The waffle and I have had a love-love relationship for some time (unlike the iffy relationship I had with French toast until this recipe happened). I love them any way I can get them–plain, oatmeal, pumpkin, gingerbread, and now… lemon.
Yep. Lemon Waffles.
Inspired by a photo of lemon meringue waffles from Bruxie (pictured here), these waffles were divine! They were crisp with just enough lemon flavor, and the cream cheese topping was satisfying, not-too-sweet.
These are definitely special occasion waffles, but they’re oh-so delicious and completely worth every drop of effort (and calories).
Michael ate his sandwich-style, with the cream cheese filling in the middle. I opted for a dollop of the cream cheese on top of my waffles, and I loved it that way.
*Also, we loved these so much we made them again recently with half lemon, half lime. They were heavenly. HEAVENLY!
Lemon Buttermilk Waffles
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
The cream cheese topping will be best if it’s had at least 30 minutes to chill. You can make it the day before you need it, if you like.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Waffles:
- 1/4 cup sugar (50 grams)
- zest of 2 lemons (1 Tablespoon)
- 2 cups flour (240 grams)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, whites and yolks separated
For the whipped lemon cream cheese:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened slightly.
- 6 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (zest from 1–2 lemons)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
For The Waffles:
- Rub Zest Into Sugar. In a large bowl, rub together lemon zest and sugar until fragrant and the sugar has absorbed some of the lemon oil.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, butter, vanilla, and egg yolks.
- Add Wet Ingredients To Dry Ingredients. Stir buttermilk mixture into the dry mixture until mostly smooth (a few lumps are fine).
- Whip Egg Whites. In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high speed until you’ve reached stiff peaks. You’ll know you’ve reached stiff peaks when you can fluff up the mixture with a spatula or the beaters and the peak will maintain its shape. Gently fold whipped egg whites into the waffle batter.
- Cook waffles in waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions. Enjoy waffles warm, or place in an airtight bag and freeze up to 2 months.
For Whipped Cream Cheese Topping:
- Combine. Place cream cheese in a large bowl with sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Whip cream cheese mixture until very smooth and sugar is dissolved (when you rub it between your fingers, you should not feel any sugar granules).
- Add Cream. Pour in cream and continue to whip until mixture resembles thick, softly-whipped cream cheese. Refrigerate about 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve & Store. Dollop cream cheese topping on top of waffles, or create a stuffed French toast effect by sandwiching the filling between two waffles and garnish with powdered sugar. Cream cheese mixture will keep for 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Zesting Tip. For ease, make sure to zest the lemons before slicing & juicing them! Try to get ONLY the yellow zest, not the bitter white pith underneath. A microplane zester is my favorite tool for this job!
- Separating Eggs. For the egg whites to whip properly, it’s crucial that NO egg yolk, oil, or grease gets into the egg white mixture. Even a tiny dot of egg yolk or greasy beaters will mean that the egg whites can’t whip properly.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Waffle Maker
- Cuisine: American
Can the cream cheese topping be (successfully) made dairy free?
It sounds delicious!
Cassandra – I haven’t tried it dairy free yet. I like Kite Hill almond cream cheese, which you could whip with the sugar, lemon juice & vanilla. Then you could try folding in already whipped coconut whipped cream. A pre-made one (like SoDelicious CocoWhip) would probably hold up better. I wouldn’t whip the cream cheese with the coconut whipped cream since it would deflate the coconut whipped cream and make it go runny. I hope that helps!
Delicious! One question: Mine turned out more chewy than fluffy and crisp. Any advice for next time? There will definitely be a “next time”!
Jilana – I’m so glad you liked them! It’s been ages since I’ve made these (since we have to eat strictly gluten and dairy free now). I know that whipping the egg whites helps with crispness. Another thing is that waffle irons can vary in heat and cooking. If the iron isn’t hot enough (or the waffle doesn’t stay in long enough) they can cook through without getting that crisp outside. If your waffle iron’s heat is adjustable, I’d recommend turning up the heat slightly to test it. If it’s not heat adjustable, you may try leaving the waffles in a few extra minutes next time. I’d love to know if that makes a difference for you!
When I saw this post last night I abandoned my healthy dinner plans and made these instead. They are soooo good!
These are divine! Can’t wait to try that lemon cream cheese topping!
Heart pounding, mouth watering, eyes glazed over. These look like… little heavenly pillows of joy.
Lemon cream cheese topping?! On waffles? Oh my gosh. That sounds absolutely heavenly. They look incredible! And lemony waffles, too. Wow. I need a waffle iron.