Hong Kong bubble waffles are the stuff of childhood dreams. I remember being a kid, at the night market, up way past my bedtime, eagerly awaiting a piping hot bag of these little egg-shaped waffles.There would always be a massive line-up, and the egg waffle maker would try to amuse everyone by dancing while fanning the waffles before handing them out.
Hong Kong egg waffles are originally from Hong Kong, but happily, you either make them on your own or find them in areas that have a lot of Asians. If you’re in a city with a Chinatown, you’ll probably find at least one place that makes them, along side bubble (boba) tea. They’re served hot and crisp and the little domes are eggy, chewy, and so so addictive. Their honeycomb shape makes them easy to share and if you’re ever in Hong Kong, I’d say it’s the must have street food that you want to get your hands on (along with curry fish balls!!).
The famous egg waffle stands in Hong Kong have been around forever and they have perfected egg waffles. They have lacy, crispy edges and half-hollow eggy, soft and chewy centers. I have to admit, making them at home is no where nearly as good. But when the craving hits, this recipe is definitely my go-to. It’s flavor is bang-on —the custard powder adds that extra hint of egg-iness that is essential.
It may take a couple of tries, but I hope you give these egg waffles a go! I love them just plain, but they’re also awesome topped off with fruit and ice cream. You can also put fillings in – I’ve tried chocolate chips as well as a sprinkle of matcha. I’m going to be playing around with them soon because there are just so many fun things you can do. I can’t wait!
Hope you’re having a sweet Sunday :)
Hong Kong Bubble Waffle Recipe
makes 3-4 waffles
- 140 grams all purpose flour
- 7.5 grams baking powder
- 10.5 grams custard powder
- 28 grams tapioca starch
- 2 eggs
- 140 grams white sugar
- 28 grams evaporated milk
- 140 grams water
- 5 grams vanilla extract
- 28 grams vegetable oil
- a touch of vegetable oil, to grease the waffle iron
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, custard powder and tapioca starch. Set aside.
In another bowl or large liquid measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs and whisk in the sugar. Mix in the evaporated milk and then water, gradually. Add the sifted flour mixture and whisk well, making sure there are no lumps. Whisk in the vanilla extract and then the oil. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
When you’re ready to make waffles, take the batter out and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat up your waffle iron plates: brush or spray with a bit of oil and heat each one separately over medium heat.
Pour a scant cup of batter (closer to 3/4 cup) into one of the plates, rotating so that most of the wells are filled. Place the other plate on top, lock it in,close, and flip. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes, lifting the plates to check after a minute and a half. Lift the top plate off and flip the waffle out – use chopsticks to loosen if needed – and let cool on a wire rack so the edges stay crispy. Repeat with the remaining batter. Enjoy warm!
Notes: I used this recipe as I found it – I used a kitchen scale to weigh everything out. I haven’t tried it with cup measurements because it was perfect as is. I have two bubble waffle makers: one that’s more of a manual iron with two interlocking plates, and an electric one that is super simple to use. Yes the batter is a little finicky, with the 1 hour rest time in the fridge and then the 30 minute rest time to bring it back up to room temp, butit yieldspretty darn tasty egg waffles so if you’re committed, go all in! It may take a couple of tries to figure it out, but it’s worth it :)
I’ve seen custard powder(I use Bird’s Custard Powder) in most grocery stores, in the baking aisle, but if you can’t find it, it’s available on Amazon.
It’s Sunday! You know what that means: it’s time for Sunday Brunch. Why don’t you skip the line and make brunch at home this week? The coffee’s truly bottomless, the booze doesn’t have a crazy markup and you can chill out in your pajamas. Every Sunday I’ll post a brunch recipe. Soon you won’t be asking, where should we go for brunch – instead it’ll be, what should we make for brunch today?
34 Comments
April 10, 2016 at 1:21 am
ahh i would love to try these at home- but i don’t need more gadgets at home ? until then, i’ll have to dream of stuffing a bubble waffle cone with ice cream, and adding mochi bits while they’re cooking!
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April 10, 2016 at 8:41 am
omg this is amazing! i’ve never had bubble waffles before (or seen them around really… i think i’ll go on a hunt to find them!).
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Sylvia says:
April 10, 2016 at 10:04 am
YESSS! I make these in my waffle iron because I don’t have the bubble-shaped ones and they’re just as good!!!
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Deby Hogue says:
April 10, 2016 at 11:50 am
How cool is this…..
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ADRIANNA says:
April 10, 2016 at 12:17 pm
holy good god. i loooove bubble waffles. there’s a place in the OC that uses it as a waffle cone and they put ice cream in it and it’s so bomb. these look 100000!
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denise says:
April 10, 2016 at 9:16 pm
Oh man Steph are you from Hong Kong?? Would love to show you around next time you’re in town!!!
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Heather @HeatherChristo says:
April 11, 2016 at 6:12 pm
What a cool unique way to make some amazing waffles!
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April 12, 2016 at 10:58 am
I’m handing in my Chinese badge. I’ve never had a bubble waffle. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME. Yellow sad face… :( (PS let’s go to the night market this summer!!) XO
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Spencer says:
April 12, 2016 at 8:04 pm
I used to get matcha flavored egglets in Singapore. Such a tasty little snack.
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Courtney | Fork to Belly says:
April 20, 2016 at 9:55 am
YAAAAAS. I had these for the first time on the street in Hong Kong a few years back and was sold!!! Have you seen them as cones filled with ice cream?? It’s insane.
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Shauna Mulgrew says:
April 25, 2016 at 1:00 am
omg these look so cool and weird and Justin bieber said if ur not weird he does like u so I think Justin bieber fancys u so like OMG!!
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Pony says:
April 27, 2016 at 10:20 pm
Love it!! I’m going to HK soon and I’m gonna try this! :)
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n says:
June 18, 2016 at 7:27 am
I have been craving gai dan jai and it’s rare to find in the states (though there is a rise in the trend lately). I have been thinking about buying the waffle pan, but do you have a recommendation of whether to purchase the manual iron or the electric one? I’m asking more for the taste quality versus level of ease.
Thanks! and thanks for the recipe! i can’t wait to try it out.
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Stephanie Le says:
June 20, 2016 at 9:50 am
i definitely prefer the pan over the electric! :)
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Maricel Villaver says:
September 18, 2016 at 5:35 am
Where can I purchase the egg waffle machine…..i miss this egg waffle, during my stay in Hongkong this is one of my favorite snack… Love it with peanut butter and condense milk… ???
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jean says:
February 4, 2018 at 11:33 am
You can get them at your local Ace Hardware store, although they may have to order them in for you.
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Angela Murtgh-scott says:
December 10, 2017 at 3:05 am
I’m going to ask a controversial question now.. can these waffles be frozen ?? Or can you make a batch in a morning for the evening ? I want to make quite a lot but might not have the time ? Many thanks
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Stephanie says:
December 10, 2017 at 3:55 pm
hi angela,
i haven’t frozen them, but i think it would work, but they might not have the same kind of texture. what you can do is make the batter the night before and then make the waffles off in the morning. the batter definitely does well with an overnight rest, just make sure to mix it up well and let it come back to room temp for 30 minutes before you start waffling. hope that helps!Reply
Kristina Cho says:
December 15, 2017 at 11:41 am
I’m going to make this for my parents when I’m home for the holidays! can’t wait!
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Maria says:
March 7, 2018 at 7:41 pm
Where can you get custard powder? At the Asian supermarket? What is it called in Chinese?
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Stephanie says:
March 7, 2018 at 7:48 pm
the one i get is called bird’s custard powder and they sell it at most grocery stores :)
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Faheed akhtar says:
March 13, 2018 at 12:57 pm
Hi Stephanie
I’m from the UK and struggling to get my hands on tapioca starch.. can I use cornflour instead? Thanks!Reply
Stephanie says:
March 13, 2018 at 4:01 pm
hi faheed,
i haven’t tried with cornflour but i suspect that the texture might be different. sometimes they label tapioca starch as tapioca flour, have you seen that around?Reply
Jacky says:
March 15, 2018 at 5:10 pm
Is there a recipe out there that will maintain the eggettes’ crispness And fluffiness after it has sat out for several mins or hours? I’d like to pack it for my kid’s snack or for myself to work, but it just isn’t the same when it’s right out of the waffle bubble pan :(. There’s got to be a recipe out there
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Stephanie says:
March 15, 2018 at 7:23 pm
hi jacky,
i have never had them last that long! but maybe if you re-toast them they might be okay? but i think at just room temperature they just won’t be that good since they’re meant to be eaten hot :)
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Summer says:
August 18, 2019 at 3:35 pm
Mine came out rise like eggs, but within seconds whilst cooling, the egg bubbles started to flatten like a pancake. Where did I do wrong?
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Stephanie says:
August 19, 2019 at 8:05 am
hi summer,
how long did you cook them for? were they golden brown? also old is your baking powder?Reply
Bobby says:
April 17, 2018 at 12:20 pm
This is the best recipe ever thank you so much.
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Jeff Burnett says:
May 30, 2019 at 3:14 pm
Hi. I have used this recipe in a Teflon coated electric bubble waffle maker after spraying it with canola oil. The waffles never come out as firm or crispy as they look on-line. Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Stephanie says:
June 2, 2019 at 9:03 am
hi jeff,
does your maker have temperature controls? one thing that people do is fan the waffles after they come out, it helps firm them up. other than that, you can always toast them in a toaster oven. hope that helps a bit!Reply
Mary says:
July 29, 2019 at 5:41 am
My bubbles are not coming out as full bubbles. What am I doing wrong? I fill one side and then flip and cook for 1-minute before flipping again – doing this for 2 cycles. The bubbles tastes good but they are not crispy. Should I add more oil to the mix?
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Stephanie says:
July 29, 2019 at 7:06 pm
hi mary,
you flip them right away? how hot is your iron getting?Reply
