Sourdough discard pancake recipe (2024)

Published: May 7, 2020 · Modified: May 20, 2020 by Elizabeth Marek · This post may contain affiliate links · 22 Comments

I absolutely love making these sourdough discard pancakes. They taste WAY better than regular pancakes, they don't leave you with that heavy feeling in your stomach and only take 5 minutes to make! They are light, fluffy and a great way to use up that sourdough starter discard! If you love sourdough pikelets, you'll definitely want to try this recipe!

When I was growing up, we never had pancakes. We had pikelets. They are very similar to pancakes but not as sweet. More like fried dough.

I have never liked pancakes. They make me feel bloated and I'm STARVING a few hours later.

Recently I decided to dive into making sourdough starter so I could make my own fresh bread at home. When making a sourdough starter, I discovered that you end up with a lot of sourdough discard (the part you throw away).

Not wanting to waste precious flour, I looked up a lot of sourdough discard recipes.

This one is AMAZING. I couldn't believe how delicious these sourdough pancakes were! Surprisingly, they don't taste like sourdough at all, just fluffy, delicious pancakes. But these do not make you feel bloated.

Probably because sourdough is one of the healthiest types of bread you can eat. As the yeast goes through fermentation, it breaks down gluten, making it easier to digest and minimizing discomfort.

What Is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough discard is the part of the sourdough starter that has been broken down by yeast after it has been fed and discarded. Not sure what sourdough starter is? Check out my sourdough starter recipe.

Protip - You can save sourdough discard and use it later! Just wrap it up and put it in the fridge for up to two days. Any l longer and it starts to develop too much flavor and can taste bitter.

Discard recipes are a great way to use up that discard instead of throwing it away! Discard can have a varying degree of flavor to it depending on the sourness of your sourdough starter.

What Ingredients Do You Need For Sourdough Pancakes?

All you need are some basic ingredients to make sourdough discard pancakes. Most importantly, you need discard! I usually have about 1 cup of discard but the amount you add is not really important. Think of the discard as "flavoring" for your pancakes.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Place your skillet (I like to use a cast-iron skillet for even browning) on the stove and heat it on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. We're shooting for a temp of 300ºF for cooking pancakes.

Protip - Low and slow is better for pancakes to ensure a nice golden brown crust and a soft and fluffy interior.

Step 2 - Combine all your ingredients in one bowl and mix until combined. No worries if it's lumpy.

Step 3 - Melt a teaspoon of butter in the skillet. Butter adds some delicious crispiness to your pancakes.

Step 4 - Pour about ½ cup of batter into the skillet and cook for 5 minutes or until the edges of the pancake start to look dried out and you can see some holes forming on top.

Step 5 - Flip your pancake over and cook for another 3 minutes.

Enjoy! I slather mine in more butter but my daughter Avalon prefers hers with cinnamon and sugar. So good!

Relevant Recipes

Sourdough Starter Recipe
Sourdough Bread Recipe
Sourdough Pikelets

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