Name: Funfetti Waffles
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ½ teaspoon ground cardamom; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 cups buttermilk; 2 large eggs; ¼ cup butter (melted and cooled); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup candy sprinkles

Funfetti cake is always fun, but why limit it to dessert? These festive funfetti waffles start the day with a party! They're perfect for celebrating a birthday or other special occasion. We can't think of a merrier buttermilk waffle for breakfast or brunch!

Jump to Recipe

Funfetti waffles stacked on a pink plate topped with whipped cream and candy sprinkles

I can't think of a more fun and festive breakfast treat than funfetti waffles! They're the perfect celebration waffle - perfect for birthdays and other celebrations or just because you want something fun for breakfast or brunch!

Our buttermilk Belgian waffles turned out so well, that we based these funfetti waffles on them and just stirred in some sprinkles. We used Betty Crocker star sprinkles, but you can use whatever sprinkles strike your fancy. Bear in mind that some sprinkles may bleed into the batter and turn it different colors. We don't think that's necessarily a bad thing!

Jump to:

❤️ Reasons to Love This Recipe
🧇 Ingredients
📝 Instructions
🥄 Equipment
ℹ️ Substitutions
💡 Ways to Serve It
🌡️ Storage
💭 Top Tips
🔖 Related Recipes
📖 Recipe

❤️ Reasons to Love This Recipe

It's easy! To make this recipe, it's just a matter of combining the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, combine them both, stir in some sprinkles, and cook in a waffle maker. That's it!
It's make ahead friendly. Contrary to what you might think, you can make these waffles ahead and freeze them! We often do just that. We make a batch on the weekend, then freeze them right away (for maximum freshness). They reheat very well in the toaster.
It's delicious! The vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg, and candy sprinkles come together to make a very special and tasty waffle.
It's a crowd pleaser. This recipe makes six waffles, which is plenty to share. You can easily double the recipe to make an extra large batch.

🧇 Ingredients

All-purpose flour. You can substitute self-rising flour. If making this substitute, omit the baking powder and salt. The baking soda will still be needed.
Baking powder. Helps the waffles to rise. You can omit this if substituting self-rising flour for the all-purpose flour.
Baking soda. Works with the buttermilk to help these waffles to rise.
Salt. Enhances flavor. This is a necessary ingredient for flavorful waffles. Without it, the waffles will taste bland. If you are substituting self-rising flour for the all-purpose flour, you can omit this. Self-rising flour already contains salt.
Ground nutmeg. Adds flavor.
Ground cardamom. Adds flavor. You can substitute cinnamon for a different flavor.
Granulated sugar. Adds sweetness.
Buttermilk. Works with the baking soda to help the waffles to rise. Buttermilk also adds flavor.
Large eggs. Eggs act as binding agent. They also provide a bit of leavening for light and fluffy waffles.
Butter. Melted and cooled. Butter is used in this recipe to prevent the waffles from being too dry.
Vanilla extract. Adds flavor.
Candy sprinkles. Adds color, flavor, and fun! We used Betty Crocker star sprinkles.

See recipe card for quantities.

📝 Instructions

Dry ingredients in a large glass bowl on a marble countertop with a red and white whisk. — In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom together. Set aside.

Wet ingredients in a large glass bowl on a marble countertop with a red and white whisk. — In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract. Whisk briskly for 1-2 minutes or beat with an electric mixer on high speed for about a minute.

Wet ingredients in a large glass bowl. — Pour wet ingredients into the dry and stir until nearly smooth. It's okay if a few lumps remain. If the batter is too thick, add more buttermilk, a splash at a time.

Batter and sprinkles in a large glass bowl — Stir in candy sprinkles.

Preheat the waffle maker. Add ¼ - ⅓ cup batter per waffle to hot waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's instructions, about 5 minutes.

Repeat this step until batter is gone.

Click here to learn how to make these funfetti waffles in a visual story.

🥄 Equipment

Large bowl. Use the large bowl to mix the dry ingredients. Eventually it will hold the batter.
Medium bowl. Use the medium bowl to mix the wet ingredients. You can also use a blender.
Wire whisk. Used to combine wet and dry ingredients.
Round Belgian waffle maker. Needed to cook the waffles, obviously! 😂

ℹ️ Substitutions

Gluten Free - Substitute Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-Balking flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe.
Sugar Free - Substitute Swerve products for the sugar used in this recipe: Swerve granulated sugar. (affiliate link).
Self-Rising flour - As mentioned above, you can substitute self-rising flour for the all-purpose flour. If using self-rising flour, omit the baking powder and salt.
Milk - If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute the same amount of regular milk plus two tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Measure out the milk into a two-cup liquid measuring cup and stir in two tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Then add the milk to the recipe as instructed.
Dairy Free - To make a dairy free version, substitute nut milk, like this homemade walnut milk, soy milk, or coconut milk (coconut milk will change the flavor a bit). The batter may be a bit thinner if using nut milk, if that's the case, stir in a little more flour to thicken it up.
Egg Free - Replace the eggs with ½ cup of yogurt, plain or vanilla. If this makes the batter too thick, stir in more milk, a splash at a time.

Maple syrup being poured over a stack of funfetti waffles topped with whipped cream and candy sprinkles on a pink plate.

💡 Ways to Serve It

Whipped cream - Top the waffles with whipped cream and more sprinkles. Drizzle with maple, agave, or pancake syrup.
Fresh fruit - Top with fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries, along with whipped cream and granola or chopped nuts.
Fruit syrup or compote - Top with homemade blueberry, raspberry, mixed berry, or apple syrup. You might want to also give peach, apple, strawberry, mango, or apple compote a try!

🌡️ Storage

We recommending freezing any leftovers right away. To freeze, cut pieces of wax paper large enough to accommodate one waffle. Place the wax paper between waffles. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer zip bag marked with the date. They will keep in your freezer for up to six months. To reheat , defrost in the microwave, then toast in a toaster to crisp them up again.

💭 Top Tips

After mixing the batter, allow it to rest a bit to relax the gluten. This step is not necessary if using gluten-free flour.
To check for doneness, watch for steam. When the waffles have stopped steaming, they are done. This is a good foolproof method since waffle makers vary in the time it takes to produce a crispy waffle.
On that note, be sure to use a good quality waffle maker. Some waffle makers simply don't get hot enough to produce a good product. Investing in a great waffle maker has made all the difference for us.

See more waffle recipes →

Made this recipe? We would love it if you could leave a rating. Either tap or click the stars in the recipe card or leave a comment below. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free e-cookbook of quick and easy breakfast recipes. Thanks!

Funfetti Waffles