How To Make Japanese Waffles at Home

Japanese waffles are a sweet treat that anyone is sure to love, and in Japan, there are actually plenty of people who are fans of waffles too!

Sweet things like Japanese candy or waffles are really popular among Japanese people. You can find many cafes or restaurants that serve their own version of waffles, and they are always served with such a beautiful and delicious-looking presentation.

Even if you might not be able to go to a Japanese cafe but you still want to try out one of the most popular Japanese snacks, we will give you a step by step guide on how to make waffles with a Japanese twist, also known as mochi waffles! 

About Japanese Waffles

Unlike pancakes, there isn’t really anything out there that’s strictly defined as Japanese waffles. For pancakes, Japan has the okonomiyaki, which is defined as “savory Japanese pancakes”. This is made using pancake batter that is mixed with an assortment of savory ingredients, such as green onions, thinly sliced meat, cheese, vegetables, and in some cases, they even have seafood like octopus, squid, and shrimp.

If you’re looking up Japanese waffle recipes on the internet, there are variations out there that include making waffle versions of okonomiyaki or making waffle versions of one of the most popular Japanese snacks, taiyaki. 

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But the reason we are introducing mochi waffles is that, with a prep time of 10 minutes and a cooking time of 20 minutes, they are incredibly easy to make even for someone who’s never made waffles before. In addition to that, the best part is that you can also fully customize the toppings and flavors to suit your personal palate.

Ingredients for Mochi Waffles

First and foremost, there is one special ingredient you need to know about which sets the distinction between mochi waffles and regular waffles, and that is sweet rice flour. At grocery stores, you might find this type of flour under a different name; it’s also sold as “glutinous rice flour”, and it is the exact same type of flour that is used to make those cute little mochi rice cakes. 

The rest of the ingredients used in making mochi waffles are very basic and are things you can easily find in your local grocery store. To make a total of 4 servings, we will be listing down the ingredients alongside the right amounts necessary. For the dry ingredients, you will be needing:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sweet rice flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

And then for the wet ingredients, we have the following:

1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

The other things you will need to prepare are a mixing bowl, your choice of waffle maker or waffle iron, and the ingredients you want to use to make up the toppings of your waffles. You can add something that will make it sweeter, like whipped cream, honey, or maple syrup, and you can also make it a bit healthier with fruits like strawberries, blueberries, or slices of bananas.

Making Mochi Waffles

Now it’s time to start making some Japanese waffles! For the first step, we will be handling our wet ingredients.

In a bowl beat your eggs until they are well mixed together and have become a little bit frothy. You will not be needing a stand mixer, and you can just beat the eggs with a whisk and some good old elbow grease. 

Next, once you have your eggs beaten, it’s time for you to add in the milk and the vanilla extract. Once they’re in the bowl, whisk them all together until they look nice and frothy as well, and once that’s done, you can set them aside for now.

After that, we move on to our dry ingredients. You will be needing a separate mixing bowl and you will be using your whisk again, so make sure that it is clean and most importantly, dry, before we use it with the dry ingredients.

Add in all of your dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, sweet rice flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar) into a separate bowl, and once they are all there, use your whisk to mix them all together until they look nicely combined.

Once you have your two bowls of mixed ingredients, it’s time to combine them. Add in the bowl of wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl, and the consistency that you’re looking for is similar to a pancake batter. You can choose to slowly add the wet ingredients in, as long as your end result is a slightly thick but still easy to whisk egg mixture.

Next, it’s time to bring out your waffle iron. There are no set rules on the size of the waffles, so you can add as much or as little of the egg mixture as you want. When you see the edges of your waffle starting to take shape or starting to curl up, this is when you flip the batter over to get the other side as well. If you have a waffle maker that covers both sides, you can just leave the batter in until you get a nice golden brown color. 

Once the waffles are ready, you can take them out and add your favorite toppings to your heart’s content. Et voila! You just made yourself some delicious Japanese waffles!

On top of being a delicious snack, mochi waffles are also very easy to make, which makes them an excellent way to have a quick taste of Japan at home.