These Overnight Sourdough Pancakes are a great make ahead breakfast for the whole family! The sourdough part of the batter rests overnight, then you’ll add the remaining ingredients in the morning.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen how many tries it took me to get these pancakes just right! The first few batches were too gummy, then I needed a few trials to find the perfect cooking method. And finally, I have the recipe to share!
I made these Trim Healthy Mama friendly (THM:E) for the photos, but they also work as a THM crossover if you’d rather use whole eggs instead of just egg whites. I’m also adding a few different flour suggestions below, so you can really make them your own.
Ingredients you’ll need
This is just an overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe – great as a visual grocery list! Scroll down to the recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient notes
Flour: Flour preferences for pancakes will probably vary wildly! We all love a good, white flour pancake, not going to lie here. And we do sometimes make these with white flour! I’ll add the exact measurements into the recipe card below if you wish to use store-bought all-purpose flour.
Personally, I mostly make these with freshly ground wheat or spelt. They get nuttier and a little “heavier” vs pancakes with all-purpose flour, but I absolutely love to incorporate freshly milled grains in our diet any way I can.
Finally, you can obviously make these with store-bought whole wheat flour, or a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Again, I’ll add exact measurements to the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Sourdough starter: I use a starter fed with freshly milled grain near 100% hydration.
The recipe also works perfectly fine with an all-purpose flour starter.
If you keep a starter at 60-70% hydration, you’ll need to add more liquid to the recipe.
Eggs: To keep this Trim Healthy Mama E-friendly, I decided to use all egg whites vs whole eggs. In all honesty, I pretty much always make these with whole eggs for my family these days (none of us need to lose weight at this point and the younger kids definitely need the energy). But just so you know, they work either way.
Milk: In our household, we mostly use either unsweetened almond milk or non-hom*ogenized whole cow’s milk. I know, very specific… But you can use any milk you prefer in this recipe. The outcome and taste will obviously differ a little depending on your milk.
Greek yogurt: I love adding this to the batter, as it makes the sourdough work even better. If you’re dairy-free, you can try adding dairy-free yogurt. But I’m sure mashed banana would work as a great substitute, too.
About the milk/yogurt:
Please bear in mind, if you live in a hot climate OR are using banana in place of the yogurt (OR just don’t feel comfortable with leaving yogurt out overnight), please add the yogurt/banana in the morning and NOT the night before. It has always worked well for me, but you do you!
The same goes for the milk. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving milk outside overnight in the soured batter, then please don’t. Just use a non-dairy milk, or rest the batter in the fridge (allow it to sit on the counter for 30 minutes before making the pancakes, though). Again, it has never been an issue for me (and I have even made a sourdough Challah with a process spanning over 3 days with milk, no issues). But if you feel uncomfortable at all, please make the pancakes in a way that leaves you without worry.
How to make Overnight Sourdough Pancakes
1. You start by combining the sourdough starter, milk, yogurt, honey and flour in a large bowl.
Cover with a clean tea towel and then let this sit overnight. Here’s what mine looked like in the morning:
2. Next, you’ll add your baking soda, baking powder and salt. You’ll also add your egg yolks, if using.
Just combine everything in a small bowl first, then fold it into the pancake batter. No need to worry about overmixing this batter, you’ll want to fully incorporate the ingredients.
3. Next, you’ll want to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. I like to stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter first, then more carefully fold in the remaining 2/3.
That way, you can slack down the batter a little at first and keep more of the air bubbles from the egg whites intact.
4. Now, you’re going to cook the pancakes. I have tried cooking these in many different ways, and the best outcome I’ve had with
- a sizzling hot cast iron pan
- a tiny bit of butter (or oil spray)
- the pancakes cooking for just 20-30 seconds per side
This has worked out much better than using a nonstick griddle (I mean, apart from trying to eliminate nonstick cooking surfaces altogether). The pancakes still come out OK on the griddle, again, you need to make sure it’s so hot that your pancakes will cook in 20-30 seconds per side. The color did come out much more golden in the cast iron though.
Finally, you really need to serve these hot! That’s when they taste best. You could keep them warm on a rack in a warm oven if you must, but I do recommend serving straight from skillet to plate 😉
Recipe tips
- Again, feel free to either leave the sourdough portion of the recipe in the fridge overnight if you’re not comfortable leaving milk/yogurt out on the counter in the batter. Alternatively, use a non-dairy milk and add the yogurt in the morning.
- Don’t be afraid to mix this batter (it’s not like regular pancake batter where you mustn’t overmix). You’ll want to fully incorporate the baking powder/soda and salt, and the eggs in the morning!
- Please pay attention to how you cook the pancakes. They really do best on a sizzling hot surface. You must flip them on time, else they burn quite fast.
Serving ideas
We enjoy these with fresh fruit (allllll of the summer berries my way!) and a dollop of Greek Yogurt.
Feel free to add real maple syrup or honey as well.
If you’re not into THM (or want a crossover breakfast), they are also EXTREMELY delicious with a side of bacon, just saying 😉
More healthy breakfast ideas
- The Best Healthy Waffles
- Easy Overnight Oats | THM E
- Blueberry Oatmeal Bake | THM E
- Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal | THM E
PSIf you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/ora review in the comment sectionfurther down the page? I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me onPinterest,FacebookorInstagram.Sign up for my email list, too!
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Overnight Sourdough Pancakes
Recipe Author: Nora
These Overnight Sourdough Pancakes are a great make ahead breakfast for the whole family! The sourdough part of the batter rests overnight, then you'll add the remaining ingredients in the morning.
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
4.5 from 6 votes
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Servings 6 servings
Difficulty Easy
Prep Time 15 mins
Resting 8 hrs
Total Time 8 hrs 15 mins
Ingredients
To mix at night
- 1.5 cups sourdough starter 250g
- 1 cup milk of your choice 240g; see notes
- 5 tablespoons Greek yogurt 106g
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour 180g; PLEASE see notes!
To add in the morning
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 6g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4g
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2.5g
- 1 tablespoon melted butter OR oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup egg whites OR 2 large whole eggs
Instructions
The night before, combine sourdough starter, milk, yogurt, honey and flour in a large bowl. Let sit overnight, covered with a clean tea towel.
In the morning, combine baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. If using whole eggs, blend egg yolks with melted butter and vanilla. Fold everything into the pancake batter.
Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of egg whites into pancake batter, then gently fold in the remaining 2/3 of egg whites.
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle until sizzling hot. Using oil spray or a tiny bit of butter, cook pancakes, using 3 tablespoons of batter per pancakes. Pancakes should only take 20-30 seconds per side. Flip carefully, they are delicate. Either keep warm on a rack in the oven or serve straight away.
Notes
Ingredient notes
Flour: Flour preferences for pancakes will probably vary wildly! We all love a good, white flour pancake, not going to lie here. And we do sometimes make these with white flour! I’ll add the exact measurements into the recipe card below if you wish to use store-bought all-purpose flour.
Personally, I mostly make these with freshly ground wheat or spelt. They get nuttier and a little “heavier” vs pancakes with all-purpose flour, but I absolutely love to incorporate freshly milled grains in our diet any way I can.
Finally, you can obviously make these with store-bought whole wheat flour, or a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Again, I’ll add exact measurements to the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
You will always need 180g of flour, no matter what you use. In volume, it can differ greatly! Here is what you need in volume per type of flour:
- Freshly ground wheat or spelt: 1 3/4 cups PLUS 3 tablespoons
- Whole wheat flour: 1 1/2 cups
- All-purpose flour: 1 1/3 cups PLUS 2 scant tablespoons
Sourdough starter: I use a starter fed with freshly milled grain near 100% hydration.
The recipe also works perfectly fine with an all-purpose flour starter.
If you keep a starter at 60-70% hydration, you’ll need to add more liquid to the recipe.
Eggs: To keep this Trim Healthy Mama E-friendly, I decided to use all egg whites vs whole eggs. In all honesty, I pretty much always make these with whole eggs for my family these days (none of us need to lose weight at this point and the younger kids definitely need the energy). But just so you know, they work either way.
Milk: In our household, we mostly use either unsweetened almond milk or non-hom*ogenized whole cow’s milk. I know, very specific… But you can use any milk you prefer in this recipe. The outcome and taste will obviously differ a little depending on your milk.
Greek yogurt: I love adding this to the batter, as it makes the sourdough work even better. If you’re dairy-free, you can try adding dairy-free yogurt. But I’m sure mashed banana would work as a great substitute, too.
About the milk/yogurt:
Please bear in mind, if you live in a hot climate OR are using banana in place of the yogurt (OR just don’t feel comfortable with leaving yogurt out overnight), please add the yogurt/banana in the morning and NOT the night before. It has always worked well for me, but you do you!
The same goes for the milk. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving milk outside overnight in the soured batter, then please don’t. Just use a non-dairy milk, or rest the batter in the fridge (allow it to sit on the counter for 30 minutes before making the pancakes, though). Again, it has never been an issue for me (and I have even made a sourdough Challah with a process spanning over 3 days with milk, no issues). But if you feel uncomfortable at all, please make the pancakes in a way that leaves you without worry.
Recipe tips
- Again, feel free to either leave the sourdough portion of the recipe in the fridge overnight if you’re not comfortable leaving milk/yogurt out on the counter in the batter. Alternatively, use a non-dairy milk and add the yogurt in the morning.
- Don’t be afraid to mix this batter (it’s not like regular pancake batter where you mustn’t overmix). You’ll want to fully incorporate the baking powder/soda and salt, and the eggs in the morning!
- Please pay attention to how you cook the pancakes. They really do best on a sizzling hot surface. You must flip them on time, else they burn quite fast.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 223kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 9gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 558mgPotassium: 165mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 62IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 1mg
New to Trim Healthy Mama?My site isn’t an official Trim Healthy Mama site, I just share my favorite recipes here. That’s why I don’t talk about any specific information about this feel-good way of eating – for more, you’ll have to go directly to the source. I’m adding my affiliate links to the THM books below – I own all four of them and I can only recommend them wholeheartedly!
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