Overnight Sourdough Pancakes

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These overnight sourdough pancakes are always light and fluffy. Sweetened with a hint of honey, vanilla, and subtle sourdough tang, these pancakes are a true weekend treat! Perfect if you have sourdough discard needing to be used.

There’s just something about pancakes on the weekend that just feels extra special, and these overnight sourdough pancakes are no exception. In fact, they’re a family favorite! If you are a sourdough enthusiast then you will definitely want to add these sourdough pancakes to your list.

What is sourdough starter?

Have you ever wondered how sourdough is made, or what gives sourdough its delicious tang?

Sourdough starter- also called levain, is fermented dough made with natural, wild yeast found in the air and a bacteria called lactobacilli. Instead of using active dry yeast like traditional bread recipes, sourdough bread uses a starter to make it rise. The fermentation is what gives sourdough a tangy, ‘sour’ taste. These pancakes require a sourdough starter to ferment overnight, giving them a very subtle, delicious tang, with a beautiful light and fluffy rise.

How to make sourdough starter.

Someday, I will take the time to write up a post on maintaining and feeding a sourdough starter. It may seem a bit complicated, but it’s really quite easy. Once you have a basic understanding of the process, it can be really fun and rewarding. Here’s a an article on getting your own sourdough starter going. Plus, you can use the sourdough discard in so many recipes!

Ingredients you will need for Overnight Sourdough Pancakes.

• Unfed sourdough starter (discard)- The discard will give a subtle delicious tang to the pancakes and is a must for this recipe.
• Milk of choice: in our home we use oat milk, but feel free to use any kind of milk you prefer.
• All–purpose flour- for the pancake base. You may also use whole wheat flour.
• Honey– to add a tad of sweetness
• Pure Vanilla Extract- we always use pure vanilla extract, the flavor can’t be beat!
• Salted Butter– for flavor and for frying the pancakes
• Egg– to bind the pancakes
• Baking powder –
• Baking soda–
• Salt– every good pancake needs a bit of salt to bring out all the delicious flavors

How to make overnight sourdough pancakes.

The night before: In a medium bowl whisk together the unfed sourdough starter, milk of choice, all purpose flour and honey until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature on the counter until the next morning. In the morning you will notice some bubbling. This is normal.

In the morning: Into the bowl with the sourdough starter, whisk the remaining ingredients: melted butter, vanilla, egg, salt, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined. The dough will be thick.

How to cook sourdough pancakes.

To add to the rustic vibe of these sourdough pancakes, I recommend frying these up in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Cast iron lends a different flavor that is hard to beat. If you don’t have cast iron, no worries! Any non stick pan will work well. We fry these sourdough pancakes up with salted butter to prevent sticking and to add flavor.

In a large cast iron skillet or pan, melt the butter until it’s bubbly and fragrant over medium-high heat. Adding about ⅓ cup of batter to the pan, cook for 1-2 minutes per side, or until the pancakes begin to bubble and the underside is a nice golden brown. *The pancake batter will be thick.* Between each batch of pancakes add more butter to the pan. Repeat until all the batter is used.

Serve topped with fresh maple syrup, berries or fresh squeezed lemon juice.

We hope you love these Overnight Sourdough Pancakes as much as we do! If you give this recipe a try, please be sure to leave a comment and/or rating below! I truly love hearing from you! And if you haven’t yet, be sure to subscribe to the Butternut and Sage newsletter so you never miss a delicious recipe! We have a lot of yummy content coming your way- you definitely wont want to miss it!

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More breakfast recipes to try this week..

• Cast Iron Skillet Irish Soda Bread
• Blueberry Croissant French Toast Bake
• Caramelized Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby Pancake

Recipe