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–+ servings
a stack of fluffy sourdough pumpkin pancakes with syrup

Sourdough Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

By McKenna Pulda
Yield: 26 pancakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes
These Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes are soft, fluffy, and full of cozy fall flavor from pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Made with sourdough starter and a whole can of pumpkin puree, they’re an easy fall breakfast that can be made right away or long-fermented overnight.
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Equipment

Ingredients

Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes

  • 385 grams all-purpose flour 2 3/4 cups
  • 20 grams baking powder 1 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
  • 70 grams light brown sugar 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 Tablespoons
  • 7 grams ground cinnamon 1 Tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoons
  • 2 gram pumpkin pie spice 3/4 teaspoon
  • 5 grams salt 3/4 teaspoon
  • 420 grams milk 1 3/4 cups
  • 425 grams pumpkin puree 1 whole can, see notes for smaller batch*
  • 150 grams unsalted butter, melted 11 Tablespoons
  • 195 grams eggs, room temperature about 4 large eggs
  • 175 grams sourdough discard, room temperature 3/4 cup
  • 8 grams vanilla extract 2 teaspoons
  • butter for pan

Honey Cinnamon Butter (optional)

  • 113 grams salted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup
  • 50 grams honey 2 Tablespoons
  • 2 grams ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon

Instructions

Quick Version

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, pumpkin spice and salt until combined. Set aside.
    385 grams all-purpose flour, 20 grams baking powder, 70 grams light brown sugar, 5 grams salt, 2 gram pumpkin pie spice, 7 grams ground cinnamon
  2. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and pumpkin puree. Heat the mixture in the microwave until warm, not hot. To a medium bowl, add the pumpkin/milk mixture, melted butter, room temperature eggs, room temperature sourdough discard, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
    420 grams milk, 425 grams pumpkin puree, 150 grams unsalted butter, melted, 195 grams eggs, room temperature, 175 grams sourdough discard, room temperature, 8 grams vanilla extract
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just blended. Careful not to over mix, a few lumps in the batter is okay! Allow the batter to rest for at least 10-15 minutes.
  4. While the batter rests, heat a large skillet to medium heat.
  5. Grease the pan with butter or avocado oil and pour the batter, about 1/4 cup, into the hot skillet. Cook until bubbly on top, about 2-3 minutes, then flip and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes more.
    butter for pan
  6. Remove the pancakes from the skillet and stack on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve hot and enjoy!

Overnight Version (Long Ferment)

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt until combined. Set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree, and bubbly sourdough starter. Once smooth, pour the wet ingredients onto the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Cover and place the bowl into the fridge to ferment overnight.
  3. The next morning, pull the sourdough pancake batter out of the fridge. There should visibly be lots of bubbles on top and the batter should have a pleasant tangy aroma.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, ground cinnamon, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture into the batter and mix until incorporated.
  5. Preheat a large skillet to medium heat.
  6. Grease the pan with butter or avocado oil and pour the batter, about 1/4 cup, into the hot skillet. Cook until bubbly on top, about 2-3 minutes, then flip and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes more.
  7. Remove the pancakes from the skillet and stack on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve hot and enjoy!

Cinnamon Honey Butter (optional)

  1. To a small bowl, add the butter, honey and ground cinnamon.
    113 grams salted butter, room temperature, 50 grams honey, 2 grams ground cinnamon
  2. Whisk the ingredients until the texture is smooth and everything is combined. Serve with the pumpkin pancakes and enjoy!

Notes

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Flour—I used all-purpose flour to make the pumpkin pancake batter.
  • Brown Sugar—I love the rich, caramel flavor that light brown sugar brings to this recipe. You can use dark brown sugar, white sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup, or honey instead of light brown sugar, too. 
  • Sourdough Starter Discard—I used fresh sourdough discard at room temperature. I recommend using discard that’s no more than 1-2 days old. It's OK to use an active sourdough starter for these homemade fluffy pancakes. If you go with a bubbly starter, make sure to measure the same amount in grams.
  • Pumpkin Puree—Pumpkin purée is the star of the show. It's best to use real pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. I haven’t tested this recipe with homemade pumpkin filling, though. If you give it a go, let me know how it turns out in the comments section below this post. 
  • Milk—I used whole milk, but feel free to use 2% milk or your favorite plant-based milk, such as oat, almond, or soy milk.

Tips for the Best Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes

Room Temperature Ingredients
If you are making the quick version of this recipe, I highly suggest taking the time to use room temperature eggs and warm milk. Why? Because this will give you the most buttery and delicious tasting homemade pancakes.
If the batter is warm when the melted butter is added, the butter will evenly disperse in the batter. However if the batter is cool, the butter will harden into little bits, thus not spreading evenly.
I like to quicken this process by placing the eggs in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes and using the microwave to heat up the milk. 
Allow the Batter to Rest
When whipping up the quick version, leave the batter to rest after mixing for at least 10-15 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax creating a more tender Sourdough Pumpkin Waffle. 
How to Keep Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes Warm
If you’re not going to enjoy the pancakes straight off the skillet, turn your oven to the “warm” setting or about 220 degrees F. and place the fresh pancakes in an even layer on a baking sheet in the oven until ready to enjoy.
Prefer a Smaller Batch?
If you prefer only using 1 cup of pumpkin puree, this smaller batch makes 15 pancakes! Prep the same way as written above.
  • 230 grams all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons)
  • 12 grams baking powder (1 Tablespoon)
  • 40 grams light brown sugar (3 Tablespoons)
  • 4 grams ground cinnamon (2 teaspoons)
  • 1 gram pumpkin pie spice (1/2 teaspoon)
  • 3 grams salt (1/2 teaspoon)
  • 240 grams milk (1 cup)
  • 240 grams pumpkin puree (1 cup)
  • 85 grams unsalted butter, melted (6 Tablespoons)
  • 100 grams eggs (about 2 large eggs)
  • 100 grams sourdough discard, room temperature (1/3 cup)
  • 4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2756IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 1mg
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