A mini waffle machine has revolutionised my breakfast routine – here are my favourites

The first time I Googled ‘best mini waffle makers’ was circa. 2013 when Gossip Girl was at its peak and Dan’s dad – was his name Rufus? – would make the whole Humphrey gang a batch of steaming hot waffles each morning before school. Realistic, right? I was lucky if I had time to grab a squished cereal bar but… that’s by the by. The idea of having waffles for breakfast or brunch has long been a tradition over in the US, and I think it’s high time we cement the ritual here in the UK. After all, why shouldn’t we, too, be treated to syrupy sweet, powdered sugar-dusted deliciousness? 

Alas, now we’ve established waffles are the new fry ups, it seems only apt that I find you the crème de la crème of waffle makers. No one wants burnt batter stuck to a shoddy waffle maker, after all. Early on in my research, it became quite clear which brands were a cut above the rest. Thankfully, a handful of the brands favoured by our US counterparts are still available to us here in GB – namely Dash and Hamilton Beach – while, elsewhere, Global Gizmos and Giles & Posner seem to be leading the way among the UK-specific manufacturers. And then, of course, we have our household names: the likes of Breville, Cuisinart & Salter. How to distinguish between them all, you ask? Let me share my learnings: (you can skip ahead to the full edit here).

The best mini waffle makers at a glance:

1. Best overall: Bubble Waffle Maker, £24.95, Wayfair – BUY IT NOW or TELL ME MORE
2. Best express from the US: Hamilton Beach Belgian-Style Waffle Maker, £46.50, Amazon – BUY IT NOW or TELL ME MORE
3. Best household-name brand machine: Salter® EK2143 Deep Fill 3-in-1 Panini Press & Griddle, Waffle Iron, & Toastie Sandwich Toaster, £33.86, Amazon – BUY IT NOW or TELL ME MORE

How do I choose a good waffle maker?

Before you click to buy or let the cashier beep your waffle maker of choice through the checkout, there are a few factors to consider. Firstly, you want to assess what is the best size mini waffle maker to buy for you? Are you flying solo or making breakfast for a hoard of hungry teenagers? If you veer towards the latter category, I’d recommend looking to double waffle makers or, even better, multi waffle makers like this five waffle-capacity machine from Wayfair.

Once that’s established, consider how you’ll use your mini waffle maker. Are you calm, collected and not in a rush whatsoever? Or, perhaps you’re swept off your feet without a moment to think? Again, if you fall into the latter group (mamas, we feel you), you might like to seek out a few speedy-cooking add ons in your mini waffle maker purchase. Think: cool-touch handles and feet on both sides of the machine so you needn’t flip the waffle with a spatula (and can simply turn the entire unit). Other stand-out features to note include…