These delicious 3-ingredient Sourdough Banana Pancakes are naturally sweet, perfectly soft, and ready in under 30 minutes! All you need is starter discard, bananas, and eggs.
I absolutely love this recipe because it is ultra quick, super simple, and can be done without making a trip to the grocery store. Dip them in some homemade sweetened condensed milk if your bananas aren't as ripe and sweet!
My other favorite recipe to use up starter discard and make delicious breakfast for my family is these gluten-free sourdough discard crepes! They are flavorful, buttery, soft, and crispy on the edges.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- 3 ingredients. All you need is starter discard, bananas, and eggs. I used a gluten-free sourdough starter discard!
- Flavor. Very ripe bananas add extra sweetness to the pancakes just like they do in gluten-free banana nut bread!
- Quick. You only need 30 minutes to make these sourdough banana pancakes!
For more sugar and dairy free recipes, check out my sugar and dairy free desserts collection!
New to gluten-free sourdough? Watch my 16-minute video tutorial for beginners!
What Is A Sourdough Starter?
Sourdough starter is wild yeast that is used to leaven sourdough bread. I bake gluten-free, so I use a gluten-free sourdough starter in all of my recipes, however, this recipe can be made with a regular wheat starter as well.
To keep a starter strong, you need to discard some of it on a regular basis. To avoid throwing away that precious expensive GF flour you used for the starter, you can make a lot of different GF sourdough discard recipes!
Ingredients for Sourdough Banana Pancakes
Eggs - use room-temperature eggs to help the batter blend well.
Tip: To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, just leave them in a bowl with hot water for 5-10 minutes.
Sourdough starter discard - you can use any kind of discard (fresh, old from the fridge, etc.) for this recipe. The older the starter the more sour the pancakes will be.
Bananas - use ripe bananas for the best results.
Substitutes
To make these pancakes vegan, you can use applesauce in place of eggs. ¼ cup of applesauce replaces 1 egg.
How to Make Sourdough Banana Pancakes
STEP 1 - Mix the Ingredients
Mash bananas with a fork or a potato masher.
Add the eggs and sourdough discard and mix to combine.
STEP 2 - Fry the Pancakes
Preheat your pan for a few minutes on medium-high heat. I like using a cast iron pan as it fries the pancakes evenly unlike a non-stick pan. If you are using a cast iron skillet or griddle, once preheated, you can keep the heat at medium-low for the entire time. If using a non-stick pan you will need to adjust the heat from time to time to ensure an even cook-through and avoid burning.
One pancake is about ¼ cup of the batter. So, you can use ¼ cup to scoop the batter onto the pan. Fry for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip carefully.
Fry for another 2 minutes on the other side and transfer to a plate. I prefer frying 1 pancake at a time to prevent them from overlapping but you can fry 2 at once if you are short on time.
Cover the pancakes with a kitchen towel to keep them warm. Serve with maple syrup, honey, sour cream, or jam (I have a great recipe for a homemade plum jam!).
Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature eggs to help the batter bind better. To bring eggs to room temp quickly, just leave them in a bowl with hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Use a cast iron pan or griddle to ensure an even cook-through. I had dark on the outside and wet on the inside pancakes when frying on a non-stick pan but never in a cast iron one!
- Frying on lower heat for longer ensures a better cook-through as well.
- Use ripe bananas for the best flavor.
If you like this recipe, you might also like my fried sourdough starter, GF sourdough fluffy pancakes, and GF sourdough banana muffins. For more similar recipes check out my gluten-free sourdough discard recipes collection!
FAQ
It is because the pancakes did not cook through. To ensure an even cook-through, lower the heat and fry for a longer time. If at all possible, use a cast iron pan or griddle as cast iron does great at cooking pancakes through evenly!
Use a metal spatula to flip the pancakes and you won't have any issues! Also, make sure you are not pouring more than ¼ cup of batter per pancake.
It could be due to having too much banana and not enough eggs in the batter. It can happen if the bananas are extra big and the eggs are small. In that case, add an extra egg to the batter!
It is because your cast iron pan is not seasoned enough. Your pan might have lost seasoning due to scrubbing, acids cooking in it, or some other factors. In that case, you just need to reseason your pan.
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3-Ingredient Sourdough Banana Pancakes
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan (non-stick or cast iron)
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 2 eggs 1 egg per person
- 2 bananas if bananas are large, add 1 egg
- 1 cup sourdough discard I used a gluten-free one
- oil or butter for frying
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Instructions
- Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl using a fork or a potato masher. Then, add the eggs and the sourdough starter and mix well.2 eggs, 2 bananas, 1 cup sourdough discard
- Preheat a cast iron or a non-stick pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Then, turn the heat down to medium-low and pour ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the pan. Fry for about 2 minutes, then flip. Fry for another 2 minutes and transfer to a plate. Cover with a kitchen towel to keep the pancakes warm.oil or butter
- Serve with maple syrup, honey, sour cream, or jam! Enjoy!
Malka says
These came out with a nice fluffy texture. They are not sweet but still yummy!
brightermeal says
thx you