Pancakes or waffles are something of a must around our home on weekends, and although I love varying things a little each time, here's one recipe that is our hands-down favorite and that gets made, perhaps, more than any other: my Vegan Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes.
This amazing recipe is for all of you sourdough aficionados out there who are just beginning on or already have a sourdough starter at home. From the day I began to make sourdough pancakes (and waffles), I was a changed woman. I have never gone back to making plain old pancakes because, delicious as those are, they do not hold a candle to the amazing flavor and texture of sourdough pancakes.
There is more health and nutrition packed into this recipe than you can wrap your head around.
-- There's sourdough, of course, with all of its great probiotic benefits, not to mention the amazing flavor it adds to just about anything.
-- There is the wholegrain, which gives you protein and fiber for a power start to your morning.
-- And there are the blueberries, which make these vegan pancakes healthier (and prettier) and pack a wholesome flavor punch.
This recipe for vegan blueberry pancakes makes enough for an army, so they are perfect for breakfast or brunch with friends and/or family. But if you want to scale things down to one or two people, just adjust the proportions down (use the handy servings slider in the recipe box).
Make these, and if you do, don't forget to come back and tell me how they turned out!
Related recipes
Vegan Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter (Either discard or active is fine)
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 cups nondairy milk (I use almond)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup or vegan cane or turbinado sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or pink salt
- 2 tablespoon flaxmeal
- Maple syrup for serving
- 2 cups blueberries
- Juice of 1 lemon (optional) I like the lemony tang, but the sourdough is already tangy so you might not want to add it.
Instructions
- The night before you make your pancakes, mix the nondairy milk with the vinegar and set aside for a couple of minutes to curdle.
- In a large bowl, mix the nondairy milk with the sourdough starter, flour, and maple syrup or sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place (like an unheated oven with the light turned on) overnight.
- By morning, your pancake batter should be all puffy and bubbly and it should have risen. Mix in the salt, baking soda, flaxmeal, blueberries, and lemon juice, if using.
- Heat a griddle and coat with cooking spray. Pour the batter on the griddle using a ¼ cup measure for each pancake.
- Cook until the sides are dry and bubbles appear in the center, then flip and continue to cook on the other side until set.
- Serve hot with maple syrup and fresh blueberries, if desired.
Recipe notes
Nutrition
allison
so nice to see a sourdough site which does not promote products which exploit our fellow earthlings!
i have been keeping my discard in freezer. i guess if i use it in your reipes, i won't get the same effect of the puffing up, with the pancakes, and the pie crust. but the flavour will be nice. i guess, i ould maybe use my starter from the freezer and a spoon of my starter from the fridge the night before? what do you think? i am thinking since i am not a frequent baker, i should start dehydrating my starter, and storing it in the cupboard.
Vaishali
Hi Allison, you can just thaw the starter from the freezer for a few hours before adding to the recipes.
Aleisha
By far the best sourdough pancake recipe I’ve come across! Sitting it overnight really creates a fully thin pancake. All other recipes I’ve tried created thick pancakes that still tasted good but didn’t have the right texture. These were great. I think next time I’m going to try to sub half the flour for oat flour and I’ll update here!
Olek
It looks like a recipe I would love to make but I would also love the ingredients amounts by weight - in grams preferably.
Melissa
I've made the waffles numerous times and finally made the pancakes today. These are yummy! Thank you for another great discard recipe!
alex
I've made these several times. I use Rice Milk and skip the curdle step. Hands down, the best pancakes i've had. And I grew up on a small dairy farm! I bake sourdough bread weekly, so sourdough is ready and willing.
thank you!
Jacki
These were really good. I had some homemade cashew milk i used. The lemon juice was perfect with the blueberry!
Vaishali
So happy to hear, Jacki!
Sarika
Just yum
Neico
i cook it a bit longer time crispy outside and gummy inside , my kids totally approved. will definitely make it again. also its a really great way to use my discard.
thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Josey
Do you think I could pour all the batter in the morning into one big pan and bake them, like a giant pancake? I hate standing over the stove all morning!
Vaishali
Yes, you absolutely can--like in this skillet pancake recipe. 🙂 https://holycowvegan.net/sourdough-skillet-pancake/
Jackie C Shane
I have made two or your sourdough pancake recipes so far, and was really impressed. In my craziness this morning I accidentally used rice flour instead of whole wheat and they were so good I might do it again. I sub in 1/4 oat flour usually too. Thanks!
Anonymous
The best pancakes ever!
Vaishali
Thank you! 🙂
Jessie
Hi, at what temperature do you cook these and how long do you leave them cooking for? I've made them twice now and they never cook in the middle. I've tried lowering the temperature and spreading the batter out so they aren't as thick. They have good flavor but the texture isn't right. I currently have pancakes on my electric griddle that have been cooking for 15 minutes. Please send me your cooking tips!
Vaishali
Hi Jessie, heat your griddle on medium-high heat. After you pour out your pancakes on the griddle once it's hot, the sure way to know they will cook in the middle is to wait until bubbles appear in the center. Flip only after that happens. It looks like your sourdough could be thick, which is making the pancake batter too thick. Try thinning it with some more nondairy milk. Also if at any point you find that the pancakes are browning too past, lower the heat. Hope this helps.
Kiana
Hello! Can I use entirely all purpose flour for this recipe? Also, I don't have flaxmeal - will it ruin the batter if I skip it?
Vaishali
Yes, you can use all purpose flour. And okay to skip the flaxmeal.
Alex
Loved this recipe! Tasted just like sourdough and the blueberries sweetened it just enough. 🙂
Vaishali
So happy to hear, Alex!
Lena Spadacene
These are the perfect pancakes! I couldn't wait til morning so I added 2 tsp. baking power in addition to the baking soda and griddled them immediately. They turned out great.
Thank you Vaishali for bringing more delicious joy to my family!
Vaishali
Hi Lena, so happy to hear, and thrilled to see you here. 🙂
Kiana
Hello! Can I use entirely all purpose flour for this recipe? Also, I don't have flaxmeal - will it ruin the recipe if I just skip it?
Myna
Hi! I was eager and put everything in the bowl without reading the recipe completely. Should I place in the fridge instead of somewhere warm? So it doesn’t bubble over. I appreciate this so much. We are having pancakes for dinner!
Vaishali
No, just keep in a warm spot and make the pancakes as planned. They might not turn out as fluffy.
Loribeth
Hello! What would happen if i use' fed' sourdough starter? I just found this recipe on line and unfortunately, my sourdough is bubbling on the counter from yesterday's feeding. This recipe looks fantastic.
Vaishali
Fed starter is just fine in this.
Aggie Mark Henningsen
OH MY GOODNESSSSS!!! These are the best pancakes EVER!! The best whole grain, The best vegan, the best sourdough, simply the best! I, like another did not wait overnight. I found the recipe this morning, placed it in my warm spot for about 3 hours and made these perfect pancakes for brunch! My husband is not a huge pancake fan, but is VERY impressed and looking forward to the next batch already! My husband and I Thank you!
Vaishali
Awesome, so happy you both enjoyed them Aggie.
Cy
Hi, Is blueberries required? I don't like blueberries ahaha ? if I make it without the blueberries would that taste bad? Are you supposed to juice the blueberries before mixing them in with the batter? Can I replace them with strawberries instead? Cheers
Anonymous
Is blueberries required? I don't like blueberries ahaha ? if I make it without the blueberries would that taste bad? Are you supposed to juice the blueberries before mixing them in with the batter? Can I replace them with strawberries instead?
CR
I mixed in the apple cider vinegar. It lists it in the ingredients list but not in the recipe instructions. Why is that? Thanks!
Vaishali
You missed it in step 1.
kennedy levoitson
These look amazing! Could you sub regular whole wheat flour for the whole wheat pastry flour?
Vaishali
You can, but they'd be a bit dense. I'd go with half whole wheat and half all purpose.
Karen
These were delicious. My husband and son both thought they tasted great. We ate them with almond butter and a little maple syrup.
Karen
These were delicious. My pancake loving husband and son both loved them.
Joy P
I made these today- just starting to dabble with sourdough. They were delicious but way too thick. Instead of 12 per half recipe, I got about 6. Would that be because my starter was too thick? Would adding more milk wreck it?
Vaishali
Yes, your starter may have been too thick. You can add more milk you want to thin them out to your liking.
Alex
Wow Vaishali, these are indeed the best and the fluffiest pancakes I ever ate in my life. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! Let me just tell you I did not wait overnight, I was too impatient, but only couple of hours before making them, but no matter, these were mind-blowing. Only problem was that I used up all my sourdough starter, so I immediately started a new batch, this time twice the size 😉 Thanks and looking forward to some more of your jewels!
Vaishali
Hi Alex, that's awesome to hear! One quick tip--never use up "all" of your starter. Save at least a couple of tablespoons of it, so that way you don't have to go through the trouble of waiting seven more days for a starter to be ready. Or, the day before you make your recipe, feed your starter a little extra so you have more and don't use it all up. 🙂
Alex
Thnx, Imam now making a huge batch so it does not happen again 😉
Laura
Could you refrigerate the mix to keep some for the next day?
Vaishali
Make the pancakes and then store them. Warm before eating.
Nate
Really good Pancakes. I ended up making my own Peanut Butter milk with 3 Tbsp PB for 1 cup of water with vanilla. I also omited the vinegar and lemon. I really enjoy just tasting the tang from the sourdough and not all the other stuff. It is key not to overmix...just stir until everything is wet.
Eve
These are amazing! I made them with buckwheat flour and the sourdough taste is fantastic, I didn't feel the need the add any lemon. Thank you so much for this recipe
Emma Nailer
I only have strong bread flour or chickpea flour available. Would either of these work in place of the whole wheat flour?
Vaishali
You could try a combination -- bread flour is high in gluten which is not desirable in pancakes, but chickpea flour, which is gluten-free, could cut that. Keep in mind that chickpea flour has a stronger flavor, so that would affect how your pancakes taste. I'd sub with half and half--half bread flour, half chickpea flour.
Emma Nailer
Thank you for your reply. We took your advice and used half bread flour and half chickpea. I don't know how they compare to the original recipe but they were delicious so thank you!
Donnie
What about subbing AP for whole wheat flour?
Hannah
These pancakes are delicious, definitely my new goto pancake recipe! Thank you for posting 🙂
Vaishali
Yes!
Anonymous
THNAK YOU FOR POSTING! Made half batch today. Did some tweaking, and yum! Adding aquafaba helped.
Veronique
Hi Vaishali,
I'm planning to make the pancakes but I don't have flax meal on hand. Would "chia egg" works instead or should I just skip the flax meal?
Thank you for that recipe, can't wait to try it!
Vaishali
Just skip the flax! If the batter looks dry you can add more nondairy milk or water -- or even aquafaba.
Viktoria B.
Dear Vaishali,
this recipe is so amazing! I've made the pancakes several times and my family loves it so much. I love not having to throw away any of the discard with this recipe. Thank you so much!
Viktoria
Amy
Hi Vaishali, is it possible to make the pancake batter with my discarded starter portion and make it the same time or like within a few hours? Because I feel it will go too sour after 8 to 10 hours.
Vaishali
You can make it with the discard but you need to give the batter the required time so the sourdough can work on the starches in the flour.
Suzanne Bjornson
I've made these pancakes twice now and they're fantastic. Love the addition of lemon to the batter for extra tang (and nutrition). I include a tablespoon of vanilla in the batter too. They're so easy, yet a crowd pleaser. Thanks for another recipe. I regularly make several of your entree recipes.
Suzanne
Lekha
Thanks for the recipe. I found it a touch too tangy for my liking and my kids unfortunately didn’t like it at all. I see the potential though and I want to incorporate more sourdough into the littles diet. What can I do? I’m in Singapore and I had it out in our kitchen counter for 8 hours overnight. I’m guessing that was too Long?
Vaishali
The time sounds fine. Sourdough is an acquired taste and some people grow to love it while others never might. My son probably didn't love it at first but he won't have pancakes or waffles any other way now. If you want to try recipes with a mild flavor try breads first -- I have several on the blog.
nicole
I made this for a brunch party yesterday and it was a hit! I kept it non-dairy but with a couple of fresh eggs from the chicken coop this time and added a touch more coconut sugar. I'll make these again and try the flax instead. Thanks for this easy and delicious recipe!
Vaishali
Awesome, happy you tried them!
Radhika
Hey Vaishali, I live in Mumbai and tried this pancake recipe just now. It was tooooo sour! Had to throw away the whole batch 🙁 could it be that I have to reduce amount of sourdough or keep the batter only for few hours and not overnight given the weather here? Followed the recipe to the T. Please let me know, TIA
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Rahdhika, how familiar are you with sourdough baking? Sourdough will impart a tangy flavor to anything you add it to. That said it's possible your sourdough got too ripe in the Bombay heat, so you could try letting it stand for a shorter time.
Radhika
Thanks Vaishali. I have had sour dough goodies before but not made it myself! Just followed your started recipe
For the first time! I
Will try reducing the time
To around 4 hours. This was like a very very very sour idli if you understand that! Thanks for the recipe!
Eli Rabinovitz
I've never tasted anything like this. Thank you so much.
Stephanie
These were incredibly delicious! My kids enjoyed helping and eating these. This is a wonderfully easy and filling way to use up my sourdough discard. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Sandra
The overnight sponge was bubbly but by morning there were no more bubbles - now what do I do?
Vaishali
It may not look bubbly, but if your starter has been maintained and fed properly, the batter will work just fine.
Kaitlyn Modz
Hi Vaishali! I recently started a sourdough starter of my own, but the cool Scottish weather is hindering its maturity quite a bit. That means lots of twice-a-day feedings and one of me, unsure of how to make some use of all the discard and feeling a little wasteful. I tried making these pancakes, thinking they weren't going to work out so well (since I'd been somewhat frustrated by the lack of rising in my starter), and they were great! To my surprise and delight, a "sponge" of sorts certainly did form overnight, and in the morning I used regular whole wheat flour and some assorted frozen berries in the batter, which worked perfectly. I enjoyed being able to eat pancakes that actually mediated my blood sugar levels and allowed me to access all the wholegrain nutrition, thanks to the sourdough. Please please continue to post these recipes for sourdough discard uses--I'm forever grateful. (Sincerely, an undergraduate student in Scotland)
Dale
These are literally mouthwatering, will be making these on the weekend :).
Martha
I couldn't wait until the weekend, so I got my pot of starter out and made these. They are amazing!! You're right, I don't think I can go back to regular pancakes now. I think I'll be trying this out with different fruit too, strawberries are next. Thank you for another incredible recipe.
Vaishali
Thanks for letting me know, Martha-- so happy you tried 'em!
sonakshi saxena
Hey Vaishali, I m a big fan of pancakes I always search for new recipes for pancakes and today I got another from surely gonna try this thanks so much for sharing