The Best Sourdough Pancakes

Name: The Best Sourdough Pancakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 9 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups active sourdough starter; 2 eggs; 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted; 2 tablespoons honey; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; coconut oil for frying

July 20, 2023 by Lisa 341 Comments

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These fluffy sourdough pancakes are super simple to whip up with just a few basic ingredients. Light and fluffy with a little bit of crispiness, it is easy to see why this recipe is our favorite. Add toppings like blueberries or chocolate chips to make an extra special weekend morning treat.

a stack of sourdough pancakes topped with a pat of butter and maple syrup on a white plate that rests on a blue and white checked towel

If you have been hanging around the old farmhouse a while, you know how I loooove my sourdough starter. I have been nurturing it for over six years now.

I use it to make English muffins, pizza crusts, sourdough skillets, sourdough bread, even donuts! But, you know what I make with it more than anything else?

Pancakes. Deliciously fermented, fluffy, crisp around the edges, tangy pancakes.

Several people on Youtube and Instagram stories asked me about my pancake recipe. Your promptings finally kicked me into gear.

I must admit, I had no excuse. I just never got around to it.

So, here it finally is, my friends. The favorite homemade sourdough pancakes that the whole family loves. The one I have made every Saturday morning for probably, like, six years now.

close up photo of half of a stack of sourdough pancakes stacked on a plate and topped with butter and maple syrup

Quick Sourdough Pancakes Recipe

Now, if you have been making recipes with sourdough starter, you may know that usually there is a waiting time to allow for fermentation, like in my sourdough English muffin recipe.

But, the wonderful thing about this recipe is, there is no wait. You just need to have two cups of fed excess starter on hand. It doesn’t even have to be room temperature.

You can pull your glass bowl of starter out of the fridge, and as long as you have at least two cups of starter, you’re good to go!

Now, this is of course assuming that you fed your starter and allowed it to ferment a little before you put it away last time. If you just stirred the flour and water in, and popped it into the fridge straight away, it will need a little fermenting time.

And if this is all a bunch of gibberish, make sure to visit my post on all the benefits, how to, and why do (just made that up) of sourdough, or this post on caring for your starter once you have it going.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

close up picture of sourdough pancakes stacked up 6 pancakes high with a pat of butter and maple syrup. The pancakes are on a white plate

Tips For Making Sourdough Pancakes:

If we plan to add blueberries and chocolate chips, we like to place them on the uncooked side while the cakes are cooking. I find that if the chocolate actually makes contact with the skillet, the pancakes tend to stick. This is why I don’t stir them into the batter. Same goes for blueberries.
Totally new to sourdough? Check out how to make your own sourdough starter recipe here.
To get the pancakes a little crispy, make sure there is a bit of hot oil in your pan.
You can make this batter the night before, but I would recommend waiting until the next morning, right 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.
Want some gluten free pancakes? Try this recipe.
You can tell a pancake is ready to flip when all the bubbles have popped and there are no more bubbles coming up.

Tools you may need:

Grain mill (optional- if you want to grind your flour to feed the starter)

Large bowl – When the baking soda hits the sourdough starter it will expand a lot.

Cast-iron skillet or another type of non-stick pan. I really like my Caraway pans.

Measuring cups and spoons

Silicone spatula

Wooden spoon

Ingredients

Fed Sourdough Starter – This is a bubbly active starter that has been fed within 4-12 hours before starting the recipe. While you could use leftover sourdough discard, they won’t be very fluffy pancakes.

Eggs

Coconut oil – if you don’t have coconut oil, you can swap it out for melted butter.

Honey or maple syrup

Salt

Baking soda

Butter or oil for frying

Rules For Cooking Pancakes In Cast Iron Skillets

Although it certainly isn’t a requirement for sourdough pancake makin’, I prefer using cast iron. If you are brand new to cast iron cooking, visit this post all about it.

To ensure the cakes don’t stick, you will need to follow two rules:

Preheat the skillet before letting the batter hit it. A hot griddle plus a little oil produces the little bit of crispness that makes pancakes so delicious.

Only flip the pancake one time.

a white plate full of sourdough pancakes topped with butter on a white and blue checked towel. A bottle of maple syrup is in the background

How To Make Sourdough Pancakes

sourdough pancake batter in a stoneware bowl with a whisk in the batter. A glass jar of sourdough starter is to the right

Mix the starter, eggs, melted coconut oil, honey, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Add the baking soda last, and watch the starter foam up.

I like my sourdough pancakes to have that crispy fried edge. To do this, preheat a tablespoon of coconut oil in my cast iron skillet on medium heat.

After it is hot enough to produce a sizzle, pour 1/2 cup batter right onto the hot oil. At this point, I turn the stove down to medium-low heat so that the pancake has a chance to cook through without the bottom burning. Remember that “flip only one time” rule.

After the top is nice and bubbly, and no more bubbles are being produced, give the pancake a flip. About 2-3 minutes.

Cook the second side for another 30 seconds to a minute on the other side, or until cooked through and golden brown.

Set aside as you continue to cook

Serve with butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit, homemade whipped cream, or even savory toppings.

FAQ

side view of a stack of sourdough pancakes with butter on a white plate with maple syrup in the background

Can you freeze sourdough pancakes?

Lay the cooled pancakes on a baking sheet in one layer and freeze them for 1-2 hours. Stack and place in a freezer safe container.

You can also place a piece of parchment paper between each pancake and freeze. While you could freeze them in a stack without paper, they will freeze together in a big clump.

They will keep well in the freezer for a few months… if they last that long.

Reheat them in the oven, toaster oven, or toaster.

Is pancake batter good overnight?

You can make this the night before and keep it stored overnight in the refrigerator, but I would recommend waiting to add the baking soda until you are ready to cook.

Why are my sourdough pancakes gummy?

This is most likely due to cooking them not long enough, the pan being too hot, or another cooking issue.

What else can you do with sourdough starter?

So glad you asked! There are so many sourdough recipes to make.

If you try this recipe, let me know by leaving a comment. Love it? Give it a 5 star rating!