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Crunchy and golden on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle, this easy Sourdough Waffles make a perfect classic breakfast when you have a sourdough starter on hand. If you love the taste of sourdough bread and the texture of waffles, get ready for your new favorite breakfast!
Sourdough waffles are light and airy, with just the right amount of crispiness on the outside. The batter is very quick to put together and doesn’t need any resting time since baking soda is used as the leavening agent. They are a great quick option for weekday or weekend mornings alike.
Feel free to use mature starter or discard in this recipe. They both work great and taste good either way! What makes these waffles super awesome is their simplicity — just a handful of pantry staples and that sourdough discard you’d otherwise toss, and you’ll create breakfast perfection in just 25 minutes!
Table of Contents
🍞 18 Easy Sourdough Recipes!
Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Waffle Recipe
- Uses Up Sourdough Discard: If you’re maintaining a sourdough starter, you know the guilt of tossing that discard! These sourdough discard waffles transform it into something spectacular.
- Crispy Outside, Fluffy Inside: The sourdough starter creates the perfect texture contrast – a satisfyingly crunchy exterior with a tender, airy center full of flavor.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: The batter comes together in minutes, and any leftover sourdough waffles freeze beautifully for quick weekday breakfasts.
- Versatile Canvas: These waffles work beautifully with every topping imaginable – from classic maple syrup and honey to fresh berries, nut butters, homemade butter, or even savory options like fried chicken!
🧇 Waffles are such a simple to make breakfast for busy weekdays — or make some ahead to freeze for even quicker breakfasts!
Recipe Ingredients
- Sourdough starter discard or active sourdough starter
- Milk
- Oil
- Sugar
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
See recipe card below for full info on ingredients and quantities
Feautured Review
Ali Davis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 10, 2024
So goood! Made extra to freeze, perfect to throw in toaster for quick yummy breakfast (or snack)!
Easy Sourdough Waffle Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter or discard
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Waffle toppings, (such as syrup, butter, jam, or fresh berries)
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle iron as directed until you have a hot waffle iron. In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter discard, milk, oil, sugar, and eggs. Mix well to fully incorporate all of the ingredients together. Add vanilla extract if desired for extra flavor.1 cup sourdough starter or discard, 2/3 cup milk, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 large eggs
- Add the flour and baking soda, and stir until combined. Adjust the flour or milk as needed to get the right consistency. It should be as thick as a traditional waffle or pancake batter, similar to sourdough pancakes, and your starter will play a role in the consistency.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pour the batter into your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Lightly brush with melted butter or vegetable oil if needed.
- When the waffle is done cooking, carefully place it on a wire rack to cool, taking care not to stack the waffles on top of each other. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve waffles hot with your favorite topping, such as waffle butter, homemade butter, jam, syrup, fruit, or whipped cream.Waffle toppings
Notes
- This recipe is really easy to scale up if you’d like to make a larger batch of waffles. They freeze very well and heat in a toaster nicely.
- Feel free to adjust the flour or milk as needed to get a smoother batter; your starter or discard will influence the initial texture.
- A properly preheated waffle iron is crucial – it should be hot enough that a drop of water sizzles and evaporates immediately when it hits the surface.
- Even with non-stick waffle irons, a light brushing of oil before the first waffle and as needed, possibly before putting each new scoop of batter on the iron.
Nutrition
How To Make Sourdough Waffles
- Turn on your waffle maker according to manufacturer’s instructions, ensuring it reaches the proper temperature. The surface should be hot enough that water droplets sizzle immediately.
- In a large bowl, combine sourdough starter, milk, oil (or melted butter), sugar, and eggs. Whisk vigorously until completely smooth and well incorporated.
- Stir in the all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour) and baking soda until just combined. The batter should resemble traditional waffle consistency—adjust with flour or milk as needed based on your starter’s thickness.
- Lightly brush the hot waffle iron with vegetable oil or waffle butter, then pour in batter according to your machine’s capacity. Close the lid and cook until golden brown and crispy, typically 4-6 minutes.
- Transfer finished waffles to a wire rack rather than stacking them. This allows air circulation and prevents steam from softening the crispy exterior.
- Top warm waffles with your favorites like homemade butter, honey, syrup, fresh berries, or whipped cream. Enjoy immediately for the best texture.
Recipe FAQs
Once the waffles are cooled, store them in an airtight bag or container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
To reheat refrigerated waffles, place them on a wire rack placed inside of a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. You can also pop them in the toaster until heated through. To reheat frozen waffles, either allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight and then follow the steps above. You can also pop them in the toaster, but it will take twice as long when frozen!
Yes! This recipe works wonderfully with active starter or discard. The baking soda provides additional leavening, so even a sluggish starter will create beautiful waffles.
Expert Tips
- Freezer Friendly: This recipe is really easy to scale up if you’d like to make a larger batch of waffles. They freeze very well and heat in a toaster nicely.
- Texture Adjusting: Feel free to adjust the flour or milk as needed to get a smoother batter; your starter or discard will influence the initial texture.
- Test Your Waffle Iron Temperature.: Most waffle irons have an indicator light, but the surefire way to tell is when the steam stops escaping from the sides of your waffle iron. This typically takes 3-5 minutes, depending on your specific appliance.
- Wire Rack Secret: Never stack warm waffles – they’ll lose their crispness! Instead, place them in a single layer on a wire cooling rack while you finish cooking the batch.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until the flour and baking soda (or baking powder if substituting) are incorporated. A few lumps are fine and will result in more tender waffles.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Room Temperature
Fresh waffles stay crispy for 1-2 hours on a wire rack. Don’t cover or stack them if you want to maintain texture.
Refrigerator
Store cooled waffles in the fridge in an airtight container or in a ziplock bag with parchment paper between layers for up to 4 days. Reheat in a toaster oven or toaster for best results.
Freezer
Leftover sourdough waffles freeze exceptionally well for up to 3 months. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze individually, then transfer to a freezer bag. Reheat directly from frozen in a toaster or toaster oven until crispy and warmed through.
Make-Ahead
Prepare the batter the night before and refrigerate. Let it come to room temperature before cooking, or mix dry and wet ingredients separately and combine in the morning.
More Waffle Recipes to Consider
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
I found these to be very tasty indeed, thank you for sharing keep up the good work.
I have been making these for a year. EVERY time I feed my starter after it has been in the ‘fridge, I make a batch. I use veggie oil rather than butter, but otherwise don’t change a thing. The discard really does change the texture of the dough, but no matter how thick or thin, they cook up beautifully. I have used milk, cream and half’n’half; anything works as this recipe is SO forgiving. Just wondering if anyone has tried making them chocolate? My neighbors have put in a request…
Served with Pinyon Pine syrup and baked in a cast iron waffle iron…… super quick, easy and tasty! Thanks!
EXCELLENT!! And I will NEVER buy those chemicalized waffles from the grocery store again! I am so happy to find all your great sourdough recipes to help me leave all those processed foods “in my dust”!!
Thank you! 🙂
Used wheat flour but had a really poor outcome 🙁
Tell me more! I’ve made it with wheat flour lots of time…
Quick, easy and delicious! I’m new to SD and this was the first recipe I made with SD discard. Excellent choice because these are good! I also loved the tip of setting them on a wire rack after making so they don’t get soggy.
These were so good and so easy to make. Thank you!
Yay! Thank you for leaving a review Christy!
They were yummy!! I loved how chewy they were! I added a slash of vanilla and it was wonderful!
Just made these with my kefir sourdough starter. DEE-lish! I used 1/2 cup all purpose flour + 1/4 cup whole wheat + 1/4 cup oat flour (same as in my starter). They were very fluffy & soft and SOOOO good! I can’t wait to try them with bananas or strawberries mixed in!
The ONLY things I would change: possibly a LITTLE more sweetener, because they were borderline-a-little-too-savory-almost-brackish, and possibly 1 Tbsp of fat (I only had olive oil, but I think melted butter would make a better flavor). Best of all, I got 12 waffles out of my maker, so I have twice as many (yay for the freezer)! Can’t wait to make fresh ones for my husband tomorrow!
Just made these yummy waffles! I used discard and they turned out delicious!
Truly light and fluffy! Excellent recipe!