If you have ever visited a Mennonite colony or have gone to one of their heritage villages, you might have tasted this amazing Waffle Sauce. Make this sweet, custard-textured, vanilla sauce to pour over waffles or even pancakes. Sprinkle with a dash of freshly grated nutmeg or even cinnamon if you prefer, to give it more flavor. Serve with fresh fruit to give it more acidity and brightness.
Try making this waffle sauce to serve with my Eggnog French Toast Casserole for an even more decadent treat! If you enjoy adding a cream component to baking, you have to try my Pumpkin Swirl Bread recipe! Make my Cornbread Waffles for a more savory option to the typical waffle.
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Where does Waffle Sauce come from?
Much like the waffles, the waffle sauce most likely came over to the Americas with the arrival of Dutch, German, and Belgium settlers. Amongst them were the Mennonites and their (now) established colonies across the continent.
With their strong values and ties to traditions, recipes like the Waffle Sauce have been passed down generations, and brought into the modern world. Although there is not much information about how far back this sauce recipe comes from, it is a delicious alternative to your typical maple syrup.
Look up "Mennonite Heritage Village..." and then the name of your province or state, and you might be surprised to find a place where you could taste the real deal! In my home province of Manitoba (Canada), we have a very nice Mennonite Heritage Village. There, you can purchase waffles, made in cast iron pan over wood fires and of course served with their famous Waffle Sauce.
Ingredients to make Waffle Sauce
- Milk or any dairy substitute like Almond, Soy, or Oat milk.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla (Extract or Bean Paste)
- Pinch of Salt
- Butter (Unsalted preferably)
- Cinnamon or Nutmeg to garnish
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
The trick to making this Waffle Sauce recipe is to end up with a smooth texture. Make sure that no flour is stuck to the side of the pan and you'll surely succeed!
Whisk together the sugar and the flour into a medium sauce pan.
Place the pan on medium heat. Pour in the milk while whisking. Use a rubber spatula to loosen up any flour from the bottom corners of the pan and keep whisking.
Keep whisking for 3-5 minutes while the sauce it cooking, until it is thick and starts to bubble.
Take the sauce pan off of the heat and whisk in the softened butter and the vanilla. Serve immediately over waffles.
Hint: When the sauce cools down, it will tend to thicken up. This is normal because of it being thickened with flour. Loosen it back up by simply stirring it over low heat with a rubber spatula.
Substitutions
- Dairy - Make this sauce with regular milk, or replace with the same amount of any dairy substitute like Almond, Soy or Oat milk.
- Vanilla - I love using Vanilla Bean Paste but using Vanilla extract works just fine.
- Butter - If using Salted Butter, simple omit the pinch of salt in the recipe.
Variations
While looking into the history of this sauce, I found a variation of this recipe, and maybe even the original version. This version consisted of taking some of the waffle batter, and cooking it with enough milk and sugar to give it a custardy texture. The sauce would then rely on the egg and flour in the waffle batter to help thicken it up.
Storage
Store any leftover Waffle Sauce in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. When cooled, the sauce with solidify. Place is in a sauce pan with a splash of milk, over low heat and stir until it comes back to a pouring consistency.
Recipe
Waffle Sauce
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 cups Cow Milk or milk substitute
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste or vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon Unsalted Butter at room temperature
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the flour and sugar.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat. Slowly pour the milk in the flour mixture while whisking continuously.
- To make sure to have no lumps, take a rubber spatula and release any flour mixture remaining in the bottom corners of the pan. Continue whisking.
- Cook the sauce while whisking, until it just comes to a simmer and thickens up.
- Take the pan off of the heat. Stir in the softened butter and the vanilla un well incorporated,
- Best to serve immediately over fresh waffles or pancakes. The sauce with naturally thicken when it cools down. Simply place the saucepan back on low heat and adding a splash of milk to loosen it back up.
- Serve with fresh berries for a burst of color and freshness!
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