I tried making frozen waffles in 4 different appliances, and I’ll never use my toaster again

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chelsea holding up a frozen waffle on a plate and a closeup shot of a frozen waffle in a frying pan — I was pleasantly surprised by the stove-top method for preparing frozen waffles.
Chelsea Davis

I made frozen waffles in four different appliances to find the best cooking method.
All the ways we tried were relatively easy, and they yielded pretty similar results.
The best-tasting one involved cooking the waffle on the stove with butter and cinnamon.

Frozen waffles are a classic morning staple that most people just pop in the toaster.

However, I wondered if I could make the quick breakfast even tastier using the right cooking method and appliance, so I tried four of them — a toaster, stove, air fryer, and oven — to see which was best.

Here’s how the different ways of preparing frozen waffles stacked up.

The toaster is probably the most common way to cook a frozen waffle.

frozen waffles in a toaster oven — Chelsea Davis

I put my waffles in my toaster oven on the lowest setting, which cooked them for 2 ½ minutes.

As expected, they came out lightly crisped, but they weren’t anything special.

After I buttered them and drizzled on some maple syrup, the waffles tasted exactly as I thought they would — simple and somewhat plain.

The stove-top method seemed like it would be a hassle.

cinnamon, butter, frozen waffles, sy — Chelsea Davis

Next, I tested Tyler the Creator’s method for cooking frozen waffles on the stove with butter and cinnamon.

I slathered both sides of my waffles with butter, then heated my pan to medium-high and toasted each side until golden. I sprinkled some cinnamon on them before flipping them over.

In total, I cooked the waffles for about two minutes on each side.

The stove-top waffles tasted like dessert.

toasted waffle on skillet — Chelsea Davis

It came out better than any other frozen waffle I’ve had.

The waffles soaked up the butter and toasted up perfectly — crispy and golden on the outsides but buttery and moist on the insides.

I’m a fan of cinnamon, so I loved the extra flavor. With a drizzle of syrup, they tasted like dessert.

I love using my air fryer, so I was excited to try this method.

frozen waffle in air fryer basket — Chelsea Davis

Using the air fryer was super simple.

After preheating it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, I put the buttered waffle in the basket and set it to seven minutes with the intention of flipping it halfway through.

But after about four minutes, I heard the waffle sizzling and rattling, so I took it out.

This method was easy, but not quite right for a waffle.

waffle on plate in front of air fryer — Chelsea Davis

Out of the air fryer, the waffle was almost crunchy — not as fluffy as I would’ve liked it.

I may have overcooked it, but the waffle was almost firm and didn’t have that nice, airy quality some of the other methods produced.

Using the oven seemed unnecessary for a frozen waffle.

hand holding cooked frozen waffle — Chelsea Davis

One professional chef told Business Insider you could cook a frozen waffle by sprinkling a little water on top — to help it crisp up — and sticking it in the oven.

I preheated the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit before drizzling the waffles lightly with some tap water. Then I baked them for about eight minutes until they were golden.

These were OK, but I wouldn’t use the oven to cook frozen waffles again.

Although the waffles weren’t amazing, they were evenly cooked.

It was similar to the air-fryer method in that they were kind of crunchy, but they were almost dense. I couldn’t really tell whether sprinkling the water made much of a difference.

I wouldn’t do this again because preheating the oven takes too long, and this cooking method didn’t really make the waffle stand out.

The clear winner was the stove-top method.

Woman smiling holding waffle on plate — Chelsea Davis

The stove-top method definitely produced the tastiest waffle.

The waffles had the perfect amount of crispness on the outsides while the insides were buttery and moist. The added cinnamon and syrup also clung perfectly to each bite.

This story was originally published on August 24, 2022, and most recently updated on April 28, 2026.

Read the original article on Business Insider