These fully fermented sourdough pancakes are fluffy and tender with irresistible, crispy edges. Made with six simple ingredients, they are not only easy and quick, but also so delicious when topped with butter, maple syrup, raw honey, or fruit topping.
These fluffy sourdough pancakes are deliciously light and fluffy with a little bit of crispiness at the edges and the tangy, delicious flavor of sourdough. Our family is already a huge fan of pancakes, and it’s easy to see why this particular recipe is a family favorite. Add toppings like homemade blueberry sauce or homemade whipped cream with a sprinkling of chocolate chips or fresh berries to make an extra special weekend morning treat.
And while butter, maple syrup, and fresh fruit are always excellent options, you can even go for savory toppings, like an over-easy fried egg or crumbled sausage. Eggs, sausage, and pancakes all pair wonderfully with maple syrup!
If you’re familiar with sourdough, you’re aware that fermented sourdough recipes require some waiting to allow for the fermentation. Recipes like my English muffin recipe, sourdough cinnamon rolls, or sourdough Italian bread are pretty typical examples. It’s always worth the time invested!
If you’re not familiar with sourdough, I have plenty of resources on how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch, how to maintain your starter, and how to use sourdough starter.
However, this delicious recipe requires no waiting. There is no added flour, just the fed, fermented, active, and bubbly starter and a few other ingredients to make the perfect pancakes. As long as you have two cups of starter that was fed in the last 12 hours, you’re good to go!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple ingredients – With a mature starter and simple pantry staples, you have the tools for the best homemade sourdough pancakes.
Delicious sourdough flavor – The fed and fermented sourdough starter provides that subtle sourdough taste that works so well in baked goods.
Chewy, fluffy texture – These pancakes are thick and fluffy, perfect for absorbing butter and syrup. Sourdough also yields a chewier texture than regular pancakes.
Ingredients
Sourdough starter – Use a bubbly, active starter that has been fed within 4-12 hours of starting the recipe. While you could use leftover sourdough discard, the pancakes won’t be very fluffy.
Oil – Use a neutral oil or swap it out for melted butter. To make these pancakes dairy-free, stick to a neutral oil.
Honey – You can use sugar or brown sugar in place of honey, if you prefer.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough Pancakes
Step 1: Mix the sourdough starter, eggs, oil, honey, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the baking soda last and watch the starter foam up.
Step 2: To achieve those crispy pancake edges, preheat a tablespoon of oil or butter in a cast-iron skillet on medium heat. After it is hot enough to produce a sizzle, pour 1/2 cup of batter right onto the hot oil. At this point, turn the stove down to medium-low heat so that the pancake can cook through without the bottom burning. Remember the “flip only one time” rule.
Step 3: After the top is nice and bubbly and no more bubbles are being produced, give the pancake a flip. The first side may take 2 to 3 minutes. After flipping, cook for another 30 seconds to a minute on the second side, until cooked through and golden brown.
Step 4: Keep the cooked pancakes in a warm place as you finish the rest of the batter. You can use a heat-safe dish in the oven on the lowest heat setting. Serve warm with your favorite pancake toppings and enjoy! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.
Tips
- The key to those crisp edges is cooking the pancakes in a preheated cast-iron skillet or frying pan with melted oil or butter. Cook on one side for about 30 seconds, flipping only when the top is bubbled. You should only flip once!
- If you plan to add blueberries or chocolate chips, place them into the uncooked side while the cakes are cooking. I find that if the chocolate or blueberries actually make contact with the skillet, the pancakes tend to stick. This is why I don’t stir them into the batter.
- You can prepare this batter the night before, but I recommend waiting until the next morning, just before cooking, to add the baking soda. It’s a great way to get a jumpstart on a healthy and tasty breakfast.
- The first pancake rarely turns out well. No worries. This is the time to adjust the heat to make sure it is not too hot or too cool.
- You can tell a pancake is ready to flip when all the bubbles have popped and no more bubbles are forming.
- If you need a gluten-free option, try this recipe for sourdough buckwheat pancakes.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, just lay the cooled pancakes on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze them for 1-2 hours. Stack the frozen pancakes and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Placing parchment paper between pancakes can be very helpful to prevent them from sticking. Freeze for several months, reheating in the oven, toaster oven, or toaster until warmed through.
Yes. You can make this batter the night before and keep it stored overnight in the refrigerator. However, I would recommend waiting to add the baking soda and whisking it in right before you start cooking. Overnight sourdough pancakes have an even stronger flavor and more fermentation benefits.
This is most likely an issue with the cooking process. Under-cooking the pancakes can cause them to be gummy, as well as the pan being too hot. If the pan is too hot, the outside of the pancakes will cook much faster than the inside.
Sourdough starter is perfect for baking sourdough bread, desserts, breakfasts, and more. Here are some of our favorite ways to use sourdough starter.
Pizza crust
Flatbread
Whole wheat bread
Chicken pot pie
Biscuits
Waffles or blueberry pancakes
Baked donuts
Sourdough discard is generally more runny in consistency, which results in flatter pancakes. When I make sourdough discard pancakes, I add flour to the batter, which changes the other ingredients, as well.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Cinnamon Star Bread
- Sourdough Croissant Bread
- Sourdough Bundt Cake
- Sourdough Lemon Cake
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
The Best Sourdough Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups active sourdough starter
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- neutral oil for frying
Instructions
- Mix the sourdough starter, eggs, oil, honey, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the baking soda last and watch the starter foam up.
- To achieve those crispy pancake edges, preheat a tablespoon of oil or butter in a cast-iron skillet on medium heat. After it is hot enough to produce a sizzle, pour 1/2 cup of batter right onto the hot oil. At this point, turn the stove down to medium-low heat so that the pancake can cook through without the bottom burning. Remember the “flip only one time” rule.
- After the top is nice and bubbly and no more bubbles are being produced, give the pancake a flip. This may take 2 to 3 minutes. After flipping, cook for another 30 seconds to a minute, until cooked through and golden brown.
- Keep the cooked pancakes in a warm place as you finish the rest of the batter. You can use a heat-safe dish in the oven on the lowest heat setting. Serve pancakes warm with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- The key to crisp edges is cooking the pancakes in a preheated cast-iron skillet with melted oil or butter. Only flip them once!
- If you plan to add blueberries or chocolate chips, place them into the uncooked side while the cakes are cooking.
- You can prepare this batter the night before, but I recommend waiting until the next morning, just before cooking, to add the baking soda.
- The first pancake rarely turns out well. No worries. This is the time to adjust the heat to make sure it is not too hot or too cool.
- You can tell a pancake is ready to flip when all the bubbles have popped and no more bubbles are forming.
- If you need a gluten-free option, try this recipe for sourdough buckwheat pancakes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you! Do you have the weight of the starter in grams, by chance?
I don’t, but here is my conversion chart to figure it out.
Lisa! You should be so proud of this recipe. These pancakes were perfectly simple and delicious. I’ve been working my way through your sourdough recipes, and so far this is my family’s favorite! Thank you so much for sharing!
I made this morning for the first time and it’s the best pancakes I ever had. It’s delicious. I added a tea spoon of bourbon vanilla and for sure I will make it again and again. 😍
I’d never made sourdough pancakes before, and wanted to try them. I was skeptical because I make some great non-sourdough buttermilk pancakes, and didn’t think these would even come close. I was quite surprised. They were great with their crispy edges and unique taste! Different from the my pancakes, but I will definitely be making these again!
I’m glad that you enjoyed them!
These turned out perfect! I’ve made every kind of pancake out there but this was the best. They come together so easily and it’s fun to fry up! It doesn’t stick to my cast iron at all which made flipping and cooking such a joy. Thank you!
These are the fluffiest best pancakes I’ve ever made! I was very skeptical at first but decided to give it a try since I had a lot of discard in my fridge.
I used 1 cup starter from the fridge and 1 cup room temperature overnight refreshed starter, and I also used regular oil and not coconut oil. The batter comes together in minutes!
The batter spread perfectly in the frying pan – not too much! – and I got gorgeous bubbles!
I’m definitely going to be making those on repeat!
Ok…I have already commented on these…but…I am going to again after several times making these. Love the coconut oil, I also add a bit of vanilla. Hands down the kids favorite pancakes. I make them every week and have to have them on hand!
This is absolutely wonderful!! I’ve made them 2 times already in about 2 days! Ha! We LOVE them!! Thank you!!!
These were EASILY the best pancakes out family had, ever — everyone agreed! I also tried making them with the discard, and though not 100% but sort of around 90, and the battery went flat quickly, but they still worked really well, certainly better than any other recipe I have made! I must say since I discovered you, Lisa, and your sourdough goodies I haven’t looked back.
We eat these a few mornings a week now! My kids absolutely love them and that’s hard to do as they are pickier eaters!
Love this recipe!