These Quick and Crispy Sourdough Waffles are crunchy and golden on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
No overnight fermentation needed. These waffles are ready in less than 30 minutes.
If you are maintaining a sourdough starter you will likely have lots of sourdough discard. I feed my starter first thing in the morning and love making these crispy sourdough waffles with the discard.
Here are some more great sourdough recipes for breakfast: Sourdough Discard Banana Bread, Buttermilk Sourdough Pancakes, Ham and Cheese Sourdough Scones, Sourdough Oatmeal Pancakes, Sourdough Chocolate Banana Bread, Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Sourdough Blueberry Scones, Sourdough Pumpkin Bread, and Sourdough Dutch Baby.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- This Sourdough Waffle Recipe comes together quickly and doesn’t need any rising time since baking soda is used as the leavening agent.
- You can use sourdough starter at any stage. Use unfed sourdough starter, recently fed starter or sourdough discard you have been storing in the refrigerator.
- These sourdough waffles are a great way to use up excess starter and unfed sourdough discard.
- This recipe is also freezer friendly. Whip up a double batch and save some in the freezer for another day of the week.
Recipe Ingredients
All-Purpose Flour: This recipe uses standard all-purpose flour. No special flour is necessary. For accuracy, the best way to measure the flour is by using a digital kitchen scale.
Tip: If you don't have a digital scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with the back of a butter knife. Try not to compress the flour into the measuring cup.
Buttermilk: The buttermilk should be at room temperature. Buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to make these pancakes light and fluffy.
Tip: Don't worry if you don't have buttermilk. You can easily make your own. Simply add 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to the 1 ½ cups of milk. Give it a quick stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. The milk we begin to curdle and thicken.
Sourdough Discard: Bring your sourdough discard to room temperature before adding it to the recipe. It will be easier to incorporate.
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.
Granulated Sugar: Adding sugar to your egg whites allows the sugar to interact with the egg white proteins and helps stabilize the whipped egg white foam.
Large Eggs: By separating the eggs and whipping the egg whites into soft peaks before folding them into the batter you will create a light and airy waffle batter resulting in light crispy waffles.
Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Are you new to sourdough? I have plenty of information to help you on your sourdough journey.
- How to Create Your Own Micro Sourdough Starter
- Scrapings Method for Sourdough Starter
- How to Dehydrate Sourdough Starter
- Storing Sourdough Starter in the Refrigerator
- Storing Sourdough Starter on the Counter
- Best Containers for Storing Sourdough Starter and Discard
- How Long Does Sourdough Discard Last?
- What is the Difference Between Sourdough Starter and Sourdough Discard?
- Best Gifts for Sourdough Bakers
Substitutions and Variations
For a nuttier flavor substitute whole wheat flour for one cup of the all-purpose flour.
Add some chocolate chips or chopped berries to the batter for extra flavor.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature.
Tip: Since most people only have one waffle iron, this is the easiest way to keep waffles warm as you make them one by one.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
Step 3: Add the sourdough discard, buttermilk, milk, melted butter, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Stir until just combined.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, begin whisking the egg whites. Slowly add the sugar and continue to whisk until the egg whites form soft peaks.
Step 5: Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the waffle batter until just combined.
Let the batter rest while you preheat the waffle maker.
Tip: If you need instructions on how to whip and fold in egg whites check out the instructions in my original post for Crispy Waffles.
Step 6: Pour the waffle batter onto a hot waffle iron.
Step 7: Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles.
As they finish cooking transfer each waffle directly to the oven rack to keep warm and continue to crisp.
Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many delicious waffle topping to choose from.
I love slathering these delicious sourdough waffles with butter and maple syrup. You could also top them with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
Try topping them with jam like this Small-Batch Blueberry Jam or this Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Jam.
Add a side of maple sausage or top them with this Smokey Bacon Onion Jam for the perfect weekend meal.
Want to serve these easy sourdough waffles for dinner? Make up a batch of my fried Sourdough Fried Chicken (or these Baked Sourdough Chicken Strips) and serve them on top of these sourdough waffles topped with honey and hot sauce.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Leftover sourdough waffles can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat the waffles in the toaster or microwave.
To Freeze: Once they have cooled completely, lay the waffles in a single layer on a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the waffles have frozen solid transfer them to a ziptop bag labeled with the contents and date.
Sourdough discard waffles will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. They can be reheated directly from the freezer in a microwave or toaster.
Recipe FAQs
I wouldn't recommend it. The freezing and thawing process would deflate the whipped egg whites. It would be better to cook the extra batter and freeze the finished waffles.
My waffle maker has an indicator light that turns green when the waffles are supposedly done. But I don't think it is very accurate. The best way to tell when your waffles are ready is to wait until the steam has almost completely stopped rising out of the waffle maker before lifting the lid.
Waffles cook quickly and should be done in a couple minutes.
My biggest issue with waffles is that unless you have multiple waffle irons, you can only cook one waffle at a time. When making waffles for multiple people this just doesn't work. Here's how to keep waffles warm so that everyone can eat together.
1. Set your oven to the lowest temperature possible.
2. Place your cooked waffles directly on the oven rack to keep them warm and crispy while you cook the rest of the waffles.
Expert Tips
- For a nuttier flavor substitute whole wheat flour for one cup of the all-purpose flour.
- Warm the buttermilk before combining it with the melted butter. If you don't the butter will coagulate and you will be left with small bits of butter that won't mix with the rest of the ingredients.
- If you don't have buttermilk, stir one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of milk. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to "sour."
- Waffle batter is similar to biscuit and pie dough. The less you handle it the more tender the result will be. Do not beat your waffle batter. Stir until all of the ingredients are just combined. A few lumps are fine.
- Figure out how much waffle batter your waffle iron will hold. The exact amount of batter you need to create full waffles that don't overflow out of the waffle iron will vary depending upon the type of waffle iron you have. I own a standard American-style waffle iron that holds a ½ cup of batter. A larger Belgian waffle maker will require more batter.
- Use wooden or rubber utensils, not metal, to remove the waffles. This will help prevent scratches and preserve the nonstick surface of the waffle iron. I like these nylon-tipped spring-loaded tongs.
More Breakfast Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Sourdough Waffles
Equipment
- mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 eggs separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt together. Add the 1 cup sourdough discard, 1 ½ cup buttermilk, ½ cup unsalted butter, egg yolks, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, begin whisking the egg whites. Slowly add the 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar and continue to whisk until the egg whites form soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the waffle batter until just combined.
- Let the batter rest while you preheat the waffle iron.
- Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. As they finish cooking transfer each waffle directly to the oven rack to keep warm and continue to crisp. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
- Top with the toppings of your choice and enjoy.
Anna says
Fluffy, crispy and tangy! We will be putting these on repeat.
Erica Schramek says
I am so glad you liked them!
Sarah Moul says
This recipe is SO GOOD. I usually make it just as written, but tonight I added 3/4c pumpkin and chocolate chips. So yummy!
Erica Schramek says
Yum! Pumpkin and chocolate sound delicious.
Nina says
Excellent ,crispy fluffy yummy!!🤤 yummy 😋
Erica Schramek says
I am so happy you liked them. I need to make a batch for breakfast soon.