I tested the Breville DuraCeramic Waffle Maker and now I’m a waffle-making pro

As Food Editor at GoodtoKnow, I’m all for kitchen appliances and the Breville DuraCeramic Waffle Maker is up there with the greats.

Whether it’s sweet pancakes drizzled in maple syrup or eggs royale, I love a bit of brunch but eating out all the time can soon add up, and getting the kids to sit still is a whole other story. A few months back I went to an amazing cafe and had waffles for brunch. I’ve had waffles before, but these were the best I’ve ever tasted and that got me thinking, how easy is it to make waffles at home?

After researching the best waffle makers on the market, I came across the Breville DuraCeramic Waffle Maker. As a reliable kitchen appliance brand Breville prides itself on producing efficient, quality appliances; "the kitchen appliance brand that delivers innovation based on consumer insights, empowering people’s potential to do things more impressively or easily than they’d thought possible in their own kitchen" and as I’ve tested a few of Breville’s products before I knew the brand was a good’en. I was interested to find out how their popular waffle maker fared and if it made waffles as good as the ones I tried in the cafe.

Writing about food for nearly 12 years you’re not really supposed to admit that you’ve never made waffles before, but there I said it. I used this machine as a novice and it made waffle making a true delight. A quick and simple appliance to set up plus a handy instruction booklet with various waffle recipes to get you started. Say goodbye pancakes, hello waffles…

Jessica Dady

For this review, GoodtoKnow turned to our Food Editor to put this popular kitchen appliance to the test in a busy family household. The result? Waffles that ‘taste like heaven’ according to my children - and I thought they were pretty great too.

Price & availability

At the time of writing the Breville DuraCeramic Waffle Maker is priced at £51.99 on Amazon, and the same price at B&Q if you want to collect in-store. Waffle makers do vary in price depending on the brand name. For example, the VonShef Stove Top Waffle Iron is just £19.99 at B&Q, the Salter Deep Fill Waffle Maker is £25 at Argos, and the Lakeland No Mess Electric Waffle Maker, which cooks four waffles at once, is priced at £59.99. 

In terms of price, the Breville DuraCeramic model is slightly above average for a waffle maker that produces two waffles at the same time, however, the experience I’ve had with the machine during testing has reassured me that it’s a machine worth investing in - particularly if you like waffles.

Design & features

Size: 9.3D x 10.9W x 3.7H cm | Weight: 2.43kg | Makes: Two waffles | Colour: White & Stainless Steel

Unboxing the waffle maker was so easy. It’s a really good size, weighs next to nothing and the handle on the side of the machine made removing it from the packaging quick and simple. The packaging in the box was kept to a minimum with two polystyrene blocks on either side of the machine to make sure it is delivered without any damage. The size of the machine impressed me as I was expecting something big and bulky but this was a convenient size for both my kitchen countertop and for storing away in the cupboard. The waffle maker cooks two waffles at the same time and was plenty big for our family of four. 

I gave the waffle plates a quick wash before use as recommended by the instruction booklet and then I was ready to go. To remove the waffle plates you click a button on the right-hand side of the machine and both plates pop out of their compartments inside the waffle maker. Once cleaned and dried, both need to be aligned in the slots and pushed back into the machine until you hear a click sound - which indicates when the waffle plates have been attached securely and are ready to be used.

You need to make your waffle mixture before you even plug in the machine, as it’s quick to heat and ready to use in minutes. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve not made waffles before so I used the recipes in the Breville waffle maker instruction booklet starting with classic waffles which were easy to make and came out perfectly. The kids said the waffles ‘taste like heaven’ so I’d say that was pretty successful for the first time making them. 

Once the waffle maker is plugged into the mains the green light on the top of the machine highlights. You then have to wait patiently for the light next to the thermometer symbol to appear amber and that indicates when the waffle maker is ready to be used and is preheated. Carefully unclip the handle, open the waffle maker, and coat each individual plate with spray cooking oil. 

Each waffle plate holds 75 ml of waffle mixture per waffle - that’s about an average ladle size. If you don’t have a ladle, I would highly recommend investing in one as it helped when it came to pouring the waffle mixture into each waffle plate. It was certainly less messy than when I attempted to pour it using a jug (but we won’t talk about that…) Once you’ve poured your mixture into the waffle maker it’s time to close the lid. However you don’t want to clip the handle, you want to leave the clip loose so that the excess steam can escape from the machine whilst the waffles are cooking. 

Depending on the recipe you use, the waffles take an average of seven minutes to cook. I used my phone as a timer but did wonder whether it would be worth Breville adding a timer to the waffle maker to make it even more efficient. When your seven-minute timer beeps, it’s time to check your waffles by carefully opening the lid. Now the waffles didn’t look that impressive at first glance but once you remove them from the waffle plates and flip the waffles over you’ll have that classic waffle finish. I learned that there's a bottom to a waffle and a top - and the top is at the bottom when cooking. The first waffles we cooked reminded me of when you make pancakes for the first time on the pan and they’re not the best - however the second round was spot on.

To remove the waffles - I’m not gonna lie - I used my fingers as I’m one of those cooks but you can use a spatula or even tongs would do the trick. Breville recommends not using any metal utensils on the waffle plates to avoid scratching so keep this in mind. And then your waffles are ready to serve. Just pop them on a plate, drizzle on maple syrup, and top them with berries, or whatever you prefer.

As you can only make a couple of waffles at a time, I used this machine over and over to feed our family of four which wasn’t a big deal seeing as you have the same debacle when cooking pancakes - everyone was very patient. I liked the fact that once the waffle plates were oiled, I didn’t need to add any more oil after each use thanks to the non-stick coating. The waffles were still just as golden, soft with a slight crisp edge, and I still managed to remove them without any residue too. 

How we tested

• Breakfast/brunch waffles - made using the ‘classic waffles recipe’ included in the Breville instruction booklet that comes with the machine
• Dessert waffles - made using the ‘chocolate waffles recipe’ included in the Breville instruction booklet. We topped ours with ice cream, warm Nutella, and raspberries. Delicious!
• Savoury waffles - made using the ‘potato waffles recipe’ included in the Breville instruction booklet and they were much tastier than the readymade freezer waffles.

Things you wouldn’t find on the box

The recipes that are included in the instruction booklet are great for beginners and just perfect if you have no clue where to start. A really simple set of instructions with each recipe and some great tips too about making sure the waffle mixture isn’t overmixed otherwise you’ll end up with chewy waffles instead of soft ones. The classic waffles and the chocolate waffles with chocolate chips were two family favourites. The kids have already been asking when we’ll be making more so it looks like it's a winner.

Cleaning the waffle maker was a piece of cake. You’d automatically think with all the grooves on each waffle plate you’d have your work cut out for you, but because of the non-stick DuraCeramic coating, cleaning each plate was a breeze. A sponge and a bit of warm soapy water certainly does the trick. It’s also not recommended to dishwasher the waffle plates, otherwise the non-stick coating will be less effective, or wear off during washing.

Another thing worth noting is the escaping steam and residue that sits on the outside of the machine when in use. When the waffles are being cooked, steam escapes from the waffle maker on either side of the machine and the top of the machine is extremely hot to the touch. This is noted in the instruction booklet, but I thought it was certainly worth mentioning, particularly if you have children around. I made sure my waffle maker was pushed back out of reach and made the kids aware of it when cooking. The machine also started collecting water droplets and residue on the outside of the rim and handle during cooking, however, this did disappear after each use and didn’t impact the machine and its efficiency and success in cooking the waffles, but again, worth noting.

One thing I do feel like this waffle maker is lacking is a timer which I’ve mentioned previously. A little add-on, but just having the timer as part of the machine would save you having to reset your phone or oven timer each time you use the waffle maker.

Who is it best for?

For the waffle lover, the person looking for a pancake alternative, the one who wants to up their brunch game, or the family that is looking for something fun to do at the weekend, The Breville DuraCeramic Waffle Maker is perfect for anyone who loves waffles and wants to try making them at home. 

This waffle maker cooks two waffles at the same time and can be easily used over and over again to make as many as you need, but if you do have a bigger family and want to produce waffles in larger quantities, I would recommend a bigger machine with more than two waffle plates.

Need an alternative?

As I’ve mentioned above, this waffle maker is great for making two waffles at the same time, however, if you want to make more waffles in one go as you’re feeding more people or looking to use this machine for special occasions only when you’re hosting family and friends, then you may want to go for larger machines like the VonShef Waffle Maker Large priced at £29.99 on Amazon or you could opt for a multifunctional machine like the Salter EK2143 3-In-1 Snack Maker priced at £36.99 on Amazon which allows you to not only make waffles, but toasties, paninis and it has a press grill.