Weekends were meant for these quick and easy sourdough discard oatmeal pancakes.
Top these pancakes with your favorite seasonal toppings like sauteed apples, fresh berries, sliced bananas, jam, or maple syrup.
You may also want to try one of my favorite sourdough breakfast treats, this sourdough dutch baby.
If like me you are always looking for more sourdough discard recipes to try, here are a few recommendations: sourdough flatbread, sourdough pumpkin bread, sourdough blueberry and fresh thyme scones or sourdough fried chicken.
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Why you will love this recipe
- These are some of the easiest pancakes you will ever make. Simply blend all of the ingredients together in a blender and cook, no additional bowls are necessary.
- Adding oatmeal to pancakes gives them a nutty flavor and makes them a little more filling.
- These pancakes are freezer friendly. Make a batch today and enjoy them for an even quicker breakfast later.
Ingredients
Most of the ingredients in these pancakes are pretty standard. There are a few that make these pancakes unique.
Oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats. I don't recommend steel-cut oats. They will be too hard and crunchy.
Sourdough Discard: Sourdough discard is the part of your sourdough starter that you usually throw away when you feed it. I feel guilty about throwing away food and am always looking for ways to reduce food waste. Sourdough discard adds tons of incredible flavor to baked goods.
If you don't already have a sourdough starter, I've created this guide for creating and maintaining a small sourdough starter.
This recipe can use sourdough discarded from any step in the sourdough starter process. It can be bubbly and freshly fed, dormant from sitting in your refrigerator, or anywhere in between. It also doesn’t matter what type of flour your starter has been fed with. All-purpose, whole wheat, or any variety of flour will work.
Pro Sourdough Tip: Keep a glass jar in your refrigerator to store your sourdough discard. Continue adding to it until you have enough to make your chosen sourdough discard recipe.
What are the best containers for storing sourdough starter and discard?
How long does sourdough discard last?
What is the difference between sourdough starter and sourdough discard?
Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt helps to make these pancakes soft and fluffy.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to make a lighter fluffier pancake.
Equipment
Kitchen scale: Kitchen scales make baking faster and neater. Accuracy matters in baking. Scales are more precise than measuring cups. Too much flour or not enough sugar can dramatically change a recipe. The most accurate way to bake is to measure your ingredients by weight rather than volume.
A kitchen scale also reduces the number of dishes you will need to wash because you are measuring each ingredient directly from the container into the mixing bowl without the use of measuring cups.
This scale from OXO is the one I use after it was recommended by Alton Brown. What makes this scale great is the display pulls out to make viewing measurements easier when using a large bowl.
Blender: I currently use this blender set from Ninja. It has been a workhorse in my kitchen. It is easy to clean and use and I like that it comes with different size containers. When I am ready to upgrade I will probably be investing in a Vitamix because they have a little more power for handling tougher tasks like chopping ice.
A rubber spatula: This one is my favorite. It is comfortable to hold and isn't too floppy.
Electric Griddle: While not completely necessary, you could cook the pancakes in a skillet on the stovetop, I prefer cooking items like pancakes and french toast on an electric griddle because I can cook larger batches. This is my favorite electric griddle for making pancakes. It is huge! I can cook nine pancakes at one time.
Directions
Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until the batter is smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Continue blending until you don’t see any remaining bits of oats.
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you preheat the griddle or skillet.
Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly butter the griddle or skillet.
Once the griddle or skillet is hot, drop ¼ cupfuls of the batter into the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the pancakes look dry and bubbles form on the top.
Flip and cook on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes. If desired, transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batter.
Frequently asked questions
No, the baking soda and baking powder are activated the moment they mix with the liquid ingredients. If the batter is mixed too far in advance the pancakes won't rise as well.
After a few minutes of cooking the top of the pancake will look dry and start to form bubbles. Now is when you want to flip it. Cook the second side for one to two minutes until it is golden brown. The second side usually cooks faster than the first side.
Keep cooked pancakes warm on a sheet pan in a 170 degrees Fahrenheit oven.
Tips
- Make sure your baking powder is fresh. Old expired baking powder will create flat pancakes. Baking powder has a shelf life of 9-12 months. Usually, there is an expiration date printed on the canister. To test your baking powder add a teaspoon of baking powder to a glass of hot water. If it starts to fizz it is still good.
- Don't skip the resting time for the batter. Resting the batter allows it to fully hydrate and gives the baking soda and baking powder time to start reacting leading to fluffier pancakes.
- Be patient when cooking pancakes. Don’t rush them on high heat, or flip them too early.
Storage
Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat the pancakes in the toaster or microwave.
To Freeze
Once they have cooled completely, lay the pancakes in a single layer on a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer. Ince the pancakes have frozen solid transfer them to a ziptop bag labeled with the contents and date.
Pancakes will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. Pancakes can be reheated directly from the freezer in a microwave or toaster.
If you are new to sourdough, I've created a sourdough gift guide which lists all of my favorite sourdough products.
📖 Recipe
Quick Sourdough Discard Oatmeal Pancakes
Equipment
- blender
- griddle or large skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients (2 cups old-fashioned oats, 1 cup sourdough discard½ cup milk, ½ cup Greek yogurt, 2 large eggs, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt) in a blender and blend until the batter is smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Continue blending until you don’t see any remaining bits of oats.
- Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you preheat the griddle or skillet.
- Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly butter the griddle or skillet.
- Once the griddle or skillet is hot, drop ¼ cupfuls of the batter into the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the pancakes look dry and bubbles form on the top.
- Flip and cook on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes. If desired, transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batter.
Notes
- Make sure your baking powder is fresh. Old expired baking powder will create flat pancakes. Baking powder has a shelf life of 9-12 months. Usually, there is an expiration date printed on the canister. To test your baking powder add a teaspoon of baking powder to a glass of hot water. If it starts to fizz it is still good.
- Be patient when cooking pancakes. Don’t rush them on high heat, or flip them too early.
- Keep cooked pancakes warm on a sheet pan in a 170 degrees Fahrenheit oven.
- Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat the pancakes in the toaster or microwave.
Nutrition
More breakfast recipes
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Barbara says
These sound very yummy, but I just need to know what medium-low heat means. My electric griddle has a dial to set the heat from 200-450°. I usually set it at 350° when I make regular pancakes. Also, I usually have buttermilk on hand, can I use that instead of Greek yogurt?
Erica says
I would set your griddle between 300-350. If you substitute buttermilk for the Greek yogurt you might have to add a little more flour, since Greek yogurt is thicker than buttermilk.
Barbara says
Omigosh these were yummy! No extra flour was needed. The oatmeal soaked up all the liquid and it was difficult to blend. I have an old Osterizer, which is fine for very liquid items, but not very good for thick batter like this. Will be using the stand mixer bowl next time. I heated the frying pan to 350° and it was ok, but will try 325° next time. Also added two thawed small overripe bananas. I added the bananas because I had made another recipe that used them and liked the fact that I could downsize my collection of frozen bananas, as well as adding a nice flavor. Realized later I forgot the cinnamon. Didn't miss it.
Erica says
I'm so glad you liked them! Yes, the batter is pretty thick. I suggested blending everything in the blender to save on dishes but it will definitely work to do the final mixing by hand or in a stand mixer.
Cynthia says
This is our favorite sourdough oatmeal pancake recipe. Wow! These were really good! I followed the recipe exactly as written. They blended nice, fried up nice, and tasted very good. Thanks for the recipe!
Erica says
Yay! I am so happy you liked them.
Jackie says
Super good. Just like Dad used to make <3
Erica says
Yay! I am glad you liked them.