Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker Review

My family has always loved waffles. Our waffle obsession grew when we started seeing chicken and waffles on the menu in restaurants and spent our weekend mornings searching for eateries completely dedicated to waffles, and that’s when I had to add them to our weekly dinner menu.

But perfecting a waffle that folds to turn into a chicken sandwich or firmly holds a mound of fruit and whip cream isn’t easy, and when you have a house full of hungry teens, you need a great waffle maker that will make an evenly spread, perfectly done waffle every time. As it turns out, the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker fits the bill perfectly, and it makes a fantastic waffle without spilling batter all over your counter.

Appearance and features of the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker

The Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker is a small stainless steel waffle maker with a vertical design. Most waffle makers sit flat on your countertop, but the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker stands straight up on your counter. It is 12 inches high.

This waffle maker has an easy-pour spout and a latch lock on the side. It seals the appliance tightly so nothing drips out.

  • Vertical design has a batter pour spout to make it easy to pour in batter
  • Creates one Belgian waffle at one time
  • Dial gives you 5-levels of browning control to create a waffle to suit everyone’s tastes
  • Green light and red light shows you if your waffle iron is Ready-To-Bake or Ready-To-Eat
  • An audible alert sounds when waffle is ready
  • Brushed stainless steel top cover
  • Includes measuring scoop and recipes

Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker demo

Testing the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker

Over the past few years, as my family has gone through their waffle phase, I’ve eaten so many different kinds of Belgian waffles. Some weren’t crispy enough, others wouldn’t fold properly, and still others were soggy before we finished them. What I’ve realized about all of these waffles is that, more than the recipe, the waffle maker is the most important part of the process.

That’s why I was so impressed with the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker. It really does make the perfect waffle. Thanks to the spout, it bakes your waffle without mess or overflow.

Cuisinart Upright waffle maker

Pour in the batter

In the box with the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker you’ll find an instruction booklet with a few recipes and a scoop you use to measure waffle batter. After I plugged in the waffle maker and let it warm up for a few minutes, I was ready to make waffles.

Although the scoop is a good guideline, I wasn’t sure how much to add. When I dropped the batter in the spout it disappeared quite easily, but it didn’t look like it had enough inside. The first waffle I used only one scoop of batter and didn’t add another. When I opened up the waffle there were a few spots missing, so it was really only half a waffle.

The second waffle I made I added one full scoop and another half scoop. That waffle came out great, and although there was a bit of a ‘neck’ on the waffle from the spout, my kids loved it.

Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker

Five level browning control

You can turn the dial on the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker to increase or decrease heat. It’s a nice option because not everyone wants a crispy waffle. I turned the dial to 4 to start and then dialed it up to 5 and left it there. Every waffle I made at 5 was crispy but not overdone.

No mess with the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker

Have you ever been to a breakfast bar at a hotel and tried to use the waffle maker? It’s a popular stop on the breakfast tour, and in my experience, the waffle maker is almost always covered in batter from the overflow that’s dripping down the sides.

Despite my own best effort, I will occasionally overflow my waffle iron at home. I didn’t have that problem with the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker. It has a lock that holds the waffle iron together, so you just pour the batter in and when the timer goes, release the lock.

See and hear when your waffle is ready

There are small indicator lights by the dial on the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker. When the waffle maker is ready to make your waffle the green light will come on. When the batter has been poured inside and your waffle is baking, the red light will come on.

When the waffle is finished the waffle maker light turns green and ‘pings.’ That’s when you can open it up. It’s nice to have a visual if you are in front of the waffle maker, and the audio makes sure you know it’s ready if you aren’t.

Cuisinart Waffle maker belgian waffles

Waffle quality with the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker

I made two different batches of waffles with the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker and I was very impressed with the performance of the appliance both times. Once you figure out how much waffle batter to add, every waffle comes out perfect.

For breakfast waffles I kept the browning dial to 5 and the waffles were crispy and delicious. They break apart easily if you’d like to section them off for younger children. For dinner waffles, I set the dial to 2 or 3. That way they were still soft enough to fold over.

Should you choose the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker?

If you want a waffle maker with less mess and perfect waffles, the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker is an absolutely great choice. I don’t think this waffle maker could make a bad waffle, and my kids loved the extra ‘spout’ you get on your waffle. I added chocolate chips to one batch of waffles and they were a huge hit, and I never spilled batter over the edges of the appliance.

I appreciate the space-saving design of the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker. It’s easy to tuck away in a cupboard and doesn’t take up a lot of space on a counter. It’s actually so thin you could slide it up beside cookbooks if you store them on your countertop. Best of all? It’s non-stick and easy to clean. You just wipe it down when you are done.

If you’re looking for a new waffle maker, I can’t recommend the Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker enough. You can find your own Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker on Best Buy right now.

Shelly Wutke
Editor TV & Home Theatre
I'm a Vancouver freelancer and tech enthusiast. When I'm not writing you'll find me on my farm with my alpacas, chickens, and honeybees. Visit my website Survivemag

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