Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
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Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes made with discard! Easy pancakes that bake up fluffy and with amazing pumpkin spice flavor.

Our family has always been head over heels for our sourdough pancakes. But this past year people all over the world have fallen in love with them as well! With many of you making sourdough starter (have you tried our sourdough cinnamon rolls?!), ya’ll have wondered what to do with all that discard.
You loved our sourdough discard pumpkin bread, so we tweaked our sourdough pancakes to make a pumpkin version. You’ll love these soft sourdough pumpkin pancakes with a drizzle of maple syrup and melted butter.
Why you’ll love sourdough pumpkin pancakes:
- soft fluffy pancakes
- sourdough and pumpkin spice flavor combination
- easy to make with sourdough discard
- perfect for fall weekends or Thanksgiving morning
What is sourdough discard?
You can read our complete sourdough guide, but once you start making sourdough, you either have to bake with it or discard part of the start or it will keep growing. In order to not be wasteful, you can make recipes with the sourdough discard.
Sourdough discard recipes use other leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda or yeast) to get a rise in the baked good. Try our sourdough biscuits, sourdough bread, sourdough pie crust and top rated sourdough pizza crust.
A Few Notes Before You Begin
- Use pure pumpkin puree. NOT canned pumpkin pie filling.
- Notice that this recipe does not use eggs. Pumpkin is often used in place of eggs in recipes so no extra eggs are needed.
- The sourdough starter does NOT have to be active. If it is a little active, it will be fine to use, but it can be sourdough discard. Notice in the recipe I gave the weight of the starter I used in grams so you can get an accurate measurement, whether there are bubbles in the starter or not.
- Do not overmix the pancakes or they will be tough. It is ok if there are lumps in the batter.
- Pancake griddles are amazing if you make pancakes often. Use butter to grease the griddle if you like a little crispy edge. Use cooking spray if you want lower fat. Flat cast iron griddles are perfect for pancakes, too.
How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the sourdough starter, milk, pumpkin puree, oil and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is even.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, sugar, salt and spices.

- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix! It is ok if there are a few small lumps. They’ll cook out.

- Spray a pancake griddle (or cast iron skillet) with cooking spray or grease well with butter. Heat to about 300-350ºF.
- Use a ½ cup measuring cup to scoop and pour pancake batter on the hot pan. Cook until the pancake starts bubbling on top, then flip the pancake to the second side. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the pancake is cooked through and golden brown.


Add more spices if you’d like!
We used two nice size tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice AND two teaspoons of ground cinnamon. We like the spice. Ginger, cloves and nutmeg are two other options for adding flavor.

Toppings for Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
- Cinnamon Butter
- Honey Butter Syrup
- Powdered Sugar Glaze
- Homemade Cinnamon Chips: These are delicious inside the pancakes!
Try one of our other popular pancake recipes!


Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes made with discard! Easy pancakes that bake up fluffy and with amazing pumpkin spice flavor.
Servings 16
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter 250 grams
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree 245 grams
- 2 tablespoons canola oil 26 grams, or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 270 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 10 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 6 grams
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 26 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt 6 grams
- 2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 11 grams
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon 6 grams
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the sourdough starter, milk, pumpkin puree, oil and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is even. 1 cup sourdough starter, 2 cups 2% milk, 1 cup pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, sugar, salt and spices. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix! It is ok if there are a few small lumps. They’ll cook out.
- Spray a pancake griddle (or cast iron griddle) with cooking spray or grease well with butter. Heat to about 300-350ºF.
- Use a ½ cup measuring cup to scoop and pour pancake batter on the hot pan. Cook until the pancake starts bubbling on top, then flip the pancake to the second side. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the pancake is cooked through and golden brown.
- Serve warm with butter and syrup.
Notes
- Made 16 5” pancakes.
- Use ½ cup batter per pancake.
- Add chocolate chips if you love pumpkin and chocolate together.
- Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2432IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg





These pancakes were fantastic, as a vegan family, it was awesome that they were already vegan without making substitutions. That being said, with the measurements provided and using a half cup measure, I got nowhere near 16 5 inch pancakes, and instead got 10 pancakes. Not exactly sure what went wrong as I followed by the gram, not a problem for me as I was only cooking for three, but it’s something to consider if cooking for a larger group of people.