Ultra moist and fluffy gluten-free sourdough pancakes made dairy-free! These delightful fluffy pancakes have that unique sourdough flavor and are fun for the whole family! Make the batter the night before for an amazing breakfast or brunch the next day!

Close up shot of fluffy sourdough pancakes with syrup dripping down

After making my Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter and Gluten-Free Blueberry Sourdough Muffins, I’ve been on a sourdough pancake rampage.

We’re talking sourdough pancakes for dinner, breakfast, snack, oops I didn’t mean to eat a stack of pancakes just now, but I did just now kind of torrid love affair.

All of this to say, if you haven’t tried sourdough pancakes yet, this experience alone is worth the trouble of growing your own sourdough starter…in my humble opinion.

Recipe Highlights:

Gluten-Free
Dairy-Free
Ultra Fluffy
Very pronounced sourdough flavor
Lower in carbohydrate than regular pancakes.

Allowing the batter to sit overnight gives it the opportunity to ferment, yielding an incredibly delicious sourdough flavor. The longer it sits, the more the bacteria and yeast will feed and reproduce, generating more sourdough flavor and less residual carbohydrate.

You’ll love putting your own gluten-free sourdough starter to use in this delicious recipe. It requires basic ingredients that you likely already have on hand!

Two wooden plates of Gluten-Free Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes with bite taken out of a stack

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for gluten-free sourdough pancakes.

Ingredients for Sourdough Pancakes:

GF Sourdough Starter: You will need some un-fed sourdough starter discard to prepare this recipe. The gluten-free sourdough discard is combined with flour and coconut milk, which feeds the starter and allows the pancake batter to ferment, creating incredible fluffy pancakes.

If you don’t need this recipe to be gluten-free, you can use regular sourdough starter.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend: We need a GF flour blend that is designed to be a 1:1 replacement for regular all-purpose flour. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for the best results.

Be sure to choose starchy flours for the best result. Whether or not the blend contains xanthan gum is inconsequential. You can also use cassava flour or buckwheat flour for different flour options.

Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk (or milk of choice): We need milk to form the batter. I love using full-fat canned coconut milk because it creates a rich and decadent pancake. Use any type of milk you prefer.

Regular cow’s milk, oat milk, almond milk, and cashew milk are all great options. If you use regular cow’s milk, be sure to refrigerate the batter rather than allowing it to sit at room temp.

Large Eggs: A couple eggs get whisked up and added to the sourdough pancake batter after it has sat, just before making the pancakes.

The eggs help the pancakes rise and keep them held together nicely. I haven’t tested this recipe without eggs using an egg replacer like flax eggs, so I’m not sure how it would turn out.

Avocado Oil: A touch of oil brings richness and creates a tender crumb, much like the texture of regular cake. Olive oil, canola oil, and melted butter all work.

Pure Maple Syrup (optional): I like adding a touch of pure maple syrup to the batter for an imperceptible sweetness to complement some of the sourdough flavor.

Baking Powder: The leavening agent here, baking powder helps the pancake batter rise.

Sea Salt: A pinch of salt elevates the flavor of the pancakes.

Pancake Toppings: Choose your favorite toppings for these fluffy sourdough pancakes. I love classic butter and drizzle of maple syrup, but peanut butter, almond butter, honey, and fresh fruit are great options too.

Two plates of sourdough pancakes with syrup being poured on the top of one. Ready to eat!

Do I Have Let the Batter Sit for 8 Hours?:

You do not need to allow the pancake batter to sit for 8 hours in order to use it. You can use it immediately – the pancakes will just not be quite as fluffy and they won’t have as pronounced of a sourdough flavor.

If you do have the time and forethought, though, I do recommend allowing the batter to sit so you can get the full experience!

Are Sourdough Pancakes Low-Carb?

Provided you allow the batter to sit overnight (8 to 10 hours), the pancakes will be lower in carbohydrate than regular pancakes, as the bacteria and yeast will feed on the carbohydrate in the flour and use it to grow and reproduce.

The longer the batter sits, the less residual carbohydrate there will be.

To put it into perspective, 1 cup of sourdough discard contains 47 grams of carbohydrate, whereas 1 cup of the gluten-free flour I use contains 120 grams of carbohydrate.

With this in mind, I also made a recipe for Gluten-Free Sourdough Pancakes with No Added Flour for those looking to consume less carbs.

Be cautious with allowing the batter to sit for too long, though. The bacteria and yeast will eventually run out of food and die, leaving you with pancake batter that won’t leaven (in other words, the pancakes won’t be fluffy).

Wooden plate with a stack fluffy pancakes with a fork cutting a bite out of the stack. Fresh raspberries in the background.

How to Make Gluten-Free Sourdough Pancakes:

Stir together the sourdough discard, flour and coconut milk in a large bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow it to sit overnight (4 to 10 hours). This will be very thick!

If you choose to use regular milk instead of coconut milk, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate instead of allowing it to sit at room temperature.

When you’re ready to make the pancakes the next day, whisk together the egg, oil, and pure maple syrup in a small bowl.

Sprinkle the baking powder and sea salt over the sourdough pancake batter, then add the egg/oil mixture to the mixing bowl. Stir everything together until very well combined.

Mixing bowl of sourdough pancake batter inside, ready to cook up on a griddle.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add enough coconut oil, avocado oil, or cooking oil of choice to coat the surface, about 1 tablespoon.

Once the skillet is fully hot, measure out ¼ cup of pancake batter and pour onto the hot skillet. Allow pancakes to cook until sides have firmed up, about 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown.

Flip and cook another minute or two, until pancakes are cooked through.

Pancakes that had just been flipping in a nonstick skillet with golden-brown tops.

Top gluten-free pancakes with desired toppings and enjoy!

Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze sourdough pancakes in a large zip lock bag for up to 3 months.

This great recipe is the perfect way to use extra starter.

The next time you’re craving pancakes and have some extra sourdough starter to use up, whip up these fluffy sourdough pancakes using pantry essentials.

Stack of sourdough pancakes with bite taken out with a fork with layers of pancake on it.

Looking for ways you can change the recipe to fit your dietary needs or desires? Here are some ideas.

Recipe Customizations:

Use regular milk instead of coconut milk.
Swap the avocado oil for melted butter.
If you don’t eat a gluten-free diet, follow this same recipe using regular all-purpose flour and regular sourdough starter.
Add chocolate chips, fresh blueberries, and/or chopped nuts to the batter just before cooking the pancakes.
Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the batter just before cooking the pancakes.
Use regular sugar in the batter instead of pure maple syrup.

If you love sourdough discard recipes, also try my Gluten-Free Sourdough Chocolate Cake or my Gluten-Free Sourdough Waffles.

close up photo of bite of fluffy pancakes

More Amazing Gluten-Free Pancake Recipes:

What’ll you put on your gluten free sourdough pancakes?!