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Fluffy Sourdough Discard Pancakes

ByElien Lewis Updated on
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If you have a jar of sourdough discard sitting in the fridge, these fluffy sourdough discard pancakes are the easiest way to use it. They cook up soft, light, slightly tangy and perfect for weekend brunch. You can make them all in one go, but I like to mix the batter the night before and let it rest overnight in the fridge. The pancakes turn out lighter with a deeper flavour.

A stack of sourdough discard pancakes topped with a pat of butter on a plate. A fork holds a bite-sized piece from the stack. In the background, there is a white mug and a bowl of strawberries.

Sourdough in pancakes


Sourdough discard has mild acidity, which gives pancakes a soft, tender texture without tasting sour. You can mix everything and cook the pancakes straight away, but the optional overnight rest gives a much better result. The discard gently ferments the mix and the flour hydrates. In the morning you whisk in the baking powder and baking soda and the pancakes rise beautifully.

This recipe has also been updated. I now mix everything except the rising agents the day before. In the older version I added the eggs and butter in the morning, but the batter is softer and the rise is higher when the full mix rests overnight.

If you are still building your starter or want to learn more about how it behaves, see my sourdough starter guides, or my collection of sourdough discard recipes.

Just a few ingredients

  • All-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda
  • Milk: I use cow’s milk but this can be substituted for oat milk, nut or seed milk too.
  • Sourdough discard starter: The addition of the starter helps to break down the flour and make these pancakes easier to digest. The acid in the starter helps to create a fluffy pancake too.
  • Eggs, salt: Eggs add structure, salt adds flavour.

How to make them

Option 1: Overnight ferment (my preferred method)

  1. The batter will be all mixed except for the raising agents which get added in the morning.
A hand uses a whisk to mix eggs, melted butter, and flour in a beige bowl on a wooden surface.
  1. Whisk the discard, egg, milk, sugar and vanilla.
A hand holding a whisk mixes flour and wet ingredients in a large beige mixing bowl on a wooden surface.
  1. Add the flour and salt and whisk until smooth. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge overnight.
  1. In the morning, whisk in the baking powder and baking soda. Add a little milk if the batter has thickened.

Option 2: Same day pancakes

  1. Rest for five minutes, then cook the pancakes as usual.
  2. Mix the discard, egg, milk, sugar and vanilla.
  3. Add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk until just combined.

Cooking

  1. Heat a pan over medium heat with a little butter. Scoop the batter into the pan.
A sourdough discard pancake cooks in a skillet, with bubbles forming on the surface as it rises and cooks to perfection.
  1. Scoop the batter into the pan.
A golden-brown sourdough discard pancake cooks in a black cast iron skillet, its edges slightly lifting and bubbles forming along the side—clear signs this tangy treat is nearly ready to be flipped.
  1. Once bubbles appear and the edges look set, flip and cook the second side.
Tips
  • Rest the batter for five minutes after adding the rising agents.
  • Keep the pan on medium heat so the pancakes have time to lift before they brown.
  • Loosen a very thick batter with a small splash of milk if you find it too thick.
  • Avoid overmixing once the baking powder and baking soda go in.
  • If your starter is not very acidic, or you are shortening the fermenting time, add half a tablespoon of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to the batter along with the eggs and morning rising agents. The extra acidity helps activate the baking soda and gives an even fluffier rise.

Serving ideas

  • Maple syrup and berries
  • Lemon and sugar
  • Yoghurt and honey
  • Whipped cream and fruit compote

Variations

  • Blueberry pancakes: Fold in fresh or frozen blueberries at the end. If using frozen blueberries, give them a rinse first so they don’t bleed into the batter.
  • Chocolate chip: Scatter chocolate chips on the batter once it is in the pan.
  • Banana: I’ve got a recipe for sourdough banana pancakes
A stack of sourdough pancakes topped with a pat of butter is being drizzled with syrup from a pitcher. In the background, there are strawberries in a bowl and another stack of pancakes.

FAQs

No. It is optional. I prefer it for the flavour, but the quick version is lovely too

Yes. It will be slightly lighter.

Your rising agents may be old.

Yup this recipe scales well. My recipe card gives you the option to scale by 2x or 3x.

A close-up of a stack of sourdough starter pancakes topped with a pat of butter. A fork holds a bite-sized piece of pancakes, showing their fluffy texture. A white mug is blurred in the background.
A close-up of a stack of fluffy sourdough discard pancakes on a white plate, with a pat of butter on top and a fork holding a bite-sized piece in the foreground. A mug and more pancakes are blurred in the background.

Sourdough Discard Pancakes

Elien Lewis
These light and fluffy sourdough discard pancakes make great use of leftover sourdough starter.
4.89 from 43 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 20 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 126 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 230 g discard sourdough starter room temperature
  • 360 g milk room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
  • 45 g melted butter
  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, milk, vanilla, eggs and sourdough discard starter. 230 g discard sourdough starter, 360 g milk, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 45 g melted butter, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • Whisk in the flour and salt and cover the bowl and place it in the fridge overnight, or for up to 24 hours. 250 g all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp salt
  • In the morning whisk in the baking powder and baking soda and let the batter sit for 5 minutes. If the batter has thickened too much, add a splash of milk. 1 tsp baking soda, 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • Preheat a cast iron or non stick pan over medium heat and grease it lightly with butter.
  • Pour about one third of a cup of batter into the hot pan for each pancake. If the pan is too hot, reduce the heat slightly.
  • Let the pancake cook until bubbles appear across the surface, about two to three minutes. Flip and cook the second side for another one to two minutes.
  • Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, stacking them as you go.
  • Serve warm with butter and maple syrup, or berries and cream.
  • If you are not resting the batter overnight
  • You can make these pancakes on the same day. Mix everything in one bowl, but add the baking powder and baking soda straight away. Let the batter rest for five minutes before cooking so the rising agents have time to activate.

Notes

Both metric and US customary measurements have been provided. Use the toggle on the recipe card to switch between the two. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancakeCalories: 126kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 155mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3g
Keyword Pancakes, Sourdough, Sourdough Discard
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I'm Elien. I love baking, especially with sourdough, and I'm passionate about sharing my recipes with you! You will find me spending most of my days either recipe testing in the kitchen, photographing food in my living room, or out in the garden. I'm so happy to have you here!

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30 Comments

  1. Pancake recipe is great..I’ve made it quite a few times & each time is a success..thank you

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Made these for dinner tonight! I stirred in some leftover wild rice and it was delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply

  6. Thanks Elien – most useful. I let my niece know (different household) and she replied “This is handy to know! I was wondering the same thing today when I started to make a batch.” Thanks for helping both of us.

    Reply

  7. Thanks for your very clear instructions on sourdough starters – mine is bubbling away nicely and nearly ready to use. I think I’ll start with this one 🙂

    Your recent recipes have full metric conversions, including for the amount of sourdough starter, which is great! Are you able to clarify for this recipe what weight 1 cup discard sourdough starter is in grams? Thanks.

    Reply

    1. Hey that’s great! I haven’t added the gram amount of the starter because the weight would change depending on when it was last fed. A more recently fed starter would be a bit lighter than an older starter. So it could be anywhere between 170-220g starter I’d say. 😊

  8. 225g of milk comes to more than 1.5 cups.. which is the best measurement for the milk?

    Reply

    1. Oh you’re so right! Thanks for spotting that. It’s 1 1/2 cups, I’ll change it in the post ☺️

  10. Hi. I’ve just started making my first sourdough starter and thought I’d use my discarded amount for the pancakes but I didn’t have a cup’s worth, should I top it up at a ratio of 1:1:1 to make up a full cup for the pancakes?

    Reply

    1. Hey sorry for the late reply to this. It’s a little late now, but yup I just feed my starter 1:1:1 to make more if I need it for discard recipes ☺️

4.89 from 43 votes (40 ratings without comment)

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