Sourdough Discard Recipes (2024)

Since sourdough starter has to be fed to keep it alive, you often end up with extra. Here are lots of great sourdough discard recipes to help you put that extra starter to good use!

Sourdough Discard Recipes (1)

Sourough discard recipes

Since sourdough starter has to be fed to keep it alive, you often end up with extra. Here are lots of great sourdough discard recipes to help you put that extra starter to good use!

What can you do with sourdough discard?

Do you have extra sourdough starter beginning to accumulate? Don’t throw it away! There are so many delicious ways to use up that extra sourdough starter.

I love using sourdough starter anywhere I would normally need some flour. Non fermented grains are harder to digest, so using sourdough discard ensures that you have prepared grains in your recipe, and solves that dilemma perfectly (source). Let me share all the sourdough discard recipes I love to make.

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Sourdough Discard Recipes (2)

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Can I use sourdough starter straight from the fridge?

I go through seasons of sourdough baking. Sometimes, when I’m in the mood to bake a lot, I keep it out on the counter and feed it every day. I show you how to make a sourdough starter from scratch here, and I have a recipe for Nourishing Traditions sourdough bread here, and some sourdough hamburger buns here.

When I’m taking a break, I keep my starter in the fridge and feed it less often. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering, can I use sourdough starter straight from the fridge? With a lot of these recipes, you can! Let’s jump in and look at all the ways to use sourdough discard.

Sourdough Discard Recipes (3)

Waffles and Pancakes

These make a really quick and filling breakfast or snack. Just add some eggs, a pinch of salt, and a little melted butter. Or try this super simple sourdough pancakes recipe.

You can do these with cold sourdough starter straight from the fridge, but if you do that, you might want to add some baking soda to help them rise more. If you use active starter, the pancakes will rise nicely on their own.

Here’s my formula I usually follow: For every 1 cup of sourdough discard, I add 1 egg, a pinch of salt, and 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

Sourdough Discard Recipes (4)

Crepes

These are really nice when you want some variety from pancakes. They’re also a good way to eat more eggs, if you want more variety in your eggs for breakfast. This is another one that you can make with starter straight from the fridge.

For 1 cup of sourdough starter, add 4-6 eggs, a pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and enough milk to thin the batter.

Crackers

I love having a healthy cracker option on hand for lunches and snacks. This recipe specifically works best with cold, unfed sourdough discard, straight from the fridge. You can add dried herbs for even more flavor!

Mix 1 cup sourdough starter with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons avocado oil. Spread mixture in a thin layer on parchment paper, and bake at 325ºF for about 45 minutes until golden brown.

Battery for frying

Can you fry sourdough starter? Yes! It makes the perfect batter for making fried foods. You avoid unfermented grains, which you would normally have in a batter recipe, so the batter is more easily digestible this way. This works with cold starter straight from the fridge.

Add some salt and pepper and spices, if you want, and use as you would any other batter for frying. My favorite fat for frying is beef tallow. Read all about beef tallow benefits here.

Dumplings

This sourdough discard recipe for dumplings works best if you have pretty thick starter. It also is the perfect way to have properly prepared grains in dumplings.

Mix some salt, pepper, and any spices you want to use into sourdough starter. Drop spoonfuls into pot of soup, and allow to cook for at least 10 minutes, depending on size. If you want to learn how to make Nourishing Traditions chicken bone broth for your soup, check out my recipe here.

Sourdough Discard Recipes (5)

White sauces, gravy

Again, this is a brilliant way to have the grains you use to thicken sauces already fermented for easy digestion. This is also another sourdough discard recipe that works great with cold, unfed starter straight from the fridge.

Just substitute sourdough starter for the flour you would normally use to thicken your white sauce, gravy, or anytime you want to thicken a recipe.

Pie or skillet topping

You can make delicious toppings for one dish skillet dinners or pies, or top desserts like cobblers with sourdough starter. For dessert type dishes, you can add some sweetener to the sourdough mixture, or leave it out.

Mix a few eggs, a little salt, a couple tablespoons of melted butter, and 1 or 2 teaspoons of baking powder into 1-2 cups of fed sourdough starter. Pour it over the top of the dish. Bake at 400ºF for 20-30 minutes, and enjoy.

Cookies

You can substitute the flour in some cookie recipes for sourdough starter. This is another great way to enjoy the benefits of properly prepared grains in cookies.

Depending on the recipe, you can either completely switch the flour to sourdough starter, or use part sourdough starter and part flour. If you use some flour, you can let the flour ferment in the refrigerator overnight to properly prepare the grains in all of the flour.

Add to other baking recipes

Anytime you’re making a cake, banana bread, or cookie recipe, you can add sourdough starter to it. Other recipes include scones, biscuits, and pretzels.

These recipe usually require other flour to be added. But, having that fermented, whole grain starter definitely bumps up the nutrition for these types of recipes.

Just substitute the starter for part of the flour, and adjust the liquid or oil portion as needed to get the right consistency.

Sourdough Discard Recipes (6)

Pasta

Enjoy pasta with the benefits of properly prepared grains. This one can be made with live, active starter, or cold sourdough discard. Learn how to make my sourdough pasta recipe here.

Tortillas

Sourdough tortillas are another recipe that you can make with cold sourdough discard. Active, bubbly starter works great, too. If you want to make healthy tortillas, get my sourdough tortillas recipe here.

Why do you have to discard sourdough starter?

When you’re making a sourdough starter for the first time, like I show here, or getting ready to make a recipe, you have to feed your sourdough a number of times. This gets it active and ready to rise well in your recipe.

You have to feed it enough flour to keep the whole amount of starter fed. If you kept on feeding your starter without discarding some, you’d end up with a giant, sourdough monster that would require an enormous amount of flour to feed. I don’t think I want a sourdough monster taking over my kitchen!

Discarding some sourdough starter keeps the starter to a manageable size. And like you just saw, there are lots of great things you can make with it!

Do you have to discard sourdough starter every time you feed it?

Not always. This depends on what you’re making, and what your sourdough goals are.

When you’re making a new starter for the first time, you do have to get rid of some starter each time you feed it. Like I explained above, this is because pretty soon you would end up with a giant, monster of a sourdough starter that would require a huge amount of flour to feed.

If you have an established starter that you’re feeding to get ready for a recipe, you can adjust the amounts you feed it to fit whatever recipe you’re making.When you feed your starter to get ready to bake, you do want to make sure you always make enough to have some leftover for future baking.

I usually keep my main, “mother” starter separate and feed it in its own jar, and whenever I want to bake I take some from there and feed it for my recipe. That way my original starter stays nice and pure.

Can you freeze sourdough discard?

Yes you can! This is a great way to save sourdough discard if you don’t have time to use it right now. In the future you can pull it out, thaw it, and bake away.

Sourdough Discard Recipes (7)

More sourdough recipes

How to make a sourdough starter

Nourishing traditions sourdough bread

Sourdough pizza crust

Sourdough hamburger buns

What do you like to make with sourdough starter?

Do you have more ideas for what to make with sourdough starter? Share them in the comments!

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Sourdough Discard Recipes (8)

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Sourdough Discard Recipes (9)

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Sourdough Discard Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to use sourdough discard? ›

Sourdough discard works well in many baked goods that don't require lively yeast—flat foods like crackers, tortillas and pancakes. Or you can use it to flavor recipes that rely on leavening from other sources, such as active dry yeast, baking soda and baking powder.

Do you discard sourdough every time you feed? ›

And at each feeding, you hold onto 1/2 cup of your original starter, discard the rest, and then add its same weight in water and flour. With this schedule, you'd discard almost a cup of sourdough starter every day. While a cup might not seem like a lot at first, it can quickly add up.

Can you make more starter with sourdough discard? ›

One of the amazing benefits of sourdough discard is that you can use it to create new starters, which are known as levains. These off-shoots from the mother starter can be used to experiment with different types of flour or given as a gift – there's nothing quite like sharing an entire ecosystem with your loved ones.

When can you use sourdough discard for recipes? ›

One note: Don't start using your discard until your starter is really up and running. In other words, if you've just started your starter and it's not yet established, then you shouldn't save that discard. Wait until you have a healthy, active sourdough starter, then keep any discard from routine feedings.

Can I leave sourdough discard out overnight? ›

I left my sourdough discard out at room temperature for a few days. Is it okay? As long as your kitchen isn't too warm (I'd say 78°F or higher) your starter/discard will be fine stored at room temperature for at least a few days without feeding. The flavor will get more acidic the longer it sits.

Can I put all my sourdough discard together? ›

Can you add sourdough discards together in the same jar? Yes you can add sourdough discards from different days together in the same jar. You just need to make sure you stir it well and you don't leave it sitting in the fridge for too long. Sourdough discard should be used within two weeks.

What happens if you forgot to discard starter before feeding? ›

If you didn't discard a portion of your starter each time you feed it, two things would happen: Your starter would grow to an enormous, unmanageable size. Your starter would likely become more and more inhospitable to the bacteria and yeast we want as the mixture would become ever more acidic.

Are there health benefits to using sourdough discards? ›

Sourdough discard recipes not only reduce waste but also offer health benefits, making them a wonderful addition to a balanced diet. The fermentation process of the sourdough starter increases the availability of certain nutrients and can help improve digestion.

Can you use 2 week old sourdough discard? ›

Therefore, you can store discard indefinitely, but I suggest using discard within 1-2 weeks. Over time, the discard will become more sour-tasting as it continues to ferment and develop lactic acid. That's why I like to use fresh discard for more sweet recipes, and older discard for more savory recipes.

Do you throw away sourdough discard? ›

I recommend keeping sourdough discard for about one week, but I do know others who keep it for much longer. After one week, there is a higher risk of mold or bad bacteria growing on the discard.

How long can you keep sourdough discard before it goes bad? ›

Sourdough discard only lasts a day or two at room temperature. As such, it is best to keep your discard in the fridge, where it will last for up to one week. Of course, you can only rely on it lasting that long if you store it correctly.

Should sourdough discard be at room temperature before using? ›

Store it for future baking: You can store sourdough discard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for future baking with sourdough discard recipes. When you're ready to use it, let the discard come to room temperature before using it to bake.

How long can you keep sourdough discard on counter? ›

Sourdough discard only lasts a day or two at room temperature. As such, it is best to keep your discard in the fridge, where it will last for up to one week. Of course, you can only rely on it lasting that long if you store it correctly.

What is the benefit of sourdough discard? ›

Its natural fermentation process can also contribute to a lighter, more tender texture in baked goods. Moreover, the lactic acid bacteria present in the discard act as a natural preservative, extending the shelf-life of the final product.

Can you put sourdough discard in the garbage disposal? ›

You can put your sourdough discard either in the trash. or the compost, or you can use it in recipes. Don't put it down the drain.

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