Author: Tosh Lubek Published: 22nd March 2021
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If you’re an organized sort of person, you might start to wonder: can I make waffle batter the night before? After all, waffles make an amazing breakfast or a great afternoon snack, but mornings are often rushed affairs, and there never seems to be enough time to do the things you need.
The great answer to this question is – yes!
You can prepare your waffle batter the night before. But because the ingredients include egg and milk, keep the batter in your refrigerator. Also, to ensure your waffles come out fluffy, use a double-acting baking powder in your mix. This will ensure your waffles will rise while cooking in your waffle maker.
So, you can make waffle batter in advance, saving yourself the chaos and confusion of multiple bowls, sieves, jugs, and packets first thing in the morning. Nothing tastes as good as homemade waffles, and store-bought often just don’t cut it, but who wants to crawl out of bed and start messing up the kitchen at the crack of dawn?
Making waffle batter ahead of time is a wonderful way to enjoy a hot, sweet, fresh waffle first thing in the morning without having to get up extra early to whip up the mix.
Can You Refrigerate Waffle Batter Overnight?
Yes, you definitely can. Waffle batter should be stored in a cold environment as it contains both eggs and milk, so you shouldn’t leave it out on the counter, especially if your kitchen is warm.
As soon as the batter is mixed, pour it into a suitable container and put it straight into the fridge. It’s best to put it in the main part of the fridge, rather than the door, as the door is often warmer than the back of the fridge. Make sure your container is nice and clean before transferring the batter.
Leaving waffle batter out of the fridge could allow bacteria to form, so you should avoid doing this if possible, particularly if you have a warm kitchen. Use an airtight container or a jug or bowl with a well-fitting lid to keep the batter as fresh as possible and to avoid any potential contamination from other foods in the fridge.
Can Waffle Batter Be Used Straight from the Refrigerator?
Obviously, if you’re pre-making waffle batter to save on time in the morning, you aren’t going to want to wait hours for it to reach room temperature once you’re ready to cook it. Luckily, you don’t have to!
You can use waffle batter straight from the fridge. You may find that the mixture has separated while storing it, so it’s best to put it in a bowl and give it a good whisk first, making sure you re-mix any thick parts. This will ensure the right amount of each ingredient ends up in each waffle. Try not to over-mix it though, as this can spoil the texture.
Some people also recommend adding another pinch of baking powder at this stage. This is because baking powder is the ingredient that makes waffles into lovely puffy fluffy deliciousness, and the baking powder in your existing mix may have used up all its fizz while sitting in the fridge. If it has, your waffles will be a little heavier and may not have such a good texture.
Adding a little sprinkling of extra baking powder will help ensure your waffles rise to their full potential, ensuring that your breakfast still has a great taste and texture despite its stint in the fridge. However, don’t add too much or you might alter the taste of the batter. If you’re not too concerned about the texture, you can skip this step and save yourself some time.
How Long Can You Leave Waffle Batter in the Fridge?
Opinions on this vary but remember that waffle batter contains both milk and raw egg, so you don’t want to leave it hanging around for very long. Most recommendations say that it can safely be kept for two days in the fridge.
You might be able to stretch that out for another day if you put the batter straight into the fridge and use a sterile, airtight container to store it in. Anything longer than that might be pushing it, however. A beaten egg can be kept in the fridge for up to four days, but it’s better to be careful, especially if you have children who will be eating the waffles.
If your batter accidentally gets left out on the counter, it’s probably best to toss it and start with a fresh batch, because bacteria can easily form in batter left at room temperature and you don’t want to risk getting sick from eating something off.
Can Leftover Waffle Batter Be Saved?
If you don’t want to put your leftover batter in the fridge, you could consider freezing it. The batter can easily be stored in the freezer for a couple of months or even more, and you just have to defrost it a few hours in advance to have homemade waffles at any time.
Freezing waffle batter is a terrific way to reduce your food waste and it provides you with a quick meal in the future. It’s also useful if you’re short on space in the fridge or you tend to forget about containers and let them linger for a while.
Simply transfer the batter to a suitable container, label, and date it, and then put it in the freezer so you can grab it at a later date.
The disadvantage of freezing batter is you will have to remember to defrost it in order to use it up, as it’s not possible to thaw waffle batter in the microwave; you risk creating a half-cooked mess! When you’re ready, put it in the fridge and let it thaw, and that’s breakfast sorted.
You can also freeze cooked waffles if you want to, though this will take up more space than just storing the batter. Remember to separate waffles with sheets of grease-proof paper to ensure they don’t stick to each other, and then you can easily grab one or two whenever you want them.
Can I Store Cooked Waffles?
If it doesn’t suit you to store the batter in the fridge or you find that even that isn’t an easy enough solution for those busy morning schedules, you can also store the cooked waffles in the fridge! They won’t taste quite as amazing as when they’re freshly cooked, but they will still be delicious.
To do this, cook your batch of waffles and allow them to cool to room temperature. Once they have, pack them into a Tupperware or other airtight container, and then put them straight in the fridge. You can then just grab one whenever you fancy – no need for any cooking at all!
To reheat them, simply put them in the toaster or under a medium grill and give them a quick warm up, and then you can tuck in. These are ideal for children who are old enough to operate a toaster, or for days when you’re going to be particularly busy. The only tricky part might be resisting the temptation to eat them all at once.
Choose A Recipe Designed For Making In Advance
If you find that the waffle batter which is stored doesn’t make such good waffles, it might be time to alter your approach. Some recipes are actually designed to benefit from being stored, so it’s definitely worth considering this if your favorite waffle recipe isn’t up to the job.
These recipes generally call for yeast, taking advantage of the storage time to allow the yeast to activate. A component that usually makes recipes fiddly and frustrating can be really useful if you want to extend the making time and allow the batter to rest overnight.
There are lots of recipes available online which use yeast, and many are actually simpler than the recipes which require you to whip the egg whites separately. They claim to make deliciously fluffy and crispy waffles every time, so they’re definitely worth a shot. Look for the phrase “overnight refrigeration” or something similar when searching through the recipes.
Simplifying the process and allowing you to store them in the fridge without compromising the texture sounds like a definite win-win situation. Remember to double-check any recommendations about how long you can store these waffles for if you’re trying a new recipe.
You might find that the time they need for the yeast to activate fits in perfectly with your schedule, allowing you to enjoy crunchy and fresh waffles first thing in the morning without having to break out the whisks and bowls.
Conclusion
Life can be very hectic, and we don’t always have the time to do the things we want – even when those things are as important as making waffles! We’re all looking for ways to save ourselves a few extra minutes and being able to batch cook is an especially important one.
Making waffle batter the night before simplifies mornings, making them less chaotic and stressful. Whether that’s in the pre-work or pre-school rush, or as a means of making weekends more relaxing, batch cooking is an important part of busy schedules.
Hopefully, you now know the best ways to store waffle batter safely in the fridge and have some ideas about how to ensure your waffles taste great every time. Sit back and enjoy!
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Tosh learned how to cook while watching his Polish Mom at home. He also worked in a family-owned restaurant while a student and learned much from the chefs. Cooking has always interested him, especially the hearty Polish recipes he learned from his mother. He has helped create and appeared on cookery shows on radio stations in Scotland.
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