Side Dishes You Need To Try The Next Time You Make Waffles

Waffles are one of those foods that's simple enough to go with almost anything. The thing is, if you're anything like us, you tend to eat waffles with the same old things every time. We're talking waffle. Burnout. Butter and syrup are great and all — and so are bacon or sausage — but if you're craving a new companion for your classic waffles, try some new sides to take your waffle meals up a notch. Might as well get the most out of the waffle iron.

The first thing to think about with waffles is whether or not you want to go sweet or savory or a mixture of both. You can build a meal based on your cravings this way. Savory Nothings has a great list of sides for waffles from which to choose. Some of our sweet faves included a fruit salad, yogurt and granola, and toppings like nut butter, chopped nuts or — and this sounds incredible — honey butter. One inspired idea is cinnamon honey, as a commenter on Smitten Kitchen's site suggested. Or, from the Minimalist Baker, warm apples and cinnamon. You can even make whipped cream from coconut cream and top it with bananas.

The most leeway with waffles comes from savory dishes, however. There's so many ways to dress up a waffle with sides that can also just as well go right on top. Scrambled or poached eggs go well with waffles — Williams Sonoma even goes for greens with bacon added on. For a fancy brunch version, try lox, cream cheese and chives, according to Heartbeet Kitchen, or baking a quick round of egg muffins from Delish. If eggs aren't your thing, baked mushrooms would go well with waffles, as would sautéed green beans and grilled tomatoes (via Savory Nothings).

Of course, for a combo of sweet and savory, a popular go-to is fried chicken. There's few things that go better together than this sticky, crunchy mess. But Taste of Home has some even more creative ideas, like cornbread waffles served with chili and cheddar cheese, or a barbecue pulled pork with coleslaw. You could even go for some corn with sweet-and-spicy maple syrup, or creamy chicken with spinach, another savory option. Most anything you'd want to eat for dinner can go with waffles, and you can bet it will seem a lot more fancy than your everyday meals.