If you also feel a little guilty about throwing away your sourdough discard, I made this recipe for us! These sourdough discard pancakes only take about 30 minutes to make, and they use ½ cup of discard. It makes them extra fluffy and flavorful!
This pancake recipe is perfect! The pancakes are fluffy and light and it's a great use of the discard I have collected all week! Also it's the perfect amount of pancakes for me and my son with a few left over for snacking. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - our reader, Katie
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I am always looking for ways to turn my extra starter into tasty breakfast ideas (like this fluffy coffee cake)! These sourdough pancakes are the perfect canvas for whatever fillings or toppings you love with your fluffy pancakes.
Readers love how flexible this recipe is! One doubled the recipe and made waffles, another thinned the batter for a German pancake vibe, and someone even swapped in Einkorn flour and said the whole family loved them! Give them a try and share your take in the comments!
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Why You'll Love These Sourdough Pancakes
- It's the perfect use for your sourdough starter discard that helps eliminate food waste. If you still have more leftover, try my popular sourdough chocolate chip cookies!
- Light, fluffy pancakes that are quick and easy to make in the morning with just 4 easy steps.
- It's a great base recipe using sourdough discard that can be made into a lot of different variations.
- They aren't overly sweet, like some breakfast recipes can be.
Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make these easy sourdough discard pancakes:
- Sourdough starter discard is what makes this pancake recipe unique. Any flour to water ratio sourdough discard will work in this recipe, just adjust the milk as needed.
- Vegetable oil makes the pancakes moist.
- Baking powder adds extra lift to the batter.
- Granulated sugar gives the pancakes just enough sweetness.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Fold chocolate chips, blueberries, or whatever you like into the batter before cooking the pancakes. Or, sprinkle them on top after pouring the batter onto the skillet!
- You can use other types of milk in place of dairy milk but the pancakes may have a slightly different flavor and texture.
- Fry the batter in a cast iron skillet heavily greased with butter for crispy, extra flavorful pancakes.
- Top the sourdough pancakes with fresh berries, maple syrup, or your other favorite toppings.
- The ratio and type of sourdough starter you have may vary the flavor and texture of the pancakes.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Quick Recipe Video
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, combine the egg, oil, milk, and sourdough discard until fully incorporated.
Step 3: Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient until the flour streaks disappear.
Step 4: Ladle batter onto a greased griddle or non-stick skillet over medium/low heat, and cook pancakes on both sides.
Kayla's Top Tips
- Use a ¼ cup measuring cup or a large ice cream scoop to pour the batter onto the griddle.
- Test the pan's heat by making a mini pancake with 2 tablespoons of batter.
- Flip the pancakes with a wide spatula when the bubbles in the batter slow down and the edges are tan.
- Use sourdough discard that hasn't been fed recently.
- If the batter is too thin, add a bit more flour. If it is too thick, add a bit more milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Despite the word "sour" in the name, these pancakes are sweet and fluffy like your favorite diner stack. My sourdough blueberry muffins are another great breakfast recipe to make with your sourdough discard!
How to Store Sourdough Pancakes
Room Temperature
While sourdough pancakes are best eaten immediately, you can store them in an airtight container for 1 day.
Refrigerator
These pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Freezing Instructions
I recommend wrapping each pancake individually and freezing them for up to 1 month.
Reheating Instructions
Refrigerated pancakes can be reheated in the microwave or in a warm oven. Frozen pancakes can be reheated in a toaster or microwave.
FAQs
Sourdough starter is the is leftover after you feed your starter. It is made up of flour, water, and naturally occurring yeast. My sourdough starter is a 1:1 ratio from King Arthur Baking's recipe.
Because the batter uses baking powder which is activated by moisture and heat, it is best to use it as soon as the batter is mixed.
Oftentimes your local bakery will have sourdough starter that they're willing to spare.
I was gifted my starter so I've actually never made one from scratch! However, my friend Lynn has a great article outlining how to make a sourdough starter.
Did you try this recipe?
Let us know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest!
Thank you!
-Kayla
More Sourdough Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Pancake Recipe
Equipment
- Nonstick skillet or griddle
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Wide spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams or spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or other neutral oil
- ½ cup (118.29 g) sourdough discard
- ½-¾ cup milk more/less depending on consistency preference
Instructions
- In a medium/large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, vegetable oil, sourdough discard. Gradually add the milk until you reach your desired consistency.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. Clumpy batter is okay!
- Grease a nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and set it to medium/low heat. If you want to test the heat, make a mini pancake with 2 tablespoons of batter.When it's ready, pour ¼ cup of batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Flip them over when the bubbling slows down and the bottoms are tan. They're done when both sides are golden!
- Serve the sourdough pancakes with maple syrup, fresh berries, or any toppings you like!
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Can you use a natural sweetener in place of the sugar? Maple syrup or honey? Thank you!
I haven't tried it in this recipe but it works well in my cinnamon honey pancakes so I think it should be okay here! Might affect the texture a bit. I'd try replacing the tablespoon of sugar with 1-2 teaspoons of honey 🙂
Conversions for those who only use grams🫡
125g -AP flour
12g- sugar
5g - baking powder
1g- salt
1 egg
14g-oil
118.29g- sourdough discard
125g - 1/2 cup milk or 187g - 3/4 cup milk.
Thank you!
Huge hit in my home. I added chocolate chips for the kids and they loved them! Even my husband (who’s a VERY picky eater) loved them, he gave them a 9/10.
These were delicious and had just the right texture. The pancakes were beautiful with thousands of tiny little air springy pockets. I added a tbsp of fig jam in the mix and blueberries. I took a leftover pancake along for a bike ride yesterday and it made a delicious mid ride snack that was easy to handle.
Taking it on a bike ride is such a great idea!! Thank you for sharing!
Great use of discard. Easy and delicious
I’ve had these pancakes about 4 times now and it’s amazing. Never had more fluffier pancakes! So delish, will be making again. 🩷🥞
Tasted great......Husband asked for more pancakes 4x.
He was hesitant to try them, being the first time I made any kind of pancakes.....let alone with sourdough discard. I'll be making them on a regular basis for sure!!
I love these pancakes. Tjey are so tender and yet crispy around the edges. I couldn't wait to put it on a plate...a smear of butter and raspberry jam...ready to eat out of hand. My first venture into sourdough cooking and what a triumph! Looking forward to more great recipes.
These pancakes were delicious! I put cream cheese and cinnamon chips and it was so good. My husband and niece were raving about them.
Oooh cream cheese and cinnamon chips sound amazing!! Brilliant! I'm so glad you all enjoyed them 🙂
Delicious and beautiful pancakes. I used fresh-milled soft white wheat and honey to substitute😋 Perfect way to use the sourdough discard. I can't wait to try more of your recipes with discard! I ended up using about 250g oatmilk and it was a perfect batter consistency.