A quick and easy recipe for fluffy Sourdough Pancakes using sourdough starter or sourdough discard that can be made in just 30 minutes (or fermented overnight). Vegan-adaptable.

How to make Sourdough Pancakes using sourdough starter or discard. A quick and easy recipe that can be made with any type of flour- bread flour, whole wheat, einkorn, spelt or a mix. 

Many of you have been asking for ways to use up your sourdough starter discard and I thought I share one of the easiest ways I know. Sourdough Pancakes! These are the best pancakes and have the perfect texture and flavor, way better than regular pancakes!

What I like about this Sourdough Pancake Recipe is that the overnight rising is optional and the pancakes can be whipped up pretty quickly if need be! Nice if you are more of a spontaneous cook like myself. (I do have notes in the recipe card if you would prefer to let this rise overnight in the refrigerator to ferment the pancake batter.)

Sourdough Pancakes Video

sourdough pancake batter in a bowl

Sourdough pancake ingredients:

How to make Sourdough Pancakes

The recipe is so quick and easy!

Step 1. Mix the wet ingredients together in a large bowl, then whisk in the dry ingredients. Let stand 15 minutes (or make an overnight sponge -see recipe notes).

Step 2. Heat a cast iron skillet ( or use a hot griddle) over medium-low heat until very very hot. Add oil or a combo of oil and butter to the skillet and swirl.

Step 3. Ladle in a 1/2 cup batter (to make a 6-inch pancake). Flip when golden and small bubbles appear at the surface. Cook until middle puffs in the center, lowering heat if necessary.

Step 4. Keep the sourdough discard pancakes in a warm oven or cover with foil. Repeat with the remaining pancakes.

Sourdough Pancakes Recipe Tips

  • If letting the pancake batter sit overnight in the fridge, wait to add the baking soda and baking powder until right before cooking.
  • Wholegrain flours are typically “thirstier” than all-white AP flour, so feel free to add a little more milk if needed to loosen the pancake batter.

Optional Banana Pecan Topping

These maple-glazed bananas and pecans are one of my favorite pancake toppings- a tasty option if you’re keen. Fresh berries are always nice too.

Maple glazed pecans and bananas over sourdough pancakes

To make the Banana Pecan topping, add butter to the same skillet. Add pecans and a pinch of salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until toasted. Move to one side. Add the bananas. Sear each side of the banana 2-3 minutes, or until golden.

Once the bananas are golden brown, pour the maple syrup over the bananas and pecans, give a stir, turn the heat off and remove the pan from the burner.

Serve the pancakes and top with a spoonful of the Banana Pecan Topping. To me, they taste heavenly!

How to make Sourdough Pancakes using sourdough starter or discard. A quick and easy recipe that can be made with any type of flour- bread flour, whole wheat, einkorn, spelt or a mix. 

Serving Suggestions and Storage

The sourdough pancakes can also be served very simply with maple syrup and a pat of butter. Add a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg if you like. Or serve with fresh berries and vanilla whipped cream.

Leftover sourdough pancakes can be frigerated for up to 4 days and reheated in a toaster oven, or place them in the freezer for later.

How to make Sourdough Pancakes using sourdough starter or discard. A quick and easy recipe that can be made with any type of flour- bread flour, whole wheat, einkorn, spelt or a mix. 

Variations

Feel free to fold in fresh blueberries or chocolate chips to the sourdough pancake batter, right before cooking the pancakes.

More sourdough discard Recipes!

Enjoy the sourdough pancakes and keep in mind, pancakes are for any time of the week, day or night. No rules! We just had them for dinner last night! So good!

Hope you are having a good week, staying well & staying grounded.

xoxo

Sylvia

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A quick and easy recipe for fluffy Sourdough Pancakes using sourdough starter or sourdough discard that can be made in just 30 minutes (or fermented overnight).

Easy Sourdough Pancake Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 45 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6 pancakes
  • Category: breakfast, sourdough,
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

A quick and easy recipe for fluffy Sourdough Pancakes using sourdough starter or discard that can be made in just 30 minutes (or ferment overnight).


Ingredients

Units
  • 2/3 cups sourdough starter (bubbly or hungry, stirred down) 140 grams (room temp is easiest to work with here).
  • 2/3 cup milk (or plant-based milk) 140 grams, add more to the desired consistency
  • 1 large egg, beaten ( or sub a flax egg, see notes)
  • 1 tablespoon oil or melted butter (10 grams)
  • 12 tablespoons maple syrup (1020 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (3 grams)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 grams)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (4 grams)
  • Butter or oil for skillet or griddle
  • Maple syrup for drizzling

Banana Pecan Topping (optional) 

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup pecans
  • pinch salt
  • 1 firm banana, sliced
  • 23 tablespoons maple syrup


Instructions

  1. Whisk wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  2. Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl. (* see notes if fermenting overnight)
  3. Gradually add flour mixture to wet mixture, whisking until just combined. If the batter feels thick (wholegrain flours are “thirstier” than white flour), add a little more milk to thin to the desired consistency. (It should pour slowly out of the bowl. ) Let sit 15 minutes.
  4. Heat a dry skillet over medium-low heat until very very hot. Add oil or a combo of oil and butter to the skillet and swirl. Ladle in a 1/2 cup batter (to make a 6-inch pancake). Flip when golden and small bubbles appear at the surface. Cook until middle puffs in the center, lowering heat if necessary.
  5. Keep in a warm oven or cover with foil. Repeat with the remaining 5 pancakes.

Maple Banana Pecan Topping

  1. Add butter to the same skillet. Add pecans and a pinch of salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until toasted. Move to one side. Add the bananas. Sear each side of the banana  2-3 minutes, or until golden.
  2. Once the bananas are golden, pour the maple syrup over the bananas and pecans, give a stir, turn the heat off and remove the pan from the burner.
  3. Serve the pancakes and top with the Maple Glazed Bananas and Pecans.

Notes

Overnight: If you want to let the batter ferment overnight, simply leave out the baking soda and baking powder, and then add this to the batter in the morning right before cooking. I like to sprinkle them through a fine mesh strainer, (to prevent any clumps) over the batter, then whisk in. The batter will be light and airy.

Consistency: Depending on the flour you use, the batter can get overly thick. Feel free to loosen with more milk. If pancakes seem too thin, feel free to add a few tablespoons more flour. The batter should be thick-ish but able to pour out of the bowl slowly.  It’s a pretty forgiving recipe.

Flax Egg: Mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons water. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 x 6-inch pancakes – without any toppings
  • Calories: 418
  • Sugar: 8.6 g
  • Sodium: 657.2 mg
  • Fat: 17.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 58.5 g
  • Fiber: 7.2 g
  • Protein: 11.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 62 mg

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Comments

  1. Absolutely THE BEST sourdough pancakes I’ve ever made! I used 1/2 AP and 1/2 bread flour, but I made one mistake; two eggs. Didn’t seem to be a problem, very light and fluffy. Thank you for publishing the recipe!!!






    1. It uses up the discard from the starter. We have lots of fun and easy recipes with sourdough discard!

  2. Hi. This sounds easy and delicious. One question. Normally I have to feed my sourdough starter and let it get bubbly over a few hours. If I want to make pancakes for breakfast how might I have the starter ready in the morning? ( keep my starter refrigerated and bake bread once a week )

    1. Hi Yana, we give you a few options in the recipe card. It is very versatile- use hungry starter or fed starter or mix the night before. Check out the recipe card, at the bottom of the post for the details :).

  3. Delicious. Have made them with whole wheat and blueberries mostly, a hit every time. The sourdough and the wheat together give them a hearty flavor. Anyone know if you can save some batter for a day or two in the fridge?






  4. These pancakes were awesome! I used buttermilk. I also made the pecan banana syrup. Decadent!






  5. I have made these a couple of times. I like how simple they are to make. My kids love pancakes and I need to use my sourdough discard so this is a nice recipe to have on hand. I double the recipe and save a few extra pancakes for later. I also prefer 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup. 4 tablespoons made mine taste a little too sweet. Thanks for this recipe!!

  6. I made these today for my mom and sister. We loved them! So so good even though I didn’t see the “let sit for 15 minutes” part and I added another egg. Thank you so much for sharing! Will definitely be making these again – yum! 🥞💛






  7. I don’t even typically like pancakes but these are now on my weekend rotation. They are SO GOOD.

      1. Vegan adaption works really well. I made two side-by-side batches, one with chicken egg and one with flax egg. (1 flax egg equals 1Tsp ground flax plus 3Tsp water). We all agreed the vegan flax-egg version was MUCH BETTER! Enjoy!

        1. Oh my goodness Claire! Great to hear. I will add this to the recipe notes. Thanks so much!

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