The Best Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles
Full of warm Fall spices, these sourdough pumpkin waffles are a filling and cozy Saturday morning breakfast idea! Pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and pumpkin puree are added to these light and crispy waffles! A delicious breakfast to enjoy this Fall!
Are you team pancake or team waffles? For me, it's team waffles all the way! The little nooks and crannies that the butter and syrup get into can't be beat! And let's be honest, they are made even better by some whipped cream on top!
That sourdough starter is sitting in your fridge and begging to be made into these waffles! One of the most popular recipes I have are these Sourdough Waffles and for good reason! They are crispy, yet light, and oh so comforting!
Jump to:
- What is Sourdough Discard?
- Why You'll Love These Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles
- Tell Me The Ingredients!
- Equipment You'll Need
- Step By Step Photos
- How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles
- What Is A Substitute for Sourdough Starter?
- Tips and Tricks
- Toppings For These Waffles
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Recipes You Might Enjoy
- 📖 Recipe
What is Sourdough Discard?
"Sourdough Discard" is a term referring to the portion of the sourdough starter that you "discard" when you are feeding the starter. Before baking with a starter to make bread, you need to feed it. Add equal parts of the starter you already have, water, and flour to a jar and mix it. Often when you do this, there's a lot of starter leftover that you did not use to feed the new starter. That portion is called the "discard". You can use this to bake all sorts of recipes! Don't throw it out! Keep it in a mason jar in the refrigerator. You can make Sourdough donuts, scones, crackers, and muffins!
Why You'll Love These Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles
- They are full of cozy, Fall spices! Pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and pumpkin puree scream Fall. When you think of Fall and Fall flavors, it's pumpkin spice all day, every day!
- They are a great make ahead breakfast! Make these waffles on a Saturday or Sunday and keep them in the refrigerator to reheat throughout the week before work or school.
- They are great for a crowd! You can make the batter ahead of time and have it hanging out in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the waffles. Add a touch of milk and stir before adding it to the waffle maker. Then, keep the waffles on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven to keep them warm and crispy while you make the rest of the waffles.
Tell Me The Ingredients!
Even though these are "sourdough" waffles, they don't taste like sourdough, so don't be alarmed! These don't have the long, slow, fermenting process that a loaf of sourdough bread has. The starter acts as an aid to make the waffles rise and crisp up in the waffle iron.
- Sourdough discard- Inactive, which means it came right out of the refrigerator and has not been "fed" any new water or flour.
- Spices- pumpkin spice and cinnamon are my favorite Fall flavors. Pumpkin spice is just nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. Some of those spices I rarely use, so I buy the pumpkin spice blend.
- Pumpkin puree- don't use canned pumpkin pie. Canned pumpkin pie already has spices in it, which could overpower the waffles with all the spices.
- Coconut oil- melted butter can be substituted for coconut oil
Equipment You'll Need
Step By Step Photos
How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles
- Take out your waffle maker and turn it on so it's preheating while you make the batter.
- Mix the dry ingredients- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice, sugar, and cinnamon. Set that aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients- In a large bowl, mix together the sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, milk, coconut oil, and 2 eggs.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix this batter. Embrace the lumps! It won't be a completely smooth batter and that's ok! Check out the picture above to see what the batter should look like.
- Grease your waffle maker well and add the batter to the waffle maker. Depending on how big and what type of waffle maker you have will dictate how much batter you need and how long it will take.
- Once the waffles are done, serve immediately or place them on a baking sheet to keep them warm in the oven. Enjoy!
What Is A Substitute for Sourdough Starter?
If you don't have sourdough starter, no worries! Buttermilk, Greek yogurt, or sour cream are all great replacements for the sourdough starter. You'll want something that is a little tangy and has acidity in it. The acidity in the starter activates the baking soda allowing the waffles to rise and get crispy.
Tips and Tricks
- Allow your waffle iron to heat up completely. If it's not fully hot, the waffles will get soggy.
- Don't overmix the batter! This batter should not be completely smooth. It's ok if there are some lumps left in the batter.
- Make sure you grease your waffle maker well. There's nothing worse than having waffles stick to the waffle maker and trying to clean those little crevices. Butter, coconut oil, or cooking spray is best.
- Keep them hot! If you are feeding a crowd and making a lot of waffles at once, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the cooked waffles on a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. They will stay crisp and hot!
Toppings For These Waffles
- Butter and maple syrup, a classic! Pure maple syrup is best, too!
- Whipped cream and pecans! If you can, fresh whipped cream is best, but in a pinch, the canned stuff is great!
- Flavored syrup! Take the syrup up a notch by warming it in a saucepan and adding a teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin spice. Really get those Fall flavors throughout!
- Flavored butter! Cinnamon and sugar butter is a must! Soften a stick of butter in a bowl and add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix the butter and spices well until fully combined and top the waffles with this butter. Yum!
- Ice cream! Top these waffles with some ice cream and pecans for a delicious, new dessert!
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether frozen or reheating them from the refrigerator, the easiest way to reheat this is in the toaster oven or a regular oven. Place them on a baking sheet for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve them as soon as they are warmed through.
Yes! Once the waffles are cooled, individually wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a gallon Ziploc bag. Freeze them for up to three months.
Instead of milk, use your favorite dairy free milk. Almond milk, soy milk, even coconut milk would work.
This exact batter wouldn't make a great pancake batter. You would need to add more milk as this one is thicker so it doesn't run out of the waffle maker. Instead of ½ cup of milk, add 1 cup of milk. Baking powder would also be necessary to give the pancakes a little more lift with that extra milk you are adding. 1 teaspoon of baking powder would be enough.
More Recipes You Might Enjoy
Did you give this Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles a try? I’d love to hear from you! Give me a shout on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! And don't forget to check out some other breakfast recipes below! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!
- Low Carb Jalapeno Popper Egg Cups
- Instant Pot Blueberry Jam
- Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bars
- Spinach and Feta Egg Cups
- Nutella Zucchini Bread
- Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with Tortilla Crust
- Instant Pot Peach Jam
- Baked Lucky Charms Donuts
- Instant Pot Strawberry Jam
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Pumpkin Spice
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 cup Sourdough Discard Unfed/inactive
- ½ cup Pumpkin Puree
- ½ cup Milk Whole Milk, 2%, or Almond Milk
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil
- 2 Eggs Large
Instructions
- Preheat your waffle maker.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the "dry ingredients", the flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and sugar. Set that aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the "wet ingredients", the sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, milk, coconut oil, and eggs until fully combined. Mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until all the flour is combined into the wet ingredients. Do not overmix. It's ok if there are a few lumps left in the batter.
- Grease your waffle iron with cooking spray or butter and add the batter to the waffle maker. The size of your waffle iron will depend on how much batter you add to the waffle iron.
- Cook until the waffles are done, which depends on your waffle maker. Serve immediately.
Notes
- To keep the waffles warm, preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place the cooked waffles on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet with the waffles in the oven until you are ready to serve them.
- Greek yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream are perfect substitutes for sourdough discard.
- Make sure your waffle maker is well greased to avoid sticking.Â
- Make sure your waffle maker is preheated before adding the batter, otherwise the waffles will get soggy instead of crispy.
These were very good. They're slightly crispy on the outside and soft (not fluffy) inside, but the pumpkin flavour was unidentifiable and they were a bit bland. I subbed melted butter for the coconut oil but followed the recipe otherwise. The next time I make them I'll add vanilla, more pumpkin puree and tweak the spices.
Sounds great! Just keep in mind, adding more pumpkin puree will make the waffles even more soft inside and not make them fluffier.