These sourdough pancakes are my family’s favorite breakfast, hands down! It’s the sourdough discard that gives these pancakes their amazing taste, and light & fluffy texture. They’re quick & easy, cheap to make, and can even be made vegan!

While I’ve been mastering the art of sourdough – includingwhole wheat sourdough bread, no-white sandwich sourdough bread, sourdough biscuits and even sourdough crackers – there’s always been the issue of dealing with the discard.
Do you really HAVE to throw it away?
Doesn’t it seem strange to save money on yeast, only to throw the starter away?
After all, that sourdough starter is made up of flour which you paid good money for, out of your grocery budget, right?
Surely there’s SOMETHING we can do with it?!
Good news – there is!
You can officially stop throwing away your extra sourdough starter because this sourdough pancake recipe specifically needs that sourdough discard!
And the fact that this recipe has quickly become my family’s all time favorite pancake recipe makes me want to keep feeding our starter, just so I have discard on hand at all times!
Here’s why you’ll love my sourdough pancake recipe:
- They’re light & fluffy and packed with the tang and sour flavor known for sourdough
- Quick to make and fast to cook
- ZERO added sugar and no yeast
- Works with any whole grain flour
- Great for big batches and freezer-friendly
- If you have a waffle iron, this mixture doubles as batter for sourdough WAFFLES!
Key Ingredients

- Sourdough starter
- Flour (I use whole grain einkorn because my daughter is sensitive to gluten)
- Vanilla
- Unsalted Melted Butter
- Large eggs
- Milk (not buttermilk)
A complete list of ingredients with the amounts you need (teaspoons, tablespoons, etc.) is located in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes

Sourdough Starter
As I mentioned, you can’t make sourdough pancakes without sourdough starter, so you need some leftover starter.
- Personally, I don’t discard any of my sourdough starter. I pour it into a jar and keep the jar in the fridge instead. That way I’m not wasting any of the money I’ve spent on flour. Plus, it means I’m halfway to pancakes before I even start cooking!
- This sourdough pancakes recipe needs just over one cup of STIRRED starter, preferably unfed. (Which means you haven’t fed it in the past 4 hours or so and you stirred the starter before measuring.)
Flour
- I’ve tested these sourdough pancakes with both einkorn all-purpose flour and freshly milled einkorn whole wheat flour. You can use regular all-purpose, whole grain flour, or any combination of the two. (I recommend any of these).
- Generally speaking, the pancakes will be lighter and fluffier the more all-purpose flour you use.
- Even when I make whole grain sourdough pancakes, my family still cleans their plates and begs for more. Don’t be afraid to use whole grains!
Vanilla
- If you don’t have vanilla extract, you can use any of these 15 vanilla extract substitutes, or another flavored extract.
- I have maple extract in the pantry because of these maple pecan blondies, and that would be SO GOOD in this pancake recipe.
A Quick Note on Einkorn Flour
I’ve done some digging and as of this writing, the best deals for einkorn all-purpose flour are from Ancient Grains and this seller on Amazon. I usually look them both up before choosing the one that has the better price per ounce.
The best price for whole einkorn berries is also a toggle, between Ancient Grains and Jovial Foods. You can save 10% off all items in the store with exclusions on special promotional items such as cookbooks and new harvest oil when you use coupon code DWCRUMBS. Also, there’s free shipping over $99.
Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1. Start with the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl or large bow, melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Then whis in the eggs, milk and vanilla.
Step 2. Add the sourdough starter and stir well.
Step 3. Then add the remaining dry ingredients (including the baking soda and baking powder) and stir well. Let the pancake batter sit, covered, for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the griddle to medium-low heat.
Step 4. When the batter is ready, gently stir and ladle 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot griddle. Let the pancake cook for 2-3 minutes, until the edges are showing signs of being cooked and there are bubbles on the top.

Step 5. Gently flip the pancake to its second side and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until it’s golden brown. Repeat this process with the remaining batter.
Step 6. Serve hot with your desired toppings. We like butter and pure maple syrup.
FAQs
Technically, “true sourdough” is when the starter and flour have been left to sit and ferment for at least 8 hours. Some say that this fermentation process makes sourdough pancakes healthier than if you didn’t soak for a long period of time.
I do believe that the extended period of soaking time makes the flour easier to digest for some people (you can read more about how that works in this article), but if you don’t suffer from any digestion issues, you should be fine with the 30 minutes of rest time as written in the recipe.
Your pancakes could be gooey for a couple of reasons.
Your batter may have been overmixed, making it gooey.
You are cooking your pancakes on high heat, which cooks the outside quickly, but leaves the center undercooked.
Yes! Here is my standard pancake freezing method:
Put cooled pancakes on a cookie sheet OR cooling rack on a single layer.
Place the cookie sheet or cooling rack into the freezer and let the pancakes freeze as-is for 1-2 hours.
Remove the pancakes from the cookie sheet or cooling and rack and put them in a freezer-safe container.
Note: Freezing them this way lets you pull out just one or two pancakes to reheat when you want them.
Be sure not to place your pancakes all together in a container to freeze them without freezing them individually, because then you’ll have one big clump of frozen sourdough pancakes later on.
Recipe Tips & Tricks

- Personally, I don’t discard any of my sourdough starter, ever. I pour it into a large jar and keep the jar in the fridge instead. That way I’m not wasting any of the money I’ve spent on flour AND I’m halfway to pancakes before I even start cooking!
- If you have more starter, you can easily double or triple this recipe. (You can even intentionally MAKE extra “leftover” starter by feeding your starter more flour and water the two prior feedings.)
- If you’re making sourdough pancakes for two or sourdough pancakes for one, you can halve this recipe.
- To freeze sourdough pancakes<, let them cool to room temperature and then place them on a baking sheet or baking pan on a single layer and freeze for 2 hours. Then remove to a freezer-safe storage bag.
- Don’t have a griddle? Use a cast iron skillet or follow this tutorial for sheet pan pancakes that are baked in the oven!
Also decide how big you want your pancakes to be!

We made these using a variety of measuring cups…
- ½ cup batter was too much
- ¼ cup batter was too little
- 1/3 cup batter was just right!

I love sourdough, but there’s still so much for me to learn.
My friend Wardee at Traditional Cooking School has been practicing sourdough for YEARS and has a really great resource you may find helpful, Sourdough A to Z.
Or check out these posts:
- How to Make an Einkorn Sourdough Starter
- How to Make a Gluten-free Sourdough Starter
- Simple Sourdough Bread
More Easy Pancake Recipes

Freezer Cooking: Breakfasts
Sign up to get instant access to my Freezer Cooking: Breakfasts Plan, complete with recipes, supply list, and shopping list!Sourdough Pancakes (Using Sourdough Starter Discard)
We love these quick and easy sourdough pancakes using leftover starter. They’re super light and fluffy, freezer-friendly, and can be made vegan too!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 12–14 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Griddle
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups sourdough starter, stirred
- 1 ½ cups flour (I used whole grain einkorn)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, melt the butter. Let it cool slightly, and then add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir well.
- Add the sourdough starter and stir well.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Let the batter sit for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the griddle.
- When the batter is ready, gently stir and use 1/3 cup measuring spoon to ladle pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Let the pancake cook for 2-3 minutes, until the edges are showing signs of being cooked and there are bubble on the top.
- Gently flip the pancake and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve hot with your desired toppings. We like butter and pure maple syrup.
Notes
We made these using a ½ cup measuring spoon, a 1/3 cup measuring spoon and a ¼ cup measuring spoon.
- ½ cup batter was too much
- ¼ cup batter was too little
- 1/3 cup batter was just right!
Nutrition
- Calories: 124
Keywords: sourdough pancakes
Hospitality class made these and absolutely loved them. The changes we made were we added 2 – 3 tablespoons of sugar and only used 1 cup starter and used plain white flour.
★★★★★
These are hands down the BEST pancakes I’ve ever made. My kids asked if I’d gone to a restaurant and bought them because they tasted that good to them! And I agree! I made them small like little silver dollars in my dash pancake griddle and 1/4 cup was perfect for that. I’m going to try a homemade McGriddle recipe with them next for breakfast on the go.
★★★★★
This has been my “go to” recipe for months now and family loves it-we make waffles with it usually once a week. So thank you!
★★★★★
I have made these twice. I added blueberries to batter. Delicious! second time I made a double batch to freeze. How do you handle? I used microwave and they were a little tough.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Ramona,
I would avoid the microwave and just heat them from frozen in the oven for 10 minutes on 350 degrees. The texture will be soft. Hope this helps.
Hi Ramona – I put mine from freezer to toaster, adds a slight crispiness, then just 15 seconds in the microwave to make sure they’re heated through.
How do you make them vegan?
Hello Kristen,
To make this recipe vegan you can use non dairy milk, a vegan butter, and an egg substitute like flax egg or applesauce or mashed banana. Hope this helps. 🙂
This was a great recipe, so delicious. I used Einkorn flour as well. I am curious to add sugar in it next time.
★★★★★
I have made this recipe a few times now. Delicious!!
I cut the recipe in half because it really makes a lot. Good rising and good flavor!
I also used the waffle experiment that Jaclyn posted about and it came out really good. For some reason they did not brown and look pretty but they were crisp, light and delicious.
★★★★★
Hello Roy!
We’re so happy to hear that! Thank you for also sharing your experience with making waffles. 🙂
I also chose to make waffles out of a 1x batch which made 6 4-section round ones. Nice and fluffy and very tasty. My husband even had seconds, which he never does! Into the freezer with the extras. Looking forward to having them and am happy to have found this recipe.
I want to make the waffles, however, morning can be rushed. Can I make the batter the night before and put in fridge?