These lemon poppy seed sourdough pancakes are super light and fluffy with extra tang from the sourdough starter. They're bursting with poppy seeds and drizzled with a tangy lemon glaze. The perfect easy treat for weekend breakfast or brunch!
You might also like these classic sourdough pancakes or these lemon poppy seed muffins!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a handful of ingredients to make these fluffy sourdough lemon poppy seed pancakes!
Sourdough Starter - I typically use leftover sourdough discard to make these pancakes because I always need to use up extra discard, but ripe active sourdough starter works just as well!
Buttermilk - If you don't have buttermilk you can use either regular whole milk or half & half. You can also make your own buttermilk if you want. For every 1 cup of whole milk add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice! Simply stir the milk and lemon juice together and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before adding to the batter.
Butter - Instead of melted butter in the pancake batter you can substitute melted coconut oil.
Lemon Juice & Zest - I highly recommend using fresh lemons for the best flavor! But you can always substitute with a little bottled lemon juice if necessary.
Poppy Seeds - You can't have lemon poppy seed pancakes without poppy seeds! Sometimes they can be super expensive at the regular grocery store, but I've found they can be more affordable online or at your local international grocery store!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough Lemon Pancakes
The sourdough pancake batter can either be prepped the night before (my personal preference for more flavorful pancakes) or the same day! Both methods yield delicious fluffy pancakes!
Overnight Option: The night before you want to make pancakes, mix together the sourdough discard, flour, sugar, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight. [Tip: if you want your pancakes to have even more sourdough flavor, let the batter ferment in the fridge overnight!] You can keep this batter in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Same Day Option: Mix together the sourdough discard, flour, sugar, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Cover and let rest for 30-60 minutes to give the flour time to hydrate.
In the morning (or after the batter has rested), whisk together the eggs, melted butter, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and add to the flour mixture. Then add in the poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. The batter should be thick but pourable (if the batter is too thick, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time until a pourable consistency is reached).
Heat a lightly greased griddle or nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle and cook until the surface has several bubbles (1-3 minutes). Then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
*I like to grease my pan with coconut oil because of the high smoke point and mild flavor. But you can also use cooking spray.
To keep warm, place the lemon poppy seed sourdough pancakes in the oven at 200°F until ready to serve.
Drizzle the warm lemon poppy seed pancakes with the lemon glaze and enjoy!
Sourdough Tips & Tricks
If you've never baked with sourdough before, it can be a little tricky. But don't worry, I have a full Sourdough Starter Guide all about making and maintaining a sourdough starter! I also have a full guide on different types of flour you can use to make sourdough and of course a guide on how to make a Beginner Homemade Sourdough Loaf. Below are a few quick tips and key terms you need to know.
- Sourdough Starter - A culture of wild yeast and bacteria that leavens and flavors sourdough bread. I use what's called a "liquid starter" versus a stiff starter. This means the starter is made with equal parts flour and water and should be a consistency similar to cake batter.
- Sourdough Discard - The portion of your starter that is discarded when feeding your starter (can be used in tons of recipes like sourdough discard blueberry muffins or sourdough pancakes).
- Ripe Starter - A starter that's ready to be used in baking. Your starter is ripe roughly 6 hours after feeding and will have doubled in size, have lots of visible bubbles, and a fresh acidic aroma.
Weigh your ingredients! For all my sourdough recipes, I measure the ingredients in grams because it's much more accurate! I highly recommend getting a kitchen scale if you don't already have one! However, I have included alternate US customary measurements for your convenience.
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If your oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all breads and baked goods! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Easy sourdough recipes for beginners! If you've never made sourdough bread before, I recommend starting with some simple, no-fuss recipes like my sourdough naan or sourdough bagels! But if you're already a pro, I have a ton of fun sourdough recipes you can try!
Griddles for Making Pancakes
If you have the space, I love a countertop electric griddle for pancakes! I also love a nonstick griddle pan or even a cast iron skillet!
Whatever you choose, just be sure to grease it well! I like using coconut oil for pancakes because it has high smoke point and subtle flavor. You can also use a neutral pan spray or ghee, but I don't recommend butter as it's more likely to burn.
You also want a nice wide spatula for flipping pancakes! A specific pancake spatula makes flipping SO much easier and the batter is less likely to splatter.
Topping Suggestions
I love topping these lemon poppy seed sourdough pancakes with a light, tangy lemon glaze! However, you could also top them with homemade whipped cream, lemon curd, or just regular maple syrup! Whatever you prefer!
Recipe FAQ's
Store the leftover lemon poppy seed pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes! Separate the pancakes with pieces of parchment or wax paper so that they don't stick together. Then wrap tightly and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
You can reheat the lemon poppy seed sourdough pancakes in the oven or microwave! Reheat on a baking sheet at 350°F for 5-10 minutes or until warm. Or reheat in the microwave for 20 second intervals until heated through.
You can use either sourdough discard or active sourdough starter for these pancakes.
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Recipe Card
Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Pancakes
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Sourdough Pancakes
- 227 grams sourdough starter discard
- 240 grams all purpose flour
- 480 grams buttermilk , substitute whole milk
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 57 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Lemon Icing
- 180 grams powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons lemon juice, as needed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
Pancake Batter
- The sourdough pancake batter can either be prepped the night before (my personal preference for more flavorful pancakes) or the same day! Both methods yield delicious fluffy pancakes!
- Overnight Option: The night before you want to make pancakes, mix together the sourdough discard, flour, sugar, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight. [Tip: if you want your pancakes to have even more sourdough flavor, let the batter ferment in the fridge overnight!] You can keep this batter in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Same Day Option: Mix together the sourdough discard, flour, sugar, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Cover and let rest for 30-60 minutes to give the flour time to hydrate.
- In the morning (or after the batter has rested), whisk together the eggs, melted butter, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and add to the flour mixture. Then add in the poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. The batter should be thick but pourable (if the batter is too thick, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time until a pourable consistency is reached).
To Cook
- Heat a lightly greased griddle or nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle and cook until the surface has several bubbles (1-3 minutes). Then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. *I like to grease my pan with coconut oil because of the high smoke point and mild flavor. But you can also use cooking spray.
- To keep warm, place the lemon poppy seed sourdough pancakes in the oven at 200°F until ready to serve.
Lemon Icing
- To make the icing, mix together the powdered sugar and melted butter in a small bowl. Add in the lemon juice one tablespoon at time until a thick but pourable consistency is reached.
- Drizzle over the pancakes and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Heba says
Hi! I made the sourdough cinnamon rolls and they were delicious!! Now I want to try the pancakes!
How long do you think I can leave the sourdough discard, buttermilk, flour and sugar mixture in the fridge? In the recipe it says 24hours at room temperature and I was wondering if I can leave it for 2-3 days in the fridge and mix the remainder of the ingredients when I need it? Thank you!
Kyleigh Sage says
Yes absolutely!! I just wouldn’t do more than 3-4 days. Also, just know it will definitely yield a tangier flavor, the longer it’s in there.