The Best Waffle Makers of 2026

When you're making waffles, it can be torture waiting for them to cook. By the time you have enough to serve everyone, the initial few are cold and soggy. Not so with the Cuisinart Double Flip Belgian Waffle Maker.

This waffle maker borrows its innovative flip design from the commercial kitchens of college cafeterias and hotels, but is perfected for home use. During testing, the Double Flip consistently turned out piles of crispy Belgian waffles before hungry brunchers could even begin to lose patience.

The rotary feature not only allows you to make two waffles at once, but it contributes to even cooking and waffles that are fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside. As an added bonus, this model features a browning-control slider to customize the doneness of the waffles. We found that the darker end of the spectrum produces the crispest, most flavorful results.

A tray underneath the waffle iron catches any drips that escape from the reservoirs during cooking, and while that tray is very easy to clean we found the drips on the side of the machine a bit difficult to clean off. For less mess and supremely fluffy waffles, we found that thicker batter performs best in this type of flipping waffle maker.

There’s a lot to love about the Cuisinart Round Classic. It heats up and bakes much faster than others in our testing group. And it was one of the few that gave a very distinct range of shades from light to dark—although it’s beyond me why anyone would want their waffles pale and flabby.

Not only is the appliance itself small and thin, it stands up for storage and the cord can be wrapped in the bottom. While there’s a light to indicate that it’s ready for the batter and when waffles are fully baked, there’s no sound so you have to keep an eye on it. We think that’s a small drawback for a waffle maker this good and this inexpensive.

Let’s put it on the table right away: $300 is a lot of cash to spend for this kind of appliance. You can get perfectly wonderful waffles from other machines. But if you want to bake four at a time, and get the ultimate in convenience, the handsome well-designed Breville Smart Waffle Pro is worth the big bucks.

Batch after batch come out exactly the same—extra crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. And the Breville’s waffles are the only ones we taste-tested that stay crunchy if they’re not devoured immediately. In addition to doneness level, there are settings for 5 types—classic, Belgian, chocolate, buttermilk, and a custom one of your own devising.

All of the settings are displayed on a large LCD screen that adjusts with a pair of knobs. The whole panel lights up to indicate when the iron’s preheated and when the waffles are fully cooked. There’s a beep as well.

As the waffle bakes, its countdown timer allows you to have an idea of when to call everyone to the table. The Smart Waffle Pro takes a relatively long to bake but as they say, good things are worth waiting for, and of course, it turns out four at once.

On the Breville, there’s a large professional-type handle that keeps your hand well away from the machine's body to minimize any chances of burns. Around the grid, there’s a deep moat that catches excess batter so unless you really overdo it, you won’t have overflows onto your counter.

This is a large, heavy machine that doesn’t easily lend itself to storage. You won’t want to be lifting it in and out of a cabinet often so you might want to have countertop space to dedicate to it. That’s another reason, in addition to the hefty price, that this is a machine for diehard waffle lovers.

Don’t be put off by the Cuisinart Vertical's funky design. In this case, Cuisinart really did reinvent the wheel. This unusual appliance turns out crispy, tender round-shaped waffles, eliminates overflow once and for all, and doesn’t hog counter space. Not to mention that it’s very reasonably priced!

To fill this machine, just pour batter into the spout on top. It’s easy to see when there’s enough, and if there’s any extra, it bakes up in the spout without making a mess by flowing onto the countertop. Both a green light and an audible sound signal when the machine is hot enough to pour in the mix and again when your food is ready. The nonstick plates also made removing the cooked waffles easy.

As this machine stands vertically, you can leave it out without sacrificing much counter space, or stash it away easily in a cabinet. The machine comes with a measuring cup, which helps ensure you’re using the right amount of batter. It also comes with a booklet with quite a few enticing recipes, including toppings.

If you've got a household full of mini-waffle fans, the Dash Multi Mini Waffle Maker is an excellent choice for homemade waffles. It turns out nicely crisped waffles in short order, and is quick to heat up.

We also love the useful drip channels that turn wayward batter into edible sticks—no waste here! Plus, you'll save a lot of money with the Dash rather than buying boxes of frozen waffles.

Waffle batter isn't the only thing this maker can hold. We used it to make perfectly sized stuffing waffles for leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.