Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Waffles

Using leftover sourdough starter discard for waffles is one of the easiest things you can do. Make the batter overnight to enjoy in the morning, before your first sip of coffee! You’ll be the most popular person in the house.

Every weekend, like clockwork, my kids barrel down the stairs begging for waffles.

And if you know anything about me, there’s absolutely NO requests (or even the slightest muttering of words!) before a slow, thoughtful sip of my morning coffee. Preferably in silence.

I could obviously make things easy on myself and buy a box of frozen waffles for the kids to make themselves- Dillon is super into cooking these days.

But instead, we’ve been making these delicious sourdough waffles and they are absolutely divine.

Not Yo’ Mama’s Waffle Recipe

Want to know what makes this recipe extra special?

It uses leftover sourdough starter!

If you’re an avid sourdough baker, finding ways to use up any extra starter is not only practical and less wasteful, it adds the most wonderful depth of flavor to whatever you’re making. It’s a real treat.

But don’t worry- these waffles do not taste sour. As long as the leftover starter has been recently fed and is in good shape (doesn’t smell awful, like nail polish remover) your sourdough waffles be absolutely delicious.

And plus, something magical happens when you combine sourdough starter with baking powder.

It makes the waffles, or whatever baked good you’re making, lighter in texture. From what I understand, it has to do with how the bacteria within the sourdough starter reacts with the leavening agent.

I’m not sure of the exact specifics really, but I’ll take light and airy waffles without a scientific explanation any day!

How to Make Sourdough Waffles: A Few Tips

For the batter, I trust you already know how to combine wet and dry ingredients. So, I’ll skip the play-by-play here. I’ve included my personal favorite tips to up your game in the breakfast department:

1.) For Light, Airy, and Crisp Sourdough Waffles

Do not overcrowd the pan with batter. I use a heaping 1/2 cup + a few spoonfuls to fill a Belgian waffle-size pan. Pour the batter mostly in the center, working your way out as you go. When the lid goes down it will push the batter out toward the sides. If you end up overcrowding the pan the waffles will steam, become doughy, and eventually, turn rubbery.

2.) For Dairy Free/Gluten Free Sourdough Waffles

Swap out the milk for any plant milk your choice (we’ve tried it with unsweetened, vanilla almond milk- yum!) and ditch the melted butter for vegetable oil (vegan butter works too). For gluten free, use your favorite all-purpose GF flour. I highly recommend this GF flour by King Arthur. It’s not gritty at all.

3.) To Make-Ahead

Who doesn’t love breakfast that can be made in advance?!

Just mix the batter before you go to bed, and chill overnight in the fridge. In the morning, add a splash of milk to loosen up the texture if it seems too thick. This is usually the case as the flour tends to absorb extra liquid on the overnight. Easy peasy.

 To Serve

We like to brush our sourdough waffles with melted butter (just a little) and then press the pieces into a mixture of cinnamon sugar or even pumpkin spice. You certainly don’t have to do this- plain is fine, too.

Then drizzle the waffles with pure maple syrup, top with fruit, and tuck in!

PS: Cooked sourdough waffles freeze beautifully! Re-heat them (frozen) in the toaster oven or regular oven (350 F until warmed through). Top with vanilla ice cream, and a drizzle of golden syrup for the ultimate, decadent dessert- it’s my husband’s childhood favorite! 

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