How to Freeze and Reheat Pancakes and Waffles
Next time you make a batch pancakes or waffles, make some extra and follow this quick and easy tutorial for freezing and reheating them.You’ll get to enjoy them throughout the next few weeks for breakfast with hardly any effort at all. Your morning routine and family will definitely thank you!
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I rarely have time to make a hot breakfast from scratch. Instead, I rely on this easy method of freezing pancakes and waffles to get me through those crazy school day mornings.
Having frozen pancakes and waffles on hand makes getting my kids — and myself — fed and out the door on time so much easier.
It also saves me some money because making breakfast from scratch is always cheaper than reheating pre-packaged frozen pancakes or waffles.
In this guide, I’ll be walking you through my favorite method for freezing pancakes and waffles, plus how I like to reheat both for best results.
Supplies You’ll Need
Can you freeze pancakes and waffles easily? Of course! You’ll need very few supplies in addition to the prepared pancakes and waffles.
- An Extra Large Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Freezer
- Gallon Sized Zip-Top Bags
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Freeze Pancakes & Waffles
- Cook pancakes or waffles according to recipe directions.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Place the cooled pancakes or waffles on the baking sheet, making sure that they do not touch each other.
- Place the baking sheet into the freezer. Allow the pancakes or waffles to freeze for at least 6 hours.
- Once the pancakes or waffles are completely frozen, stack them in a zip top freezer bag or freezer-safe container and use a marker or tape label to add the date to your storage container.
How to Reheat Pancakes (3 Options!)
The best way to reheat pancakes depends on how many pancakes you are reheating at a time. There are some different options for how you choose to reheat them when you’re ready to enjoy them for breakfast. One of them uses a toaster oven or traditional oven and the other uses a microwave oven.
They’re both super easy, just pick the method that works best with the amount of frozen pancakes you’ll be reheating!
How to Reheat Pancakes in the Oven
Using a traditional oven works great when you want to reheat a large amount of pancakes at once and you’re feeding a crowd.
Preheat a traditional oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the desired number of pancakes on the baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake for 5-15 minutes, or until they are heated through.
You’ll want to check them every 5 minutes because times can vary based on ovens and what type of waffles you’re reheating (Belgian vs traditional, for example).
How to Reheat Pancakes in the Toaster
The toaster oven works great when kids want to grab a couple of pancakes out of the freezer and reheat them for their breakfast.
Place one pancake into each slot of your toaster, and toast the frozen pancakes on medium-low heat until warmed through. Note that you do not need to defrost the frozen pancakes before reheating them.
You’ll also want to watch the pancakes closely as the edges tend to burn if you set the toaster temperature too high.
How to Reheat Pancakes in the Microwave
This method works great for reheating a couple of pancakes at a time.
Stack pancakes on a microwave-safe plate and heat on high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pancakes are heated through. After 1 minute, check every additional 30 seconds.
How to Reheat Waffles (2 Options!)
There are two easy ways to reheat waffles when you’re ready to enjoy them for breakfast! One of them uses a toaster oven and the other using a traditional oven.
How to Reheat Waffles in the Toaster
This method works great when you only need to reheat a couple of waffles for breakfast.
Place frozen waffles into toaster and toast as you would a piece of toast. This may take more than one cycle depending on your settings.
How to Reheat Waffles in the Oven
This method is great when you are feeding a crowd and have a large number of waffles that you want to reheat at once.
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Line the desired number of waffles on the baking sheet.
Bake for 5-15 minutes, or until they are heated through.
You’ll want to keep an eye on the waffles as you reheat them and check every 5 minutes during the reheating time. Times can vary based on ovens and what type of waffles you’re reheating (Belgian vs traditional, for example).
Tips to Remember
- Do NOT want to skip freezing the pancakes and waffles on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. The reason you freeze pancakes and waffles first on the baking tray is to give them time to firm up before sealing them in a zip top bag. If you place them directly into the freezer bag, they’ll get squished as soon as you lay the bag flat in the freezer.
- Also note that if you are freezing more that one layer of pancakes or waffles, you can simply use another sheet of parchment to separate the layers.
- This method for freezing pancakes and waffles works with any recipe. It doesn’t matter if you’ve made your pancakes and waffles with chocolate chips, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or anything else. You can’t freeze pancakes or waffles that have been soaked with syrup, but otherwise you can freeze pretty much any variety you make at home!
Easy Pancake and Waffle Recipes:
Looking some tasty pancake and waffle recipes to try? Check out some of these favorite recipes — all of them will freeze well using these instructions — or browse the recipe index archives for even more great recipe ideas:
Easy Pink Velvet Pancakes are fun, colorful, all-natural and dye-free! Top them with strawberry name and fluffy, vanilla whipped cream.
Ginger Molasses Pancakes with Brown Sugar Glaze are perfect for the winter holiday season.
For something a little healthier, try these Healthy Applesauce Oatmeal Pancakes.
It is really fun to make these Carrot Cake Pancakes with White Chocolate Pecan Butter during the spring.
Our favorite waffles are these Whole Wheat Waffles.
5 Grain Pancakes with Flax is great if you like to mix up your own pancake mix.
More Freezer Tutorials:
Now that you know everything there is to know about freezing pancakes and waffles, here are some more helpful freezer. tutorials:
Did you know that you can also freeze kale? Here’s How to Freeze Kale 4 different ways, depending on how you want to use it!
Frozen grapes make for great snacks on hot days, and they can be thrown into smoothies. Here’s How to Freeze Grapes the easy way!
Freezing raspberries is a wonderful way to enjoy summer’s harvest year-round! This guide explains How to Freeze Raspberries, plus it answers the most commonly asked questions about thawing frozen raspberries and using them in recipes.
No matter what season it is, you need to know How to Freeze Cookie Dough. Spoiler: it’s super easy to do!
Did you know that smoothies can easily be prepped in advance and frozen. So easy and delicious! Check out How to Make Freezer Smoothies.
Yep, you can freeze spinach too. Here’s How to Freeze Spinach, plus a yummy smoothie you can make with it.
Who doesn’t love a good kitchen tip? Looking for more kitchen tutorials? Check out the entire Kitchen Tips and Tricks archive for lots of great ideas!
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How to Freeze and Reheat Pancakes & Waffles
Next time you make pancakes or waffles, make some extra and follow this quick and easy tutorial for How to Freeze and Reheat Pancakes and Waffles.
Ingredients
- Cooked pancakes or waffles
- Extra Large Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Freezer
- Gallon sized Zip Top Bags
Instructions
How to Freeze Pancakes & Waffles
- Cook pancakes or waffles according to recipe directions. Allow the pancakes or waffles to cool completely.
- Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Place the cooled pancakes or waffles on the baking sheet, making sure that they do not touch each other. *
- Place the baking sheet into the freezer. Allow the pancakes or waffles to freeze for at least 6 hours.
- Once the pancakes or waffles are completely frozen, stack them in a zip top freezer bag or freezer-safe container and use a marker or tape label to add the date to your storage container.
How to Reheat Pancakes & Waffles
- Oven Method: Preheat a traditional oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the desired number of pancakes on the baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until they are heated through.
- Toaster Method: Place frozen waffles or pancakes into toaster and toast as you would a piece of toast. This may take more than one cycle depending on your settings.
- Microwave Method: Stack pancakes or waffles on a microwave-safe plate and heat on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until the pancakes are heated through. (Note that this method is really best for pancakes).
Notes
*If you are freezing more that one layer of pancakes or waffles, you can simply use another sheet of parchment to separate the layers.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 waffleAmount Per Serving: Calories: 218Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 383mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 6g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Janie says
I reheat my waffles using the waffle iron I originally used to make them. Seems to be the closest method I’ve found to replicate the original taste/texture. I usually only make a few extra ones, which I eat within 1-2 days, so I keep them in the fridge, but I’d like to try freezing them using your 2-step pre-freeze/freeze method to see if they last longer. Thanks!
Tiffany says
Thanks for the technique on cooking and reheating. My son wants chicken and waffles for one of his entrees at his graduation party. How do I keep the waffles crisp prior to serving when I have to have enough for 50 ppl? Will layers of waffles on parchment paper or foil work inside an large roaster on warm? Help is MUCH appreciated.
Katie Goodman says
I would layer them on cookie sheets on oven racks (rather than a toaster oven) – using the method of option 2 outlined in the post but with a full sized oven rather than a toaster and putting as many racks as you can in the oven. You can also add stackable cookie cooling wire racks to create additional shelving in the oven. Since you have a larger number of people and want to keep all the waffles warm, I would turn the oven temp down to 250 so they don’t crisp too fast and you can keep them warm for a longer period. I haven’t tested warming in a roaster oven to know if they will stay crispy. Hope that helps!