These sourdough discard pancakes are super light and fluffy with just a little bit of tang from the sourdough starter. You can eat them plain with butter and maple syrup, or add blueberries, chocolate chips, or whatever you want! They're the perfect easy treat for weekend breakfast or brunch!
These sourdough pancakes on their own are just barely sweet so that they're the perfect vehicle for sweet maple syrup!
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Why You'll Love These Sourdough Discard Pancakes
These sourdough pancakes are sure to be your new favorite breakfast recipe that both adults and kids will love!
- A great way to use up leftover sourdough starter discard!
- So much more flavorful than boxed pancake mix.
- Super easy to make and can be partially prepped the day before!
- A great base recipe that can be customized however you like!
You might also like these sourdough discard crepes or these sourdough discard waffles!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a handful of ingredients to make these fluffy sourdough discard 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 by using 1 cup of whole milk and 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.
Eggs - If you don't want to use eggs, you can substitute ¼ cup of mashed banana per egg (so ½ cup total for this recipe)! This will gives the pancakes a strong banana flavor but it's delicious!
Butter - Instead of melted butter in the pancake batter you can substitute melted coconut oil.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough 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, and vanilla and add to the flour mixture. Then add in the 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 sourdough pancakes in the oven at 200°F until ready to serve.
Drizzle the warm sourdough discard pancakes with maple syrup (or your preferred toppings) 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 Ideas
This is just a base sourdough pancake recipe, so you can jazz them up however you like! These pancakes are delicious plain with just butter and maple syrup! But there are a ton of fun topping combinations!
- Homemade whipped cream
- Swap maple syrup for honey or fruit syrup
- Fresh berries
- Powdered sugar
- Sliced bananas and pecans
- Homemade berry compote or jam
- Melted chocolate drizzle
- Apple butter
- Add blueberries or chocolate chips to the batter
- Nutella
- Homemade caramel sauce
- Peanut butter and chocolate chips
- Marshmallow fluff
- Lemon curd and whipped cream
Recipe FAQ's
Store the leftover 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 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!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Sourdough Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 227 grams sourdough starter discard
- 240 grams all purpose flour
- 480 grams buttermilk , substitute whole milk plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, substitute ½ cup mashed banana
- 57 grams salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
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, and vanilla and add to the flour mixture. Then add in the 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 sourdough pancakes in the oven at 200°F until ready to serve.
- Drizzle the warm sourdough discard pancakes with maple syrup (or your preferred toppings) 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.
Lindsey says
so good!!
Iansa says
These have become a favorite in my house! LOVE the texture! They’re even my 2yo’s favorite. 😄
Lauren T. says
I can hardly taste the sourdough, and they come out so tender! Definitely keeping this.
Allison says
Such a great way to use up sourdough discard! So tangy!