This recipe for lemon waffles made with sour cream are light and fluffy with the perfect amount of tang. Serve these waffles with maple syrup or lemon curd for the perfect weekend breakfast!
Breakfast will never be the same with these bright flavored lemon waffles. I often make a double batch and freeze the leftovers!
Meyer lemons grow very well here in Northern California and my parents have a tree that produces hundreds of lemons a year. We have a different type of lemon tree in our yard but it doesn’t produce much so I readily accept all the lemons my parents offer my way. Even if you’re not growing your own lemons you can still make and enjoy these lemon sour cream waffles!
How do you make lemon waffles?
This waffle recipe has two ingredients that stand out from all the other waffles out there. First is the lemon zest and juice. If you can’t find Meyer lemons where you live, you can definitely use whatever variety is sold at your grocery store. Second is the sour cream, which really accentuates the lemon by adding an underlying tang to the batter.
The sour cream isn’t a particularly strong flavor in these waffles, in fact, you’d be hard pressed to identify it. But aside from the slight tang it also adds a lot of moisture and creates a very fluffy waffle.
I serve these waffles both in the morning and for nights when we’re having breakfast for dinner. I tend to serve them with maple syrup because I always have it in the fridge, but you know what would also be really good? Lemon curd and maybe even some fresh berries.
My girls were stealing those lemon slices and eating them while I took these photos. I really wish I had gotten a picture of my toddler’s face when she bit into them, it was priceless. These lemon waffles freeze really well too, so make a double batch and stash some away in the freezer for another day for all the lemon lovers in your life.
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More breakfast recipes
Lemon Sour Cream Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- zest from 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup sour cream (can use regular or low fat)
- 1/2 cup milk
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron.
- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (including lemon zest). In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Grease the waffle iron with cooking spray and cook according to manufacturer instructions. I use about 1/2 cup batter per waffle and they cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Serve with maple syrup.
Sophia says
We love waffles so I’m always looking for new recipes to try. This recipe came out so amazing!
Jill Hernandez says
I just made this recipe for my very picky grandson. He loves waffle and it is the only way to sneak in some extra protein. And veggies.
This recipe came out perfect. We ALL love it!
Rose says
I didn’t have sour cream (will try again with sour cream for sure!), but used a lemon yogurt that needed to be eaten – delish! Came together quickly – always a plus 😉
Mandy says
These were so light, refreshing and lovely 🙂
Karla says
Hi-
Got an awesome double waffle make for Christmas so have been pouring over Pinterest for recipes. But, been to a few stores and can’t find “white wheat flour” so is there a good substitute?
Thanks for sharing!
Sara says
You can use whole wheat pastry flour, or simple use just all purpose flour instead of both types of flour.
Melissa says
I’ve been making lots of waffles recently since getting a waffle iron for my birthday and this is one of my favorite recipes so far. The taste is fantastic, but I couldn’t get them crispy (even when I reheated them in the toaster). Next time I will make a double batch and freeze them for quick weekday breakfasts.
Angie says
I love the way these look! What brand/model of waffle iron did you use?
Sara says
Hi Angie, it’s a waffle iron from Crate and Barrel that I got as a wedding present 13 years ago! I did a quick search online and didn’t see anything similar on their site now unfortunately 🙁
nicolthepickle says
I made this with natural yogurt (full fat) and they were too sour tasting. So if you do substitute yogurt use a sweetened one.
I’ll try the recipe again with sour cream when I have some.
Sara says
I’m sorry they didn’t work out for you, vanilla yogurt would be great or if you use unsweetened yogurt you could try upping the sugar by a tablespoon. Thanks for reporting back!
nicolthepickle says
Or maybe skip the lemon juice. Haha, or I could just follow the recipe and use sour cream.
theoldfatguy says
I love waffles and this variation sounds great. I have pinned it for future use. Thanks.
The Old Fat Guy
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hi Sara!
I’d love to include you lemon sour cream waffles in a waffle roundup I’m doing for Parade Magazine.
If you’re fine with that, could I use one of your gorgeous photos with a link back to your original post (https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/lemon-sour-cream-waffles/)?
Thanks in advance dear!
Sara says
Hi Felicia – that’s fine, sorry I didn’t respond earlier I’ve been out of town!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets says
I adore anything lemon so these look and sound amazing. Sadly I do not have a waffle iron although I want to run out and buy one now, just for these. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
These look so good. I love that lemon photo too! I didn’t know you were in Northern CA. Where abouts? I’m in SF. Maybe we can get together!
Brittany says
I saw these and repined them the other day on pinterest! My lemon tree is over flowing right now. This IS on my weekend menu! Thanks for the recipe!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
This looks like the perfect weekend breakfast to me! We LOVE waffles!!
Mindy says
Oh my goodness! I want to eat at your house every day! Delicious!!! Maybe I can steal a few lemons from my neighbors tree 🙂
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
These waffles look amazing! I would love to start the day with a big stack. The lemon sour cream is the perfect addition!
Mama Harris says
These look so delicious, I love the addition of sour cream as well as lemon zest. Waffles are my favorite, and I’d love to add fresh berries. Pinning!
Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector) says
This sounds like such a wonderful recipe! I love lemon anything, and I love baking with sour cream!
Ashleigh says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It looks amazing! We all love waffles! xx
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
I need a waffle iron soooo bad! These look delicious and your photos are beautiful!