Sourdough Discard Pancakes Recipe

This sourdough discard pancakes recipe is quick and easy, plus it yields the best light, fluffy, flavorful sourdough pancakes you’ll ever try!

I love a good, old fashioned pancake, and using sourdough discard may be my very favorite way to enjoy pancakes from now on! These pancakes are perfectly soft, lightly sweet, and they have a nice buttery edge when cooked with butter in a cast iron skillet.

One of the best ways to serve these sourdough pancakes is with some real maple syrup and grass-fed butter, but there are so many options! One of my favorite ways to eat pancakes is with lots of peanut butter – preferably crunchy – with real maple syrup.. it doesn’t get much better than that. You can also make things extra special with homemade blueberry sauce, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or whatever other fun toppings you can think of!

Easy Sourdough Discard Pancakes

This pancake recipe uses 1 cup of sourdough discard. This is perfect if you’re currently maturing a brand new sourdough starter and have lots of sourdough discard to use up, and it’s also handy if you need to feed your mature starter and have some sourdough discard to use up. This recipe only uses ingredients which are definitely pantry staples, making this a super easy pancake recipe for any day of the week!

One of my favorite things about sourdough is the benefits of long-fermenting my grains, but sometimes I just need a quick and easy breakfast option. I truly enjoy using sourdough discard in many quick recipes; it gives whatever I’m making a slightly richer, deeper flavor, and I still get to have a little bit of the grains in the recipe long-fermented! In my mind, using a bit of sourdough in pancakes acts almost like using buttermilk. It just gives a subtle, rich flavor that is so delicious.

Quick sourdough discard pancakes

These sourdough discard pancakes do not require any time for fermentation, meaning you can have a batch of sourdough pancakes on your table in less than 30 minutes. Although you don’t get all of the benefits of letting the pancake batter long ferment, you still get to enjoy the slight benefits of the sourdough discard and the delicious flavor that it brings.

The sourdough discard does not act as a leavening agent in this recipe, so that’s why baking powder is included, as it would be in most non-sourdough pancake recipes. These sourdough discard pancakes always turn out super light, moist, and fluffy!

Can you freeze sourdough discard pancakes?

Yes! Sourdough pancakes freeze quite well, and they make a super easy on-the-go breakfast option for busy mornings. Simply allow the cooked sourdough discard pancakes to cool completely, then place them in a gallon ziplock bag. You can place a piece of parchment paper between the layers of pancakes to prevent them from sticking together in the freezer.

Keep sourdough discard pancakes in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to reheat a pancake, remove it from the freezer and place it in the toaster, toaster oven, or even the microwave. Using the toaster or toaster oven for just a few minutes is my favorite option, because it yields a fresh sourdough discard pancake that is lightly crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.

What do sourdough discard pancakes taste like?

Sourdough discard pancakes taste much like a non-sourdough pancake. In fact, I don’t think anyone would notice if you didn’t tell them the sourdough discard was in the recipe. The sourness is not very noticeable, comparable perhaps to a pancake made with buttermilk instead of regular milk. This is great if you’re serving these pancakes to someone who doesn’t typically enjoy the taste of sourdough, or if you’re making these pancakes for a large group of people who may or may not enjoy the strong tangy flavor that sourdough often gives to recipes!

Although it’s hard to pinpoint the sourdough flavor, I do think that pancakes made with sourdough discard have a richer taste and a depth of flavor that other pancakes simply don’t have.

Soft and Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes

The texture of sourdough discard pancakes is slightly different from most non-sourdough pancake recipes. Sometimes sourdough can make a pancake a little more dense, and maybe a bit more chewy than a non-sourdough pancake. Thankfully, this recipe yields pancakes that are super soft and fluffy, and almost cake-like in texture. Just be careful not to over-mix the pancake batter, which can lead to a more chewy product!

Ingredients

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Cup Sourdough Discard

2 Eggs

1/3 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Avocado Oil

How to make sourdough discard pancakes

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, milk, eggs, avocado oil, and sugar.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk them together, being careful not to over-mix. Only whisk until the ingredients are just combined.

In a large skillet, over medium to medium-high heat, melt some butter or coconut oil. When the pan is hot, scoop or pour the pancake batter onto the hot pan. I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion out the pancakes.

Cook the pancakes until they are very bubbly on top and golden brown on the bottom. About 3-4 minutes. Give them a flip and cook for another minute or two.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

To freeze: Allow the pancakes to cool completely, then place them in a freezer safe ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months (You can place pieces of parchment paper in between the pancakes to keep them from sticking together). To reheat, just pop them in the toaster or toaster oven for a couple minutes, or reheat in the microwave.

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Did you give this recipe a try? Let me know how it turned out down in the comments!