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These overnight rise ‘n’ shine sourdough pancakes are a delicious way to use your excess sourdough starter. They are soft, tender, and fluffy and remind me of breakfast at grandmas house. Letting the sourdough sit overnight will give it the best sourdough flavor to these pancakes. But for a milder flavor, you can cook them right after you mix the batter. Whatever you choose, these pancakes are how you need to start your day.
We love our sourdough bread, and I make it on repeat in this house. That means I have to maintain my sourdough starter even when I am not baking bread. Many times when I feed my starter, I simply toss out the excess or give it to a friend.
Other times I tap into one of my recipes that I can use with the excess starter. This recipe for sourdough pancakes is one of my most loved, mostly because it reminds me of my childhood.
Food that evokes nostalgic memories of grandma’s house will always make it on my “favorites” list.
Here is Why This Pancake Recipe Works
- Resourceful Use of Sourdough Starter: This recipe ingeniously incorporates sourdough starter discard that might otherwise go to waste. It’s a smart way to make the most of your starter and adds depth of flavor to your pancakes.
- Fluffy and Light Texture: These pancakes are the epitome of fluffy perfection. The combination of buttermilk, sourdough starter, and leavening creates an airy texture and light tangy flavor.
- Convenient Overnight Prep: Busy mornings? No problem! With the overnight prep, you can enjoy a stress-free breakfast. This recipe is a time-saving solution for a wholesome breakfast.
Ingredients for Sourdough Pancakes
Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for theses overnight pancakes. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Sourdough starter
- Buttermilk
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
Savoring the Sunrise: Overnight Wonder
Here is a brief overview to get an idea of what to expect with this recipe for sourdough discard pancakes. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
These pancakes are incredibly simple to toss together, and the results are absolutely amazing. The overnight fermentation gives them a pronounced tangy sourdough flavor. In my mind, that is what a good sourdough pancake is supposed to taste like.
However, I know some people prefer a more mild hint of sourdough, and that is definitely achievable with this recipe.
If you like a less ‘tangy’ pancake you can just let it sit for a few hours. And for an even milder flavor, you don’t have to let them sit at all. Just mix the ingredients up and pour the batter on a skillet.
This pancake recipe is divided up into two steps. The first step is to make the sponge and let it sit overnight. The second step happens in the morning when you combine the rest of the ingredients and make the pancake batter and cook the pancakes.
The Overnight Sourdough Sponge
- Mix sourdough starter, water, flour, and sugar together in a large bowl. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter overnight.
Finish the Pancakes In the Morning:
- Stir the butter, eggs, buttermilk, salt, and leavening into the batter. Mix well to combine.
- Pour a ladle full of batter onto a preheated skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until the pancakes are golden brown.
More Recipes to Try
- Einkorn Sourdough Bread
- Overnight Sourdough Waffle
- Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Naturally leavened Ricotta Pancakes
- Barley pancakes
- Orange ricotta pancakes
- Kimchi pancakes
Tips for Success
- When you use your discard for this recipe, ensure you have enough starter left to maintain so you can make more sourdough recipes like spelt sourdough bread or einkorn sourdough bread.
- Make sure you put the overnight sponge in a large bowl. The bowl should be big enough to allow the batter to double in size. During the night, it will fill up with lots of gas pockets and double in size, then start to sag back down. You will whisk the batter in the same bowl to make the pancakes.
- Even though there is some natural leavening in the batter from your sourdough starter, you still need to add some additional leavening in the form of baking soda and baking powder in order to have fluffy pancakes.
- Make sure the skillet is hot before you add the pancake batter.
- If you have additional discard, try making our sourdough pizza dough or crackers.
These pancakes are a delightful way to transform your discard into a morning masterpiece. By cleverly repurposing your starter, you not only reduce waste but also infuse your pancakes with a depth of flavor that’s irresistible.
However, the beauty of this recipe lies in its adaptability. If you want less tang, a shorter batter resting period can provide the perfect balance for you.
This two-step process, involving an overnight discard transformation and a morning batter assembly, is both convenient and rewarding. The result is a stack of soft, tender, and wonderfully fluffy pancakes. Add these pancakes to your recipe box because you will want to make them on repeat.
More Sourdough Recipes
There are so many wonderful things to do with sourdough discard besides making pancakes! Every time you refresh your starter, instead of throwing away the leftover unfed starter, you can put it to use in all kinds of delicious sourdough starter recipes.
- Banana Bread with discard
- Discard Blueberry Scones
- Eggless Starter Scones
- Starter discard Donuts
- Roundup of Naturally Leavened Recipes
More Recipes You Will Love
Did I mention you need a sourdough starter if you’re going to make these sourdough pancakes? If you don’t have a starter, you better get started making one. Check out our Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter. Give it several weeks to grow then start making the best discard recipes of your life (including these pancakes)!
These overnight sourdough waffles are amazing. The batter is a bit thinner than our pancake recipe and it makes perfectly crisp wonders that are tender and soft on the inside. You might have a hard time deciding if you like these or our pancakes better.
There isn’t an overnight step to these ricotta pancakes. You can just wake up and whip them up. The ricotta gives the pancakes a custard-like center. Crazy good!!
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Overnight Sourdough Pancakes
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.
Ingredients
The Night Before Cooking:
- 1 cup sourdough starter, you can use active starter or discard for this recipe; 240 grams
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk, 340 grams
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 180 grams
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
In the Morning:
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
The night before (sourdough sponge):
- Mix the sourdough starter, buttermilk, flour, and the sugar in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the countertop overnight.
In the morning finish the pancakes:
- Preheat your skillet.
- Stir in the melted butter, eggs, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Fold into the batter until well combined.
- Pour ¼ to ½ cup of batter onto the preheated skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it starts to bubble then flip the pancake and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes until it is golden brown.
Video
Notes
- If you use a measuring cup to measure your sourdough starter, make sure you stir it before you measure it. Otherwise, if you use a scale there is no need to stir the starter.
- This recipe is a great way to use up your discard but it works with fresh sourdough starter or with sourdough discard.
- As noted above, if you are uncomfortable adding the buttermilk to the overnight sponge, I have provided an alternative recipe in a downloadable PDF just below the recipe card in the blog post.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Won’t the buttermilk go bad sitting on the counter overnight?
Great question! Traditionally, this recipe has been made with buttermilk in the overnight sponge, and I’ve personally never had an issue with it. However, I do understand food safety concerns, which is why I included a note in the post and an alternative recipe in the downloadable PDF for those who prefer a different method.
Fermentation plays a role here; the acidity of buttermilk combined with the sourdough environment creates conditions that many people have used for generations without issue. That said, food safety recommendations today advise against leaving dairy at room temperature, so I included the alternative option for those who prefer to err on the side of caution. I hope that helps, and I appreciate your thoughtful question!
Such a great recipe! I double the sponge and use it all for a large family of 11. Thank you. Sometimes I use plain yogurt with milk… not worried about my dairy I guess, haven’t gotten sick yet.
I’m so glad you like the recipe. Thanks for sharing your tweaks.
Can you make the sponge and leave it in the fridge for a few days before using it?
Yes, you can do that and it will give the pancakes a more fermented, sourdough flavor. After the sponge sits for 2 or three days, the pancakes don’t seem quite as fluffy but they are still quite good.
I have been using an older version of this recipe (with the buttermilk added the night before cooking) and wondered what prompted the change. Mine are fantastic every time I make them. (I just recommended the recipe to a friend and noticed the difference.)
I do love my older version and still make it. There were concerns about the dairy being left out all night in the overnight sponge so I adjusted the recipe to eliminate those concerns. I will add the original recipe under the recipe card.
Made these sourdough pancakes as instructed. Added bananas and strawberries to some and they were phenomenal. Will make again.
So glad you loved the pancakes! Bananas and strawberries sound like a winning combo. Thanks for sharing.
If making a double batch, do I need to double the amount of starter along with the other ingredients? Or will it still work with starter amount for 1 batch. I normally don’t have that much discard starter, but 1 batch of pancakes isn’t enough for my family ?.
If you don’t have enough starter for a double batch then add 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of flour to the batch and that will replace the amount of starter that you don’t have.