Caramelized Onion and Apple Waffles
Apple waffles with caramelized onions are a scrumptious fusion of sweet and savory flavors. Imagine waffles packed with apples, soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Whipping up these apple and onion waffles is a breeze, especially if you have some leftover caramelized onions on hand. If not, don’t worry! Just take a little time to cook up a batch for future waffle cravings. You can enjoy these caramelized onion and apple waffles for breakfast, smothered in maple syrup, or get creative by using them as a “bread” for sandwiches or for dipping into hearty soups and stews.
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Ingredients
This apple waffle recipe is made with your standard waffle batter base. That’s flour, sugar, leavening, eggs, milk, and butter. But these savory waffles are unique with the punch of flavor from caramelized onions, grated apple, and cheddar cheese.
How to caramelize onions
Caramelizing onions is not hard. It only requires patience. Patience is a virtue, right?
The key to perfect caramelization is slow cooking so the water in the onion evaporates and the natural sugars caramelize. This can take an hour, more or less.
Use a large pan to avoid steaming the onions. And stir occasionally to minimize sticking.
Additional sugar isn’t needed, but add salt after about 20 to 30 minutes to help the evaporation process. And don’t forget to add a bit of water at the end to scrape up any brown bits stuck to your pan!
You can use caramelized onions in so many ways. We like to add them to pizza recipes, burgers and sandwiches, in scrambled eggs, or as a garnish for soups.
Read more about caramelized onions.
Variations and substitutions
- Add a quarter cup of chopped, toasted walnuts.
- Substitute a different cheese or omit the cheese altogether.
- Sub in a half cup of whole wheat flour for an equal amount of all-purpose flour.
Recipe tips and tricks
Step by step
This apple waffle recipe uses the standard method for making waffles and pancakes. First whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl (Panel #1, below). Then add the melted butter, egg, and milk and combine only until the dry ingredients have been moistened (Panel #2).
Be careful not to overmix your waffle batter. It’s ok if it has a few lumps, I promise.
Add the apple, caramelized onions, and cheddar cheese (Panel #3). Then stir to mix, breaking up any clumps of onion, cheese, or apple (Panel #4). Use this batter to make the caramelized onion and apple waffles according to your waffle maker’s instructions.
How to serve these savory waffles
- Pack them as a snack in lunch boxes.
- Serve underneath fried chicken or a simple pan-roasted chicken breast.
- Serve them warm with a hearty soup like this 4-ingredient potato soup or vegetarian garbanzo bean soup.
- Use them as the “bread” of your favorite sandwich.
- Make them into waffle chips to dip into your favorite spread.
Recipe FAQs
You’ll get more reliable results if you weigh your ingredients. But you never have to do anything.
I make savory waffles all the time and simply wipe down the waffle plates after each use. I’ve never had the smell or flavor of savory waffle stick around.
We have the Cuisinart Classic and an All-Clad Stainless Steel Classic. To be honest, the simple Cuisinart does the job equally well for much less money.
Yes, waffles freeze perfectly in a freezer bag for three to six months. Just pop one in the toaster whenever you want an apple waffle.
Related waffle recipes
Make another savory waffle recipe from the Ugly Duckling Bakery archives like:
Or check out other savory apple recipes like these chicken and apple meatballs or apple bourbon pork tenderloin.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.
Recipe
Caramelized Onion and Apple Waffles
Equipment
- 1 Waffle iron
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1.5 ounces or 43 grams
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 6.6 ounces or 188 grams
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 1.8 ounces or 50 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- â…› teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 apple peeled, cored, and grated (about 1 cup)
- ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup caramelized onions see notes
Instructions
- Plug in your waffle iron to heat it up.
- Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat and let cool slightly as you prepare the rest of the waffle ingredients.3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.1½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- In a small bowl, or in the measuring cup used to measure your milk, whisk together the milk and eggs until they are well blended.1½ cups milk, 2 large eggs
- Add the milk and egg mixture and the butter to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir only until just combined. A few lumps are fine.
- Add the apple, cheese, and onion and stir to mix, making sure to break up any clumps.1 apple, ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese, ¼ cup caramelized onions
- Make the apple waffles according to your waffle maker's instructions.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe for caramelized onion and apple waffles was first shared September 30, 2022. It was last updated May 9, 2023.
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