Cheddar Cornbread Waffles from Scratch
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A fresh take on your traditional waffle, these savory Cheddar Cornbread Waffles are the perfect vehicle for chili, and so much fun to eat! This recipe is also fabulous with a poached egg, or a fried egg on top for breakfast.
The deep wells in the Belgian waffle maker we have makes the cornbread waffles nice and sturdy, and excellent for pouring chili over.
A quick topping of some sour cream, a little cheese, and some cilantro, and we have ourselves a meal, folks! I love grabbing a quarter of the waffle, and using it as a shovel delicately transporting the chili to my mouth!
This is a big hit with family and friends! Check out the notes for how to make ahead, how to keep warm and serving ideas.
Step-by-step photos and instructions are below, but you can jump right to the recipe card if you wish!
If you are still stuck on traditional cornbread – try my skillet cornbread recipe. It’s a keeper!
Why you’ll love this recipe
These are a cinch to make, and I think that you could totally get away with serving this to guests. I mean, people do fried chicken and waffles (I can’t get my head around putting maple syrup on savory waffles, but I digress). Why not do chili and waffles?
I have included step-by-step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
Key Recipe Ingredients
Remember: this is just an overview and the why of the ingredients I choose here. The full list of ingredients and amounts is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Flour. Regular, all-purpose flour.
- Cornmeal. This can be found in the baking aisle with the sugar and flour.
- Sugar. Plain white sugar. Adjust amounts to your liking.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda. Got to make these waffles fluffy!
- Buttermilk.
- Eggs. I use large eggs.
- Butter. I use salted butter.
- Cheddar Cheese. Shred your own, or grab a bag of it from the store.
- Chili (optional, for serving)
How to make this recipe
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This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
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Get prepped. Heat your waffle maker. I like to use a high setting (but yours may be different – keep an eye on it!)
Make the batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, folding together until just combined. Don’t over mix – the batter should be shaggy, vs smooth .
Add in the melted butter, and cheese, folding together gently. Again – don’t over mix!!
Make the waffles. Grease the waffle maker with baking or cooking spray, then add around 3/4 cup of waffle batter for large Belgian style waffles. Use 1/2 cup for the flatter, less deep waffle irons. Cook until golden brown and crispy.
Serve. Top hot waffles with hot chili, sour cream, extra cheese and a little cilantro. Devour!
Kylee’s Tips & FAQs
Grease your waffle maker each time with nonstick cooking spray (or brush with butter) to ensure your waffle will come out easily!
Don’t overmix the batter, just gently fold together until just combined.
Keep waffles warm. Heat the oven to 200 degrees F and place cooked waffles on a baking sheet. Place in oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining waffles.
Refrigerate any remaining batter, but make sure you use it up within a day or so. Even better, just cook all the batter, and freeze extra waffles.
Store savory waffles in the refrigerator in a zip-lock back, or freeze, seperating the waffles with parchment. To reheat – just place in the toaster or oven for a few minutes until warmed.
How many waffles does this make? This recipe makes 5 really big waffles, in my Belgian Waffle Maker (the kind with the really deep grooves), but with a smaller, flatter waffle iron, you would likely get a lot more. Which really just means you could snarf 2 and be just fine.
Other recipes to love
- Green & White Turkey Chili. This low fat green and white turkey chili has all the hallmarks of yum! Very easy to make, dinner can be ready in 30 mins! Make ahead and freeze for weeknights!
- Vegetarian Chili (Slow Cooker). This simple slow cooker vegetarian chili is perfect for cool weather, packed with peppers, onions, beans, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes – this is a great crockpot chili!
- Instant Pot Chicken Chili. Make this AMAZING Chicken Chili right in your Instant Pot! GREAT for weeknights, easy to throw together and freezer-friendly!
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Cheddar Cornbread Waffles from Scratch
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 5 cups chunky chili
Optional Toppings
- sour cream
- extra cheddar
- cilantro
Instructions
- Whisk together the 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 2 teaspoons white sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together 2 cups buttermilk and 2 large eggs.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, folding together until just combined. Don’t over mix -the batter should be shaggy, vs smooth.
- Add in the melted 6 tablespoons butter, and 2 cups cheddar cheese, folding together gently. Again – don't over mix!!
- Heat your waffle maker. I like to use a high setting (but yours may be different – keep an eye on it!)
- Grease the waffle maker, then add around 3/4 cup of batter for large Belgian style waffles. Use 1/2 cup for the flatter, less deep waffle irons.
- Cook until browned and crispy.
- Top with 5 cups chunky chili, sour cream,extra cheddar and a little cilantro.
- Devour!
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Make sure to follow @kyleecooks on Instagram for more and tag me #kyleecooks so I can see!Update: This recipe was originally published in May of 2017. It was republished with updated photos in March of 2026.
About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
These are amazing! Perfect with the chili we were having tonight. I simplified the method – old lady cook – mixed the shredded cheese into the dry ingredients and mixed the melted butter into the wet ingredients. Folded the two together gently as suggested. Perfect! I have many plans for this in the future! Cheers!
Self rising cornmeal or plain?
Plain. I’ve never heard of self rising cornmeal!
These were great with sausage gravy and fried egg! Only thing is the batter was very liquidy – more like a traditional waffle batter than your photos. We subbed flax egg (out of eggs), but other than that made as per recipe. Are there different types of cornmeal?
Just made these for brunch on the fly. Used Greek yogurt plus lemon juice because I didn’t have buttermilk and added a generous squeeze of sriracha. Topped the waffles with shredded cheddar, sliced avocado, fried eggs and salsa.
A huge hit!
Made these and added slices of jack cheese between them for a new kind of grilled cheese sandwich. Reheated this “sandwich in waffle iron until cheese melted again. Two waffles made 4 sandwiches. Served with fresh cucumber spears marinated for 24 hours in jalapeno vinegar (left over from a jar of jalapeno slices)