Need Breadcrumbs In A Pinch? Use The Waffles In Your Freezer

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of making a breaded chicken parmesan recipe, only to realize that you've forgotten to buy breadcrumbs? If this happens (we know we've been there countless times), have no fear. You can easily make breadcrumbs in a pinch using something you probably already have on hand in your freezer: frozen waffles. Turning the breakfast food into breadcrumbs is among the best creative ways to use frozen waffles, and it's easy. Like making breadcrumbs from crusty day-old bread, using waffles for the job requires removing moisture from the carby treats before breaking them down into tiny particles.

To do so, just pop the waffles in the toaster until crisp (or bake them in the oven at a low temperature), then pulverize them into breadcrumbs in a food processor or by hand. Some people like to use a mechanical grater or food grinder to control the particle size of the crumbs. However, perfect breadcrumbs can also be achieved using a box grater or even by crushing the dry waffles in a sealed zip-lock bag with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Plus, if you crush the dry waffles in a bag, you can store them in the same container for later use (given, it hasn't ripped in the crumb crushing process). Waffle breadcrumbs keep well in a sealed container in the freezer for months or at room temperature or in a fridge for a couple of weeks.

Plain or buttermilk waffles are best to turn into crumbs since they'll provide the most neutral flavor. Even protein or wheaty waffle varieties will work well. 

Using plain, unflavored waffles (sans inclusions or chocolate chips), you can customize the size and flavor of your waffle crumbs with other seasonings and spices as you wish (and depending on the recipe application). For instance, when processing breadcrumbs for a crispy breaded chicken katsu recipe, you could crush the toasted waffles into flakier particles like Japanese panko breadcrumbs, which are typically larger than Italian breadcrumbs. For recipes like spaghetti agolio e olio with calabrian bread crumbs, you can toast the breadcrumbs in a skillet with fresh herbs, dried spices, chiles, oil, or even citrus zest to impart some extra flavor and textural intrigue. Think: rosemary or sage waffle breadcrumbs.

While toasting waffle crumbs in a pan allows you to season them as needed, the oven and air fryer also work well to toast waffle crumbs flawlessly before using them to top a variety of recipes, from veggie side dishes to hearty pastas. If you're using waffle breadcrumbs to coat meat, sliced eggplant, or mac and cheese before baking the dish, you can use simply pulverized crumbs since they'll get nice and toasty in the oven.