Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes: An Easy Way to Use Up Starter Discard

Nothing like a sourdough pumpkin pancake recipe for those upcoming chilly, cozy Saturday mornings. Once the fall season hits, I am all about everything pumpkin, so of course I wanted to try sourdough pumpkin pancakes. Happy to say that it was a delicious recipe, and I can’t wait to share it with you! I used active sourdough starter, but discard should be fine.

If you’ve got a growing pile of discard you don’t know what to do with, this is exactly the kind of recipe that puts it to good use – no multi-day sourdough bread commitment, and no sourdough experience required.

Recipe at a Glance

• Prep time: ~15 minutes
• Cook time: ~30 minutes (in batches)
• Total time: ~45 minutes
• Yield: about 8 pancakes (fewer if you go big – scoop a 1/4 cup and keep the sizes consistent if you want closer to 12)

Sourdough Pumpkin Pancake Recipe Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups sourdough starter (discard is fine)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (one single-serve cup)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon butter or oil, for the pan

How to Make This Sourdough Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

1. Mix the wet ingredients first. In a large bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, buttermilk, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, eggs, and honey (or maple syrup) until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
3. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and stir just until combined – a few lumps are totally fine here, don’t overwork it. Let the batter rest for about 10 minutes so it can thicken up slightly.
4. Heat the butter (or oil) in a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.
5. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto the pan. Cook until you see bubbles forming on top and the edges look set, then flip.
6. Cook the second side until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding a little more butter or oil to the pan as you go.
7. Serve warm. My go-to toppings are maple syrup and a dollop of Greek yogurt, but you really can’t go wrong here.

Prefer to cook hands-free?

Use the interactive version below to check off ingredients, walk through each step, and set your own timers as you go.