If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best cast iron waffle maker for breakfasts is, then we recommend Skeppshult Waffle Heart Shape Maker as the best one.

Cast iron cookware is something many of us have always associated with pioneer days or maybe with our mother.

Almost nobody has ever seen a cast iron waffle maker. Now that cast iron cookware is making a come-back, we’re here to help you select the best cast iron waffle maker.

Here are the top cast iron waffle makers we’ll be reviewing:

• HAWOK Cast Iron Waffle Maker 
• UPKOCK Cast Iron Stove Top Waffle Iron
• Skeppshult Waffle Heart Shape Maker
• CJC’s Old Fashioned Cast Iron Waffle Baking Mold
• Rome’s 1028 Chuckwagon Waffle Iron

Cast Iron’s Comeback

The cooking knowledge that the common person had in the bygone eras brings a whole new meaning to the definition of a cook.

Some of these people’s inventions put modern inventions to shame. Cast iron cookware is one of them.

Our ancestors used cast iron pots, pans, molds, and so on.

The incredibly delicious waffles that were made in cast iron waffle makers over fire brought early-morning smiles to both young and old.

Being literally made of iron, cast iron cookware is heavy. It also rusts, which means that it requires consistent special care (“seasoning”).

After the electrification of homes and appliances in the 20th century, new lightweight, and sometimes electrified, cookware flooded the market.

Many modern working women replaced their cast iron cookware with modern cookware.

Consumers soon discovered, though, that the nonstick coating manufactured into the new pans were carcinogenic and eventually flaked off into their food.

Even so, people continued to use the unhealthy modern cookware, replacing it whenever the coating started to flake off.

However, the recent natural health movement has caused today’s health-conscious cooks to invest both time and money into traditional cast iron cookware – even waffle irons.

What was old is new again, so it is now hip to cook with grandma’s cookware.

People plagued with frequent power outages see the wisdom of owning this highly versatile low-tech cookware.

Members of the disaster preparedness (“prepper”) movement also embrace cast iron cookware along with the nearly-lost cooking methods that our ancestors used with it.

Advantages of Using a Cast Iron Waffle Maker

An old-fashioned cast iron waffle maker is highly durable, versatile and healthy for you.

This cookware:

• Adds the mineral iron to the waffles made in it
• Never adds carcinogens to waffles
• Creates better tasting waffles than modern cookware makes
• Puts a crisp on the outside of waffles while maintaining softness inside
• Can be used over an open campfire flame
• Can be used on a wood, gas, or electric stove
• Can last many years if properly maintained
• Can serve as a valuable heirloom to pass on to the next generation

How to Choose the Best Cast Iron Waffle Maker

Everyone has their preferences, but the best cast iron waffle maker you can find today just might closely resemble the ones of antiquity, which still works best for use outdoors.

Alternatively, you may prefer a modernized, non-cast iron version because it cooks various foods and doesn’t require seasoning or heat and timing guesswork.

Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.

Cast Iron Waffle Maker Buyer’s Guide

You may want to consider these tips when shopping for a cast iron waffle maker

• Figure out exactly what you want in a waffle maker and then search for one that suits your needs. Do you prefer the advantages of cast iron or the advantages of modern versions? Would you keep up with seasoning cast iron cookware if you had it?
• Read the fine print to see what the manufacturer says the waffle maker is actually made of. Don’t be fooled by misleading advertisements that suggest that the advertised waffle maker is made of cast iron.
• Read to see whether by “nonstick” the advertiser means that the manufacturer pre-seasoned the waffle maker or coated it with a nonstick coating (that likely contains PFOA, PTFE or cadmium).
• Read product reviews. Other consumers tend to give detailed information and tell the truth about products.

Tips for Using a New Cast Iron Waffle Maker

As noted, cast iron cookware is prone to rusting. You’ll need to commit to keeping it seasoned if you use this type of cookware.

New cast iron cookware may arrive pre-seasoned, but it often arrives with a protective factory wax coating that is not meant for human consumption.

If your new waffle maker arrives with a wax coating, you’ll need to remove it per the included instructions.

After you remove the wax you should season your new cookware. That means you should oil and bake the oil into the iron so as to keep air away from the iron.

You’ll need to season it before you use it for the first time and periodically thereafter to prevent it from rusting.

Seasoning also prevents food from sticking to the cookware. If you ever have to scrape food out of a cast iron waffle iron, you’ll never forget to season it again!

Ideally, no dish soap should ever be used on any cast iron cookware because soap removes the protective seasoning.

Basically, you never wash genuine cast iron cookware. Virgin iron ore may be the exception, though.

Best Cast Iron Waffle Maker Reviews

In a sea of options for cast iron waffle makers, which is the best one?

To save you some time, we’ve searched for our personal favorites and identified our top 5 cast iron waffle makers.

HAWOK Cast Iron Waffle Maker 

The HAWOK Cast Iron Waffle Maker is actually made of cast iron. It is small, which suits backpackers and children.

But it does not make large enough waffles to suit adults or groups.

Pros

• Made of cast iron
• Arrives with a protective factory wax coating, so you know it contains no rust
• Cleans well if you follow the included cleaning and seasoning instructions before using
• Heats up quickly
• Puts a good crisp on the waffle’s outside while maintaining fluffy softness on the inside
• Cooks evenly
• Makes waffles perfectly sized for children
• Right-sized for backpacking
• Good cast iron collector’s item
• Comes apart for easy and thorough cleaning
• Includes detailed instructions for cleaning and seasoning
• Includes a pot holder

Cons

• Must remove the factory wax and season it before using the first time
• Makes waffles too small for adults
• Best suited for a home or camp gas stove
• Too short handled (5.5 inches long) for many people to feel comfortable holding next to fire
• Must blindly gauge and learn the needed flame height/temperature and cook time

UPKOCK Cast Iron Stove Top Waffle Iron

The UPKOCH Waffle Maker is a modern aluminum alloy waffle maker that can also be used to make various kinds of food besides waffles.

Unlike the other waffle makers in our lineup, this one is an electric appliance. Oddly, it is designed to look like it is stovetop cookware.

Pros

• Doesn’t require seasoning
• Makes biscuit pizzas, paninis and hash browns in addition to waffles
• Light weight
• Compact, suiting small living spaces
• Is sleekly designed
• Comes in trendy colors
• Cooks evenly
• Gives consistent results
• Makes a great new home gift
• Makes a great wedding gift

Cons

• Made of aluminum alloy
• Has a nonstick coating applied to it
• Is an electrical appliance, which makes it unusable on any stove or over a campfire
• Needs minutes to heat up instead of seconds
• May be a different size than the advertised one of 30 x 14.5 x 4cm due to differences in “manual measurement”
• May also arrive with a color that differs from the advertised one

Skeppshult Waffle Heart Shape Maker

The Skeppshult Waffle Heart Shape Maker may be the best cast iron waffle maker if owning actual cast iron cookware made with historic authenticity is important to you.

This product is made the old way in Sweden’s last foundry.

Its overall design is antique, and the cooking grates bake a beautiful five-heart pattern into the crispy waffles it creates.

Pros

• Looks like an antique piece
• Pretty enough to hang on the kitchen wall
• Makes decently sized waffles (8.25 inches wide)
• Compact, though it measures 16.80 x 8.25 x 0.90 inches
• Small enough to fit into any cabinet or cupboard
• Anti-overflow feature keeps counters neat and clean
• Has a slightly stabilizing concave shape that minimizes the risk of injury
• Made of virgin iron ore from strictly controlled raw materials
• Quality item that weighs a hefty 8.75 pounds
• Made by hand in some phases of its production
• Produced in Scandinavia’s only remaining foundry, Skeppshult of Sweden
• Has undergone an average of 10 quality control inspections
• Exceptionally durable
• Has a 25-year cast iron warranty
• Naturally nonstick, having no PTFE, PFOA, cadmium, or other harmful chemicals
• Arrives pre-seasoned with rapeseed oil
• Easy to clean and requires little maintenance
• Heats up quickly, disperses heat evenly and holds heat long-term
• Makes thin and crispy waffles with a 5-heart design
• Works on electric, gas, halogen, radiant or ceramic ranges and on induction heat sources

Cons

• Expensive
• Has a handle that is not shaped to securely hold onto
• Handle may be flimsy

CJC’s Old Fashioned Cast Iron Waffle Baking Mold

The CJC’s Old Fashioned Cast Iron Waffle Baking Mold is one of many products that is advertised as being made of cast iron but isn’t. It’s made of aluminum.

Like some of the other waffle makers in our lineup, the cooking area on this one is quite small but the handle is comfortably long.

This waffle maker is very popular among consumers. One reason is that it is shaped like a panini maker, enabling it to make more than just waffles.

Pros

• Has a decently long handle (6.1 inches)
• Has heat-proof handle, able to be used over gas or campfire
• Handle locks together, keeping the griddle plates together
• Produces a steam sound after about a minute, which lets you know it’s almost time to flip the waffle maker over to cook on that side
• Fits on a small burner

Cons

• Made of aluminum alloy in China
• Has harmful nonstick coating but also requires spraying with oil before using
• Has a small cooking area (5.1 x 5.7 inches)
• Cannot be used in an induction cooker
• Comes with no instructions

Rome’s 1028 Chuckwagon Waffle Iron

Rome’s 1028 Chuckwagon Waffle Iron is made of cast iron. It has a small cooking area, but a really long handle.

Unfortunately, it is out of stock and it is unknown whether or not it will ever become available again.

Pros

• Made of cast iron
• Gray color
• Has an extra-long, removable handle that enables the product to double as a BBQ grill
• Overall product length of 23 inches
• Usable on open fires, gas stoves, electric stoves and wood stoves
• Small griddle size makes small waffles – perfect waffle sizes for kids
• Fun for use by kids on campouts
• Makes waffles that taste much better than those made in modern aluminum waffle makers
• Comes with a 10-year warranty

Cons

• Griddle size is too tiny (about 6 inches) to cook with for feeding adults
• Must be kept well-seasoned
• Must also spray with oil every morning before using or batter will stick and be hard to clean
• May also need to add extra oil to waffle batter
• Currently unavailable and may not be back in stock

Final Thoughts

All of the waffle makers in our lineup make tiny waffles. They’re all advertised as being made of cast iron, but some of them are actually aluminum cookware that has a nonstick coating.

Our pick for the best cast iron waffle maker is the Skeppshult Waffle Heart Shape Maker. It is made of virgin iron ore, has an antique design, and is made in Sweden’s last foundry.

You’ll pay for what you get because these partially handmade, five-heart-molding beauties are high-priced.

Our pick for a waffle maker for people who don’t want to deal with maintaining actual cast iron cookware (and who apparently aren’t too concerned about cancerous nonstick coatings) is the CJC’s Old Fashioned Cast Iron Waffle Baking Mold.

It is also one of the many inexpensive options, but is quite popular.