6 Best Heart-Shaped Waffle Makers, Tried and Tested

Mini but mighty, Dash's Mini Waffle Maker cooks up four-inch waffles that are consistently and evenly browned and fluffy, yet crispy. The divots have a nice depth, perfect for capturing your syrup, whipped cream or nut butter.

The handle does get hot during cooking, and it's not the strongest heart shape on the market, but it was fast and consistent for cooking both box-mix and from-scratch waffles. Plus, the small size makes it easy to clean up and store.

Holstein Housewares' heart waffle maker bakes up four waffles at a time — ideal when cooking for multiple younger kids (or one hungry teen). The waffles were very moist and tender with a lightly crisp edge. I also liked the clear, iconic heart shape. This model was the only one in my test where the handle stayed cool to the touch during use.

The caveats are that the appliance slid around a bit on the counter and that it performed better with the boxed mix than the from-scratch batter. While all the waffles it turned out were acceptable in terms of doneness, the homemade waffles had less definition in the divots on the top than the box-mix waffles, which had nice divots on both sides.

Impress your sweetheart with an emoji-worthy waffle. This mini waffle maker cooked up a well-defined heart shape with nicely deep divots in both my boxed-mix and homemade waffle tests. There was some crispness to the edges, but this one is for the fans of the tender waffle (which is also great for reheating).

The handle does get hot during cooking, but the results were consistent across batches, and the machine was easy to clean.

Dash also takes the top spot for our full-size waffle pick, cooking up crisp 8-inch waffles that can feed a hungry Valentine in one batch (or at least fewer batches!). It delivered a clear heart shape with a defined, syrup-catching grid in all of the tests.

The downside is that the browning got darker across batches (leading to drier edges), but that's easily remedied by adjusting your cook time as you go.

Waffle math: It's one (1) heart shaped waffle maker that cooks up four (4) small waffles and five (5) even smaller waffles so that you get nine (9) waffles per batch! It felt like a fun embarrassment of riches when the waffles hit the plate, but it was actually a fairly reasonable serving. The boxed-mix waffles were tender and crisp, so it's recommended for those who would never mess with a homemade waffle batter.

If you prefer to make waffles from scratch, you might need to find a recipe that works well in this machine: Our homemade waffles were, sadly, mostly smooth and divot-free on the top.

All the electric waffle makers in my test cooked up standard waffles, so if your significant other is a fan of Belgian-style waffles that are thick with deep pockets, you'll have to head over to the stove. The Nordic Ware Sweetheart Waffler produces a clover-leaf of heart-shaped waffles that are thick, moist and springy with a hint of crispness. The two plates of the waffle maker come apart for very easy cleaning.

But it's worth noting that in my test, the waffles were not consistently browned nor consistently crispy (not a deal breaker if you like fluffy waffles), and there is also a definite learning curve for what will work with your batter of choice and on your cooktop. But if you're willing to put in the effort, this deep-dish waffle maker is easy to flip and to store.