Make Store-Bought Waffle Mix Taste Better With One Buttery Trick

Store-bought waffle mix, which many brands use interchangeably with pancake mix, usually requires nothing more than the addition of eggs, oil, and water to transform into batter. The eggs help your waffles rise, while the oil and water bring moisture and tenderness to their crumb. These three wet ingredients are household staples, but there's one more item you should add to elevate the flavor of store-bought waffle mix. A few tablespoons of melted butter will make a world of difference when it comes to flavor.

While a neutral oil like canola supplies the fat you need for a moist tender crumb, butter supplements oil's textural benefits with an inimitable flavor boost. You can, of course, substitute the ½ cup of oil required with ½ cup of melted butter. However, butter will make for a denser crumb than oil because it doesn't do as good a job hindering the gluten development of the flour. Consequently, a few tablespoons of butter to supplement the oil will keep your waffles light and airy while also imbuing them with a rich, buttery flavor that'll make them taste scratch-made. If you want to prevent your waffle batter from becoming too thin with the addition of butter, simply subtract 2 tablespoons from the specified measurement of water. Two tablespoons of butter is equivalent to ¼ a solid butter stick. It'll take less than 30 seconds to melt in the microwave before stirring it into the waffle mix along with your other wet ingredients.

All it takes is a few tablespoons of melted butter to make store-bought waffle-mix taste better. But there are other equally simple additions and substitutes to further improve the flavor and texture of your waffles. In addition to melted butter, you can also swap the water in your wet ingredients with buttermilk. Buttermilk is a magical ingredient in baking, bringing a tangy taste and an even lighter, fluffier crumb than a batter with baking soda and baking powder alone. In fact, you could potentially replace oil with butter and water with buttermilk for an especially rich flavor without as much of a risk of dense crumb.

You can bring waffles into a more savory realm by using salted butter instead of unsalted butter. Supplement a salty batter with savory herbs — like rosemary and thyme — for an earthy foundation for fried chicken. Add lemon zest, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and poppyseeds to buttermilk batter for a bright and citrusy waffle that you can pair with spiced honey butter and blueberry compote. For more ideas on seasonings and garnishes, you can consult our list of sweet and savory waffle recipes.