Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Cheesy waffles with ham—what’s not to love?! These savory waffles are a hearty breakfast for those who prefer their morning meal savory instead of sweet.
How long it takes: about 30 minutes, including the time to cook the waffles
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, whisk, waffle maker
Servings: 4 Belgian-style waffles
I love a savory breakfast. If I’m eating out for breakfast (one of my favorite things to do), I’ll almost always choose an omelet over French toast. Ben makes fun of me when I eat pizza for breakfast but I just can’t resist the call of savory foods waiting for me in the fridge.
Since I bought a new waffle maker, I’ve been making lots of waffles for the family (and yes, brownie waffles too), but these savory waffles with melty sharp cheddar cheese and smoky ham have a special place in my heart.
Topped with a fried egg (a runny yolk is a must!) or hollandaise sauce, it feels like a restaurant-style breakfast, but these waffles are easy to make at home.
Ham and Cheddar Savory Waffles
Easy to make. Homemade waffles (without using a mix) seem like they’d be a production but they’re actually pretty easy to whip up. These savory waffles might not be on the menu for a busy weekday, but for your average weekend? Totally doable.
Hearty and satisfying. Top a waffle with butter and syrup and all those carbs have you crashing halfway to lunchtime. The addition of cheese and ham makes these savory waffles a more filling breakfast option. Savory waffles are perfect for lunches and dinner, too.
Freezer-friendly. While you’ve got your waffle iron out, make a double batch and freeze some waffles for later. Pop them in the toaster and they’ll be gloriously crispy on the edges—perfection!
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour: You’ll need 2 cups of regular flour, bleached or unbleached. For gluten-free savory waffles, use a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour substitute.
- Baking Powder: To make the waffles light and fluffy, a leavening agent is needed. In this case, it’s baking powder.
- Sugar: Even though these are savory waffles, you still need a little bit of sugar to enhance the flavor.
- Salt: Salt is another flavor enhancer.
- Milk: Any kind of unflavored milk you have on hand will work here.
- Vegetable Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil you like to use for cooking, like canola oil, will be fine.
- Eggs: If you let the eggs come to room temperature before adding them to the waffle batter, they’ll hold more air when beaten, giving your waffles a little more lift.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: A sharp cheddar adds more punch than mild. If you prefer mild cheese, or another type of cheese, that’s fine.
- Deli Ham: Better quality deli ham has less water added. Leftover crockpot ham also works if you mince it very finely. Cooked bacon (try air fryer bacon) is another great choice.
- Green Onions: I like to use green onions for their flavor and texture but you can use chives instead if you want a milder flavor. You can leave them out, too, if you want.
- Dried Dill Weed: Dill pairs well with the cheddar and ham but it’s optional.
- Cooking Spray or Melted Butter: Just a little is needed to grease the waffle iron.
Cooking Tip
If you don’t have a waffle maker, you can use a grill pan to make waffles on the stovetop. They don’t look quite the same but they still have those crispy ridges!How to make Savory Waffles
Preheat. Preheat your waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, and eggs until the eggs are beaten and the mixture is smooth.
Add dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt on top of the wet ingredients. Gently toss the dry ingredients together before stirring them into the wet ingredients (this method keeps you from having to wash a second mixing bowl).
A few lumps in the batter is fine; you don’t want to over-mix.
Add mix-ins. Fold the shredded cheese, ham, green onions, and dill into the savory waffle batter.
Cook the waffles. Lightly coat the waffle iron with nonstick spray or brush with melted butter. Pour some of the batter into the waffle iron, close, and cook. Consult your waffle maker manual for the exact amount of batter and cooking time. Mine takes about 1 cup of batter each and the waffles are done in 3 ½ minutes.
Keep warm. Remove the cooked waffle from the waffle iron and repeat with the remaining batter. If you need to keep the cooked waffles warm, put them in a warm oven (200°F) on a wire rack set on a baking sheet.
Serve immediately. Serve the waffles with additional shredded cheddar, diced ham, green onions, and dill on top, if desired, or try one of the toppings suggested below.
Make It Your Own
- Add toppings: Serve with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, or a poached or fried egg on top. If you have extra ham, shredded cheese, and green onions, they can be used as a topping, too. If you like a sweet/salty combination, maple syrup or hot honey tastes great on savory waffles.
- Swap bacon for the ham : Crispy cooked bacon makes a delicious addition to savory waffles instead of ham. You can use the bacon drippings to grease the waffle iron, too, for extra flavor.
- Try another cheese: Pepper jack, gouda, or a smoked cheese would all work well in place of sharp cheddar. Freshly grated Parmesan is another tasty option.
What to Serve With Savory Waffles
Eggs: For an extra filling breakfast, serve savory waffles with sheet pan eggs, air fryer boiled eggs, or crustless quiche.
Breakfast meats: Serve waffles with your favorite breakfast sausage, or try air fryer bacon, candied bacon, or baked bacon.
Fruit: Balance your savory with something sweet. Fresh cut fruit makes a light side dish for waffles. We love this citrus salad!
Salad: Savory waffles go well with a simple green salad, with tender greens tossed in a light vinaigrette. Try my white wine vinaigrette or lemon basil vinaigrette.
Storage: These savory waffles are freezer friendly! Make a big batch and store them with wax or parchment paper between the layers and freeze them for up to 3 months. If you just have a few leftover waffles, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheating: You can reheat frozen waffles, unthawed, in a 400ºF oven, air fryer, or toaster oven. The microwave works too, but they won’t have the irresistible crispy edges.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #88. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.
More Savory Breakfast Recipes
Savory Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups milk
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (lightly spooned into measuring cup)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (other types of cheese can be substituted)
- ½ cup chopped sliced deli ham
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, optional
- nonstick spray or melted butter for greasing the waffle iron
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. I use a Belgian waffle maker.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, and eggs until well combined.1 ¾ cups milk, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs
- On top of the wet ingredients, add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Gently toss these ingredients together before stirring into the wet ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; it’s okay if there are a few lumps.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Gently fold the shredded cheddar cheese, diced ham, sliced green onions, and dill into the batter.1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, ½ cup chopped sliced deli ham, ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions, 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, optional
- Lightly coat the waffle iron with cooking spray or brush with melted butter to prevent sticking (you can skip this step if you feel it’s not necessary with your waffle iron).nonstick spray or melted butter for greasing the waffle iron
- Pour about 1 cup of batter (adjust as needed for your waffle maker) onto the preheated waffle iron to cover the waffle grid. Close the lid and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the waffles are golden brown and crisp (our waffle maker took 3 ½ minutes).
- Carefully remove the waffles from the iron and repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve the savory Belgian waffles warm, with additional shredded cheddar, diced ham, green onions, and dill as toppings if desired.
Notes
- Optional toppings: Consider serving with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, or a poached or fried egg on top for extra flavor. Maple syrup or hot honey is great too, if you love a sweet/savory combination.
- Be sure to refer to the instructions that come with your waffle maker regarding how much batter to use and how long to cook the waffles. I have a Belgian-style waffle iron so the instructions above are specific to that style of waffle. However, this recipe will work well with any type of waffle maker.
- Yield also depends on your waffle maker. The recipe makes 4 cups of batter which yields 4 Belgian-style waffles.
- Recipe retested and revised 5/2024. Previously 10 Grain Savory Waffles with Cheddar, Dill and Ham.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
You have amazing waffles, Rachel! Oh how much I love to have this for breakfast. It’s really savory and yummy!
Bob’s stuff rocks and so do these savory waffles. I actually have some planned to make soon as well :)
I love the idea of savory waffles! The cheddar, dill and ham combo sound perfect! Love Bob’s Red Mill products!
This sounds amazing! I love a savory waffle. Bob’s truly has the best products hands down.
My husband is more of a savory breakfast person as well so these are perfect!!!! I just love breakfast period. I have tried some of Bob’s Red Mill products as well and really like them. I like their cornmeal a lot better than the stuff from the store.
i love savory waffles!!!! with that egg, im starving and want some right now.
Really yummy-sounding idea, Rachel. And although it’s a tad off-topic, I want to say that I really appreciate your disclaimer–including that you have lots of Bob’s Red Mill products that you purchased on your own adds authenticity to your sponsored post. Thanks!
You are brilliant- I want to make this for dinner!! Love eggs on top of waffles and pancakes too. It’s my thing!