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The coolest waffle makers

Michael Bizzaco
Dan Evon
By and

Nothing says breakfast time like a syrup-soaked waffle. Add a little butter, maybe a hint of jam, and you’re well on your way to another perfect weekend morning. What could be better than a homemade waffle? How about a homemade waffle shaped like a dinosaur? Perhaps a Mickey Mouse-shaped waffle?

Waffles may be limited to the shape of your iron, but the shape of your iron isn’t limited to circles and squares. The appliances on this list will give you waffles in the shape of everything from elephants and fish to ominous galactic superweapons. If your breakfast routine is growing stale, these should sweeten up your life. Check out our list of the best meal-planning apps too.

Disney Mickey Mini Waffle Maker

Mickey Mini Waffle Maker
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Disney fans unite. This mini iron lets you whip up picture-perfect Mickey Mouse waffle, near-identical to ones you’d find at the Magic Kingdom. The non-stick baking plate helps to turn out the waffles with ease and requires nothing more than a quick wipe down to clean. The power indicator lets you know when the griddle is hot and ready, and the compact size makes it easy to store when not in use. There’s no pre-heat indicator or cook timer on this guy, but most owners have gotten by with just using their oven timers instead.

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Snowflake Waffle Maker

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This stainless steel dream come true lets you whip up elegant snowflake waffles. Impress at your next holiday party, or simply reward yourself (and maybe your loved ones) after a hard week of work. The built-in browning control lets you bake the waffles to your desired crispness, while the onboard true tone technology sounds a beep when your snowflakes are done. The iron can be stored upright when not in use, making it easy to wedge into cabinets chock full of other small appliances. Do be mindful of that true tone beep though. Depending on your kitchen acoustics, it can be pretty loud.

Sea Creature Mini Waffle Maker

Sea Creature waffle maker
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Make your next waffle outing a nautical one with this sea-creature iron by CucinaPro. Bake up crabs, whales, starfish, jellyfish, clams, pufferfish, and sharks on the non-stick bake plate. When not in use, the cord wrap and upright storage capabilities make this an easy iron to stow away. The only bummer here is that the baking plate can’t be removed when it’s time to wipe things down, so you’ll have to contend with cleaning as close to the sink as you can get (make sure the iron is unplugged!).

Animal Shape Waffle Maker

Animal Shape Waffle Maker
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If you’re looking for something a little more generic than a branded, Disney-licensed product, the Brentwood Animal Shape waffle maker is a perfect choice. Just pour your batter into this waffle maker, and in a few minutes, you’ll have an elephant-, giraffe-, or rabbit-shaped breakfast. The iron sacrifices a bit of surface space in order to fit the animal molds, so it might not be ideal for cooking an adult-sized breakfast — unless you plan on baking a whole herd.

Dinosaur Mini Waffle Maker

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Animals are fun, but some of us will always prefer dinosaurs. Fortunately, there’s a waffle maker for that, too. This version is particularly friendly for kids since it creates five different mini waffles in the form of dinos, ideal for a quick breakfast. While we would choose dinosaurs any day of the week, this model does offer a car version as well for those who prefer some wheels with their waffles.

Happy Sales Taiyaki Pan

taiyaki-pan
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Are you a fan of cute animal shapes and Japanese cuisine? You can make simple, fish-shaped waffles with this appliance, as well as a unique treat called taiyaki. This fish-shaped cake is made with regular waffle batter, but it also gets stuffed with some sort of filling. Traditional taiyaki is made with a bean paste, but you can make yours with cheese, chocolate, sausage, and a host of other fillings.

Unlike most of the other waffle makers on this list, however, the Happy Sales Taiyaki Pan is not electric. Make sure you have a stove or another heat source before you get too excited about making homemade taiyaki.

Dash Heart Mini Maker

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This mini-maker is perfect for heart-shaped waffles, ideal for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or any special morning. It comes with multiple color options and is very compact, so it won’t be taking up too much space in your kitchen. The maker can also be used for hash browns, paninis, and other snacks that can benefit from the cute heart shape, so feel free to get inventive.

Presto Belgian Waffle Bowl Maker

waffle-bowl-maker
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The Presto Belgian Waffle Bowl Maker opens up a whole new world of breakfast possibilities. This unique kitchen gadget makes thick, 4-inch waffle bowls that you can fill with anything from scrambled eggs and fruit to yogurt and hash browns. Plus it works just like a regular waffle iron and doesn’t require any special batter or utensils.

CucinaPro Bubble Waffle Maker

bubble-waffle-maker
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Regardless of the shape you’d like to form your waffles in— you’re still going to use the same standard batter for a delicious meal. So, if you want a bit of variety in the appearance of your morning meal, try out the CucinaPro Bubble Waffle Maker. 

This waffle maker brings a bit of international cuisine to your house; this bubble waffle is a well-known dish from Hong Kong. It functions exactly like your average waffle iron, but its end product looks like a hexagon-shaped waffle with several fluffy, delicate bubbles. You can tear each bubble away and eat it with your hands, cut it up with a knife and fork, or fold the waffle and eat it like a thicker breakfast burrito.

The Texas Waffle Maker

The Texas Waffle Maker
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If you’re hoping for a waffle iron in the shape of your home state, you may be out of luck. That is, of course, unless you live in the Lone Star state. We struggled to find waffle makers in the shape of the different states in the U.S., but Texas was pretty easy to find. If you’re a native to Texas or just particularly loyal to the state, you can buy one of these products for yourself. Don’t let its shape fool you, though; this product isn’t homegrown—it was made in Taiwan.

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Michael Bizzaco
Michael Bizzaco
Michael Bizzaco has been writing about and working with consumer tech for well over a decade, writing about everything from…
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