I've been baking a lot of bread lately, which means I've had a lot of leftover sourdough starter. One of my favorite things to make with my leftovers, is sourdough discard pancakes! They are super light and fluffy and the sourdough discard gives them awesome flavor! You can eat them plain with syrup or add blueberries, chocolate chips, nuts, the possibilities are endless!
Don't have a sourdough starter? Never fear! Just check out my Sourdough Guide for all my tips and tricks!
This recipe does call for eggs, but if you still can't find any at the store you can substitute mashed banana! Just use ¼ cup mashed banana per egg and then you have light, fluffy banana pancakes!

You can whip up the batter whenever you feel like having pancakes, but you can also make the batter the night before for even more flavorful pancakes. I personally prefer the overnight method, but I've also made them the morning of and they still taste great!
Overnight Option
The night before you want to to make pancakes, mix together the sourdough discard, flour, sugar, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight.
In the morning, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture. Add in the salt and baking soda and mix until combined.
Tip: if you want your pancakes to have even more sourdough flavor, let the batter ferment in the fridge overnight!
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.
Whisk together the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture. Add in the salt and baking soda and mix until combined.
Heat a lightly greased* griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle and cook until the surface has several bubbles (1-2 minutes). Then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
*I like to grease my pan with coconut oil because of the flavor it adds. But you can also use butter or cooking spray.
What if I don't have buttermilk?
You can easily make your own using regular milk and lemon juice (or vinegar)! You want to use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of milk.
Simply stir the milk and lemon juice together and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before adding to the batter.
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Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 227 grams sourdough starter discard
- 241 grams all purpose flour
- 454 grams buttermilk , substitute whole milk plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 45 grams granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, substitute ½ cup mashed banana
- 60 grams salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Overnight Batter
- The night before you want to to make pancakes, mix together the sourdough discard, flour, sugar, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight.
- In the morning, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture. Add in the salt and baking soda and mix until combined.
Same Day Batter
- 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.
- Whisk together the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture. Add in the salt and baking soda and mix until combined.
To Cook
- Heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
- Scoop about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle and cook until the surface has several bubbles (1-2 minutes). Then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
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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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!