If you keep a sourdough starter, you know the drill. You feed it, bake up a gorgeous boule with some of it, and then you end up with a jar of discard that you need to use up. This recipe for easy sourdough discard pancakes is the one that I reach for when I've got to use up my discard. It uses a half cup of discard, comes together in one bowl, and makes a dozen of the fluffiest, slightly tangy pancakes without any resting, buttermilk, or fuss.
No overnight ferment and no waiting for the batter to bubble. To make these sourdough discard pancakes just whisk, pour, flip, and eat. The trick is a small step that most discard recipes skip, whisking the discard with a little bit of warm milk until it's light and frothy. That one move wakes up the discard, lightens the batter, and gives you pancakes with real height. If you love a good pancake morning, you'll want to check out my light and fluffy lemon pancakes or our homemade pancakes which is a classic stack that you can customize any way you like.
Quick Look: Sourdough Discard Pancakes
- Ready In: 25 minutes
- Makes: 12 pancakes
- Calories:
- Sourdough Discard: any discard works for this recipe - it can be freshly fed or discard that had been in the fridge for up to a week
- Dietary Info: contains gluten, dairy and eggs
- Baker's Note: You can cook these pancakes right away or let the batter rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Summarize and Save This Content
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions.
Sourdough discard - A half cup (110 grams) of discard does the heavy lifting in this recipe. It can be fed or unfed, straight from the fridge, a few days old or fresh from the morning - it all works. If your discard is really thick, you may want to add an extra splash of milk to loosen up the batter.
Milk - Any milk works well in this recipe. I most often use 2% but whole milk, oat, or almond milk all work well. The milk has two jobs and you'll split it in half. The first half goes in with the discard and the other half goes in with the butter and eggs. Warm the milk just enough to keep the butter melted but not so warm that it cooks the eggs.
Butter - Use unsalted butter - warm it in the microwave for about a minute and then add the second ½ cup of milk. You want the butter to be melted on the surface of the milk but make sure this mixture isn't so hot that it curdles the eggs.
Baking powder - Fresh, aluminum-free baking powder is non-negotiable for this recipe. There's no baking soda, so the baking powder is doing all of the work here. Old baking powder is the number one reason that pancakes come out flat so check the date and make sure yours is fresh.
Vanilla - A full tablespoon of vanilla extract is more than what most pancake recipes call for, and that's not a mistake. It rounds out the sourdough flavor and gives these pancakes a cozy, bakery-style flavor.
Discard Pancake Variations
Sourdough discard blueberry pancakes. Scatter a few fresh or frozen blueberries over each pancake right after you pour the batter rather than stirring them into the batter. This keeps the berries from turning everything blue. Use about ¾ cup for the whole batch.
Chocolate chip. Same trick as the blueberries - sprinkle mini chocolate chips over each pancake once it's on the griddle, about ¾ cup for the batch.
Banana. Add slices of fresh banana to each pancake right after pouring the batter. Tuck the slices into the batter just a little. Add a fresh strawberry sauce and turn them into our fluffy banana pancakes with strawberries.
If you're making a full breakfast or brunch spread, pair these pancakes with my buttermilk waffles or our mini chocolate chip muffins.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Pancakes
- Froth the discard. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sourdough discard with ½ cup of warm milk. Whisk for about 30 seconds, until the mixture looks light and frothy on top. This is the step that gives these pancakes their fluffy texture, so don't rush it.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Warm the butter in a large measuring cup until just melted. Add the remaining ½ cup of milk, eggs, and the vanilla, and whisk together. The butter should be melted but not too hot - if the milk and butter feel too warm, give them a minute to cool before adding the eggs.
- Mix it all together. Pour the wet ingredients and the frothy discard into the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until just combined. A few lumps in the batter are fine - overmixing is what makes pancakes tough. If the batter feels too thick, add a splash of milk to loosen it up. The batter should pour like very thick cream.
- Heat the pan. Warm a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add butter or cooking spray to the pan. It's ready when a drop of water sizzles and quickly evaporates.
- Make a test pancake. I always make one test pancake first to be sure that both the heat and batter are ready to go. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the pan and cook for two to three minutes, until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set. Flip and cook for another minute or two, until golden brown on the second side. Adjust the batter and heat if needed.
- Cook and serve. Continue cooking the pancakes. I like to serve pancakes right away but you can also keep them warm on a sheet pan in the oven at 200°F. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
Notes from My Test Kitchen
I tested this batter two ways - One test used it right away and the other was left to rest overnight in the fridge. Both ways work and offer slightly different results. Made fresh, the batter rises up nice and fluffy with a subtle sourdough flavor. This is usually how I make them on weekend mornings. If you let the batter rest overnight, the sourdough flavor deepens and the pancakes are more tangy. The only trade-off is that they aren't quite as fluffy. It really comes down to whether you want height or more sourdough flavor. You can't go wrong either way.
Any discard works here, so there's no reason to overthink the state of your starter. I tested using it fresh from a recent feeding and straight from the jar that had been sitting in the fridge for a few days, and both produced great results. My only advice here is don't skip the step of whisking the discard with the warm milk. When I tried adding the discard along with the liquid ingredients, it was harder to work it into the pancake batter without overmixing.
Storage
Refrigerator. Let the cooked pancakes cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cooling them first keeps them getting soggy in the container.
Freezer. These freeze well. Stack cooled pancakes with parchment between the layers. You can store them in a freezer bag or airtight container where they'll keep for up to 2 months.
Reheating. Warm them straight from the freezer in a toaster, toaster oven or 200°F oven until heated through. The microwave works in a pinch.
Make-ahead batter. You can mix the batter the night before and keep it covered in the fridge. The sourdough flavor deepens overnight. Give the batter a gentle stir before cooking, and add a splash of milk if it has thickened up.
Sourdough Discard Pancakes FAQs
No, not really - you get a subtle sourdough flavor, but it's similar to a buttermilk flavor. If you do let the batter rest overnight, the sourdough flavor will come through a bit more. If the pancakes are made right away, they will taste like a slightly more interesting version of a classic stack of pancakes.
Straight from the fridge is great, and there's no waiting required. I've made these with fresh discard and with discard that's been in the fridge for a week. In general, I don't use a discard that is more than a week old. If you notice a layer of gray liquid on the top, that's hooch and it just means your discard is hungry. You can either mix it back in or pour it out. Either way, the discard underneath is good to go. These work as sourdough starter pancakes too - fed, active starter works well.
No! This recipe only uses baking powder and that's all you need for a good rise. A lot of discard recipes call for baking soda to react with the acidity in the starter, but that reaction starts the moment you mix the wet and dry ingredients together and it stops working quickly. No baking soda means this batter can rest overnight without going flat.
The most common reason is overmixing. Once the wet and dry ingredients come together, mix until just combined and then stop. A few lumps are okay. Also check that your baking powder is fresh. For more pancake making tips, also check out our homemade pancakes recipe.
More Homemade Breakfast Ideas
If you tried these Sourdough Discard Pancakes or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Maple and Thyme.
Easy Sourdough Discard Pancake Recipe
Equipment
- large measuring cup
- medium mixing bowl
- large mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- frying pan or griddle
- whisk
- spatula
Ingredients
- 110 grams (about ½ cup) sourdough discard
- 1 cup milk divided, plus more to thin the batter as needed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, plus more for the pan
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Whisk the discard and milk. In a medium bowl, whisk the sourdough discard with ½ cup of warm milk for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is light and bubbly.110 grams (about ½ cup) sourdough discard, 1 cup milk
- Combine the wet ingredients. In a large measuring cup, melt the butter. Stir in the warm milk and check the temperature - make sure it's warm, but not so hot that it will cook your eggs. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, gently whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.1½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Make the batter. Pour the wet ingredients and the frothy discard into the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined - a few lumps are fine and mixing too much will make your pancakes flat. If the batter feels thick, add a splash of milk. The batter should spread into a nice round circle when you pour it into the pan.
- Heat the pan. Warm a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and grease with butter or cooking spray. It's ready when a drop of water sizzles and evaporates quickly.
- Make a test pancake. I always make one test pancake first to be sure that both the heat and batter are ready to go. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the pan and cook for two to three minutes, until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set. Flip and cook for another minute or two, until golden brown on the second side. Adjust the batter and heat if needed.
- Cook and serve. Continue cooking the pancakes. I like to serve pancakes right away but you can also keep them warm on a sheet pan in the oven at 200°F. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
Notes
- Cook the pancakes right away or let the batter rest overnight. When you cook the pancakes right away, they will be fluffiest. When the batter rests in the fridge, the sourdough flavor deepens and gets more tangy with a little less height. Both are delicious.
- Any discard works. Use it fresh from a feeding or up to a week old from the fridge. A thin grayish layer on top is hooch - completely normal. Stir it in for a milder flavor or pour it off for more tang.
- Don't skip the frothing step. Whisking the discard with the warm milk first is what lightens the batter. If you skip this step, it's hard to work the discard into the pancake batter.
- Check your baking powder. It's the only leavener in there so make sure that yours is fresh.
- Make a test pancake. I always cook one first to check that both the heat and the batter are right before making all of the pancakes.
Amanda Smallwood says
This sourdough discard pancakes come together quickly and they were a big hit with everyone in the house. They're an easy way to use up that sourdough starter - make the batter ahead for busy weekday mornings.