Gluten-free sourdough pancakes made with no additional flour! Using sourdough discard and a few basic ingredients, you can make the easiest pancakes that are low-carb and big on sourdough flavor. You won’t believe how moist, soft and flavorful these pancakes are!
If you belong to any of the following camps, this crazy simple recipe for sourdough pancakes is for you:
- You’re out of flour
- You don’t want to wait the 8 recommended hours for your pancake batter to ferment in the refrigerator because you want pancakes MEOW!
- “Fun” is your middle name.
- You’re a human on planet earth.
True story: I ran out of flour because my gluten-free sourdough starter ate it all.
But I wanted to make pancakes and there my sourdough starter was, all full and ready to be used
…so I put on my thinking cap and I whipped up a batch of sourdough pancakes using sourdough discard only and no additional flour. Cue the bells, whistles, and parade!
All you need is sourdough discard, an egg, butter/ghee/oil, baking powder and baking soda. THAT’S it!
The result? Pancakes that actually taste like sourdough, are nice and squishy, not at all fluffy, soft and chewy, but did I mention not fluffy?
Just thought I would set the proper expectation.
Actually, these pancakes remind me of 50’s diner-style flapjacks…you know the ones that are actually flat instead of fluffy? That’s these. But gluten-free. And tasting all sourdough like.
I smear them with almond butter and fold them up like a pancake burrito. Fun fact.
Let’s make them.
How to Make Sourdough Pancakes with No Added Flour:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and ghee until well-combined. Stir in the sourdough discard until combined.
Sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt over the mixture and stir well. The batter should instantly grow and become very bubbly.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and add just enough coconut oil to coat the surface, about 1 tablespoon.
Measure out ¼ cup of batter and pour it onto the hot skillet. Allow it to cook until sides have firmed up and lots and lots of bubbles have risen to the top.
Carefully flip and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Repeat for remaining pancake batter.
Top pancakes with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Are Sourdough Pancakes Low-Carb?
Because sourdough discard is fermented, the bacteria and yeast have consumed much of the carbohydrate. For that reason, replacing flour and liquid with sourdough discard in any type of recipe will yield a result that is lower in carbohydrate than its non-sourdough counterpart.
That said, according to my google research, these pancakes have about a third of the carbohydrate (and calories) than regular pancakes since they are made using nothing but the discard with no extra flour.
But What If I Want To Use Flour?
So all of this is great and lovely…but what if you want sourdough pancakes that ARE fluffy and do use flour? Follow my recipe for Fluffy Gluten-Free Sourdough Pancakes. BOOM, you’re all set!
So to review, these pancakes are:
- Basically carb-less. Just kidding, they aren’t
- Moist and full of air pockets
- Hold together REALLY nicely
- Perfect for making pancake tacos/burritos using your favorite pancake toppings as stuffers
- Spongy, chewy, not fluffy, tastes like sourdough, good
More Healthy Pancake Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Rolled Oat Protein Pancakes
- Vegan Banana Pancakes
- Coconut Flour Zucchini Pancakes
- Lemon Coconut Flour Pancakes for Two
- Paleo Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
What are you waiting for? Go attack your sourdough discard like a wild banshee!
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Gluten-Free Sourdough Pancakes (discard only!)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter (unfed discard)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch sea salt
- coconut oil for cooking
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and ghee (or coconut oil)until well-combined. Stir in the sourdough discard (aka unfed sourdough starter) until combined.
- Sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt over the mixture and stir well. The batter should instantly grow and become very bubbly.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and add just enough coconut oil to coat the surface, about 1 tablespoon.
- Measure out ¼ cup of batter and pour it onto the hot skillet. Allow it to cook until sides have firmed up and lots and lots of bubbles have risen to the top.
- Carefully flip and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat for remaining pancake batter.
- Top pancakes with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
I have a new gf sourdough starter ( this is all new to me!) and tried these last weekend but the dough was still too..? Fermenty. Just made some this morning and they are absolutely fantastic! I used avocado oil in stead of butter/ coconut oil and they were so good!
Wahoo! I’m so thrilled to hear it, Lisa! Thanks so much for following up to share your experience! xo
I loved this excellent, easy, and healthy pancake recipe. I left out the ghee. I use a scan pan griddle, and no butter needed to make perfect pancakes. Thank you for sharing this great recipe with sourdough starter.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the pancakes, Susie! Thanks so much for swinging back around to share your experience! xo
Would this work as a waffle?
Hi Olivia! I haven’t tested it myself, but I think it might work. My only concern is the batter is a little thin so it’s possible it would stick to a waffle iron. Might be worth trying a small amount of batter on the waffle iron to test it out and if it doesn’t work out, switch to pancakes 🙂 Enjoy!
@Julia, it worked perfectly! They are so good, I’m so glad to have found a recipe that only uses discard 🙂
Yaaaay!! I’m so thrilled to hear it! Thank you for letting me know, Olivia! xo
I have never done pancakes well.
These were perfect, first try.
Thank you!
I may try to make crepes from this batter next.
I’m so thrilled you enjoy them, Kelley! I just love how flavorful they are…so unique! xo
Oh my!! These were delicious!! I have celiac not having to add flour to this recipe was a complete gamechanger!! No guessing about adding more milk, powder etc! Kids thought they tasted like doughnut-pancakes!!! Thank you!!
My pleasure! I’m so happy you enjoy them, Lisa! xo
@Julia, Just made these into waffles!!! Personally, I think they’re better than the pancakes!!! Winner winner!!!! 🙂
Oooh, I love it! So happy you enjoy the waffle version! xoxoxo
@Lisa, hi Lisa I’m just curious since you are celiac, and is your sourdough discard made from wheat flour, or an alternative flour? My son is celiac and I’m trying to figure out just how I can feed him. Thanks!
Hi Jeannie! Sorry to jump in here, but I think I have a good answer for you. If your son is celiac, I would stick with a gluten-free flour blend. While there has been much discussion that those with celiac can often tolerate sourdough goods, I think it’s best to not risk it and stick with a GF blend like Bob’s Red Mill, Pamela’s, King Arthur, etc. That way you don’t have to worry about whether or not your son will have a reaction. These blends don’t always produce an exact replica to wheat flour (in terms of texture), but they come so close that I think it’s worth using the blend. Hope this helps! xoxox
@Jeannie, I have made a great starter with King Arthur(1:1) and she’s been going strong for well over a year. I didn’t have that much growth when I used Bob’s and just went back to feeding with KA. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you! I’m just starting the sourdough process (still in it’s infancy, catching the wild yeast) and wanted to do something with the discard rather than “discard” but didn’t want to add flour. Being “beginner” starter not a whole lot of fluff but very delicious! I added cinnamon to the batter and put blueberries in some of the cakes. Look forward to trying again once my starter has developed more!
Hi Karen!
Welcome to the lovely land of sourdough! Yes, as it matures, your goodies will turn out fluffier and more complex in flavor 🙂 Love the blueberries and cinnamon! xoxoxo
I love this! I am always looking for recipes that use only activated start with no added flour. These were the fluffiest and lightest sourdough pancakes we have tried yet.
I’m so happy you like them, Mary!! They’re my favorite pancakes I’ve made, lol 😀