a large bowl, grate the potatoes on the medium holes of a box grater.
- Grate the onion. The onion is optional, but I highly recommend it. Not only does it add flavor to the waffles, but it also helps to keep the potatoes from oxidizing. Grate the onion on the box grater as well.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the potato batter. Add the egg, flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, ground black pepper to the potato mixture. Mix to combine. Use a spoon to remove any excess liquid from the top of the potato mixture.
- Cook the waffles. Generously grease both sides of the waffle iron with oil, making sure to get oil in all the crevices. Fill the waffle iron with the potato mixture, spreading it out to fill most of the surface of the waffle iron.
- Cook until golden brown on both sides. For my waffle maker, I used ¼ of the potato mixture for each waffle, making 4 waffles total.
Serving the Potato Waffles
Serve the potato waffles hot, with butter, sour cream, green onions or chives.
Potato Waffles Variations
You can also add grated cheese, cubed ham, sausage, cooked bacon, green onions or other herbs to the potatoes for added flavor and texture.
Potato Waffles
The waffle maker is an excellent tool to not only make delicious sweet waffles that are more of a dessert, like Belgian waffles, but can be used for delicious savory meals too, like these incredible Potato Waffles. They taste very similar to potato pancakes or latkes but are thicker and have a crisp, golden crust that the waffle maker creates.
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
2 ½ lbs potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes), grated on box grater
1 small onion, grated
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
oil, to brush on the waffle iron
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron.
- Grate the potatoes and onion on a box grater, most of the potatoes on the medium holes of the box grater and ¼ of the potatoes on the small holes of the box grater.
- In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, ground black pepper, egg, and flour until evenly mixed. Remove excess liquid from that settles at the top of the bowl with a large spoon.
- Spoon ¼ of the potato mixture into the preheated waffle iron, close and cook until golden and crisp on the outside, 5-8 minutes. You should have about 4 waffles total, if you use a Belgian waffle maker.
- Serve the potato waffles hot, with butter, sour cream and green onions.
Notes
You can also add grated cheese, cubed ham, sausage, cooked bacon, green onions or other herbs to the potatoes for added flavor and texture.
*affiliate link (NOT sponsored post)
This recipe was originally published on November 18, 2019. I have added a video to make it even more easy to follow. Enjoy!
I'm not sure if I was something we did wrong but these were not a hit at our potato loving house. No one would finish them. 🙁
They were missing flavor. Maybe if there was more seasoning or they would be used as a base for something? But we don't recommend these by themselves.
Hello - I'm a B&B operator known for making always creative and new-for-guests recipes. Now regular guests - maybe 20x+ as they come for football games are starting their annual return this weekend, and I've been wondering about new recipes. I've just learned that one of them has now developed a yeast allergy (altho' 'he' calls it gluten allergy/just his quick male ego-lingo as he is no longer able to consume breads or alcohol (yet enjoys his wife's baking.) Was thinking about doing p'cake waffles for fun and you've given me the final push. I will add garden fresh onion and chive tops, & generous black pepper and maybe freshly crushed dry oregano, cheese and dash of red pepper sauce, with side of sausages and a sour cream or yogurt garnish... sounds like a full and pleasing start for another AM adventure....
Can you use thawed frozen and drained hash browns? I can’t grate that much anymore because of my arthritis?
You can, but the waffles will fall apart a lot more. The raw potatoes help them stick together much better.
Hi Olga, i found your recipe and tried tonight with BBQ lamb. We used 3 potatoes and the rest of your ingredients… just the 2 of us these days. For a first timer, it turned out great! We will look tor recipe mods that add a bit more kick to it (yeah, i did put catchup and more salt on it for that FF taste!). And your video was the thing that showed me that making it was very possible… Nice job!. Jim
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Jim. Thanks for taking the time to write and share your feedback.
I just made these. I added some cheese. They were delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
I made these with leftover mashed potatoes, added the egg and other ingredients, also used some artichoke pesto and sound dried tomatoes! You maybe able to substitute flax seed soaked in water for the egg. I use that in other recipes, but have not tried it in this one yet!
Thanks!!
That's awesome! Thank you for sharing.
This was easy and delicious - thank you! I will definitely squeeze the potatoes in a towel first next time to get rid of some of the liquid.
I'm so happy that you enjoyed the Potato Waffles, Angela. Thank you for taking the time to write.
Thank you Olga for sharing this amazing recipe! I tried it worked very well, I have added some oregano and cheddar with a little if pesto sauce and gave very nice taste.
Another interesting recipe for waffles maker is falafel! Have you tried it?
I made this recipe yesterday & today but yesterday, I substituted the egg with a mashed banana & today, I substituted with baking powder & white distilled vinegar & they were delicious!
Olga - This recipe sounds amazing, but I can't have eggs. I was wondering if it would turn out ok without the eggs. Then I saw this comment. Milani - How much baking powder and vinegar did you use?
Hi Deb,
The eggs are used as a binder - they will help to hold the waffles together. If you don't use the eggs, they may fall apart and it will be harder to take them out of the waffle maker. You may try to use some substitutes, but since I haven't tried it myself, I can't say if they will work or not. I have tried omitting the eggs and the waffles fall apart.
Thanks for the quick response!
I think potato pancakes taste even better. Or maybe I don't have a proper waffle maker. It doesn't matter. It was made. It was eaten. Small tummies are full. Mom can relax.
Can you make pancakes out of the batter as well ??
Yes, you most certainly can, Rhonda. I do it all the time:).
So good! Tastes like deruni, potato pancakes my mom would make in my childhood.
Yes! That's exactly what they taste like. I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Antonina.
Can you make these from sweet potato?
I have never tried it myself, but I don't see why not.
I've made something similar with sweet potato and it worked really well.
The first savory waffle I mad e was Martha Stewart's recipe for cheesy waffle sticks with tomato soup, which was delicious. Your potato waffle sounds ever better.
This was sooo good!! Definitely a keeper!
I'm so happy to hear that, Alina:).