This Is the Most Popular Breakfast Recipe in the South

I find breakfast to be one of the most opinionated meals of the day. My dad struggles to go a morning without his beloved banana and bran cereal—so much so that he travels with the latter just in case he can’t find his preferred brand wherever he might be during breakfast.

I, on the other hand, lean heavily on the yogurt + seasonal fruit + granola equation. I know others who batch overnight oats almost religiously, and some who strongly believe the best breakfast is no breakfast, but rather just a strong cup of coffee.

Regardless of your personal breakfast belief system, I think we can all agree that waffles are a morning treat we’ll happily roll out of bed to eat. I’ll gladly break my yogurt habit in the name of a piping hot, crisp waffle topped with butter and heavily drizzled with maple syrup.

It’s the South, however, that is arguably the most bright-eyed for this classic breakfast dish; it turns out that waffles are far and away the most popular breakfast there. According to Google Trends, a new study of top breakfast choices placed waffles on top in 11 Southern states, including Florida, the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas.  

Why Are Waffles the Top Breakfast in the South?

There’s no one reason waffles reign supreme in the South, but if you ask me (as someone who lives in North Carolina), I do wonder if Waffle House has something to do with it. The chain, beloved by locals, is a fixture in the South.

I’ll be honest that I never quite understood this until I moved to the state from the Northeast. Whatever the reason may be, though, I think waffles deserve their top rank. Honestly, what’s not to love?

7 of Our Best Waffle Recipes

• Yeasted Belgian Waffles
• Easy Buttermilk Waffles
• Sweet Potato Waffles with Fried Egg, Bacon, and Scallions
• Almond Flour Waffles
• Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
• Gingerbread Waffles
• Buckwheat Waffles