Waffle cones with no machine and no eggs, I finally tested both

Here is the video recipe

Why I made this

I posted a waffle cone recipe a few years ago, and ever since, the same two questions keep landing in my comments:

"Can I make these without eggs?"

"What if I don't have a waffle cone maker?"

I kept meaning to answer properly. It took me a while, but I finally did the testing: two batters (one with egg, one without), two cooking methods (waffle cone maker vs. a regular frying pan), same everything else.

Here's what I found, and the full recipe for both.

The verdict first

Both batters give you the same crispy snap. Honestly, side by side, I couldn't reliably tell which was which.

The real difference is browning. The eggless batter is thinner and colors faster, so drop your heat slightly. The original batter is thicker, stays lighter, and can handle a bit more heat.

And the pan works. It takes more effort than the machine, and the cones come out looking smoother and more crêpe-like, but they snap exactly the same.

Ingredients

The two batters are identical except for one ingredient, swapped gram for gram.

Original

• 120g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) sugar
• 50g (1) egg
• 120g (½ cup) warm water
• 120g (1 cup) flour
• 60g (¼ cup) melted butter
• 5g (1 tsp) vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Eggless

• 120g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) sugar
• 50g (3 tbsp) milk ← replaces the egg
• 120g (½ cup) warm water
• 120g (1 cup) flour
• 60g (¼ cup) melted butter
• 5g (1 tsp) vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Step 1 — The batter

Original: whisk the egg and sugar until smooth and slightly thickened. Then whisk in the warm water, vanilla and salt.

Eggless: whisk the sugar, warm water, milk, vanilla and salt together all at once. (Genuinely simpler — no emulsifying step.)

Both: gradually sift in the flour, whisking gently until no lumps remain. Stir in the melted butter. The batter should be completely smooth and easy to pour.

Rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.

Note: my original recipe chilled the batter in the fridge. I've stopped doing that. A room-temperature rest works better and spreads much easier.

Step 2A — With a waffle cone maker

1. Preheat to medium-high.
2. Pour 1–2 tbsp of batter in the center.
3. Close and cook 2–3 minutes.
4. Flip the wafer and cook another 2–3 minutes for even browning.
5. Remove when golden brown.
6. Shape immediately.

If a dark ring forms around the outside too fast, your temperature is too high.

Step 2B — In a frying pan (no machine)

This is the part most people are here for. You need a non-stick pan, parchment paper, and a second smaller pan.

1. Preheat the non-stick pan over medium-low heat.
2. Cut a round of parchment slightly smaller than your pan.
3. Pour 1–2 tbsp of batter in the center of the parchment.
4. Spread it with the back of a spoon into a very thin 12–15cm circle. You're spreading on the counter, not in the hot pan — no rush, no burned fingers.
5. Place the parchment in the pan, batter side down.
6. Set the smaller pan on top. This keeps the wafer thin and flat.
7. Cook 1–2 minutes.
8. Remove the top pan and peel the parchment away. If you see holes, patch them with the tiniest amount of batter — it blends right in.
9. Parchment and pan back on. Cook until the first side is golden.
10. Flip, replace parchment and pan, cook about 3 more minutes.
11. Shape immediately.

Cook lower and slower than you think. If the pan is too hot, the wafer browns before the moisture has evaporated, and you get a soft cone instead of a crisp one.

Shaping

You have seconds. It firms up almost instantly, and once it cools it's crisp and impossible to roll without cracking.

Use a clean kitchen towel between your hand and the wafer — it is hot enough to burn your fingertips. I'm not being dramatic.

No cone mold? Shape them into bowls, dessert tacos, or cigar rolls instead. Same wafer, and the bowls are much more forgiving if you're just starting out.

Keeping them crispy

• Seal the tip with a little melted chocolate so melting ice cream doesn't leak out the bottom.
• Better: brush a thin layer over the whole inside. It's a moisture barrier — the ice cream never touches the wafer, so it stays crisp much longer.
• Store completely cooled cones in an airtight container at room temperature, up to a week.
• Never refrigerate or freeze them. Humidity destroys the crunch.

Troubleshooting

Happy to answer questions ! I've made an absurd number of these and broken plenty of them along the way.