An easy, one-bowl recipe for light and crisp homemade sourdough waffles using leftover sourdough discard. The batter can be made overnight or on the same day- it’s up to you.
If you like my sourdough pancakes, make homemade sourdough waffles next. This simple recipe transforms ordinary sourdough discard (or active starter) into crisp, golden waffles with a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar to finish.
I love to double or triple this recipe and freeze extras- it’s a huge time saver for busy mornings. Just toast and go! Serve with your favorite fresh fruit and spoonfuls of barely-sweetened whipped cream.
Good To Know
- Use recently fed starter. Not all sourdough discard is created equal. It should smell fresh (not sour) for best flavor. Check out Sourdough Discard 101 for more info.
- Do not overcrowd the waffle iron. Use 1/2 cup + a few spoonfuls of batter per waffle. Adding too much causes steaming, making the waffles doughy instead of crispy!
- Make it ahead. Rest the batter overnight or make it on the same day. The overnight option enhances the flavor.
- Don’t omit the baking powder. It neutralizes the acidity in the sourdough starter, while also helping the waffles rise and stay fluffy.
- Prevent sticking: Fully preheat your waffle iron and coat with cooking spray before each waffle to keep their structure intact.
Sourdough Waffle Variations
- Dairy Free: use plant milk (unsweetened vanilla almond milk is delicious) and swap out the butter for olive oil or vegan butter.
- Vegan: use the dairy free options above with an egg replacer.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes To Try
- Best Sourdough Pancakes
- Easy, No-Roll Sourdough Scones
- Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread
- Puffed Sourdough Crackers
- Homemade Sourdough Blueberry Muffins {Overnight}
By signing up, you agree to receive emails from The Clever Carrot. Unsubscribe at any time.
Amazing Sourdough Waffles {Overnight or Same Day}
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3-5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 Delicious Waffles 1x
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Waffle Maker
- Cuisine: Breakfast
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Adapted from my book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, you’ll love my easy, one-bowl recipe for light and crisp homemade sourdough waffles using leftover sourdough discard. The batter can be made overnight or on the same day- it’s up to you. The cinnamon-sugar makes these sourdough waffles extra special.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1 tsp (3g) cinnamon
Sourdough Waffles
- 1/2 cup (120g) sourdough discard (see note below)
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk, whole, 2%, or plant milk of your choice, plus more as needed to thin out the batter
- 3 tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup (120g all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp (12 g) sugar
- 2 tsp (10g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Cooking spray, for coating
Toppings
- 1 cup (165g) cubed pineapple
- Handful of mixed seasonal berries
- 1/4 cup (30g) coconut flakes, optional
- Pure maple syrup, to serve
Instructions
- Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Add the leftover sourdough starter, milk, 2 tbsp (28g) of melted butter, and egg into a large bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and continue to whisk until smooth. If the batter seems too thick, add more milk as needed to thin out the texture. *Note: The amount of milk needed will depend on the consistency of your sourdough starter.
- Lightly coat the waffle iron with cooking spray. Ladle some of the batter into the pan (don’t overfill; if will be a huge mess!). Cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden and crisp.
- Transfer to a cutting board and brush lightly with some of the remaining 14 g (1 tbsp) melted butter.
- Press the waffle into the cinnamon sugar to coat on both sides. Repeat to cook the rest of the waffles.
- To serve, top your waffles with the fresh fruit of your choice and coconut flakes, if using. Enjoy with sweet maple syrup on the side!
To Freeze:
Arrange cooked and cooled waffles on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze. Once fully frozen, transfer to zip top bags and freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, pop them in the toaster until golden and crisp.
Comments
Linda says
Can I use starter instead of the “discard”? I am just starting using sourdough in my recipes.
Phoenix says
Great recipe, thank you for sharing! I have your book and your recipes are great. These sourdough waffles are light, fluffy and crispy!
Bridget says
These are amazing! Light and crispy waffles.
YUM!
Melissa says
Best waffle recipe yet 😍thanks so much
They also freeze great so when ever I’m stuck for time to use excess starter another batch of waffles to freeze
I also make in thermomix mainly speed 5 10 seconds for first mix and that again doubled once all ingredients added with a spatula scraping in between
Sadie says
Fabulous! Light and fluffy fresh off the grid. Bit crispy on the outside but still tender after being frozen and reheated in the toaster. I let the batter ferment at room temperature for about 7 hours, added salt, baking powder and vanilla, but didn’t need more liquid. The waffles took about 6 minutes to cook in my waffle maker.
Emilie Raffa says
Yum. Thanks for writing, Sadie! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
Sadie says
I noticed your comment in the reviews for making the batter ahead and fermenting overnight. I see bp listed in the ingredients, but no bs. Should there be baking soda? Thanks for clarifying.
EMILIE RAFFA says
SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 AT 8:37 AM
Absolutely! And yes: add the bp & bs the next day with additional liquid if the batter seems too thick. Not a problem :)
Emilie Raffa says
Ahh, good eye Sadie! No baking soda in this recipe (typo on my end- I was thinking of my pancake recipe) but yes to additional liquid if needed.
Sadie says
Thanks for the quick clarification Emilie!
Monica says
Very good. We added chocolate chips and Blueberries. I did the overnight version. This will definitely go in my recipe box.
SBS says
DELICIOUS! Was trying to find something special for breakfast for the family on Valentine’s Day and this fit the bill! My husband said he felt like we were having Elephant Ears for breakfast!
Emilie Raffa says
What amazing feedback, thank you! Thrilled you liked it :)
Natalia says
Hi, if making overnight-do you leave it on the counter or in the fridge? Do you add all ingredients except baking powder?
Bodhi NIOTAKIS says
This one of my and families favourite waffle recipe my son made a double and made some for his class
Krissy says
These are delicious! I’m new to sourdough, so just used the leftover starter that had been sitting unfed and neglected in fridge for a couple weeks. Used AP flour and used ghee in the batter instead of butter. Added cinnamon to batter as well. Took more like 8-10 mins to cook on my waffle maker, then we sprinkled with cinnamon sugar (no melted butter), maple syrup, blueberries and red apple chunks. Both me and my husband were making those content noises, yummmummmyummyumyum the whole meal! Definitely making these every time I’m making sourdough bread! No more throwing out starter. Thanks for making the recipe easy to follow, with ideas of variations, and also written very clearly/easy to understand!
Olya says
My favourite sourdough waffle recipe! Thank you 🙏
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you! So glad you like it! :)
Elyse says
My kids love these! Did a mix of AP, spelt flour and wheat bran, mixed up the night before, and did the butter/cinnamon sugar for the first time. House smells amazing.
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Gabriela says
Loved this recipe! Made them with vanilla almond milk and they turned out really yummy and crispy. And they were really fluffy too!
Emilie Raffa says
Gabriela, the vanilla almond milk sounds delicious. I can just imagine the flavor! Yum! Thanks for sharing :)
Viv says
I love this recipe!!!! But i forgot to make it and now its been in the fridge for 36hrs. Is it still ok to use?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Great question. The answer all depends on your starter and the condition of your batter (how does it look? smell?). I think it should most likely be fine, with a possible stronger flavor :)
Julie says
Holy moly! Absolutely amazing! My family are big waffle eaters, but they were unsure about sourdough waffles. Not anymore. I made a double batch which made 14 individual 4″ waffles and they were gone. I have never tried coating waffles in cinnamon sugar, but that pushed them way over the top. These waffles were light and fluffy with the most amazing flavor. I will definitely use this recipe the next time we have overnight guests. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
Danielle says
Is the discard okay to use if it’s been in the fridge for a while and smells like alcohol/wine?
You mentioned the discard should be 100% hydration but if it’s discard wouldn’t it not be though? Sorry just new to sourdough and confused.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! All great questions. For the discard, it depends on your starter (flour type, thickness, freshness etc) and it depends on what you’re making (sweet or savory). For a full, comprehensive breakdown read this post “Sourdough Discard 101: Recipes & Faqs Answered.”
Regarding the hydration, if it’s not 100%, don’t worry. All you need to do is add more liquid to the recipe. Most of my recipes will tell you what the batter should look like, so you’ll know how to adjust the consistency as needed.
Hope this helps!
Danielle says
Thank you! I’ll try it!
Alan Abrams says
Wonderful recipe. Added vanilla and used melted bacon fat instead of butter. Added cinnamon to batter. All good.
Emilie Raffa says
Sounds amazing! Wow :)
lawrence says
i’m wondering if the batter for the waffles can be made the night before (like the pancakes) and if so, would you withhold the baking powder and soda, until the morning, like you do the pancakes?
Emilie Raffa says
Absolutely! And yes: add the bp & bs the next day with additional liquid if the batter seems too thick. Not a problem :)
lybby moore says
You said you can add the baking soda and baking powder in the morning. I don’t see baking soda on the recipe. Is this a typo? If so, how much baking soda?
Debbie Clarke says
I made these waffles tonight with my leftover sourdough starter. They were absolutely delicious. So light and fluffy and no sourdough taste. I will be making these often. Thank you for the recipe.
Maria says
Love these waffles! Even my picky nephew loved it.
T. Linden says
BEST EVER!!!
Emilie Raffa says
Awesome, thank you!!!
Ellie says
I’ve made two double batches of these in the past two weeks- they are SO good! I stick them in the freezer and then just heat them up one at a time as a treat.
Emilie Raffa says
Yes! Same here! So glad you like them :)
Debbie McIlhon says
I’ve been making your sourdough bread for beginners since right before COVID-19 erupted. Maybe I had a premonition that we all were going to be housebound for a time. I am getting better and better at it and will continue if I can find bread flour at the grocery store! But, the last two times I made bread I made these delicious waffles! My husband said by far these are the best he’s ever tasted! And so much easier to make than my other recipes where you have to whip the egg whites. I just feed my starter the night before and it’s perfect in the morning to start bread making with a side of breakfast waffles…thank you so much!
Emilie Raffa says
You are very welcome, Debbie! Glad to hear you are enjoying the recipe :)
Li says
Hi! I was having problems finding flour during COVID-19, yet alone bread flour! Found this online, and it worked great w/ sourdough bread. Give it a try, if you can find vital wheat gluten. Luckily I had a large bag of Bob’s in the freezer. Yeah! Most health food stores will carry it (Sprouts, Whole Foods, etc…).
https://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-bread-flour-substitute-416294
Emilie Raffa says
Great! Thanks for the tips! x
Deb Hiller says
These waffles are the best ever! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sally says
Hi! thanks for the recipe, do you need to use active, bubbly starter or starter straight from the fridge?
Judy c. says
Can you help me? Your description of the sourdough waffles preceding the actual recipe says that “It uses a hefty cup of luscious, leftover sourdough starter!” But when I scroll down to the actual recipe, it says 1/2 cup of starter. Which is correct? I really want to try these, but want them to turn out right. I hope you are able to answer right away so I can try these delicious sounding waffles
Emilie says
Hi Judy! Thanks for catching that- it was a typo. The correct amount of sourdough starter in this recipe should be 1/2 cup (although, you can use up to 1 cup if the mood strikes!). I’ve updated the post. Enjoy!
Melanie C. says
I make these waffles all the time from your wonderful cookbook. We love them as well.
These are the best waffles I’ve ever made. I’ve never made the batter the night before
and will definitely try it. That will be so convenient for holiday breakfasts!
Yay for you doing a blog post with a baby in the house! Hope all is well.
Emilie says
Melanie! Hi! OMG how are you? Aren’t these waffles yummy? The overnight method is really convenient. You don’t have to mess around with measuring ingredients in the morning if you’re totally bleary eyed, lol. Just be sure to add more liquid to the batter if it seems to thick- this happens to me sometimes depending on the batch. And yes! Blogging with a baby… it’s definitely a learning curve. But I’m finding my groove! xx
Sarah Runchey says
We make these (from the version in your cookbook) once a week. They have become our weekend breakfast treat. Everyone in my family loves them. I like that the recipe makes four, because if it made more I would eat more.
Emilie says
Hi Sarah! I’m so glad you like them. We LOVE them. And for the record, too (you’re not alone!). x E