Sourdough Discard Waffles

Crispy edges, fluffy centers, and a warm cinnamon‑vanilla aroma — these sourdough discard waffles are the perfect way to turn your discard into a breakfast worth lingering over. They get a triple hit of tang from the discard, buttermilk, and yogurt, making them the ideal canvas for sweet toppings, and the whipped egg whites give them that classic light‑as‑air texture.

With Father’s Day just a week away, it felt like the perfect time to share this waffle recipe. What better way to treat Dad than with a batch of golden, crisp‑fluffy waffles for breakfast? As I mentioned in my Double Chocolate Chip Sourdough Cookies post, pancakes and waffles are my son’s go‑to way to make practical use of the unavoidable sourdough discard. This particular waffle recipe came from another weekend when the starter was in my care and I was tinkering. My son had found and tried several waffle recipes but hadn’t fallen in love with any of them. Some required too much advance planning (like an overnight fermentation), some used so little discard that it barely affected flavor or texture, and none delivered that perfect crisp exterior and fluffy interior that is the holy grail of waffle textures.

Instead of starting with any of the recipes he’d already tested — or the many dedicated sourdough discard waffle recipes out there — I decided the best foundation was a recipe I already knew made fantastic waffles: the Yogurt Waffles from Melanie Makes. A variation of Melanie’s recipe has been my own go‑to for years. From her base, I typically:

• use all white whole wheat flour rather than a split of all-purpose and standard whole wheat
• increase the sugar from 1 to 2 tablespoons
• swap whole milk for buttermilk
• use one single‑serve (5.3 oz) flavored yogurt such as vanilla, honey, or coconut
• add 1/2 tsp baking soda
• separate the eggs, whisking the yolks into the wet ingredients and whipping the whites to fold in at the end

From there, it only took a few more tweaks to turn them into these perfect sourdough waffles:

• Reduce the flour slightly. Since ½ cup of discard contains roughly ¼ cup of flour, the base recipe needed a small adjustment.
• Reduce the butter by nearly half. This balances the added moisture from the discard. Butter and sourdough starter both contribute tenderness, flavor, and browning, so reducing the butter keeps everything in harmony.
• Add a 20–60 minute rest. Not strictly necessary (the baking powder and baking soda do most of the lifting), but this rest enhances both flavor and texture by giving the yeast in the discard a chance to wake up a bit.

If you’re new to sourdough, this is a perfect recipe to start with. In fact, if you began a new starter today or tomorrow, you might have your first baking‑ready discard just in time to make these waffles for Father’s Day.

Sourdough Discard Waffles

No ratings yet

Crispy, fluffy sourdough discard waffles with a warm cinnamon‑vanilla flavor that pairs perfectly with all your favorite toppings.

Pinterest Facebook Share on X Email

0

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 8

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: American

Calories: 231

Equipment Ingredients Method Notes Nutrition

Equipment

• ▢
  large mixing bowl
• ▢
  medium mixing bowl (or pitcher)
• ▢
  small mixing bowl
• ▢
  waffle iron
• ▢
  1/2 cup scoop

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x4x

• ▢ 180 g white whole wheat flour
• ▢ 30 g brown sugar
• ▢ 12 g baking powder
• ▢ 3 g baking soda
• ▢ 3 g salt
• ▢ 2 g cinnamon
• ▢ 3 egg yolks
• ▢ 240 ml buttermilk
• ▢ 150 g yogurt
• ▢ 5 ml vanilla
• ▢ 75 g butter melted and cooled
• ▢ 120 g sourdough discard
• ▢ 3 egg whites

Method

 

Cook Mode Cook Mode

 

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside
   180 g (1 ½ cups) white whole wheat flour, 30 g (2 tbsp) brown sugar, 12 g (1 tbsp) baking powder, 3 g (½ tsp) baking soda, 3 g (½ tsp) salt, 2 g (½ tsp) cinnamon
2. In a medium mixing bowl (or pitcher), whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, yogurt and vanilla until well combined.
   3 egg yolks, 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk, 150 g (5 oz) yogurt, 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Avoid overmixing — a few small lumps are fine.
4. Stir in the melted, cooled butter. Add the sourdough discard and mix until incorporated.
   75 g (5 tbsp) butter, 120 g (½ cup) sourdough discard
5. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Stir about 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten the batter. Gently fold the remaining egg whites into the batter until no white streaks remain. Let the batter rest for about 20 – 60 minutes.
   3 egg whites
6. Preheat your waffle iron. Using a ½ cup scoop (or the amount recommended by your waffle iron manufacturer), portion the batter into the center and gently spread it to cover the grid. Close the iron and cook until the waffle iron indicates it’s done (typically 3-5 minutes depending on your waffle iron).
7. Transfer cooked waffles to a 180°F oven to keep warm and crisp while you finish the batch. Serve warm with butter and syrup, fresh fruit, powdered sugar, or your favorite toppings.

Notes

The 20-60 minute rest is not strictly required because the chemical leavening agents will provide most of the rise for these waffles – but, if you can spare the time, you will not only get a better depth of flavor, but the yeast will get a chance to wake up a little and add a bit more lift resulting in an even more airy, fluffy interior.

Private Notes

Click here to add your own private notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1waffleCalories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 7gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 531mgPotassium: 130mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 401IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 178mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

More recipes you might enjoy:

Chocolate Chip Ricotta Pancakes Double Chocolate Chip Sourdough Cookies Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Muffins Caramel Apple Muffins with Pecan Streusel