Swedish Waffles (Våfflor)
Våfflor Say it: VOHF-lohr
Våfflor are Sweden's thin, crisp waffles, baked in the heart-shaped irons that turn up in almost every Swedish kitchen. The batter is a simple mix of flour, milk, eggs and plenty of melted butter, and the finished waffles come out golden and shatteringly crisp at the edges. Swedes eat them as a weekend treat and especially on 25 March, Vårfrudagen, when waffles are traditionally served with whipped cream and lingonberry or cloudberry jam.
Swedish Waffles (Våfflor)
Våfflor
Pronounced VOHF-lohr
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Waffle batter
To serve
Method
Melt the butter and set it aside to cool slightly while you measure the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt until evenly combined.
Pour in about half the milk and whisk to a smooth, thick paste with no lumps, then whisk in the rest of the milk.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the melted butter. The batter should be thin, like heavy cream.
Cover and let the batter rest at room temperature for 15–20 minutes, so the flour hydrates and the waffles crisp better.
Heat a waffle iron until it is properly hot and brush both plates lightly with butter.
Ladle in enough batter to just cover the plates without overflowing, close the iron and bake for 3–5 minutes, until the waffles are deep golden and the edges are crisp and lift away easily.
Transfer the waffles to a rack rather than stacking them, so they stay crisp, and keep them warm while you bake the rest.
Serve warm with a spoonful of lightly whipped cream and a dollop of lingonberry jam on each waffle.
Regional variant: Crispy Waffles (Frasvåfflor)
Make the batter richer by increasing the butter to 1 3/4 sticks (200 g) and replacing 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the milk with cold sparkling water, added at the very end. Bake the waffles longer, until they are evenly deep brown and rigid, and serve them plain with only jam — no whipped cream — so the crisp texture stands out.
Cook's notes
- Let the batter rest — a short rest gives noticeably crisper, more tender waffles.
- Cook them a little darker than you think: Swedish waffles are meant to be crisp, not pale and soft.
- Cool baked waffles on a wire rack, never on a plate, or the steam softens the crust.
Serve with
Whipped cream and lingonberry jam, with strong coffee alongside.
Make ahead and storage
The batter can be mixed up to 2 hours ahead and kept cold; baked waffles reheat for a few minutes in a hot oven or toaster until crisp again.
