Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes | Sourdough Discard Recipes | Best Fluffy Pancakes

Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes have a fluffy, soft crumb that tastes everything like what mom used to make. Seriously, no one will know these are gluten free.

Pancakes are one of my favorite and easiest ways to use up gluten-free sourdough discard. Add chocolate chips, blueberries, or simply enjoy the original.

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You'll need gluten-free sourdough discard to make these pancakes, ideally from a brown rice or sorghum flour starter. If you don’t already have a gluten-free sourdough starter, you’ll need to make one first: How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter.

Looking for More Gluten Free Sourdough Recipes?

Love making discard recipes? Then you'll want to look through my 15 Best Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Recipes roundup post.

If you need some reliable bread recipes, then you can start with my Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread, then move on to my Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Bread Bowls. If you want a classic sourdough recipe where it is the sole rising agent (no yeast whatsoever), then try this Gluten Free Sourdough Classic Boule.

Pancake Syrup Ideas

Have fresh or frozen berries on hand? Try my Berry Maple Syrup. Or if you want something a little fancy, make the Butter Pecan Syrup from my French Toast Casserole recipe.

What is sourdough discard?

Sourdough discard is the portion of starter you remove before each feeding. Instead of throwing it away, store it in a jar in the fridge. This discarded starter is considered inactive because the wild yeast and bacteria have already consumed all the available “food” (flour and water), and no new nutrients have been added.

Since discard is no longer active, it works perfectly in recipes that don’t require yeast for leavening. Think of all the baked goods you can make without rise time—brownies, cookies, banana bread and other quick breads, crackers, and more.

Can I use 2-week-old gluten free sourdough discard?

Yes, it’s totally up to you! The older the discard, the more sour the flavor will be.

For sweet recipes like pancakes, it’s usually best to use newer discard, while older discard works well for savory recipes like crackers. That said, I’ve used two-week-old discard in pancakes without noticing a difference. It really depends on your starter, its flour blend, hydration, and how frequently it’s fed.

A tip for keeping discard from becoming too sour: pour off any hooch that collects on top instead of stirring it back in.

What are the benefits of eating gluten free sourdough?

Sourdough is well-loved for its potential health benefits. While it does contain gut-friendly bacteria like lactobacillus, these probiotics are killed during baking, so you won’t get a direct probiotic boost.

However, as a fermented food, the bacteria and wild yeast in the starter predigest the starches in the flour, making the bread easier to digest and potentially helping to keep blood sugar more stable. For these reasons, sourdough may support gut health and digestion.

For those living with Celiac Disease (like me), sourdough is a great way to enjoy a wider variety of grains beyond rice, such as sorghum, millet, or buckwheat, adding both diversity and nutrition to the diet.

Ingredients for Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes:

Wet Ingredients:

• Sourdough discard (unfed starter)
• Buttermilk. Make it yourself by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. For dairy-free, use a neutral plant milk such as almond milk. Important: Use room temperature buttermilk to prevent the melted butter from hardening in the batter.
• Eggs
• Unsalted butter. For dairy-free, use a plant-based butter such as Earth Balance.
• Pure vanilla extract
• Neutral oil for cooking the pancakes. I like cooking my pancakes with a little oil because it gives the edges a nice crisp. If you prefer butter, feel free to use that instead.

Dry Ingredients:

• High quality gluten-free all purpose flour containing xanthan gum. I used Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour (the blue bag) for this recipe. King Arthur Measure for Measure works, but tends to be drier, so you might need to add a touch more liquid to the batter.
• Granulated sugar, or honey or maple syrup
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt

Feel free to mix in your favorite additions or toppings, like chocolate chips, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, or chopped nuts.

How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt—excluding the sugar.
• In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar until combined. Add the sourdough discard, eggs, vanilla, and room-temperature buttermilk, whisking until smooth.
• Gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. For thick, fluffy pancakes, the batter should be relatively thick and bubbly. For thinner, flatter pancakes, stir in an additional ¼ to ½ cup of buttermilk or regular milk to loosen the batter.

• Let the batter rest for 10 minutes while you preheat the skillet.

• Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering. Pour ⅓ cup of batter per pancake (or ¼ cup for thinner pancakes) onto the hot skillet, leaving 1–2 inches of space between each. Cook until the edges begin to set and bubbles start to pop on top. Use a spatula to check the underside—flip once golden brown, and cook the remaining side for a few more minutes until cooked through.

• Repeat with the remaining batter, adding another tablespoon of oil to the skillet as needed.

• Serve the pancakes warm with butter and maple syrup, or your favorite toppings.

Equipment

All you really need to make Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes is a large, flat griddle or cast iron skillet. A spatula is also always a must.

Don't want to make a starter from scratch? This Sourdough Starter Culture packet gives you a head start with a dehydrated gluten-free sourdough starter culture and directions to follow to maintain it for years to come. I love this website because there's also cheesemaking, yogurt, kombucha, and fermented vegetable kits. (Use the code WONDERS15X on Cultures For Health's website to get 15% off!) The GF starter is also available for purchase on Amazon here.

How to Store Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes:

You can store these pancakes in the fridge or freezer and reheat as needed.

For the fridge: Keep pancakes in an airtight container to prevent drying, and eat within 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 20–30 seconds per side with a damp paper towel on top.

For the freezer: Stack pancakes in groups of 2–3, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Reheat as needed in the microwave for 30–45 seconds per side with a damp paper towel on top.

Notes on Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes:

• You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. For a dairy-free option, use a neutral plant milk like almond milk.
• Use room-temperature buttermilk to prevent the melted butter from solidifying in the batter.
• For best results, let the batter sit for 10 minutes before cooking. This allows the starches to absorb the liquid, preventing any grittiness.

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You can also join my Facebook group, Gluten Free Sourdough Baking Recipes and Advice, to share recipes, post photos, and get advice in live time. Currently we have 10,000 members and growing!