It’s Sunday morning and my grandson wants pancakes, he’s not used to the homemade life yet. So I whip up these easy sourdough discard pancakes that he gets to help with. He loves to sift the flour and “crack the eggs”. That’s really his favorite part.
This recipe makes a big batch so if you are needing just a few, I have ya covered. Looking for a fast recipe for two? Checkout my Sourdough discard pancakes for Two- no egg-no additional flour! And yes you can double it.
Why This Pancake Recipe Works
A satisfying sourdough discard Pancake. They’re fluffy, tangy, and so simple to whip up, even if you’re new to sourdough. This is also an excellent recipe to use up that extra sourdough discard.
This recipe is perfect for a cozy breakfast. These are the pancakes I make when the whole family’s at the table — light, fluffy, and just tangy enough from the sourdough discard. They come together from scratch in one bowl, no pancake mix, and they’re forgiving enough that a beginner (or a helping grandkid) can’t really wreck them.
Sourdough Discard Pancakes (Easy, Fluffy, From Scratch)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- My griddle takes a few min to I Warm up my griddle or large frying pan on low to MEDIUM Heat
- Grab a big bowl and pour in your sourdough starter, milk, egg, melted butter, vanilla, and sugar. Give it a good whisk until it’s all blended—don’t overthink it, just mix until it looks happy together!
- I like to use a Sifter like my Grandma did and put in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift it over the wet ingredients. It also helps with lumps
- Give it a stir. I Love a BIG open Whisk for this step, I don't have to mix as long keeping the pancake batter light, if the batter is too thick for your liking add more milk. But it doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Add a tiny bit of oil or a pat of butter to keep things nice and slick to that warmed up pan or griddle.
- Scoop out the batter to make pancakes whatever size you like—I use a 1/4 cup and spread evenly if your batter is thick.
- Wait for those bubbles to pop up all over the surface before you flip.
- Med-low heat is your friend here; it gives the bubbles time to form without toasting the outside too fast-I like em golden!
- Flip gently and cook another minute or two until golden. Stack ‘em high and dig in
Notes
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, pop them straight in the toaster — they come out with crisp edges, and my grandson likes his with peanut butter. They also freeze well: layer with parchment, freeze flat, then toast from frozen. Make ahead
You can mix the dry ingredients the night before and stir in the wet in the morning, or cook the whole batch and reheat — handy on a busy school morning.
Substitutions – Simple Swaps & Variations
Out of Milk? I use Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Coconut Milk — it works perfectly at a 1:1 ratio and honestly the boys could not tell I swapped the milk out. You could also use regular oat milk or almond milk.
No Lard? I substitute melted real butter, or coconut oil for the same great texture
Vegetarian? Use the Flax Egg. 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal to 3 tablespoons of water. This mixture, once stirred and left to sit for 5–15 minutes. They will not be as fluffy but will have that nice nutty flavor.
Looking to add some fruit? I have used blue berries and raspberries with success in this recipe. I am sure you could try others as well.
These are the substitutions I’ve actually tested in my kitchen — your results may vary but this is what worked for us
Have more Sourdough Discard in the fridge?
Give the Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins a try! Click here
Or try my Sourdough Discard Biscuit and Gravy Recipe SO GOOD, easy, and delicious.
How about Tortillas? This is discard tortilla recipe also a family favorite.
This recipe is an adaption from one of my favorite Sourdough Bakers Pantry Mama
Frequently Asked Questions
Two things: don’t over-mix (a few lumps are fine — over-stirring knocks the air out), and give the baking powder and soda a moment to react with the discard before they hit the pan. A big open whisk and a light hand do most of the work.
That’s exactly what this is — no boxed mix anywhere. Just flour, your sourdough discard, milk, an egg, and a couple of pantry staples. Once you’ve made it once you’ll never reach for the box again.
About 3/4 cup for this batch. Discard straight from the fridge is fine here — unlike bread, you don’t need it bubbly and active for pancakes.
But bubbly won’t hurt it either.
Both. Cooked pancakes keep 3 days in the fridge (toaster to reheat) or freeze beautifully. You can also mix the dry ingredients ahead and finish the batter in the morning.
Usually over-mixed batter (I do this way to often-so learn from my mistakes) or tired leavener. Stir just until combined, check that your baking powder/soda are fresh, and keep the heat medium-low so they have time to puff before the outside browns
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