Did you know you can turn your sourdough discard into fluffy, delicious pancakes? With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe transforms leftover starter into light, golden pancakes with a subtle tangy flavour—perfect for a breakfast or brunch the whole family will love.
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As you’re feeding and discarding your own sourdough starter, you might be wondering how to put that discard to good use instead of just tossing it in the trash. Luckily, there are so many ways you can use your sourdough discard outside of that perfect loaf of bread.—things like muffins, cookies, brownies, waffles and pancakes!
I’m a huge fan of pancakes, and this is my favourite recipe. Not only does it taste delicious, it’s also my favourite easy way to use my sourdough starter discard so it doesn’t go to waste.
What is Sourdough Discard?
Before we get into this easy sourdough pancake recipe, let’s talk a little bit about what sourdough discard actually is.
If you already have your own sourdough starter, then you’ll know that it requires feeding from time to time to keep the wild yeast inside of it active and healthy. But if you’re not constantly baking with it, you can end up with a lot of excess sourdough starter on your hands. This is why you’re required to “discard” part of your active starter before feeding it again, so the amount of starter you have doesn’t continue to grow exponentially.
In essence, sourdough discard is the unfed portion of your sourdough starter that you would normally discard before feeding it again. That being said, you still want to make sure you’re using sourdough discard from a starter that’s been recently fed. Don’t use old, flat, or off-smelling discard to cook or bake with. However, your starter doesn’t need to be at its most active, bubbly stage to work beautifully in sourdough discard recipes like these pancakes.
What do Sourdough Discard Pancakes taste like?
Sourdough discard pancakes taste a lot like regular pancakes, but they have a slightly more distinct, tangy, “sourdough-y” flavour to them that most people (myself included) absolutely love.
You cook them on a hot griddle or in a pan just like regular pancakes, and they’re the perfect base for all of your favourite toppings, too…from chocolate chips to fresh berries to pure maple syrup or anything else your pancake-loving heart desires.
Sourdough discard pancakes also keep really well in the freezer. I often freeze my extra pancakes and pop a couple of them in the toaster whenever me or my kids need a quick, easy breakfast.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Pancakes
To make sourdough discard pancakes, you’ll need 2 cups of sourdough starter discard, 2 eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract (optional but delicious), salt, baking soda, and a little extra melted butter or oil for frying (I like using coconut oil).
Start by preheating a cast iron skillet, pan, or griddle over medium heat. Meanwhile, mix the starter, eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract (if using), and salt in a large bowl. Then mix in the teaspoon of baking soda and watch as the batter becomes bubbly and foamy. This is a good sign!
Add a little butter or oil to your hot pan or griddle, and then scoop around 1/2 cup of sourdough pancake batter onto it. Reduce the heat to medium low to ensure that the pancakes don’t burn as they cook.
After a few minutes, you’ll notice the top of the pancake starting to bubble. This means that it’s time to carefully flip it over, and cook the other side for a minute or so.
Once both sides are golden brown, set it aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining batter. If you stack the pancakes on top of each other as they come off of the skillet, that will help to keep them warm while the rest of them cook.
Serve the pancakes with a small pat of butter and some maple syrup, fresh berries or fruit, or even your favourite jam.
If you want to make extra pancakes to freeze for later, wait until the pancakes have cooled, then place squares of parchment paper between each pancake. Place them into a plastic ziplock bag, squeezing all the air out. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Alternatively, you can store extra pancakes in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
You can reheat leftover pancakes on a skillet, in the oven on a low temperature, in the toaster or toaster oven, or in an air fryer. They’re almost as good reheated as they are fresh!
Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Make fluffy sourdough discard pancakes with this easy recipe—a delicious way to use sourdough discard that the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 2 cups sourdough discard
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Extra butter or oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Mix the starter, eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, optional vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix in the baking soda and watch the batter start to bubble and foam up.
- Add a little butter or oil to your skillet and then add around 1/2 cup of sourdough pancake batter to the hot skillet. (I like to use a soup spoon for this. You could also use a measuring cup). Reduce heat to medium low so the pancakes don’t burn.
- After around 2 to 3 minutes, once the top has stopped actively bubbling, flip the pancake over and cook on the other side for around a minute.
- Once both sides are golden brown, set the pancake aside on a plate and repeat until all of the batter has been used. Stack the pancakes on top of each other as they come off the skillet to keep them warm.
- Serve pancakes warm with butter, pure maple syrup, fresh berries or fruit, or your favourite jam or fruit topping.
Notes
Freezing Instructions
These pancakes can also be frozen and reheated to enjoy later. To freeze, place squares of parchment paper between each pancake so they don’t stick together, then place them in a plastic Ziplock bag and seal, squeezing the air out. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat on a skillet, in the oven, in a toaster or toaster oven, or in an air fryer for a quick and easy breakfast!
Have you ever tried homemade sourdough pancakes before? What are your favorite toppings? Share with me in the comments, and be sure to let me know how it goes if you give this easy recipe a try!
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