This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Start your day with some delicious overnight sourdough waffles.  These babies are light and airy on the inside and crispy on the outside. They are the peak of perfection.

Overnight Sourdough Waffles
Crispy Overnight Sourdough Waffles
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

This is an essential recipe for anyone that keeps a sourdough starter. It is also a great excuse to make your own sourdough starter if you don’t already have one.

Overnight Sourdough Waffles

Even if you don’t bake bread with your sourdough starter, it is worth the effort to maintain a starter just so you can make incredible recipes with the portion that you need to discard. Recipes like Sourdough Ricotta Pancakes, Buttery Sourdough Biscuits, or these incredible overnight sourdough waffles.

If you think it is too much trouble to maintain a sourdough starter, then consider keeping the starter in the refrigerator. If you store the sourdough starter in the fridge, you will only have to “feed” it once a week. With this in mind, you could take the sourdough starter out of the fridge on the weekend when you plan to make these sourdough waffles.

Overnight Sourdough Waffles
Overnight Sourdough Waffles

Light, Crisp, and Airy Waffles

These waffles are absolutely perfect. They are incredibly light and airy on the inside and perfectly crisp and brown on the outside.  Just look at the air pockets in the photo above.

They are so light you might be tempted to have a second helping.  After all, if they are full of air, then they must be lighter in calories, right? Well, it is a good excuse to justify having a second helping.

These sourdough waffles keep their texture even after they cool as long as you don’t stack them on top of each other.  If you stack them and then set them aside to cool then the steam will soften them.

If you want to make a batch of them just before serving, then it is best to place them on a wire cooling rack. However, the best way to store them as your cooking the rest of the batch is to put them in a warm oven that has been pre-heated to 170°F.

Overnight Sourdough Waffles
Overnight Sourdough Waffles

Freezing Waffles After They are Cooked

It is not uncommon for us to make a double batch of these overnight sourdough waffles and freeze the waffles that we do not eat. To properly freeze the waffles, you should allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

Once they are cooled, place them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer until they are frozen about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  Next, place the frozen waffles in a freezer safe plastic bag. You can store frozen waffles for 3 months. Pull them out of the freezer for a fast and easy breakfast.

More Sourdough Recipes 

There are so many wonderful things to do with sourdough discard! 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 recipes.

 More Waffle Recipes:

Pin this now to find it later!

Pin It
Overnight Sourdough Waffles
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 14 minutes
4.83 from 64 votes

Overnight Sourdough Waffles

Overnight sourdough waffles made with the portion of your sourdough starter that you would otherwise discard. These waffles are light and airy on the inside and perfectly brown and crisp on the outside.
Update:  This recipe has milk in the overnight sponge and it is how I have been making the waffles for many years.
While I personally continue to prepare them this way, I must note that leaving dairy out overnight goes against typical food safety recommendations. If that makes you uncomfortable, I have provided an alternative recipe in a downloadable PDF below the recipe card in the blog post. 

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: 10 waffles
Save This Recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients 

The Night Before Cooking:

  • 1 cup sourdough starter (240
  • grams)
  • 1-¼ cups flour, 150 grams
  • 1-¼ cups milk, 283 grams

In the Morning:

  • 6 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 egg whites

Instructions 

The night before (sourdough sponge):

  • Mix the sourdough starter, milk, and flour in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the countertop overnight.

In the morning finish the waffles:

  • Preheat your waffle iron.
  • Stir in the melted butter, egg yolks, salt, and baking soda.
  • Beat the egg whites until they have stiff peaks then gently fold them into the batter.
  • Pour the batter onto the preheated waffle iron and bake until crisp and golden, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Notes

  • Waffle irons vary in the amount of batter they use so you may end up with a different amount of waffles. The nutrition values are based on 10 waffles. 
  • As noted above, if you are uncomfortable adding the milk to the overnight sponge, I have provided an alternative recipe in a downloadable PDF just below the recipe card in the blog post.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 194kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 303mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

iconLike this recipe? Rate & comment below!

Overnight Sourdough Waffles
Overnight Sourdough Waffles

About Dahn Boquist

Dahn is a retired nurse, recipe creator, home cook, baker, and self-proclaimed foodie. She loves creating in the kitchen and cooking for family and friends. She lives in Washington State with her husband and dog. When she isn't cooking or baking, you can usually find her spending time with her grandchildren or exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

You May Also Like

4.83 from 64 votes (62 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




44 Comments

  1. Ken Smith says:

    Dahn, this recipe is wonderful! I cannot wait to try some of your other recipes. Now for the waffles: We have chickens, so our egg whites have a strength that factory eggs don’t. They whip up to nice peaks. I’ve found that a 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar helps factory whites stiffen. Also, my Belgian wafflemaker is not as hot as I’d like so I add about a 1/4 C of sugar to help crisp and brown my waffles.

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the waffle recipe, and thank you for sharing your tips! It’s wonderful to hear that you have fresh eggs from your own chickens. You can’t beat fresh eggs!

      Your observation about cream of tartar is spot-on; it’s a great trick to achieve better peaks. And I love your idea of adding a bit of sugar to aid in crisping and browning, especially for waffle makers that might not get hot enough.

  2. Neva says:

    I made these sourdough waffles with addition of 2 tsp pure vanilla. They are delicious. My husband ate extra waffle.

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      Vanilla sounds like a great addition. Thanks for the comment, Neva!

  3. Lori Rickert says:

    I love waffles but would like to know if I can use almond milk for these? I am dairy intolerant and this would be too much regular milk for me. I would also like to use Ghee in place of the butter. What do you think?

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      Yes, almond milk or oat milk will work just fine. You can replace the butter with Ghee or olive oil. Thanks for your question. We have lactose-intolerant family members as well and understand the struggle.

  4. Sica Bishop says:

    I am a waffle snob! These are such perfection that I’m considering cheating on my dad’s favorite Waffles of Insane Greatness recipe! To anyone debating these–RUN to your kitchen and make them. Now!

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      LOL, oh my goodness this is such a fun comment. I won’t tell your dad but I am sure his waffles are pretty darn good too 😉
      Thanks for the comment ?

  5. Loralee says:

    LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it several times and my family all enjoy them. <3

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for the comment

  6. Rosa says:

    I have made these several times and always with great results. I got a request this morning for them and had not prepared the batter last night.. sad. . So I prepared as usual but added a half teaspoon of baking powder. Voila! Turned out super! Glad to have a Backup plan for when timing just doesn’t work out. Thanks!

    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      Thanks for that comment and tip, Rosa!