My sourdough pumpkin spice pancakes are light and fluffy and full of incredible fall flavors like pumpkin, maple, cinnamon, and nutmeg and they are topped with irresistible brown sugar cinnamon butter. Start them the night before you plan to cook them, these pumpkin pancakes come together quickly and are a fantastic way to use all that sourdough starter you've been accumulating.
Make these pancakes on a lazy autumn weekend morning for breakfast, or serve them for Thanksgiving breakfast or brunch.
You can also try my decadent Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.
My version is topped in cinnamon butter which I will also teach you how to make.
This recipe is easy and versatile too, as you can use your active sourdough starter or unfed sourdough discard.
And YES you can mix them up the same morning you cook them up or do — my favorite way — the overnight option, which results in healthier and easier to digest fermented flour and even tastier pancakes.
For more fall and Thanksgiving recipes, along with crafts, check out my Thanksgiving page too to simplify your holiday planning and preperation.
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Sourdough Discard Explained
What is sourdough discard? It is the extra unfed sourdough starter you have kicking around that is leftover from sourdough baking. Every time you feed your sourdough starter there will be some discard. Instead of throwing this stuff away, which is incredibly wasteful, use the unfed discard to make delicious fermented sourdough recipes like these pancakes.
Ingredients
- sourdough discard
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- allspice
- baking soda
- ground ginger
- sea salt
- pumpkin puree
- unsalted butter
- whole milk
- eggs
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Whether you're choosing to make the (better tasting and healthier) version of overnight pancakes or making them the morning of, the instructions are virtually the same.
For the morning-of pancake recipe variation, you will simply do the first step below in the morning with fed or unfed sourdough starter before moving on immideietly to the next step. That's literally it.
The night before, combine your sourdough discard with flour and milk in a large bowl. Cover and leave out on your kitchen counter overnight.
The next morning (although this step can be done the night before too) whisk together the remainder of the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
Beat the eggs well in a small bowl, and then whisk/stir in the pumpkin puree and melted butter.
Whisk/stir the wet ingredients together thoroughly.
Whisk or stir the bowl with the wet ingredients into the large bowl of sourdough discard, flour, and milk you prepared the night before.
Whisk or stir in the dry ingredients afterwards too. You may see some bubbles from the overnight fermentation.
Make sure not to over mix or your pancakes will come out rubbery and gummy or tough. It will be about this consistency.
Heat up a pan (stainless, carbon, cast iron, non-stick) over medium-high heat and add your fat of choice ( I recommend ghee, coconut oil, or lard) before scooping a ¼ cup of batter into the hot pan.
Lower the heat. Once the edges begin to look golden and the tops start to look puffy (about 2 mins).
Flip and cook until the bottom is brown and crisp! The insides will be soft and fluffy. Serve immediately or allow to cool before freezing.
Hint: resting your pancakes on a wire rack before serving keeps the bottoms from getting soggy or mushy!
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Butter Instructions
Cinnamon butter is a delicious topping for these sourdough pancakes and is very simple to prepare. Make sure to leave your butter out beforehand to soften.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together well until combined.
Hot Cinnamon Maple Syrup Instructions
Hot maple syrup is a delicious pancake and waffle topping. I like to sometimes mix it with butter or just some cinnamon for an added punch of flavor.
Ingredients
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
Instructions
Heat maple syrup on the stove top and then whisk in the cinnamon. Add a few tablespoons of butter if desired and allow to thicen for a few minutes on medium heat. Syrup will thicken further as it cools down. Serve hot or warm.
Variations
- Nuts - add walnuts or pecans as a topping, toasted is especially nice.
- Bananas - add a mashed banana into the pumpkin puree step,
- Buttermilk - use buttermilk instead of whole milk
- Add a cream cheese frosting instead of cinnamon butter.
Equipment
- Frying Pan or Griddle (cast iron is my favorite)
- Large bowl
- Small bowls (2)
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
Storage
These pancakes are best when served immediately. You can also easily freeze them by first placing them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper before transferring to a freezer-safe bag or other container.
You can also store the pancake batter up to two days in the refrigerator as long as you omit the baking soda and powder until just before cooking.
Top tip
Make the batter a day or two ahead of time and then impress everyone on Thanksgiving morning with these pancakes. Just omit the baking soda and powder until right before cooking for best results.
Pumpkin Recipes
- The BEST Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake
- EASY Pumpkin Pie Twists
- Keto Pumpkin Cookies {Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free}
Sourdough Recipes
- Sourdough Pumpkin Cake
- Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Mini Sourdough Chocolate-Dipped Pumpkin Muffins
- Sourdough Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
- Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes {Discard Option}
Also, check out my Thanksgiving section for all of my Thanksgiving desserts, mains, sides, and leftovers recipes as well as autumn crafts and everything else that goes along with the fall season and Thanksgiving holiday.
My smoked whole turkey recipe is another popular Thanksgiving favorite from the blog and so is my old-fashioned fresh apple cake.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough discard or starter
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour scooped & levelled
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 3 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Butter
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Hot Cinnamon Maple Syrup
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Overnight (Preferred) Instructions
- Combine flour, sourdough discard, and milk in a large bowl. Cover and leave on your kitchen counter until the morning when you are ready to cook. The following day it may be bubbly from the fermentation.
- The following day combine baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, ginger and salt in a small bowl. Whisk or stir it together, and set aside.
- In another small bowl beat the eggs well and then stir in the pumpkin puree and melted butter until smooth.
- Add the dry contents of the first bowl and the wet contents of the second small bowl into the large bowl of flour, sourdough discard, and milk you prepared the night before.
- Stir until just combined but do not overmix or you may get gummy and rubbery pancakes. A few lumps are fine as they will cook out.
- Heat griddle or pan on the stove to medium. Lightly coat the pan with about 1-2 teaspoon of lard, ghee, or coconut oil.
- Scoop ¼ cup of the batter onto the heated pan and lower the heat as needed. Depending on your stove you may need to lower to low or keep it closer to medium.
- Once the edges begin to look golden, the top should look puffy (about 2 mins, no more).
- Flip and cook until the bottom is brown and crisp.
- I highly recommend transferring the cooked pancakes onto a wire rack to prevent the bottoms from getting soggy or mushy!
- Serve immediately
Same Day Instructions
To make these pancakes the same day, all of the above steps will be followed in the exact same way except you will not start the night before. An active (fed) starter is best for same-day pancakes but sourdough discard will work too.- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Butter Instructions: Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together well until combined.
- Hot Cinnamon Maple Syrup Instructions: Heat maple syrup on the stove top and then whisk in the cinnamon. Simmer on low and allow to thicken for a few minutes. Syrup will thicken further as it cools down. Serve hot or warm.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQ
You can do lots of things with sourdough discard, including most things you can do with fed/active sourdough starter. There is no reason to throw the discard away and the term "discard" is rather unfortunate as it implies this extra starter is garbage, which is very far from the truth. Sourdough discard can be collected and stored in the refrigerator for 1 week or frozen.
Absolutely you can use the sourdough starter straight from the refrigerator. The overnight option, however, will yield a fermented flour grain that is healthier and easier to digest while also tasting better.
I don't consider grain-based food as health food in isolation, but as part of a healthy diet that includes plenty of nutrient dense animal foods, it is perfectly fine and healthy. Pancakes are more of a special treat/dessert or weekend endeavor to me — and there is nothing wrong with that. Using organic flour or especially flour you have freshly ground yourself is even better. Fermented foods like sourdough also make grains considerably healthier and easier to digest,
Like regular pancakes but with more depth of flavor. They're not necessarily sour or tangy either, it really depends on your starter and the temperature of your kitchen.
Yes, like all real foods, sourdough discard will eventually spoil and even become toxic. It should be stored in the fridge for no more than a week or frozen.
You likely overmixed the batter. Never overmix flour. Stir or whisk until the ingredients are just combined. A few lumps are fine and will cook out.
In the refrigerator, it will keep up to two days but I recommend committing the baking soda and powder until you are ready to cook.
Yes, you can freeze sourdough pancakes. It is best practice to freeze them first in a single layer on a cookie sheet before transferring the pancakes to an airtight bag where they will keep for three months or more.
Yes, the pancake batter can be mixed completely, covered, and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.
The heat required for a great pancake is too high for butter which would burn. It is best to use ghee (clarified butter), coconut oil, or lard. If you have leaf lard, all the better.
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