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Make these sourdough waffles the easy way with this beginner-friendly recipe that yields an epic weekend breakfast.

Confused about how to make waffles with sourdough discard? I was, too, until I simplified the steps and turned them into this easy recipe.

three waffles on a plate topped with syrup, berries and granola

I made these sourdough waffles this morning. Your directions made it so easy. The BEST and easiest to follow on the internet. They turned out great! -Jenna

Easy Sourdough Waffles

My mother-in-law insisted that making sourdough waffles was easy and that she’d been using the same recipe she got -in the 90s- from a King Arthur Flour mail-order catalog. She still has the page inside her recipe binder, by the way.

About 15 years ago, she Xerox copied it for me and sent me home with sourdough discard to make a batch. I failed miserably and was too embarrassed to tell her, so I continued to use my Buttermilk Waffle Recipe.

It all changed in 2020 when I learned to make sourdough bread and found myself simplifying the process -more out of necessity since it felt wasteful to throw out the discard- and that simpler version is what I share with you in this post today.

What is Sourdough Discard

Sourdough discard is a portion of the starter (that gummy floury mix in the jar) you’ll be removing or throwing out when you “feed” it by adding flour and water before you want to make sourdough bread or from time to time to keep the bacteria alive.

step by step images of the sourdough starter in a glass jar and the sourdough discard in a bowl — The sourdough starter in my jar. What I pour in my bowl is the discard, and what’s left in the jar will be “fed” to make bread.

Ingredients

To make sourdough waffles you’ll need a few staple ingredients. The amounts are in the recipe card below but before you go rogue and make any swaps, check out this list:

All-purpose flour: the same all-purpose flour you’d use in any pancake and waffle recipe –not bread flour.
Sourdough discard: unfed starter. Measure out what you need for this recipe before feeding it to make bread.
Sugar: feeds the bacteria overnight, and adds sweetness to the tang from sourdough.
Buttermilk: the acidity of buttermilk will help the waffles have a spongy/fluffy texture when it’s mixed with baking soda. You can make buttermilk yourself; with the amounts listed in the recipe card.
Eggs: essential to bind the waffle batter. I’ve tried using a substitute, and the waffles did not turn out. Use this eggless waffle recipe instead.
Oil or Butter: added to the batter to give these sourdough waffles moisture and crisp, golden exteriors. You can use vegetable, coconut oil, or avocado oils.
Baking soda: the activator in the recipe to give these a fluffy texture.
Salt: to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients in the recipe. Reduce the amount in half if using salted butter.

Can’t get enough? Try my Sourdough Pancakes or Sourdough French Toast next!

three waffles on a white plate with berries and granola topping

How to Make Waffles with Sourdough Discard

Here is where it all fell apart for me in the past. Now, I think of making sourdough waffles with discard in terms of “the night before” and the “morning of.” Here is what you need to know:

Prep the batter (night before)
I recommend placing your bowl on top of a scale and measuring out the discard, flour, sugar, and buttermilk amounts based on weight straight into the bowl. If not using a scale, make sure to not overpack the flour into the cup.
Let it rest
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let this first phase of the sourdough waffle batter rest on the counter for 12 hours.
Make the batter
Whisk the eggs and oil or butter in a separate bowl. Adding these directly into the large batter bowl will lead to overmixing and dense waffles. After you lightly mix them into the bowl, you’ll add the salt and baking soda and mix the batter to incorporate them. Some bubbles will form.
Preheat the waffle iron
It’s essential that the waffle iron is hot and preheated before you pour the sourdough waffle batter. They’re all different, so doing a single waffle as a test is always a great idea.
Cook the waffles
Grease the waffle iron with oil or butter by using a brush and pour the batter into the waffle maker. Cook the waffles until they’re golden and ready. Remove the waffles and repeat the process, greasing between batches while keeping the waffles warm in the oven or covered.
Serve
Serve warm, topped with a little butter and syrup or toppings.

Batter Consistency

When you first combine the sourdough discard with the flour, sugar, and buttermilk; the batter is thick, almost glue-like. After sitting on the counter, covered in plastic wrap overnight, it will transform into a bubbly mix resembling a sponge. In the morning, you’ll add the remaining ingredients, and the batter will thin out and expand a little.

Sourdough starter, flour, sugar and buttermilk in the bowl the night before. — Sourdough starter + flour + sugar + buttermilk in the bowl the night before.

How Long to Cook Sourdough Discard Waffles

Sourdough waffles are light and airy and don’t take long to cook since the batter is on the thinner side. I recommend doing a test waffle at a medium heat setting and adjusting the time and temperature after that.

Sourdough Waffle Toppings

Sourdough waffles are delicious by themselves and most people enjoy them with a bit of butter and maple or pancake syrup. However, my kids would say that waffle toppings make them epic and they love sliced fruit like bananas and berries and my famous blueberry syrup.

plate of waffles topped with berries with a small dish of berries to one side

Storing Leftover Waffles

Unlike my banana waffles that yield one family breakfast, when making sourdough waffles, it’s not worth the hassle for a small batch, and there will nearly always be leftovers. Once they’re cool, I store them in the fridge for up to 4 days in a zip bag or air-tight container or freeze the waffles for another time.

Sourdough Waffles (Beginner Friendly)

three waffles on a plate topped with berries

Servings: 12 waffles

Prep Time: 5

Overnight: 12

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 12 20

Make these sourdough waffles the easy way with this beginner-friendly recipe that yields an epic weekend breakfast.

4.75 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

1 cup (227g) sourdough discard, unfed starter
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (28g) granulated sugar
2 cups (454g) buttermilk*
2 large eggs
¼ cup (50g) oil or 4 tablespoons (57g) melted butter
¾ teaspoon salt*
1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

The night before:

Place a large batter bowl on top of a scale and 0 it out. You can make this recipe without a scale, too; just be careful how you measure the flour into the cup.
Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of sourdough starter -straight out of the jar, without having freshly added water and flour (unfed)- and add it to the bowl (this is what makes it a “discard”). If using a scale, check the weight in grams.
On top of the starter, add the flour, the sugar, and the buttermilk. Give it a stir until the ingredients are combined, there are minimal lumps (if any), and it resembles a glue-like mixture.

Resting time:

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave it out on the counter for 12 hours, or overnight.

In the morning:

In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil or butter until the eggs are clearly mixed (the egg whites and yolks are not separate anymore).
Pour the liquid mixture into the large batter bowl and give the batter a few stirs just enough to combine the sponge-like batter and the mixture.
Sprikle the salt and the baking soda over the top and give the mixture a few stirs to incorporate them into the batter. You’ll notice some bubbling, that’s normal.
Set the batter aside for 5 minutes while the waffle maker preheats. I usually set mine to a medium setting but they’re all different. Start there and do one test waffle if necessary.
Once hot, use oil or melted butter with a brush to grease the waffle maker and immediately pour the batter into the waffle maker. Close it and cook, according to your settings, until it’s done.
Serve the waffles immediately or keep them warm by covering them or in the oven, topped with your favorite syrups and toppings.

Notes

To make buttermilk, place a measuring cup on top of your scale and zero it out. Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar into the cup. Pour milk into the cup until the scale reads 454g. Let the milk and vinegar sit on the counter for 10 minutes to make the buttermilk.
If using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt from the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.