These fluffy sourdough discard pancakes are so simple and come together in under 15 minutes. Make any breakfast special with these buttery, golden brown pancakes, best served with a little extra butter and maple syrup.
These pancakes are quickly becoming one of my favorite sourdough discard recipes.
When I created my sourdough starter all those years ago, I thought I would pretty much only be utilizing it for sourdough bread. Boy, was I wrong!
I’ve used my starter for so many recipes – chocolate chip cookies, sourdough crepes, brownies, crackers, and of course, homemade pancakes. I’ve discovered that sourdough provides so much flavor in so many recipes.
While I love my classic fluffy sourdough pancakes using active starter, this is a perfect recipe to make when you need to whip something up quickly.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
A great way to utilize discard – If you have a lot of sourdough starter on hand, this is a great recipe to whip up quickly. Plus, the sourdough flavor makes everything better.
A quick and easy breakfast – Although it may taste like a meal that took hours in the kitchen, these fluffy pancakes take less than 15 minutes from start to finish, utilizing basic ingredients.
Perfect for a special occasion or a regular Saturday morning – These are the most delicious pancakes to make for birthdays, holidays, or just another day of the week.
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter Discard – Use discard straight from the fridge. Active sourdough starter will also work. Learn how to make your own sourdough starter here.
Honey – I prefer to use honey to sweeten my pancake batter. You could also use maple syrup or granulated sugar if you prefer.
Butter – There is butter in the batter and used on the skillet to fry the pancakes. It helps gives these pancakes that rich, delicious flavor. You could make this diary free by using coconut oil in the batter and for frying. You can use a milk alternative for the dairy milk or simply use water.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Modifications and Variations
Want to add blueberries to your pancakes? Check out my blueberry discard pancake recipe here.
You can also substitute the blueberries for raspberries, chopped strawberries, blackberries, or even chocolate chips if you prefer a little added decadence!
How to Make Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Step 1: Melt 1/4 cup (half of a stick) of butter. Set it aside to cool slightly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to a large bowl and combine.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients – sourdough discard, milk, eggs, cooled butter, and honey to the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Whisk until just combined. It’s okay if your batter is still a little lumpy. Heat the skillet over medium heat.
Step 4: Add a small amount of butter to the hot pan or skillet, then ladle about one-third of a cup of the sourdough pancake batter onto the melted butter. Cook until the edges begin to set and bubbles appear across the batter. This may take several minutes. Flip, then continue to cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side.
Step 5: Serve the pancakes warm and add your favorite toppings such as fresh berries, yogurt (try my homemade instant pot yogurt here), and maple syrup.
Tips
- You may need to reduce the heat on the skillet to medium-low heat or low if the pancakes are cooking too quickly or burning. Adjust as needed.
- Like most batters, be careful to not over mix. A few lumps is totally okay and will not change the texture or taste of your pancakes. Over-mixing can cause the pancakes to be flat. I like to use a whisk to mix my batter. It helps get everything incorporated quickly.
- Utilize your oven to keep cooked pancakes warm while you finish cooking the entire batch. I find 200 degrees F works great. Use a casserole dish or baking sheet to add the pancakes to. Cover with foil to insure they do not burn.
- Add savory toppings for a twist on the classic pancakes. My go-to is bacon!
Recipe FAQs
I prefer butter because of the flavor. However, you could substitute olive oil or coconut oil in the batter. For frying, I would suggest sticking with butter or coconut oil.
It’s important not to over mix pancake batter. You may end up with flat pancakes. That is why I like to use a whisk. It helps incorporate everything evenly, but without over mixing the batter.
You’ll notice bubbles throughout the top of the batter and the edges will start to set. Patience is key when it comes to making pancakes.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Waffles
- Sourdough English Muffins
- Sourdough Buttermilk Pancakes
- Sourdough Granola
- Homemade Sourdough Pop Tarts
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.
Quick Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Skillet optional
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sourdough discard, 63 grams, active will also work
- 1 1/2 cups milk, 366 grams, or water
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour, 245 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup butter , 57 grams, melted
- 2 tablespoons honey, 42 grams, or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Step 1: Melt 1/4 cup (half of a stick) of butter. Set it aside to cool slightly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to a large bowl and combine.
- Step 2: Add the sourdough discard, milk, eggs, cooled butter, and honey to the dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined. It’s okay if your batter is still a little lumpy.
- Step 3: Heat the skillet over medium heat.
- Step 4: Add a small amount of butter to the hot skillet, then ladle about one-third of a cup of batter onto the melted butter.
- Step 5: Cook until the edges begin to set and bubbles appear across the batter. This may take several minutes. Flip, then continue to cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side.
- Step 6: Serve the pancakes warm and add toppings such as fresh fruit, yogurt (try my homemade instant pot yogurt here), and maple syrup.
Notes
- You may need to reduce the heat on the skillet to medium-low heat or low if the pancakes are cooking too quickly or burning. Adjust as needed.
- Like most batters, be careful to not over mix. A few lumps is totally okay and will not change the texture or taste of your pancakes. Over-mixing can cause the pancakes to be flat. I like to use a whisk to mix my batter. It helps get everything incorporated quickly.
- Utilize your oven to keep cooked pancakes warm while you finish cooking the entire batch. I find 200 degrees F works great. Use a casserole dish or baking sheet to add the pancakes to. Cover with foil to insure they do not burn.
- Add savory toppings for a twist on the classic pancakes. My go-to is bacon!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fantastic. My Wife Michelle thought so as well.
Used browned butter that we clarify when I cooked them.
Thanks for the recipe.
Delicious! I knocked off a star for 2 reasons. The ingredients are out of order. (It matters, especially when the cook is just waking up.) Also, when I added cold eggs and refrigerated syrup to the batter, the melted (room temperature) butter that was already incorporated turned into hardened little gobbits. So there were little butter pockets in the pancakes. Didn’t ruin them, just odd. I did brown the butter for extra flavor. Could that have caused the problem?
And a question: I used a tiny bit of oil in my nonstick pan instead of butter because butter burns at the higher temperatures. Do you recommend cooking at lower temps? How did all the commenters not encounter this? Butter is so much better for flavor and I’d like to try it next time. I didn’t want to take the chance first time.
There WILL be a next time. This recipe is a keeper.
I’ve tried a lot of recipes and oh my gosh this one is the best! So tasty. I’m dairy free so subbed for almond milk. And used ghee instead of butter. Delicious!
Absolutely perfect!! This was my first time using sourdough in anything, but it was fast, easy, and made perfect pancakes. 🙂
Amazing!!! Best pancake I’ve ever had. Family agreed. Loved being able to use my sourdough discard right out of the jar and into the batter.