How Waffles Went Viral in India: From Belgian Cafes to Dosa Batter

Where Did Waffles Originally Come From?

Waffles originated in Western Europe, in the land that is now Belgium and France. The encyclopedia Wikipedia lists the waffle's place of origin as "Belgium, France". So the waffle origin country is Belgium and France. Today, Belgium is the country most linked to waffles.

The word "waffle" comes from the Dutch word "wafel". It goes back to the Middle Dutch word "wafele", first written in the late 1200s. Before that came an old Frankish word, "wafla". It meant "honeycomb" or "cake". The French word "walfre" was written down even earlier, in 1185.

Who made waffles first? No one person did. In the Middle Ages, cooks baked thin wafers called "oublies" between two hot iron plates. They cooked them over an open fire. The first known waffle recipe is in a French household manuscript from the late 1300s, "Le Menagier de Paris". By the 1500s, painters such as Pieter Bruegel showed waffles with a clear grid. Later, cooks added yeast to the batter. That made waffles thick and airy, like the ones we eat now. For hundreds of years, street sellers sold most waffles.

The thick Belgian waffle, with deep pockets and whipped cream, came much later. It was shown at Expo 58 in Brussels in 1958. Then it became famous in the United States at the 1964 New York World's Fair. There, Maurice Vermersch of Brussels sold it with whipped cream and strawberries. He named it the "Bel-Gem Waffle", as Wikipedia's Belgian waffle page notes. The fair has been called "the real introduction of the Belgian waffle to America".

Is the Belgian Waffle Indian?

No. The Belgian waffle is from Belgium. The Belgian Waffle Co. is an Indian chain that started in 2015. It uses the name, but the waffle style comes from Belgium.

How Did Waffles Come to India?

Waffles came to India from Europe and America, and they spread here through cafes and dessert chains. We could not find a good record of the first waffle sold in India. For a long time, a waffle was a treat you ate out, not a food you made at home.

The big change came with dessert chains. The Belgian Waffle Co. started in June 2015. By 2018, it had 100+ outlets in 27+ cities. It sold 20,000+ waffles a day, says its 2018 founder profile on Restaurant India.

Key data point: In December 2025, Franchise India reported that The Belgian Waffle Co. had nearly 700 outlets across 250 cities. It called the chain India's largest western dessert-led quick service restaurant brand. That growth shows how fast Indians took to waffles once they were easy to buy.

How Did Waffles Go Viral in India?

Waffles went viral in India on Instagram and YouTube, mostly because they look good in photos. Fruit, chocolate sauce, cream and ice cream sit well in the little squares. We could not find a study that gives an exact year for the trend. The chain growth above is the best hard number we have.

Three kinds of posts helped the waffle go viral:

1. Street waffle carts in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, posting bright waffle photos on Instagram.
2. The "dosa waffle" video - showing how to make a dosa waffle at home with dosa batter you already have. Many food creators made this kind of video, because it mixed two familiar foods in a new way.
3. Millet waffle content from health creators on YouTube, showing ragi, oats and jowar waffles for breakfast. This fit the growing interest in millets.

What Is a Desi Waffle? From Belgian to Indian

A desi waffle is a waffle made with an Indian batter. Indian home cooks did not just copy the Western waffle. They made it their own with food from their own kitchens:

• Dosa batter waffles - South Indian twist, no new recipe needed
• Ragi and millet waffles - a health pick; millets are gluten-free, says the FAO
• Besan (chickpea flour) waffles - high protein, savory, great with chutney
• Moong dal waffles - pesarattu style, popular in Andhra homes
• Jaggery-sweetened waffles - replacing refined sugar with traditional sweetener

This local twist is a big reason waffles stuck in India. When a food fits the Indian pantry, people keep making it. Small waffle makers are now sold in India as an everyday kitchen tool, next to idli steamers and dosa tawas.

Why Are Indians Making Waffles at Home?

Indians make waffles at home now for three main reasons:

1. Mini waffle makers are easy to buy - small makers are sold online across India. Our InstaCuppa Mini Waffle Maker makes one 10 cm waffle in 3 to 5 minutes and runs on 230 V Indian mains.
2. Cafe and delivery waffles cost more - a waffle made at home usually costs much less than one from a cafe or a delivery app. See our cost per waffle at home vs cafe guide.
3. Interest in millets - the United Nations declared 2023 the International Year of Millets, after India proposed it. This put ragi, jowar and bajra in the news, and millet waffles fit right in.