Five Things to Cook in Your Waffle Maker that Aren’t Waffles

I’m not a big breakfast person. For that reason, my waffle maker sits in the cupboard and hasn’t gotten a whole lot of love over the years.

Until now.

Turns out, a waffle maker isn’t just for waffles. The heated plates with all those little nooks and crannies make it perfectly suited for a whole host of dishes – both sweet and savory – that come out crunchy, gooey, and downright delicious.

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As I closed the waffle maker on my daughter’s grilled cheese last week, she summed it up perfectly: “Mom, you’re obsessed.”

Yes, yes I am. And you should be, too. If you’re ready to try something new, here are some dishes to make in your waffle maker (that aren’t waffles). I have a Belgian waffle maker, but any ‘ole waffle maker will do.

1. Grilled Cheese. Nothing tricky about this one – just butter your bread, add a slice of cheese, and close that waffle maker. Your kids will love this fun twist on the classic!

2. Hash Browns. But not just any hash browns. Bacon cheddar hash browns! Skip the frozen hash browns (too much water as they defrost) and use refrigerated (or run some potatoes through the shredder in the food processor and rinse off the starch). Toss in some bacon bits, a couple eggs, a bunch of cheese, onion powder & garlic powder, and salt & pepper. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and toss ’em in. If you’re more of a recipe-follower, try this one. I find they’re best served with ketchup.

3. Chaffles. Cutting carbs? Then you must try chaffles – basically cheese waffles – to give you the crispy texture you’ve missed from a bunch of your favorite foods. We’ve made this recipe as a pizza crust and this one as a taco shell. When we make these, we make them in our Dash Mini Waffle Maker. It makes perfect individual portions and comes in sooooooo many cute colors and waffle shapes! A lot of people who make chaffles regularly have two so they can get dinner on the table faster.

4. Pizza Pockets. Buy some refrigerated pizza crust, cut into circles, top with sauce, cheese, and toppings, and put another round on top to form a pocket. Spray your waffle maker with cooking spray and put a pocket in the iron! You can also make these with Pillsbury Grand’s biscuits which are already formed into circles. Serve with additional sauce for dipping.

5. Mac & Cheese Bites. Full disclosure, I haven’t tried this but I’m super intrigued. I mean, who doesn’t love the crispy top of homemade mac ‘n’ cheese? This replicates that crunch with a waffle iron!

Seriously guys, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Just hop over to Pinterest and see what else you can make with your waffle iron. If yours has just been collecting dust like mine, break it out and use it. Because dinnertime just got FUN!