Have your cake and eat it too--for breakfast! Delicious cake mix waffles are a super fun way to celebrate any special occasion! These fun and delicious waffles come together in minutes with the help of a boxed cake mix and taste like a birthday cake. Decorate with fun toppings and colorful sprinkles for a memorable breakfast treat the whole family will love!

Want to really impress your loved ones? Try making these Birthday Cake Waffles from scratch for an extra special homemade treat!
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How To Make Waffles With Cake Mix
Making homemade waffles from cake mix is a super easy way to treat the family. With a few simple ingredients, you can have a fun breakfast on the table in no time!
The full amounts and ingredients are listed on the recipe card.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Waffle Maker
- Cooking spray
- Wire rack
Ingredients
1 (15.25 oz) box of cake mix: You can use yellow, white, or funfetti cake mix for these waffles.
Water: Use the amount called for on the box.
Vegetable oil: Use the amount listed on the box of cake mix or substitute the same amount of melted butter.
Eggs: Use the number of whole eggs listed on the box of cake mix, mine called for three large eggs.
Vanilla Extract: This is optional but I like adding extra vanilla to the batter for a more homemade flavor.
Rainbow Sprinkles: You gotta have sprinkles for birthday cake waffles in my opinion! If you choose to use a funfetti cake mix, with candy pieces already in the mix, you won't need to add sprinkles to the batter.
Instructions
Preheat your waffle iron per your manufacturer's directions, on the setting of your choosing. I use the highest time/temp setting, but I recommend choosing a lower setting if you plan on storing waffles for toasting later.
In a large bowl, add the dry cake mix. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the water, oil, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until fully combined.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until combined, but some lumps are ok.
Add the rainbow sprinkles at this point if using a white or yellow cake mix.
Stir in the sprinkles gently until the batter is smooth and the sprinkles are evenly distributed.
Once the waffle iron is preheated, spray with cooking spray and pour ½ cup of batter into the center of the hot waffle maker.
The amount of waffle batter you pour will depend on the size waffle maker you have. My waffle maker makes 6" waffles, so ½ a cup is a good amount for my model.
After adding batter to the waffle maker, spread it slightly so that it's evenly distributed in the center of the waffle maker. Do not push the batter all the way out to the edges, it'll do that on its own.
Close the lid of the waffle maker and allow the waffle to cook until golden brown, per the recommended time listed on your waffle maker's instructions. My waffle iron takes about 2-3 minutes per waffle, on the highest setting.
Once the waffle is cooked, carefully remove it from the waffle iron and serve immediately or set it on a wire rack in a warm oven to serve later.
Repeat the above process with the remaining cake mix batter, spraying the hot waffle iron in between each round of waffles.
Serving
These waffles can be served in a couple of different ways:
- Serve them for a special birthday breakfast topped with whipped cream, fresh fruit or fresh strawberry sauce, and some more colorful sprinkles. Don't forget a drizzle of maple syrup while you're at it!
- If you have a real sweet tooth or want to serve these cake mix waffles as a birthday dessert, top them with a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and maybe even some extra chocolate chips!
Storage and Reheating
Store any leftover waffles in an airtight plastic bag or container in the refrigerator to be reheated and consumed the next day or up to 3 days after cooking. Leftover waffles are also fabulous for freezing and will last for up to a month in the freezer. See freezing instructions below.
Freezing Waffles
To freeze leftovers, simply make a batch of waffles per the instructions above. I recommend cooking the waffles on a lighter setting to prevent overcooking when they're reheated later.
Allow the waffles to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight freezer bag or freezer safe container. Pop them in the freezer and store them for up to a month.
Reheating Cake Batter Waffles
The next time you need a batch of funfetti cake waffles, simply grab them from the fridge or freezer (no need to thaw) and reheat them in the toaster or toaster oven on the light setting.
Pro Tips
- When it comes time to cooking the waffles, pour batter into the center of the waffle iron and spread it around a little before closing the lid. Don't push the batter all the way to the edges. I also like to spread the batter toward the back hinge of the waffle maker. This helps to make an evenly thick waffle.
- If you plan on freezing these waffles or storing leftovers to toast later, cook the waffles on the lower setting of your waffle maker so that they're cooked through, but are lighter in color. This way they won't get too dark when toasted later.
- Add the rainbow sprinkles to the batter at the very last minute. This will keep the sprinkles from melting into the batter and making streaks.
- The amount of batter to pour onto the waffle maker will depend on your model. I like ½ cup of batter for a 6" waffle.
FAQs
The only way I've made cake mix waffles crispy is by toasting them. The waffles come off the waffle maker pretty soft and fluffy and stay that way after cooling. I recommend cooking the waffles on the low setting of your waffle iron and then toasting them in the toaster oven until crisp.
Yes! I've tested this waffle recipe with different cake mixes and they've all worked really well. I've used Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix and Pillsbury Yellow Cake Mix during testing, and used the same amount of water, eggs, and oil the box called for. I encourage you to test a batch of waffles using Red Velvet Cake Mix or Chocolate Cake Mix!
When using a 15.25 oz box of cake mix, I get 7 or 8 waffles, about 6" in size. The number of waffles you get will depend on the size of the waffle iron you have.
More Breakfast Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
Cake Mix Waffles
Delicious cake mix waffles are a super fun way to celebrate any special occasion! These delicious waffles come together in minutes with the help of a boxed cake mix and taste like a birthday cake.
Ingredients
- 1 Box (15.25 oz) cake mix, yellow, white or Funfetti flavored
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup of vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup rainbow sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the waffle iron per your manufacturer's directions.
- In a large bowl, add the dry cake mix.
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine the water, oil, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until fully combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until combined, but some lumps are ok.
- Add the rainbow sprinkles (if using), and stir gently until the batter is smooth and the sprinkles are evenly distributed.
- Spray the hot waffle iron with cooking spray and pour ½ cup (see notes) of batter into the center of the waffle maker. Spread it slightly so that it's evenly distributed, but do not push the batter all the way out to the edges
- Close the lid of the waffle maker and cook until golden brown, per the recommended time listed on your waffle maker's instructions.
- Once the waffle is cooked, carefully remove it from the waffle iron and serve immediately or set it on a wire rack in a warm oven to serve later.
- Repeat the above process with the remaining cake mix batter, spraying the hot waffle iron in between each round of waffles.
Notes
- The amount of waffle batter you pour will depend on the size waffle maker you have. My waffle maker makes 6" waffles, so ½ a cup is a good amount for my model.
- If you plan on storing waffles to toast later, cook waffles on the "light" setting of your waffle iron.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 162Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g
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