“No Flour” Sourdough Discard Pancake Recipe

These sourdough discard pancakes are a cross between a pancake and a crepe, with no added flour or fermentation needed. Serve with buttery molasses syrup for an easy scratch-made breakfast ready in 15 minutes.

Sourdough often gets a bad rap for being complicated, but after years of making it for my family, I've found the opposite to be true.

The secret is having a healthy starter on hand and a collection of quick recipes like these no-flour pancakes, sourdough flatbreads, sourdough discard crepes, and sourdough biscuits and gravy.

These sourdough pancakes use discard and a few pantry staples, with no added flour and no fermentation. They're so simple that they rival store-bought convenience, but they're much better.

🌾 New to sourdough? My Sourdough Starter for Beginners course walks you through making a healthy starter and baking your first loaf with confidence. 🌾

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

No Extra Flour: This sourdough discard pancake recipe uses only the flour in your starter, so you don’t have to lug the flour bag out of the pantry!

Quick and Easy: No fermenting, no waiting, and hardly any measuring.

Freezer-Friendly: Sourdough discard pancakes are freezer-friendly. Freeze a batch for an easy breakfast on busy mornings.

Sourdough: Making sourdough discard recipes is fun and delicious! If you don’t have a starter, download my free sourdough starter eBook to learn how!

Key Ingredients

Sourdough Discard: Use active or inactive all-purpose sourdough starter. You can also use fresh-milled starter, einkorn sourdough starter, or any other type you have.

Butter: I prefer using unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, just reduce the salt in the recipe.

Eggs: I used fresh eggs, but you can also use freeze-dried eggs.

Get the full list of ingredients and measurements on the printable recipe card below.

Variations

Chocolate Chip: Fold in a handful of chocolate chips before cooking.

Berry: Add fresh blueberries or strawberries to the mix before cooking. You could use freeze-dried strawberries for added flavor and color.

Birthday: Add colorful sprinkles to the batter.

Banana: Mix in mashed ripe banana. A little cinnamon pairs well, too.

Lemon Blueberry: Add fresh lemon zest along with blueberries.

Pumpkin Spice: Add pumpkin pie spice to the batter or make my pumpkin spice pancakes recipe.

How To Make Sourdough Discard Pancakes

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, eggs, maple syrup, and butter. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Step 2: Add the salt and baking powder. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Step 3: Preheat the skillet over medium-low heat. Add a tablespoon or so of butter to the hot cast iron skillet. Spread it around so it evenly coats the pan.

Step 4: Ladle 1/4 cup of batter per pancake into the skillet, working in small batches. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until bubbles stop forming and popping on the surface.

Step 5: Flip the pancakes to the other side. Cook for 1-2 minutes

Step 6: Serve warm with homemade molasses pancake syrup, maple syrup, fruit, or your other favorite toppings.

Tips for Success

• Don’t flip the pancakes until the bubbles have stopped forming and popping on the top.
• Excess hot butter in the pan can burn the pancake. For perfectly golden pancakes, only add butter as needed to prevent sticking.
• If your pancakes are burning, drop the temperature to low for a few minutes. On my stove, I have to adjust between medium and low heat throughout the process.
• To keep pancakes warm while cooking, place them on a wire rack in the oven set to “warm” or about 200°F. This keeps them warm without making them soggy.

Serving

Eggs: Add protein with fluffy scrambled eggs, Instant Pot boiled eggs, or a slice of slow cooker egg casserole.

Whipped Cream: Top with a dollop of homemade vanilla whipped cream.

Breakfast Meats: Serve them with home-cured bacon sausage for a hearty brunch.

Syrup: Serve with maple syrup or homemade molasses pancake syrup.

Storing and Reheating

• Store leftover sourdough pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
• To reheat on the stove, warm a skillet over medium-low heat. Then, warm each pancake for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side (or until warmed through).
• To reheat in the microwave, place the pancakes on a microwave-safe plate and warm for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• To reheat your leftover pancakes in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay the pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Warm for 5-10 minutes.

Freezing Sourdough Discard Pancakes

1. Let the pancakes cool to room temperature.
2. Stack the pancakes with a slip of parchment paper between each one.
3. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
4. You can reheat the pancakes from frozen in the oven, microwave, or on the stove.

Sourdough Discard Pancakes FAQs

More Sourdough Discard Recipes

If you tried this No-Flour Sourdough Discard Pancake recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks, y'all!