Sourdough Pancakes are started the night before so you can have a fresh stack for breakfast mere minutes after waking up. This is another great way to use that discard!

a stack of sourdough pancakes with syrup pouring over the stack

If you don’t have one, you can learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter. Then I can show you how to Feed and Maintain Sourdough Starter or How to Keep a Small Sourdough Starter.

Even though I’m a baker by profession, I’m definitely not a morning person. If you’re like me and prefer the least amount of work first thing in the morning, you’ll love this recipe.

Make the sponge the night before, then it takes about a minute to finish mixing the batter in the morning.

Scroll through the process photos to see how to make Sourdough Pancakes overnight:

three side by side photos showing how to mix sourdough pancake batter — Make the sponge the night before. In the morning add the eggs, oil and leavening. Use the batter right away.

three side by side photos showing how to cook sourdough pancakes — As soon as the leavening is added, the batter becomes bubbly. Use a scoop to portion the pancakes. Flip the pancakes when there are bubbles across the top side and the bottom side is nicely browned.

Tips for making the best Sourdough Pancakes:

Make your sponge the night before with unfed starter (aka discard). The sponge will be active and ready to mix by the time you wake up in the morning.
The older your discard, the more sour your pancakes will be. If you want very tangy pancakes, save your discard in the refrigerator for at least a week before mixing the batter.
Up to half the all purpose flour can be replaced with whole wheat or rye flour to make whole grain pancakes.
Baking powder and baking soda are added for extra leavening.
Because the reaction begins upon mixing, for maximum lift use the batter as soon as the leavening is added.
Serve the pancakes hot off the griddle or hold them in a 200°F oven if you prefer to serve them all at once.
The pancakes freeze well. Extras can be lined up on a sheet pan and frozen. Stack the frozen pancakes into a freezer bag. Just pop them in the toaster or reheat on the griddle.

If you’ve got a waffle maker, I recommend my Multi-Grain Sourdough Waffles. For a little international flair, you’ll love these sweet or savory Dutch Pannekoeken.

Since you’ve got your starter fed, peruse the entire list of My Best Sourdough Recipes. Have fun!

I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.

a stack of sourdough pancakes with a wedge cut out to show the middle of the pancakes. A pat of butter on top and syrup on the plate

a forkful of sourdough pancakes with syrup dripping off — Serve Sourdough Pancakes with ***real*** maple syrup. I’m a fan of grade B maple syrup’s strong flavor (it’s sometimes called Grade A extra dark).

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.

Sourdough Pancakes

Name: Sourdough Pancakes
Prep time: 12 h
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 12 h 20 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: general
Ingredients: 1 cup (8 oz, 224g) unfed sourdough starter (100% hydration); 2 cups (10 oz, 280g) unbleached All-Purpose Flour; 1/4 cup (2 oz, 56g) sugar; 2 1/4 cups (18 oz, 540 ml) buttermilk; Sponge; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 1/4 cup (2 oz, 60 ml) vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon table salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; butter or oil for cooking

Yield: 24 pancakes

Prep Time: 12 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes

Start making Sourdough Pancakes the night before and have hot fresh pancakes for breakfast.

Ingredients

Overnight Sponge

1 cup (8 oz, 224g) unfed sourdough starter (100% hydration)
2 cups (10 oz, 280g) unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (2 oz, 56g) sugar
2 1/4 cups (18 oz, 540 ml) buttermilk

Batter

Sponge
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup (2 oz, 60 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
butter or oil for cooking

Instructions

The night before:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the starter, flour, sugar, and buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.

In the morning:

Preheat a griddle or cast iron skillet over medium low heat. Preheat the oven at 200°F if you want to hold the pancakes before serving.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil. Add the egg mixture to the sponge and mix until combined. Sprinkle the salt, baking powder and baking soda over the batter.
Mix until the baking powder, baking soda and salt are completely dispersed in the batter. Use the batter immediately.
Turn the heat up to medium under the griddle or pan. Lightly brush the preheated pan with butter or oil. Use a large scoop or 1/3 cup measure to portion the batter into the pan, leaving 3" between pancakes. Cook on the first side until there are bubbles over the entire surface and the edges are beginning to brown. Flip the pancakes and cook until the second side is nicely browned. Adjust the heat as needed to allow the pancakes to cook evenly.
Serve pancakes immediately or hold in a 200°F warm oven till ready to serve.

Notes

The starter should be "unfed" when you mix the sponge. This is also called sourdough discard.

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