Walk into almost any café in Reykjavík on a Saturday afternoon and you will see them: soft, golden heart-shaped waffles, stacked beside a bowl of whipped cream and a jar of jam. Icelanders call them vöfflur. Across the water in Norway, the same style of waffle is a national habit, eaten with brown cheese or sour cream and jam.
They are not the thick, crisp Belgian kind, and they are not American breakfast waffles either. Scandinavian heart waffles are thinner, softer and gently sweet. This is how to make them at home the Icelandic café way, with notes on the Norwegian cousins that share the same iron.
What makes Norwegian waffles and Icelandic vöfflur different
Norwegian waffles and Icelandic vöfflur are cousins. Both cook in a heart-shaped waffle iron that stamps five or six connected hearts into a soft, pliable waffle. You fold them, stack them or tear them apart with your fingers.
The batter is similar too: flour, eggs, milk, a little sugar and melted butter or margarine. Many Norwegian recipes add sour cream or a pinch of cardamom. Icelandic home recipes, including the classic one from the cookbook Við matreiðum, stay simple, with optional lemon or vanilla.
The real difference is on the plate. In Iceland, vöfflur almost always come with whipped cream and jam, often rhubarb. In Norway, brunost (brown cheese) or rømme (sour cream) with jam is just as common. Same iron, same soft texture, different toppings.
Do you need a Norwegian waffle iron?
A Norwegian waffle iron, sometimes sold as a Scandinavian or heart waffle maker, gives you the traditional shape and the right thickness. The plates are shallower than a Belgian iron, which is why the waffles stay soft instead of turning into deep pockets.
If you do not own one, an ordinary waffle maker still works. Use a little less batter so the waffle stays thinner, and expect a different shape. The flavour will be the same. Many Icelandic and Norwegian homes treat the heart iron as a kitchen essential precisely because café-style vöfflur are so common.
Ingredients for Icelandic heart waffles
This recipe makes about 8 to 10 waffles, enough for four people with toppings. It follows the classic Icelandic proportions from Við matreiðum, scaled for a home kitchen.
- 150 g (about 1 1/4 cups / 3 dl) plain flour, or half plain and half wholemeal
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 30 g (2 tbsp) sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 to 3 dl (about 1 cup) milk
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp melted butter or margarine
- A few drops of lemon juice or vanilla extract (optional)
For serving: lightly sweetened whipped cream and jam. Rhubarb jam is the Icelandic favourite. Strawberry, blueberry or raspberry jam all work well.
How to make the Norwegian waffle recipe, Icelandic style
Heat the waffle iron according to its instructions. Melt the butter gently so it does not brown.
In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Pour in about 2 dl of the milk and stir until the batter is smooth. Do not beat it for long, or the waffles can turn chewy.
Stir in the melted butter, then the eggs and the lemon or vanilla if you are using them. Let the batter rest for 10 to 15 minutes. If it seems too thick, loosen it with the remaining milk. It should be about twice as thick as Icelandic pancake batter.
Lightly grease the hot iron if needed. Spoon on enough batter to fill the hearts without overflowing, close the lid and cook until the waffle is golden, usually 2 to 3 minutes. Lift it out carefully, lay it flat for a moment, then stack. Serve while still warm.
Toppings: cream and jam, the Icelandic way
Whip cold cream with a spoonful of sugar until soft peaks form. Keep it loosely whipped so it sits in soft mounds on the waffle rather than stiff peaks.
Spoon on jam next to the cream, or swirl a little through it. Rhubarb jam cuts the sweetness of the waffle and cream; berry jams are softer and fruitier. Some families also put a bottle of plain sugar syrup on the table, though jam and cream are the café standard.
If you like thin Scandinavian pancakes more than waffles, try pönnukökur, Icelandic pancakes, which use a pourable batter and a flat pan instead of an iron.
Cardamom, sour cream and other Scandinavian twists
A pinch of ground cardamom in the dry ingredients gives a warmer, more aromatic batter. It is common in Norwegian baking and appears in some older Icelandic waffle recipes too.
For a Norwegian turn, replace part of the milk with sour cream, about 1 dl, and keep the rest of the recipe the same. The waffle becomes a little richer and pairs well with brunost or more sour cream and jam.
You can also fold stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter at the end for a slightly lighter texture, though the everyday café waffle does not need that step.
What to serve with vöfflur
In Iceland, waffles are a coffee-shop treat more than a full breakfast. Serve them with coffee or hot chocolate after a walk, or as an easy dessert when you have guests.
They sit comfortably next to other Icelandic café sweets. For more bakery ideas, see our Icelandic bakery and pastries guide, which covers snúðar, kleinur and cream buns.
A spoon of thick skyr on the side also works if you want something tangier than cream. There are more ideas in our skyr recipes.
Troubleshooting soft heart waffles
If the waffles stick, the iron may not be hot enough, or it needs a light brush of butter before the first batch. Once a film of fat builds up, later waffles usually release cleanly.
Pale waffles usually mean the iron is too cool or the batter is too thin. Give the iron another minute to heat, and thicken the batter with a spoonful of flour if needed.
Chewy waffles come from overmixing. Stir only until the flour disappears, then stop. A few small lumps are fine and will cook out in the iron.
If you are cooking for a crowd, keep finished waffles on a wire rack in a low oven, around 90°C (200°F), so steam does not make them soggy. Stacking them tightly on a plate while they wait will soften the crisp edges.
Make-ahead tips and leftovers
The batter keeps in the fridge for up to a day. Stir it before cooking and add a splash of milk if it has thickened.
Cooked waffles freeze well. Cool them completely, stack with baking paper between each one, and freeze in a bag for up to a month. Reheat in a toaster or a warm oven so they soften again. Fresh whipped cream is worth making at the last minute.
A soft waffle for coffee hour
Norwegian waffles and Icelandic vöfflur belong to the same Scandinavian coffee table: soft hearts, a little sugar in the batter, and toppings that are more cream and jam than maple syrup.
Once you have a heart iron, or even a regular waffle maker and this batter, you can turn out café-style waffles on any quiet afternoon. Keep the toppings simple, serve them warm, and they will disappear as quickly as they do in Reykjavík.
Cover photo: "Våffla med sylt och grädde" by Arntobian, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
About Sigrún Ólafsdóttir
Sigrún grew up baking rúgbrauð with her grandmother in Akureyri and has spent the last decade collecting recipes from kitchens all over Iceland. She writes Icelandic MAT's recipes, one dish at a time.