For the tastiest, melt-in-your mouth, kid-approved sourdough pancakes!

If you’re looking for a sourdough recipe that has all the fluff as regular pancakes but with the health benefits of sourdough, look no further! These fluffy, creamy, melt-in-your mouth pancakes are perfect when paired with some butter and maple syrup, or drizzled with my homemade elderberry syrup, ready for breakfast any day of the week. They truly are the BEST!

I love a classic American-style breakfast. Cue the eggs, bacon, and pancakes. I especially love fluffy, melt-in-your mouth, hot off the griddle pancakes. But I don’t currently enjoy taking my little family out to breakfast with a busy toddler and baby. That’s why these pancakes are a tested, tried and true recipe that my family loves when I make any day of the week. Pancakes aren’t just for the weekends around here!

My sweet sister-in-law Cassie makes the best pancakes I have ever tasted. They are a requested favorite every time our families get together, and she usually has to double or triple the batch to feed all of our mouths, without any leftovers. She even uses a flat top griddle, like at a restaurant, which makes her pancakes cook perfectly even with a light color brown every single time. I was inspired one day to see if I could convert her recipe to sourdough, so I did. And voila! Not only are they just as good as hers, but they also now have the benefit of being sourdough!

While I don’t normally use a griddle like her, I do like to follow her lead and make smaller pancakes, almost mini size. That’s why this recipe makes about 12 pancakes per batch of batter. It makes it easier for our little ones to waste less and for us adults, we can usually eat three or four in one sitting! The small pancakes are also great to freeze and save for later on busy mornings or for to-go snacks during the day. Just toss a pancake in the toaster to heat up and it’s ready!

You of course have the option to whip up the batter the night before (excluding the baking soda) and let it ferment in the fridge overnight, stirring in the baking soda the next morning and cooking them, all while giving your gut the benefit of pre-digested grains. But you can also just mix it all up that same morning with some discard and throw them in your hot pan. Either way you choose, you won’t be disappointed by these! 

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Sourdough provides the benefits of fermentation and the predigestion of grains, making it easier on your body to digest. You can use either sourdough discard or fed sourdough starter and have the same, happy result!
• Looking for an alternative sweetener to refined sugar? Instead of sugar to sweeten, you can use honey like I did in this recipe.
• Quick, easy, and delicious. Every time.
• Made with ingredients you usually have on hand.
• We like to switch things up every once in a while and add fresh blueberries or chocolate chips to our pancakes. I add a handful of either once I ladle the batter onto the skillet, before flipping. This tends to help keep the chocolate chips from burning.

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour: made from a blend of hard and soft wheat, contains a medium amount of protein that is converted into gluten, makes it the best neutrally flavored base for our pancakes and most baked goods.

Fed Sourdough Starter or Discard: adding the benefit of fermented grains to your normal recipes is a great addition!

Honey: a natural alternative to refined sugar.

Vanilla Extract

Salt

Melted Butter: adds flavor and moistness to our pancakes (I prefer salted!)

Eggs

Milk: raw or store-bought milk.

Baking Powder

How to Make Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes

Recipe FAQs

Should I be using salted or unsalted butter?

The only real difference between salted and unsalted butter is the salt! I typically prefer salted butter because I grew up on unsalted butter and I am making up for lost time. If you don’t want the extra sodium you can use unsalted butter. It doesn’t affect the recipe.

Should I use butter or oil in my pan?

I use it all, usually whatever I have on hand. Butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil. Butter tends to burn more easily, coconut oil has a distinct, sweeter flavor. Olive oil also has a stronger taste. I am currently loving the convenience of this oil dispenser I have. It makes it easy to spray some oil on the pan quickly in-between batches.

Can you make sourdough pancakes gluten-free?

Yes, you can! In order to make sourdough pancakes gluten-free you have to start with a gluten-free sourdough starter. Some great information on how to do this can be found on one of my favorite blog’s Farmhouse on Boone. Using different types of gluten-free flours in our recipe might change the texture of your pancakes. The one I recommend and have had the most success with is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. I think that this provides the most similar texture and flavor to all-purpose flour! However, also feel free to use whatever substitute flour you used to start your sourdough starter as well.

Can you make sourdough pancakes dairy-free?

Yes, you can. There are so many dairy-free milk alternatives to choose from. The one I most commonly use is almond milk. Different dairy-free alternatives do have different flavors and textures than regular milk. If you are going to use a thinner milk like almond milk, I would recommend starting with 1 cup of almond milk when first combining, and then adding in more in small increments until the batter has the desired texture. You can also substitute the butter for a dairy-free butter, or add an oil instead (like the ones I listed above).

Can you make this without sourdough?

Yes! Omit the starter and/or discard and follow instructions as usual. It will turn out just as wonderful! The sourdough in this recipe is added for nutritional benefit. The desired outcome won’t be affected if the sourdough is not included. Its very versatile!

If you tried this recipe, please let me know how it turned out for you and leave a comment! Loved it? Rate it 5 stars and share on Pinterest!