Ham and Cheese Waffles

Got leftover ham? Use it all up in these delicious and savory Ham and Cheese Waffles! Savory waffles can be made and frozen ahead of time, making them ready for breakfast, brunch, or brinner in minutes.

Does this sound familiar?

After hitting the snooze about 5 times, you finally roll out of bed. Put your contacts in, get dressed, feed the cat, do your hair, then make some coffee.

Sit there for 30 minutes while drinking said coffee and try to find even an ounce of motivation to make breakfast.

Or you roll out of bed, have about 30 minutes to eat before running out the door, and you stare at the contents of your fridge not knowing (and not awake) to make anything.

Yup that’s me, whether I’m getting ready for another day of work or I have to be somewhere early in the morning.

It’s no secret I’m not a morning person. I’m terrible at eating a fulfilling breakfast, not because I don’t like breakfast (hello chocolate chip pancakes) but because it takes me awhile to wake up and get going.

I never skip breakfast, but I usually end up eating some yogurt or a piece of fruit.

The best way for me to eat a better breakfast is having something ready to eat and can keep in the freezer at a moment’s notice.

Something like homemade waffles for two. Usually my go-to waffles are chocolate chip, but as much as I’d love to, I can’t eat chocolate every morning.

However, they’re super easy to prepare – pop them in the toaster and wait. How can I make them more acceptable for breakfast without feeling like I’m eating dessert?

By making them savory with Ham and Cheese Waffles!

The combination of salty ham and melty cheddar cheese with the crispy, fluffy texture of waffles from scratch makes for a mouthwatering start to your day.

Even though waffles with ham and cheese are traditionally breakfast, by making savory waffles you can eat them for breakfast, brunch, and breakfast for diner (aka brinner).

My vote is for brinner because not only am I awake by then (ha), I can freeze the leftovers for breakfast the next morning. Win win.

Ingredients For Ham and Cheese Waffles

To make your savory waffles with ham and cheese, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Flour: Helps thicken your batter so you can pour it into your waffle maker.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness plus helps caramelizing the waffles (aka making them golden brown)
• Baking powder: Helps your waffles rise as well as making them fluffy.
• Salt: Even though ham is salty, you still want to season the batter on its own.
• Milk: Thins out your batter so it’s pourable
• Melted butter or oil: Butter is preferred for extra flavor, but I’ve also used oil for when I don’t want to deal with melting it.
• Egg: Also helps with the rising and fluffiness of the batter.
• Chopped ham: It can either be leftover ham steak dinner from Easter or you can buy already chopped from the store.
• Shredded cheese: I prefer cheddar cheese but really you can use almost any melty cheese that pairs well with ham.
• Green onion: Adds more savoriness to your waffles.

Because waffles come in all shapes and sizes, your yield may vary. I used this round waffle maker for 4 small batch waffles.

How To Make Ham and Cheese Waffles

Ready to make your savory recipes for breakfast? Here’s how to get started:

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. Whisk together the milk, melted butter, and egg.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients then stir together until well blended and smooth.
4. Stir in the ham, cheese, and green onion. Let sit 5 minutes.
5. Pour batter into hot waffle maker then cook until toasted. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve your ham and cheese waffles with butter and syrup or with a dollop of sour cream and chives for a more savory twist.

How To Freeze Homemade Waffles

Even though this small batch waffles recipe makes only 4 waffles, sometimes you don’t want to eat all 4 at once.

Luckily savory waffles freeze well! Make sure they’re completely cooled then place in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. This ensures they don’t stick to each other when stacked together.

Next, transfer them to a freezer-safe plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

How To Reheat Frozen Waffles

The best way to reheat your ham and cheese waffles is in the toaster.

However, if you don’t have one you can also use the microwave (which they don’t be as crispy) or in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes or until toasty.

Recipes Using Leftover Ham

Still have leftover Christmas or Easter ham? Check out these other recipes using leftover ham:

• Ham and Cheese Soup
• Baked Eggs with Ham and Cheese
• Old Fashioned Ham and Bean Soup from Foxes Love Lemons

First published on September 12, 2016