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These healthy sourdough pancakes are perfect for those weekends when you have extra time and want to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. With the natural yeast and beneficial bacteria from the starter, homemade sourdough pancakes are a healthier alternative to boxed pancake mix–and much tastier! Yet they’re just as easy to make and totally worth it.
❤️ Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Pancakes
- Hidden Health Benefits: Sourdough contains protein and fiber, as well as prebiotics that are good for gut health and digestion.
- Easy: You have to make the sourdough sponge the night before, but other than that, this recipe is just like any other pancake recipe. Just mix the ingredients, and you’re ready to cook.
- Better Than a Pancake Mix: Nothing beats boxed pancake mixes for convenience. However, there’s a noticeable taste difference between these overnight sourdough pancakes and anything you can buy at the store. The extra effort is definitely worth it!
🥞 Sourdough Pancake Ingredients
- Active Sourdough Starter: I get my sourdough starter from a local bakery or a friend who makes it. You can also buy it online or make it yourself with flour and water.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour for the overnight sponge.
- Milk: I typically use whole milk for this sourdough pancake recipe, but use whatever kind you prefer.
- Honey sweetens the pancake batter.
- Eggs: Whisk three large eggs.
- Butter: Melt one stick of grass-fed butter and let it cool slightly before adding it to the batter.
- Pink Himalayan Salt gives the pancakes a chewy, tender texture and balances the other flavors.
- Vanilla Extract adds warmth and improves the flavor.
- Baking Soda causes the pancakes to rise, making them fluffy and light.
- Oil: Avocado oil greases the skillet, ensuring the pancakes don’t stick.
👩🍳 How to Make Sourdough Pancakes
- Overnight Sponge: To make sourdough pancakes, you first need to make an overnight sponge by mixing active sourdough starter, flour, milk, and raw honey in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and let it rest on the counter for eight to 12 hours.
- Pancake Batter: Stir the eggs, melted butter, salt, and vanilla. Mix the baking soda in last–the batter will come alive and begin to bubble and grow.
- Prep the Skillet: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add oil to grease the pan.
- Cook the Pancakes: Pour a half cup of batter into the pan. Once the batter begins to bubble, flip the pancake over and cook for a couple of more minutes.
Watch me make this easy sourdough pancake recipe on Instagram.
🗒 Variations
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Mix mini chocolate chips into the batter.
- Berries: Stir in a cup of blueberries or chopped strawberries.
🗒 Substitutions
- Honey: If you don’t have raw honey, regular honey works, too, or you can substitute it with agave or maple syrup.
- Salt: Swap pink salt for kosher salt.
- Butter: I like grass-fed butter because it has some better nutritional benefits, but any butter will work for these pancakes.
- Milk: Substitute 2% or almond milk.
🍽️ Best served with
Serve these sourdough pancakes with maple syrup or Greek yogurt and fresh berries. For a complete breakfast, add scrambled eggs and bacon or sausage for extra protein.
👝 How to Store Sourdough Pancakes
Leftover sourdough pancakes will last for about four days in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the microwave or a skillet. You can also freeze them in an airtight container with parchment paper in between and microwave them straight from frozen.
🤔 Common Questions
Sourdough pancakes don’t really taste like sourdough bread, but they are delicious and fluffy with a subtle tangy flavor.
Overmixing is the biggest culprit of tough pancakes. When you add the flour, stir just enough to combine the ingredients without overdoing it.
Instead of yeast, sourdough starter leavens sourdough bread, causing it to rise. It also gives sourdough its “sour” flavor and consists of healthy bacteria and yeast. Starter is a mixture of flour and water that takes about a week to make. For homemade starter, you have to “feed” it daily by discarding some of it and adding more flour and water.
Sourdough overnight sponge is a preferment that develops the sourdough flavors better. It typically contains active sourdough starter, flour, and water, but I used milk and some honey for my sourdough pancake recipe.
Sourdough Pancakes
Equipment
- Nonstick skillet
Ingredients
Overnight Sponge
- 1 cup active sourdough starter
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tbsp raw honey
After Ferment
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 1 stick grass-fed butter, melted
- ½ tsp pink salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
Overnight Sponge
- Mix together the sourdough starter, flour, milk, and honey in a large bowl. Cover and let rest on the counter for 8-12 hours.
Pancakes
- To the overnight sponge, add eggs, melted butter, salt, and vanilla and mix.
- Mix in baking soda very well. The batter will come alive and begin to bubble and grow.
- Preheat a nonstick skillet on medium heat and add oil to the pan.
- Scoop about ½ cup batter into the prepared pan. Once the batter begins to bubble, flip the pancake over and cook for about 2 more minutes before removing.
- Continue to oil the pan before adding the next round of batter. Serve warm and enjoy!
