Try these banana sourdough pancakes for a tasty start to your day. They are easy to make with nutritious ingredients like bananas, rolled oats, and walnuts, and a great way to use up sourdough discard!
If you like to make sourdough bread, then you know are probably looking for the best ways to use up sourdough discard! Don’t worry, the starter doesn’t make the pancakes taste sour, but it does give them a good texture without eggs. And if you are looking for a hobby, you may want to learn more about sourdough baking.
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I had little interest in the sourdough baking trend in 2020 when it was popular, but read a cookbook that helped me feel more confident: Bread Making for Dummies by Wendy Jo Peterson. Then I tried some sourdough bread from Aldi and decided I liked it and wanted to make my own!
So I began experimenting with sourdough this spring. I also learned a lot from internet recipes and Facebook groups. Now I bake a loaf of sourdough every week or two. It’s a lot of fun to try different savory and sweet mix-ins, and have fresh homemade bread to toast for breakfast or use for sandwiches.
When I bring the starter out of the refrigerator to get it active again for baking, I feed it at least twice, every twelve hours. Then I have extra starter, which is called discard, that I save in another container in the refrigerator. Sourdough starter is just flour and water with wild yeast, so it is easy to incorporate into lots of recipes.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Oatmeal adds a delightful chewiness and body to these banana sourdough pancakes. The baking powder plus sourdough discard helps them get fluffy. And with no added fat and just a touch of maple syrup, these are healthy sources of complex carbohydrates and fiber.
You can increase the fiber in them by including some white whole wheat, whole wheat, or rye flour in the sourdough starter. And it’s a great way to use up starter discard. With just a few ingredients you can make a healthy, homemade breakfast.
Ingredients
- Bananas – choose 2 medium-sized ripe ones.
- Mature sourdough discard – important: for the first 2 weeks you have a new sourdough starter from scratch, throw out the discard. After that, it should be fine to use in cooking. Also, if there are any signs of mold, like pink or orange spots you will need to throw out your starter and start again.
- Rolled oats – these add nutrients like fiber, protein, iron, and phosphorus, plus a nice chewiness. Quick oats are okay to use too.
- Baking powder – this helps the pancakes rise.
- Vanilla extract – adds flavor
- Maple syrup – I have made the recipe with and without maple syrup, and there is just a small amount in this recipe. It does make the pancakes a little sweeter, but if you add syrup and/or fruit on top, that may be enough for you. But what I really like is that it helps the pancakes brown when they cook.
How to Make Banana Sourdough Pancakes with Walnuts
- Heat the nonstick skillet over a low flame. Add the walnuts. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
- Peel the bananas and place them in the large mixing bowl. Mash them until they are smooth with the potato masher or the back of a large spoon.
- Add the mature sourdough discard, vanilla extract, and maple syrup to the mashed bananas. Mix these together well with the potato masher or a whisk.
- Add the rolled oats, baking powder, and toasted chopped nuts to the bowl. Mix these in well so the ingredients are distributed evenly, but don’t overmix the batter.
- Heat the non-stick skillet over a medium flame. Add a teaspoon of light vegan margarine to the pan. As it melts, move it around with the spatula so the entire surface is coated.
- Drop the pancake batter onto the skillet surface by quarter cupfuls. Cook them until you see bubbles throughout the pancakes.
- Then flip the pancakes over and cook the other sides for about 3 minutes until lightly browned. repeat as needed for the rest of the batter.
Q: Can you use this batter to make waffles?
A: Yes! Just spray the waffle maker with non-stick spray or brush with a little oil so they don’t stick. This recipe will make about three Belgian waffles.
Q: Can bananas be too ripe for banana pancakes?
A: I think the ideal bananas are yellow with some spots on them. If they are excessively bruised, dark brown, or black, I wouldn’t use them. I try to freeze bananas before they get to this point to use for baking and smoothies.
Q: How can I make sure my pancakes are fluffy?
A: Since sourdough discard is unfed starter, it is not going to help leaven the pancakes quickly on its own: that’s where the baking powder is important for helping the pancakes rise.
Q: What if you don’t have or don’t like bananas?
A: I have made the recipe with applesauce and it is very good, too! Substitute one cup of unsweetened applesauce for the two bananas.
Q: How fresh should the mature sourdough discard be?
A: I like to use discard that is less than a week old. I manage this by having 1 – 2 containers in my fridge and rotating them when I add to the container. About once a week I may use sourdough discard for making pizza dough or muffins.
If the discard is older, it may have a stronger sourdough taste. Learn about Sourdough Starter Best Practices from this article from FoodSmart Colorado.
Storage
You can keep these pancakes in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for a few months. Heat them up in the microwave for a minute or so for a quick meal, or bake in the oven at 350 F covered with foil for about 10 minutes until hot.
More Recipes You May Enjoy
- Pumpkin Spice Quinoa Waffles with Pecans
- Vegan Gingerbread Banana Waffles
- Easy Apple and Peanut Butter Waffles (Vegan)
- Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Vegan Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate Chunks
- Homemade Vegan Apple Cinnamon Bread with Walnuts
- The Best Chocolate Banana Smoothie
Banana Sourdough Pancakes with Walnuts (Vegan)
Equipment
- Nonstick grill or skillet
- Large mixing bowl
- Potato masher
- measuring cups
- Wooden spoon
- Ice cream scoop or a third of a cup measuring cup
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 2 (400 grams) bananas
- 1 cup mature sourdough discard
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoons maple syrup
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder aluminum-free
- 2 teaspoons vegan margarine
Instructions
- Heat the nonstick skillet over a low flame. Add the walnuts. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
- Peel the bananas and place them in the large mixing bowl. Mash them with the potato masher or the back of a large spoon until they are relatively smooth.
- Add the mature sourdough discard, vanilla extract, and maple syrup to the mashed bananas. Mix these together well with the potato masher or a whisk.
- Add the rolled oats, baking powder, and toasted chopped nuts to the bowl. Mix these in well so the ingredients are distrubuted evenly, but don't overmix the batter.
- Heat the non-stick skillet over a medium flame. Add a teaspoon of light vegan maragrine to the pan. As it melts, move it around with the spatula so the entire surface is coated.
- Drop the pancake batter onto the skillet surface with an ice cream scoop or a third of a cup measuring cup. Cook until you see bubbles throughout the pancakes and when you check the bottom, it is golden brown. Then flip over and cook the other sides for about 3 minutes until lightly browned. Repeat as needed for the rest of the batter.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried these vegan banana sourdough pancakes? I would love to know how you enjoyed them. Please leave a rating and comment here, or post a photo and tag me on Instagram @melissatraubrd!
These were really good. Glad to have a way to use of discard – yum!
Seriously, looks fabulous! Will be trying soon!
This looks fantastic!
OMG. Looks delicious!
Thanks for the recipe, this looks easy to make.