Frozen Waffles in Air Fryer: Simply place the number of waffles that will fit in the air fryer basket, in a single layer and cook! Toasty, and ready in minutes!
When it comes to breakfast recipes, the easier the better, in our house! With easy recipes, comes one of our favorite small appliances… the air fryer! (We’ve fallen in love with our Bella Air Fryer!)
Since getting the air fryer, we’ve made tons of easy air fryer recipes but breakfast is even easier since we can make easy air fryer breakfast recipes such as this air fryer bacon in minutes, breakfast potatoes in the air fryer, and even air fryer biscuits from frozen!
Now, we even love making air fryer waffles in only 5 minutes! But, if you love something that you actually mix together and make for your air fryer, you should try this apple fritters in the air fryer recipe!
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Why This Method Works
- Cooking Time: The air fryer is quick to heat up, so it takes just 5 minutes for the frozen waffles to cook. Perfect for an easy breakfast on a busy morning or even a lazy Sunday morning.
- Crispy edges and soft centers: I know frozen waffles don’t have as much of a fluffy center as homemade waffles but the air fryer gives the classic waffles a crisp edge and still leaves them with a soft center.
Ingredients Needed
You only need the frozen waffles for this method! (Well, and your favorite toppings. Make sure to see the list of pancake toppings that are similar to what you could put on your waffles.)
- Waffles – No matter the brand or flavor of waffles that you’re using, the cook method should still be the same. Regardless of the brand, we feel the air fryer is the best way to cook frozen waffles!
Substitutions
Curious about different types of waffles and even items similar to waffles, such as pancakes?
- Thawed/Bakery Waffles – We’ve purchased storebought waffles from the bakery in the past, and we also love tossing those in the air fryer too. Since they’re not frozen, it doesn’t take as long to cook but they come out delicious as well!
- Gluten Free Waffles – If you eat gluten-free, we have purchased many gluten-free waffles in the past, that also cook wonderfully in the air fryer!
- Pancakes – You may also find that you want to try frozen pancakes in the air fryer too! I don’t see why you couldn’t follow the same, similar cook method and time. Just be cautious that pancakes me be thinner than waffles, so it may not take as long to cook.
How to Cook Waffles in the Air Fryer
It doesn’t get much easier than this! In just a few minutes, you have a hot breakfast that’s ready for eating.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
The air fryers I’ve had, have stated not to use cooking spray in the air fryer baskets. (As you can see in the one I’m using here, it has been loved… a LOT… and the nonstick surface is starting to fade.)
So if your air fryer basket has a nonstick coating, you shouldn’t need to spray it. Or, you may enjoy using air fryer basket liners or parchment paper too.
STEP 1. Place waffles in a single layer. Place your waffles in the air fryer basket, in a single layer, making sure they don’t overlap so they cook evenly. (Image above).
Tip: Make sure to either pull the basket open at the end of the cook time, or leave a crack to allow the heat to escape so the waffles don’t continue cooking, causing the waffles to be overdone.
STEP 2. Cook at 350° degrees f. Turn the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden brown (Image below).
Equipment
The air fryer seen in this recipe is my Chefman 6.5L air fryer.
Recipe Pro Tips
- No need to flip the air fryer waffles. We didn’t find a need to flip the waffles halfway through, as they cooked perfectly. However if you find that your air fryer doesn’t cook evenly on the top and bottom without flipping, you can flip halfway.
- Difference in Air Fryers. Oven-style air fryers, toaster oven styles, and other models may cook differently, at different temperatures, than in a basket-style air fryer. So for best results, watch carefully to prevent overcooking.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Any brand of frozen waffles should cook just fine in the air fryer.
Place waffles in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook at 350° for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
If the waffles are cooked, and simply need to be reheated, 2-3 minutes should be enough time if cooked at 350°, just enough to warm up and crispy up the waffles. (Different air fryer models can vary, so it’s important to check early the first time making them.)
Waffle Topping Ideas
If you need a few topping ideas for your air-fried waffles, here are some of the favorite waffle toppings that we love to add on:
- delicious maple syrup
- whipped cream
- peanut butter (or nut butters)
- fresh fruit (such as fresh berries, peaches)
- apple butter
- chocolate chips
- chocolate syrup (kind of like with our chocolate waffles)
- ice cream (topped on that warm waffle, it’s so good!)
Can you store leftover frozen waffles?
Absolutely! Simply store the leftover waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Or, feel free to refreeze the waffles if needed.
Refreezing Tip: If refreezing, place cooked waffles in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place the sheet in the freezer so the waffles freeze individually, without sticking to one another. After a couple of hours, place the frozen waffles in a freezer container or freezer bag, where the waffles are separate with parchment, freezer, or wax paper for easier disbursement later.
More Waffle Recipes You’ll Love
If you love waffles, I think you’re really going to love our other favorite recipes:
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Frozen Waffles in Air Fryer
Video
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 3 Frozen waffles or as many you can fit in your air fryer, in a single layer
- syrup if desired
- butter if desired
Instructions
- Simply place the waffles, in a single later in the air fryer basket.
- Turn the temperature of the air fryer to 350 degrees f and set the timer for 5 minutes. No need to flip, as both sides should cook.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
richard m gralto says
great
Journa Liz Ramirez says
Never thought that I could cook waffles in the air fryer! It is so effective and the texture is so goood! We’ll definitely have this on repeat!
Dana G says
I had no idea how easy these were to make in the air fryer! I just got one and I am new to all of this. Great recipe, thank you!
Kristen says
This was great, I love having crispy waffles and with the air fryer, they were perfectly crispy.