We are not strangers to waffles and pancakes. But are waffles and pancakes the same thing? Of course not, here are the differences between waffles and pancakes.
Ingredients
The ingredients in pancake batter are flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, butter, and a leavening agent like eggs. The ingredients in waffle batter include flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, butter, and a leavening agent like eggs.
“Hey, wait! Those ingredients are exactly the same! So what makes a difference?”
It’s all in the ratios, my friend. To help them form their slightly crispy, golden-brown exterior and soft, chewy interior, waffles are made with more butter and eggs than pancakes in order to help them rise in the pan.
Tip! If you’re making waffles from a store-bought pancake mix, add double the fat and double the eggs the recipe calls for to achieve the correct consistency for classic waffle batter.
Origin
Since humans have had access to grains, fat, sugar, milk, and fire, there have been pancakes or simple recipes that resemble what we call pancakes. Yes, there is a good chance that some of those prehistoric cave paintings contain pancake recipes preserved by a Stone Age Martha Stewart!
When the four magic ingredients were combined, historically significant flavors were added, and the batter was poured into a cooking vessel, people throughout the world and throughout time reinvented the recipe because it was so delicious. Pancakes cook quickly, making it easier to bake them in large quantities, which helps explain their incredible popularity over the centuries.
Waffles started from a similar idea, but they had to wait to come into existence until someone thought to put the ancient pancake batter between two decorative plates. If you’re wondering, that was an idea that originated in Greece during the Middle Ages, making waffles the younger sibling of pancakes in terms of breakfast foods. If you ask us, they were definitely worth the wait (or if you try our waffles, you’ll know)!
Fun fact: After the development of a metal press for producing communion wafers, the first waffle irons appeared in the early Middle Ages. The first waffles were made using much larger irons that were purely decorative because the wafer irons, which were much smaller and decorated with significant religious imagery, were used for something else entirely.
Texture
So, what does this all mean? The different ratios of ingredients and different preparation methods result in two similar, but also drastically different, classic breakfast foods.
Pancakes are soft and fluffy, somewhat dense, and ideal for soaking up syrups and sauces. Waffles are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and full of perfect little divots seemingly designed to hold puddles of syrup, whipped cream, fresh fruit, and even ice cream if you want more of a dessert-inspired waffle (which is the perfect final course for your multi-course breakfast for dinner if we do say so ourselves!).
Methods of Preparation
Pancakes can be prepared on the stovetop in a frying pan, on a griddle, or even (if you’re making a really thick and jiggly Japanese café-style pancake) in a springform pan baked in the oven. However, waffles are the obvious diva of this duo and require an appliance dedicated explicitly to them.
If you’re a minimalist in the kitchen and don’t buy single-purpose kitchen gadgets, we’ll still recommend that you have a waffle iron in your cupboards because everybody loves waffles!
A Belgian waffle maker, which makes larger, thicker waffles, is another option. Waffle irons come in vintage round or multi-square designs. Last but not least, there are countless novelty waffle irons available, including those that produce waffles as small as those that fit in your palm and those that have designs like faces, dinosaurs, or seasonal themes.
Toppings
Traditional
Both pancakes and waffles are traditionally delicious, topped with butter and drowned in maple syrup. The waffles’ crisp exteriors will delay this process, giving you little lakes of melted butter and maple syrup pooling in the pockets, while the pancakes will soak up all the liquids and turn into sweet sugar sponges.
Fruit and whipped cream are the second most common traditional topping for pancakes and waffles. You should top pancakes with slightly muddled fruit to help release some of the fruit juice since the point of pancakes is to be a delivery system for whatever sweet and syrupy topping you place upon them.
Since they don’t require liquid to highlight their contrasting textures, waffles can be topped with fresh fruit more easily. But don’t forget the whipped cream! It enhances the fresh, tart fruit flavors by adding a delicate, fluffy cloud of sweetness.
Savory
Time to venture beyond the savory side! Use cornbread mix in your waffle iron, and top the waffles with chili, sour cream, cheese, and chives for a waffle fit for a hearty fall dinner.
Reduce the sugar in your pancake batter, add grated cheddar cheese, finely chopped onions, or parmesan and herbs, and then serve with sour cream and bacon on the side if you’re more in the mood for pancakes.
Upscale
Replace half of the milk in the recipe with ricotta cheese (cottage cheese will also work), then include about a cup of blueberries and two tablespoons of lemon juice to glam up your pancake game. Serve with additional blueberries and freshly made whipped cream.
Take your waffle recipe to the next level by replacing half of the milk with ricotta cheese (cottage cheese will also work in this situation), followed by a quarter cup of chopped walnuts and a chopped banana. Add some light cinnamon sugar sprinkling and fresh whipped cream before serving.
Final Thoughts
Waffles usually contain more fat and more sugar. The additional fat helps waffles have a crispy taste on the outside and a soft and chewy mouthfeel inside, as opposed to a floppy pancake.
