sourdough waffles with whipped cream and berries on a plate

Need to get rid of your sourdough starter discard but don’t want to throw it away? Use it to make these easy and delicious sourdough waffles! Tender, fluffy and lightly sweet with a hint of sourdough flavor, these waffles make for a tasty breakfast any day of the week. Bonus: You can make pancakes with the batter, too. HAPPY DAY.


sourdough waffles with whipped cream and berries on a plate

Girl Versus Dough Turns 10 Years Old

This week marks my 10th (!) anniversary of starting this dear ol’ blog. On a muggy August morning in 2009, I hit publish on my first post for basic bread dough (I’m not going to link to it to save your eyes from the photography, but trust it is a sight to behold). I had no idea what I was doing, both on the blog and in the kitchen, but it became my mission to learn how to better at all of the above (what can I say: It’s the Enneagram type 3 in me, for better or worse).

Fast-forward a decade, hundreds of recipes, thousands of photos, places traveled, friends made, a long hiatus, a return, life lived in an RV, two kids, houses purchased and sold (and thus, multiple kitchens used) and here we are. It’s so cliche, but so true: Some days, I feel like I’ve been blogging for 100 years. Other days, it feels like I started last month. Such is the path of a journey lived in the ever-changing world of the Internet.

I have nothing extravagant planned to celebrate a decade of GVD, but I do want to say: THANK YOU. Those two words don’t even adequately express how grateful I really am for this community. You blow me away with your enthusiasm, your encouragement, your humor, your kindness. You’ve helped me through the best of times and the worst of times. You’ve made my recipes and it still shocks me (in a good way)! Like, wow, this is the real deal. YOU are the real deal. So, thank you for being the best group of baking lovers a blogger could ever have. We are family. I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING.

overhead shot of sourdough waffles on a plate with whipped cream and berries

Sourdough Waffles

Anyway, before I get too misty-eyed, let’s talk about these sourdough waffles! I promised y’all back when I posted my How to Make Sourdough Bread series that I would try to offer recipes for using up that sourdough starter discard so it doesn’t go to waste every time you feed your starter (for more info on that whole deal, check out How to Make a Sourdough Starter).

So yes, it’s true that you’ll need to have a living, active starter to make these waffles. It’s what gives them a delicate sourdough-like flavor. The good news is, if you have a starter going, you’re just steps away from having homemade sourdough bread AND sourdough waffles in your life. Hooray! Looks like we’re celebrating, after all.

How to Make Sourdough Waffles (or Pancakes)

The process to make sourdough waffles is very much like that of making regular waffles: You mix together a batter, cook it in a waffle maker (I purchased this one recently and I love how it makes four thick waffles at a time) and eat. The biggest difference here is that you add sourdough starter discard to the batter so you don’t have to throw it in the trash instead.

The end result is a fluffy, light, soft, sweet and slightly sourdough-flavored waffle that tastes even better topped with fresh whipped cream, berries and a generous glug of maple syrup. I speak from experience.

Bonus: You can also make pancakes with this batter! Just cook the batter on a hot griddle instead as you would any other pancake.

maple syrup being drizzled onto sourdough waffles on a plate

Tips for the Best Sourdough Waffles

A few tips to win at waffle-making:

1. You can add anywhere between 6 to 8 ounces of sourdough starter to your batter–it really just depends on how much you have. I usually have about 6-7 ounces of starter left over to discard/use in my batter. Generally speaking, I like to use sourdough discard that’s been out of the fridge and fed a few times so it’s very lively and bubbly and flavorful–however, you can also use starter from directly out of the fridge. In short, this is a very forgiving and flexible recipe!

2. Make a double-batch of these waffles and freeze them for on-the-go breakfasts throughout the week. I like to let my waffles cool completely, then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer until fully frozen. Then, I’ll put them in a resealable freezer bag and store them in the freezer. In the morning, I’ll pop one in the toaster, slather it with peanut or almond butter and be on my merry way.

3. Feel free to add a handful of chocolate chips or chopped berries to the batter for extra flavor. Honestly a chocolate chip sourdough waffle with peanut butter and maple syrup on it sounds like heaven right now.

For more sourdough adventures, be sure to check out my How to Make Sourdough Bread series (with printable guides, step-by-step photos and instructions and more!). Happy Monday, my friends, and enjoy these wondrous waffles.

*NOTE: The flowers on these waffles are for decorative use ONLY. Please do not decorate your waffles with inedible flowers if you plan to decorate them/eat them as such.*

More Sourdough Recipes!

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sourdough waffles on a plate

Sourdough Waffles

★★★★★ 4.8 from 52 reviews
  • Author: Stephanie
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 7 to 8 waffles 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Simple and delicious sourdough waffles — perfect for using up that sourdough starter discard!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk, plus more as needed
  • 6 to 8 ounces (weight) sourdough starter
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk eggs and 1/2 cup milk until well combined. Whisk in sourdough starter until completely blended. Add flour mixture and melted butter; stir until combined. The batter should be the thickness of pancake batter; depending on how much starter you added, you may need to add in more flour or milk to reach the desired consistency.
  3. Cook in heated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions.

Notes

  • Adapted from Serious Eats
  • I used about 6.5 ounces of sourdough starter and needed to add about 1/3 cup extra milk to reach pancake batter-like consistency with my batter. So don’t be surprised if you need to add quite a bit more flour or milk!
  • If you don’t have a waffle iron or don’t want to make waffles, you can make pancakes with this batter. Just cook them on a greased hot griddle instead of in a waffle iron.

Keywords: sourdough starter, homemade waffles, Belgian sourdough waffles, sourdough pancakes