35+ Quick Sourdough Discard Recipes (2024)

These quick sourdough discard recipes and easy no-wait recipes that require no fermentation or proofing. Just mix together and make.

You are constantly feeding your new pet sourdough starter, and you’re also constantly having to discard some of the starter.

Instead of throwing it in the trash, you can use it to make some delicious and healthy, no-wait recipes.

As long as you have a lot of fed starter on hand, you can make these instantly. Some of these are long-fermented sourdough, meaning there is no added flour and you will get the most health benefits.

I also added another section that includes sourdough recipes you can make and bake right away, but do include some added flour.

Obviously, it is better if you can allow your dough to ferment to decrease the phytic acid, help break down the gluten, and make the nutrients more bio-available.

But, let’s face it. Sometimes, lack of planning just doesn’t allow for that. So if poor planning is interfering with your baking, here are some recipes that don’t require the wait.

Tips:

If you are only discarding a little bit at a time, you can keep a jar of discard in the fridge and use it when you have enough discard to make a recipe.
Refrigerated discard will need to be fed every 7-10 days or else it may get hungry and start to form a hooch.
If you want to make a sourdough starter, check out my detailed post here on how to create one.
Can’t get enough sourdough? Check out all my favorite recipeshere.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosurehere.

Tools I use for sourdough baking and cooking:

Stand mixer

Quick Sourdough Discard Recipes

These no-wait recipes include just starter, but no other non-fermented grains. Mix and go. These would be considered long-fermented.

Pancakes

Our favorite sourdough pancakes recipe includes just a few basic ingredients and is simple to whip up any day of the week.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

Hands down, the easiest pizza crust recipe you will ever make. Delicious and crispy, and can be made so many ways.Breakfast pizza,white pizzaormushroom. Whatever your heart desires.

Super Easy Sourdough Crepes

Perfectly thin pancakes, this is one of our family’s favorite ways to eat lots of eggs. Sourdough starter is combined with eggs, milk, and some sweetener to make the yummiest breakfast.

Sourdough Skillet

Not a meal planner? Me neither! I love making sourdough skillets. Basically any veggie and meat you have in the fridge can be cooked in a cast iron skillet and topped with a sourdough crust to make a delicious, healthy, and filling meal.

Waffles

Perfectly crispy and fluffy waffles, and a fun weekend breakfast. I love using my cast iron waffle maker for this healthy meal.

Sourdough Flatbread

The perfect side to accompany any meal, or even use it to make sandwiches.

Sourdough Apple Pie

A yummy, fall-inspired dessert in a pinch. It’s simple and a farmhouse family favorite. Soft and juicy apples in a fluffy, cake-like crust.

Dutch Baby

Sourdough and breakfast just go together. I especially love breakfasts that can be whipped together and baked while we finish up farm chores, like milking the new goats.

No-Wait Sourdough Recipes With Added Flour

While the no-wait recipes above are simple and delicious, sometimes you may come across a recipe that includes fermentation time, but it’s a step you can skip, if needed.

Like the humble biscuit. You could definitely choose to long-ferment it, making the grains more digestible, or you can just mix and bake.

35+ Quick Sourdough Discard Recipes (10)

Sourdough Cobbler

One of our family’s favorite desserts, sourdough cobbler can be made so many ways.Blueberry,peach, strawberry cream cheese, cherry, andpumpkinare our favorites. But make it with your favorite fruit!

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Chicken Pot Pie

One of our absolute favorite dinners… chicken pot pie. I’m not sure there is a more comforting, rustic food. You know how many times I decided last-minute to whip up this meal? And it’s still tasty without the long-fermentation.

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English Muffins

This recipe is on a weekly rotation in our kitchen. They are super versatile. I use these English muffins to make breakfast sandwiches,mini pizzas,chicken salad sandwichesand even minisloppy Joe’s.

35+ Quick Sourdough Discard Recipes (13)

Tortillas

Mexican food is definitely our favorite cuisine, and these sourdough tortillas are a fun family affair. Everyone loves gathering around the island to roll out a bunch of these tortillas. Use them for tacos topped with fermentedjalapeñosorsalsa, or use them to make a wrap.

35+ Quick Sourdough Discard Recipes (14)

Crackers

This is a new recipe on the blog and a really delicious, crunchy, and perfectly salty snack. Long-fermentation not required.

35+ Quick Sourdough Discard Recipes (15)

Sourdough Biscuits

While technically these are long-fermented, there is nothing stopping you from just whipping them up and baking right away. These buttery biscuits are so flavorful and tender, they make the perfect breakfast. You can also turn them into my favorite southernbiscuits and gravy.

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Sourdough Muffins

Blueberry, pumpkin, banana, chocolate zucchini, and carrot cake muffins just to name a few. These can be made quick or fermented.

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Cookies

Snickerdoodle, Shortbread, Peanut Butter, Sugar, Oatmeal, and of course the classic chocolate chip cookies can all be make with discard.

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Cake

For you next birthday or holiday celebration try your hand on sourdough cake. They can be long fermented or made quickly. Classic chocolate, vanilla, and coffee cake.

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Donuts

This recipe is so fun, and perfect for holidays. Mix it up and bake right away or make the night before, allow it to ferment overnight.

There you have it: no-wait sourdough recipes that can come together in no time.

35+ Quick Sourdough Discard Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How quickly do you need to use sourdough discard? ›

When you're ready to use it, let the discard come to room temperature before using it to bake. I will keep sourdough discard in the fridge for about one week. I do know others that keep it much longer. The longer you keep it, the higher the risk of the discard growing mold or bad bacteria.

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What can I do with day 3 sourdough discard? ›

What to do with sourdough discard? Don't throw it away! Instead, use it to make delicious and nutritious treats like pancakes, waffles, muffins, and bread. Sourdough discard is a great source of natural yeast and flavor, and can add a unique tangy taste to your baked goods.

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Can you use 2 day old sourdough discard? ›

I prefer to use my discard within 7 days of keeping it in the fridge, otherwise, you risk too much sour flavor! To use sourdough discard that's been stored in the fridge, place it on the counter to warm up for 2-3 hours before using.

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What happens if I 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.

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Can I use sourdough discard straight from fridge? ›

If you're an experienced baker and are familiar with working with a cold sourdough starter that has been kept in the refrigerator for a long time and you've had success, then it's totally OK to use your starter straight from the refrigerator. You can utilize a cold starter in any sourdough discard recipe.

Can I bake with Day 3 sourdough discard? ›

BUT! You can also use that discard for baking. Some people will use it right away, in which case it'll still be pretty active. Other people prefer to store their sourdough discard until they have enough to bake with.

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Does sourdough discard still have health benefits? ›

The acidity of the sourdough discard helps prevent tough gluten strands from forming. This results in tender and moist baked goods! When discard is coupled with a long ferment, it can aid in digestion and help the nutrients to be more bioavailable to our bodies.

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Can you make sourdough starter without discarding? ›

Sourdough Starter Management: A Zero-Discard Method

Ripe starter that is ready to use. ...
Most of the starter goes into a dough and the remainder is fed. ...
The starter is at least partially ripened and then refrigerated. ...
Deciding whether and how to feed the starter again before the next bake. ...
Ripe starter that is ready to use.

Mar 4, 2023

How old is the oldest sourdough starter? ›

In 2020, Seamus Blackley, the creator of Xbox and a seasoned baker himself, baked sourdough bread from dormant yeast samples that are 4,500 years old, according to the Atlas Obscura website.

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Can you eat discarded sourdough starter? ›

Yes, there are actually several health benefits to using sourdough discard in your cooking and baking. Sourdough discard is rich in probiotics, which can help promote a healthy gut microbiome and improve digestion.

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Can you overfeed a sourdough starter? ›

Premature discarding and overfeeding will weaken your starter and elongate the process. Don't discard and re-feed a weak starter before it shows increasing bubble activity or height from the previous feeding. If you don't see more bubbles or a faster rise each day, skip a feeding, and give it more time.

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How do I know if my sourdough discard is bad? ›

How Do You Know if Sourdough Discard Is Bad? Sourdough discard will potentially smell acidic and even like acetone if it's a few days old. While it will smell different to a fed, active starter, it won't smell unpleasant.

Can I mix my sourdough discards 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.

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Why discard half sourdough starter? ›

One only needs to discard when making a starter from scratch because it needs daily feeds for a week or two before it's strong enough to make bread. If one doesn't discard then before long you'll have a swimming pool of starter.

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Do I have to use my sourdough discard right away? ›

At room temperature (70 F), sourdough discard should last about 1-2 days. Beyond that, it won't go bad necessarily, it will just become more acidic as time goes on (especially in warm weather). Not ideal for sweet recipes. In the fridge, it will keep for about a week or so, and in the freezer it will last indefinitely.

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Can you save sourdough discard to use later? ›

You can use old sourdough discard if it's been stored in the fridge, however, you really want to use it up within a week - 2 weeks max. It's better to use "fresh" discard in a sweet sourdough discard recipe. Use older discards in more savory recipes.

Do you have to discard sourdough every day? ›

Although you need an active, well-maintained starter for certain artisan breads, you can still make tasty bread with a sluggish, slow starter so you don't have to discard sourdough starter daily. In fact, many of my favorite sourdough bread recipes use discard for flavoring to give bread that classic tang.

Keep Reading ›

Can you start a new sourdough starter with 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.

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