• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Sign in

Sugar Geek Show logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Sign in
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Sign in
×
Home › Recipe

Updated: May 19, 2025 · Published: May 7, 2020 by Elizabeth Marek · This post may contain affiliate links · 21 Comments

Sourdough Pikelets

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
sourdough pikelet recipe

Sourdough pikelets are the easiest and tastiest way to use up that leftover sourdough starter discard. They are even easier to make than my sourdough pancakes and take less than 5 minutes to make. I like to add a few chopped chives to my pikelets and have them for breakfast! 

sourdough pikelets

What's In This Blog Post

  • What Is A Pikelet?
  • What Ingredients Do You Need?
  • How To Make Pikelets Step-By-Step
  • Related Recipes

I know people don't care much about family history and recipes but this is truly the first family recipe I have shared here on Sugar Geek Show so darn it, I'm going to share a little bit about why I love pikelets!

I grew up eating pikelets. I had never even had a pancake until I was in my teens. My dad is from New Zealand and if you're from New Zealand, this is your version of the Betty Crocker cookbook.  The Edmonds Cookery Book.  edmonds baking powder cookbook on white background surrounded by wooden spoon, towel and cooling rack

Everything we made pretty much originated from this book. This is the actual cookbook my Mom and Dad used. I never thought to even ask my Dad if he still had it because he isn't much of a baker or a cook and my Mom has long since passed away. 

I recently invited him over to test out some Sourdough bread I was making. He has a gluten intolerance and I wondered if he could actually eat sourdough bread because I had read that people with an intolerance can actually eat it with no pain. 

Hop on over to my sourdough bread recipe to see how that went!

As I was making the bread, I decided to make some pikelets out of the discard and it brought back all my memories of eating them as a kid. I quickly called my Dad and asked him if he still had that old cookbook and what do you know... he did. 

edmonds cookery book open on white background with wooden spoon on top

Now, these sourdough pikelets are not exactly like the ones I had growing up, these are made from discard while the ones I had growing up were made with fresh flour and baking powder. But the texture is almost identical and quite delicious!

Ok, that's my schpeel about pikelets 😀 Thank you for letting me share that with you!

What Is A Pikelet?

A pikelet is similar to a pancake but pancakes are made with a thinner batter and are usually eaten at breakfast. Pikelets are made with a thicker batter and can be eaten at any time of the day.

I often like to add savory ingredients to my pikelets chives, cheese, bacon, or even roasted corn! Mmmmmm so good. 

sourdough pikelets with chives on a white plate

A pikelet is actually the same thing as crumpet except it is not cooked in a metal ring. Pikelets are commonly referred to as the poor people's crumpet because not everyone could afford a metal ring to bake in! 

What Ingredients Do You Need?

You only need a few ingredients to make easy sourdough pikelets from your discard. I typically have about a cup of discard leftover. If you have more or less, you can adjust these ingredients as needed. 

Most importantly you need baking soda! This reacts with the acidity in the sourdough discard and gives it that rise!

sourdough pikelet ingredients

How To Make Pikelets Step-By-Step

Making sourdough discard pikelets could not be easier. Seriously. Mixing ingredients takes less than 5 minutes. All you need is some un-fed sourdough discard!

Step 1 - Preheat your pan for 15 minutes on medium-low heat. 

Protip - The key to perfect pikelets is cooking them low and slow. 

close up of thermometer showing temperature of 291ºF

Step 2 - Just add the baking soda, salt, and sugar to the sourdough discard and stir! You will immediately notice that the batter puffs up from the baking soda. 

sourdough pikelets batter

Step 3 - Add some butter to the pan and let it melt. This makes our pikelets nice and crispy!

melted butter in a hot cast iron skillet

Step 4 - The batter will be thick so I like to use my hand to divide it. You can get about three small pikelets from one cup of discard. 

sourdough pikelets cooking in a cast iron pan

Step 5 - Cook the pikelets for 5 minutes on one side or until the edges are starting to look dry and you can see some holes in the top. 

Step 6 - Flip the pikelet over and cook for another 3 minutes. 

sourdough pikelets

For best results, hide from other family members and devour immediately! 

Related Recipes

How To Make Sourdough Starter
Sourdough Bread Recipe

Sourdough Pancake Recipe

Recipe

sourdough pikelets

Sourdough Pikelets

How to make light and fluffy sourdough pikelets from your sourdough discard in less than 5 minutes. Super easy and so delicious!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 1 minute minute
Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
Total Time: 9 minutes minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 3 pikelets
Calories: 39kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sourdough discard unfed
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 Tablespoon butter

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your pan on medium-low for 15 minutes (surface temp should be around 300ºF)
  • Combine all your ingredients together (except the butter) in a bowl. You will notice the mixture get's puffy and bubbly.
  • Melt the butter in the hot pan
  • I use my hands to divide the batter into three pikelets by pouring the batter into the pan from the bowl and then pinching the dough with my fingers to separate it.
  • Cook your pikelets for 5 minutes or until the edges of the pikelets start to look dry and you can see some holes forming on top.
  • Flip your pikelet over and cook for another 3 minutes.
  • Serve warm and enjoy!

Video

Notes

  1. Preheat your pan on medium-low for 15 minutes before cooking your first pikelet
  2. You can add in mix-ins like chopped chives, bacon, or cheese! So good!
  3. Low and slow is your friend when making pikelets. If it seems like your pan is too hot, then reduce the temperature to low. 
  4. You can increase or decrease this recipe for any amount of sourdough discard that you have. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 39kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 410mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 117IU
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

More Recipe

  • close up of sausage gravy on biscuits
    Keto Sausage Gravy
  • close up of keto biscuits on a plate
    Fluffy Keto Biscuits
  • gold drip on a white cake
    Drip Cake Recipe
  • sliced focaccia on a wooden board
    Easy Sourdough Focaccia Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. S M R says

    May 11, 2020 at 7:25 am

    Hi there, is it just me...I cannot find the actual recipe for these pikelets? Would love to try them! 🙂

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      May 11, 2020 at 9:35 am

      Just added it for you! Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. S M R says

    May 15, 2020 at 8:42 am

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for adding the recipe! Tried these babies - WOW, delicious! Got rave reviews from friends and family, and 3 days later they still feel fresh and soft. Disclosure: I saw another recipe that used large mouth canning rings, so I did these crumpet-style (grease the rings and put them in the pan, lip side up. Don't overfill! a scant 1/4 cup was almost too much). So amazing toasted with jam!! Thanks Liz 🙂

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      May 15, 2020 at 10:04 am

      That's a great idea with the canning ring lids! Smart!

      Reply
  3. Patty says

    May 16, 2020 at 9:40 am

    It says to combine all the ingredients, but then says to melt the butter in the pan. I’m assuming the butter doesn’t go in the mix?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      May 17, 2020 at 9:21 am

      Oops! Sorry about that! The extra butter won't hurt them, I will update the recipe

      Reply
  4. Christine Yarbrough says

    May 18, 2020 at 4:08 pm

    5 stars
    My first, and the pikelets are superb!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      May 18, 2020 at 4:45 pm

      I love that so many people are discovering their love for pikelets!!

      Reply
  5. Nancy Kim says

    May 22, 2020 at 12:49 pm

    5 stars
    Just tried this recipe today and fell in love with pikelets! So thankful you shared this recipe. Sadly, I only got one bite before my sisters devoured them all xD Amazing recipe, Liz! Can't wait to make more when I get some more discard hahaha

    Reply
  6. Lucia says

    June 07, 2020 at 3:53 am

    5 stars
    Delicious !
    Super quick and easy, going to add corn and spring onion next time. Thanks for sharing Liz xx

    Reply
  7. Joan says

    June 28, 2020 at 2:49 pm

    5 stars
    I just started with making bread, etc. from sourdough when COVID19 hit. Never baked from scratch much, but my friend introduced me to sourdough, then it was off to the races! She raved about crumpets, but I had no rings to use, so I ran into your blog about Pikelets!! I made them using a cast iron frying pan, and your recipe... awesome is the word!! My husband ate 4 of them, and I got one! Next time I make double the recipe!! Thank you, Liz!
    Wish I could get my hands on that cookbook! Now I will need to search for that! I'd love to make genuine NZ dishes!

    Reply
  8. Heather says

    August 14, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    I love finding recipes that have a family history connection. This is a treasure! I'm going to make these tomorrow for lunch!! Thanks so much for sharing!!

    Reply
  9. Michele says

    October 09, 2020 at 9:51 am

    5 stars
    OMG. These are so good and easy to make. I can't wait to try experimenting with flavors.

    Reply
  10. Bethany says

    November 06, 2020 at 3:45 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and a great way to use up discard without using a bunch of other ingredients!! I was surprised how good they were. I did plain on half and then ham and cheese on the other half, next I'll do sweet ones. Thank you!

    Reply
  11. Elizabeth says

    December 08, 2020 at 1:02 am

    What hydration starter is best to use for these? They look delicious, but it doesn't seem as if a 100% hydration starter would yield pikelets as thick as those shown in the photo?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      December 15, 2020 at 12:42 am

      My starter is about 70% hydration

      Reply
  12. Shawnie says

    December 17, 2020 at 8:30 am

    5 stars
    My first recipe with my new adventure into Sourdough! Looked up easy discard recipe and found this - they were great and super easy! I added green onion, so tasty! Thanks!!!

    Reply
  13. Glenda says

    January 24, 2021 at 11:30 pm

    5 stars
    These are easier than pancakes and are very tasty as plain. I will try different flavors. I love that you can use a lot of sourdough discard. Have you tried freezing them?

    Reply
  14. Glenice says

    February 02, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    5 stars
    Can't wait to try these!!

    Reply
  15. Michelle says

    August 17, 2021 at 8:10 am

    Hi Liz. Thank you for sharing this easy recipe. My pikelets look like pancakes and did have a thick batter. Do you think it is because I used 100% hydration starter?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      August 17, 2021 at 12:05 pm

      Im not sure but you can add in more water next time if you need it.

      Reply
4.89 from 36 votes (26 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




All comments are subject to our Terms of Use

Primary Sidebar

Liz Marek with strawberry cake

Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an artist and cake decorator from Portland, Oregon. Cakes are my obession, which is why I'm dedicated to crafting tried-and-true recipes, small cake tutorials, as well as advanced online cake courses!

More about me →

Buy Flawless Fondant

Sugar Geek Flawless Fondant
It's incredibly stretchy, stays soft on the cake and can be rolled 50% thinner than other brands without tearing or becoming transparent. No elephant skin, no frustration, just flawless fondant every time. Buy Fondant

Our Cake Greatest Hits

Check our our best cake recipes

Summer Recipes

  • closeup of vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream slice on a white plate
    Moist Vanilla Cake Using Cake Flour
    Cook Time45 Minutes
  • slice of pink velvet cake with whipped cream frosting and fresh raspberries on a white plate
    Pink Velvet Cake
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • slice of fresh strawberry cake on a white plate with strawberries behind it
    Fresh Strawberry Cake
    Cook Time1 Hours 10 Minutes
  • close up shot of double chocolate chip cookie
    Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • Fast Bread Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours
  • sourdough bread cut open to show crumb
    Beginners Sourdough Bread Recipe Step-By-Step
    Cook Time25 Hours 10 Minutes

Popular Recipes

  • ganache cake with dark, milk, and white chocolate on it
    The Best Chocolate Ganache Recipe
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • close up of easy buttercream rosettes
    Easy Buttercream Frosting
    Cook Time10 Minutes
  • close up slice of marble cake
    Moist and Fluffy Marble Cake Recipe
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • close up of red velvet cake slice
    Red Velvet Cake Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours 40 Minutes

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Fondant

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • About Liz Marek

Copyright © 2024 Sugar Geek Show, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.