Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (2024)

This sourdough pancakes recipe is quick and easy to make, uses only three ingredients, and is a great way to use up extra sourdough starter discard.

Sourdough pancakes recipe

This sourdough pancakes recipe is one of our favorite things to have for breakfast. They’re a really easy way to enjoy the benefits of properly prepared grains.

Souring or fermenting grains unlocks their nutrition and makes them easier to digest (source).Learn how to make your own Nourishing Traditions sourdough starter here. I have lots more sourdough recipes, like hamburger buns, tortillas, pizza dough, dinner rolls, and more. Get more sourdough discard recipes here.

Ready to make your own sourdough pancakes? Keep scrolling for this family favorite recipe…

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Quick sourdough pancakes from scratch

These sourdough pancakes turn out light and fluffy with a delicious tangy flavor, and they only take three ingredients. Making sourdough pancakes is one of my favorite sourdough discard recipes.

Cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be time consuming! Sourdough pancakes can be a really quick breakfast option. I like to make sourdough pancakes overnight by feeding my sourdough starter the night before, and making pancakes in the morning.

And even if it did take longer to make pancakes from scratch, I would still choose homemade over boxed mixes. This is because I prefer keeping freshly ground flours on hand, rather than something that has sat on store shelves for an unknown amount of time, and I prefer souring or fermenting my grains before I eat them.

For centuries, people have traditionally prepared grains with methods like souring or fermenting them. I like following that example and using soaking or fermenting anything I make with grains.

Tips for making the best sourdough pancakes

This simple, quick recipe is one of my family’s favorites- we eat them all the time! Here are a few tips that I have picked up along the way…

If you want the fluffiest pancakes, I recommend using an established sourdough starter. The natural action of sourdough, as well as a few eggs, is all they need to rise while they cook.
To make thin sourdough pancakes, use cold, non active starter that has been in the fridge. Thin pancakes can work nicely as wraps for snacks or lunches.
The batter consistency should be on the thicker side. I like to keep my sourdough starter at around 100% hydration. I find that once I add the eggs, the batter is just perfect for making pancakes.

Of course, you can whip up pancake mix, but how much longer does it really take to mix a few ingredients together and make pancakes from scratch? I think it doesn’t actually take any longer! This sourdough pancakes recipe takes no time at all.

Ready to make your own sourdough pancakes with this tasty recipe? Keep reading to learn how…

How to make sourdough pancakes

Grab your measuring cup and a mixing bowl! Here is my family favorite sourdough pancake recipe!

Ingredients:

Different variations for sourdough pancakes

There are lots of different ways you can change this basic recipe to make different kinds of pancakes. Here are some ideas:

Add blueberries to each pancake while the first side is cooking
Mix in some cooked pumpkin puree and cinnamon for pumpkin spice pancakes
Add some additional flour and buttermilk, yogurt, or kefir the night before for buttermilk sourdough pancakes

Other things you can make with sourdough starter

When it comes to cooking with a sourdough starter, the options are seriously endless! Most people use their starter for bread, primarily, then after that things can seem a little confusing. It doesn’t have to be!

A few meals that you can make out of a sourdough starter are:

Tortillas
Pasta
Pancakes (see above)
Pie Crust

Who would’ve thought that one simple, nutritious ingredient could do so much?

How to store sourdough pancakes

For any leftover pancakes that I plan on storing, I like to keep them in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Any longer than that, I will freeze them (see below for details) for the busy school mornings when everyone is rushing out the door.

Can you freezer sourdough pancakes?

Yes! Having some sourdough pancakes already made and on hand makes breakfast super quick and easy. We like to make big batches of pancakes on the weekends, freeze the extras, and use them for busy school mornings.

First, let the pancakes cool to room temperature. Once they’re no longer warm, spread them on a baking tray and freeze for several hours. After they’re frozen, move them to a bag or airtight container for long term storage.

How to reheat sourdough pancakes

My favorite way to reheat sourdough pancakes is in the oven. Since I feed my family at once, it’s easiest to turn the oven on to 300ºF oven until thawed and warmed through. If you let them go longer, they will become crispier, and they make great snacks this way.

If I need a quick snack for one or two people, I will put the frozen pancake straight in the toaster.

Feeding sourdough starter

Something that is really great about sourdough starters is that you never, ever have to run out of it. By feeding it flour twice a day, it will continue to thrive so you can keep on cooking.

When you are using some of the sourdough starter for this pancake recipe, make sure that you leave a little and feed it for your next recipe.

Is it possible to mix two starters?

Instead of maintaining multiple jars of starters on your kitchen counter, know that it is completely fine to combine two starters together.

When you do combine sourdough starters, give them a few days to completely combine their unique bacteria and yeast properties. After a few days on their own, you will start to notice it begin to stabilize and you can begin baking with it!

More sourdough discard recipes

Tortillas

Pasta

Rolls

Pizza crust

What are your favorite pancake toppings?

What other sourdough discard recipes do you like to make? Share in the comments!

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Yield: 9 pancakes

Sourdough Pancakes

This sourdough pancakes recipe uses only three ingredients and is a great way to use up extra sourdough starter discard.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Total Time20 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups sourdough starter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Mix sourdough starter, eggs, and salt together until well combined.
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.
Drop desired amount of batter into hot skillet for each pancake.
When bubbles are all popped, flip pancakes over.
When bottoms are cooked, remover pancakes from skillet.
Top with melted butter, cultured cream, whipped cream, maple syrup, honey, fresh fruit, fruit syrup, or any combination of toppings.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 252Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 330mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 4gSugar: 0gProtein: 10g

FAQs

How do you make enough sourdough starter? ›

If you do not have enough starter, just feed it some more.

Just add some flour and water to your starter the day before and presto, you have more starter. This isn't even usually necessary though, as you can add a greatly varying amount of starter to your bread as it will leaven your dough over time.

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What should sourdough starter look like pancake batter? ›

What Should Sourdough Starter Look Like? A healthy starter should look nice and bubbly after it's been fed. It will have the consistency of thick pancake batter. It should be able to be poured out of your container, but it won't just fall out readily.

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Why are my sourdough pancakes tough? ›

Too much mixing means too much gluten activation, resulting in long stretchy chains of gluten proteins. Stretchy might be good for certain types of dough, but when it comes to pancakes, chewy and rubbery is not ideal. To prevent tough pancakes, you only want to mix the batter until it is just combined.

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How long will sourdough pancake batter last in the fridge? ›

Let the batter rest for about 20 minutes before cooking. The pancake batter can stay in the fridge for up to 2 days before using it to make the waffles and pancakes.

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What happens if you use too much sourdough starter in a recipe? ›

If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.

How do I make my sourdough more fluffy? ›

Keeping the lid on for the first part of baking allows steam to expand between the gluten fibers to rise the bread and create a fluffy loaf. Step 4: Remove the lid and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown. Once you take the lid off, the bread likely won't rise anymore.

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Why are my pancakes rubbery not fluffy? ›

If you stir your pancake batter too much, the gas bubbles that your acid and base just produced will be released. Over stirring causes tough, rubbery pancakes. You should barely stir your pancake batter.

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Can you reheat sourdough pancakes? ›

You can reheat pancakes that have cooled off, have been kept in the fridge, or have been frozen. You can reheat them in the oven, the toaster, the toaster oven, the microwave, or a frying pan. Just don't overcook them when reheating. Use just enough heat and time to warm them up.

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Is sourdough healthy? ›

The Bottom Line. Sourdough has made a comeback—and for good reason. It provides nutrients, including healthy carbs, protein, fiber, iron and vitamins like folic acid. It may help improve digestion, lower chronic disease risk and even promote healthy aging.

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How to make 100% sourdough starter? ›

A "100% hydration sourdough starter" means it's 1 part water and 1 part flour. In other words, for every gram of flour there's a corresponding gram of water, hence 100% of the flour is hydrated. This is the easiest starter to maintain since most recipes are written with a 1:1 ratio in mind.

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What is the minimum amount of sourdough starter to keep? ›

All you need to do is take 20g of the starter you already have and then feed it with 20g of flour and 20g of water (so 1:1:1). Then you'll have a 60g starter, which is considered a smaller amount. You can of course reduce these amounts even further if you wish, but this is a reasonable size to keep waste to a minimum.

How much sourdough starter is enough? ›

Over the years, I've found keeping around 200g of starter ready to go at any time ideal for the amount of baking I do here at home.

How much sourdough starter do you need to start? ›

How much of my starter should I use for a sourdough loaf? As a general rule, I like to use a 20% innoculation of active sourdough, at 100% hydration. This means that my sourdough has equal weights of flour and water, and for a dough containung 1000 grams of flour for two loaves, I will use 200 grams of starter.