We Taste-Tested 7 Brands of Frozen Waffles—Here Are Our Favorites

I usually prefer waffles to pancakes—their tender valleys are tailor-made for catching pools of maple syrup. Nothing quite compares to a warm, freshly made golden waffle. But not everyone has a waffle iron, and many people—including me—have a soft spot for frozen waffles that require nothing more than opening a box and popping them in a toaster or warm oven for a few minutes. I grew up eating them and still reach for a box when the craving strikes. The question is: Which brand is actually worth buying?

To find the best frozen waffles, our editors taste-tested seven widely available brands. For this taste test, we chose "homestyle" waffles and did not include buttermilk, Belgian-style, or flavored waffles. We cooked the waffles in a conventional oven according to the package directions, then sampled them in random order without knowing which was which. We then tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, along with three worthy contenders that we'd be happy to keep at home.

The Criteria

Great frozen waffles should be crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They should be light and tender, yet still have ridges sturdy enough to hold syrup. They should not be dense, dry, or crumbly. Frozen waffles should not taste strongly spiced, artificial, or overly vanilla-forward. They should be subtly sweet, with a hint of butter to complement toppings, whether maple syrup, butter, jam, or fresh fruit, without competing with them. 

Overall Winner

Stop & Shop Homestyle Waffles

This frozen waffle offered something for everyone. "This tastes classic," wrote our editorial director, Daniel. "It hits that middle-of-the-road frozen waffle note more or less on the nose." Our associate visuals director, Amanda, enjoyed its buttery aftertaste, while our senior social media editor, Kelli, liked its hint of sweetness. Our associate editorial director, Megan, thought it was tender and fairly moist, and preferred its mostly neutral, slightly buttery flavor. "Soft and bouncy, with a crunchy outside," wrote our associate culinary editor, Laila, who greatly enjoyed its texture.

Runners-Up

Kellogg's Eggo Homestyle Waffles

Some editors loved this waffle, while others thought it was pretty average. "This is Eggooooo and I love Eggooooo," wrote Amanda, who easily identified this brand's signature flavor. "Not overly sweet, mild overall, with a bit of eggy richness," wrote Laila, who liked its soft and plush texture. Meanwhile, Kelli found this waffle to be one-dimensional in flavor, while Daniel wasn't quite sure what to make of the flavor. "Why do I taste coriander seed?" he asked. (For the record, "spice" is listed on the package for these, but we don't know if that spice includes coriander.)

Life Every Day Homestyle Waffles

Our editors enjoyed this waffle's crispy outsides and soft, tender insides. "Not too soft and not too firm—nicely in between," wrote Laila, who enjoyed the waffle's texture but found it had a slight flavor of artificial vanilla, although neither artificial nor natural vanilla appears on the ingredient list. Daniel and Megan both thought the flavor was mild. Meanwhile, Kelli thought it tasted too egg-forward.

Trader Joe's Whole Grain Waffles

This whole-grain waffle surprised our editors with its full-bodied flavor. "They're actually tasty, lightly sweet and nutty," wrote Daniel. "A lil earthy in a good way with a touch of sweet," wrote Amanda, who also appreciated the texture. Similarly, Megan and Laila both liked the hearty texture of the waffle.

The Contenders

• 365 Whole Foods Market Homestyle Waffles
  
• Breakfast Best Homestyle Waffles
• Kellogg's Eggo Homestyle Waffles
• Life Every Day Homestyle Waffles
• Nature's Promise Organic Homestyle Waffles
• Stop & Shop Homestyle Waffles
• Trader Joe's Whole Grain Waffles
  

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Most frozen waffles are made with similar base ingredients: flour, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, eggs, whey, and added vitamins. The flour is usually enriched wheat flour—fortified with niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and folic acid—or whole wheat flour. Vegetable oil is a generic term for a blend of plant-derived oils, most often soybean, but it can also include canola, cottonseed, sunflower, corn, or palm oil. All brands include leavening agents, such as baking soda or sodium acid pyrophosphate, which leaven the waffles and give them their soft, fluffy interiors.

Our winner, Stop & Shop Homestyle Waffles, contains enriched wheat flour, whey, vegetable oil, eggs, salt, sugar, and a leavening agent. It also contains soy lecithin, an emulsifier that promotes tenderness and an even crumb. Since it's made with enriched flour, it has added vitamins and minerals; these don't affect flavor, but are required because enriched flour must meet FDA standards for nutrition.

Our top-scoring waffles—including the winner and runners-up from Eggo, Life Every Day, and Trader Joe's—have shorter, more pared-back ingredient lists than the other contenders. All contain a leavening agent, which helps produce the crisp yet fluffy waffles our editors preferred. (We chose Trader Joe's whole-grain waffles since they don't offer a homestyle variety.)

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.