Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles

Table Of Contents

Last Updated on September 1, 2024

There’s a reason why people love pumpkin spice in everything. The warm spices signal coziness and a welcome return to sweater weather. These Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles are any autumn lover’s dream and a delicious breakfast for crisp mornings.

I spice these sourdough pumpkin spice waffles with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for a perfectly balanced waffle. The pumpkin spice flavor is pronounced, but not overpowering.

Tangy buttermilk, sourdough discard, and smooth pumpkin puree harmonize the flavors to create an indulgent but not sweet waffle.

Perhaps my favorite characteristic of these sourdough discard waffles is how light and fluffy they are! Sourdough helps the waffles rise some, along with baking powder and baking soda. Additionally, I fold in whipped egg whites for a delicate etherealness.

Between vivid fall leaves, harvest festivals, and apple picking, autumn is my favorite time of year in New England. Adding these Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles to a fall weekend brunch amplifies the season’s spirit even further.

👉 For more fall recipes, check out my Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, these Sourdough Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, Sourdough Apple Butter Muffins, or my Sourdough Apple Fritters.

Plate of Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles with whipped cream

Table of Contents

👨‍🍳 Tips for Making the Best Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles:

1. Use Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling):

Pumpkin pie filling contains added sugar and spices. While convenient, pumpkin pie filling is not customizable or suitable for pumpkin waffles.
Conversely, pumpkin puree contains one ingredient: pumpkin! I use Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin, made from a cultivar of winter squash.
Using pumpkin puree allows you to spice and sweeten any desserts, including these waffles, to your preferences. Canned puree retains the smoothness of roasted and blended pumpkin. If you’d like to roast a pumpkin, you’re welcome to do so, but it’s a bit of a hassle for this recipe!

2. Whip and Fold In Egg Whites:

Pumpkin waffles are lighter with whipped egg whites. For this pumpkin waffle recipe, I divide two eggs and mix the yolks into the batter. I beat the egg whites in a separate bowl for a few minutes to aerate them and then gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
Folding in whipped egg whites is an additional step, but it helps achieve fluffier waffles!

3. Don’t Overmix the Batter:

Overmixing waffle batter leads to gluten development. While gluten development is suitable for making bread, it’s not ideal for cakes, pancakes, or waffles.
Mix your wet and dry ingredients just until the flour is incorporated, and gently fold in the egg whites to avoid overmixing.

4. Always Oil Your Waffle Maker:

Always use non-stick spray or oil your waffle maker so the waffles do not stick to the nooks and crannies like glue.
If you have a non-stick waffle maker, which is common, you may have less of an issue. However, you should still spray the pan, so it’s easier to remove.

5. Keep the Waffles Warm:

Waffles are best warm. As you make the waffles, keep the already-made waffles in an oven turned on to 200ºF (93ºC). Place the waffles on a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan in the oven. Keep the cooked waffles in a single layer. The air circulation will prevent the waffles from getting soggy versus if you stacked the waffles on top of each other. You can use this same warming method for pancakes as well.

Tools Needed for Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles:

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

Waffle Maker

This Cuisinart Classic Waffle Maker is highly rated, nonstick, and has a browning control. It’s very similar to the discontinued waffle maker I use.

Baking Scale

I always list ingredients by weight in grams because it is the most accurate way to measure baking ingredients. Use a scale, and your baking will immediately be better!

I love my Escali baking scale and use it every day. The batteries last a long time, the scale is accurate, and it comes in many colors.

Mixing Bowls

You’ll need a few mixing bowls to combine the ingredients separately before adding them all together.

My favorite mixing bowls are these Vollrath nesting stainless steel bowls. They have flat bottoms, so they don’t tilt over when mixing, and are practically indestructible.

Whisk

This Oxo whisk is the perfect kitchen whisk. I use it in this recipe to mix the ingredients, including whisking the egg whites. I use a small spatula to fold in the egg whites.

Ingredients Needed for Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles:

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

Dry Ingredients:

All-Purpose Flour

All-purpose flour works best for this recipe. You can add a bit of whole wheat or another favorite flour as well for extra flavor.

Spices:

You can use a premade pumpkin spice mix for this recipe, but I prefer to make my own. I use ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and freshly grated whole nutmeg for the best flavor. Feel free to add a pinch of clove, black pepper, cardamom, or allspice as well.

Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Sea Salt

Wet Ingredients:

Sourdough Starter (active or discard)

You can use an active sourdough starter or sourdough discard for this sourdough pumpkin waffle recipe. Either option is okay because you’re not fermenting the waffle batter.

If you don’t have a sourdough starter, learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and read my Top 10 Sourdough Starter Tips for Success.

Pumpkin Puree (not pie filling)

As mentioned in the tips section above, use 100% pumpkin puree like Libby’s in this recipe. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced; every pie filling is different too.

Buttermilk

As an acidic ingredient like sourdough starter, buttermilk will add tanginess to the sourdough waffles. It will also react to the baking soda in the recipe.

If you don’t have buttermilk, substitute it with whole milk. You may not get the same flavor and lift, but the waffles will still taste good.

Eggs, divided

To get fluffier waffles:

Separate the eggs.
Add the egg yolks to the wet ingredients and whisk the egg whites in another bowl.
Gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter.

Dark Brown Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Melted Unsalted Butter

Toppings (optional):

Feel free to add other toppings that you enjoy with waffles!

Below are some of my favorite toppings with these sourdough pumpkin waffles:

Maple syrup
Toasted pecans
Freshly grated nutmeg
Whipped Cream
Toasted pumpkin seeds

Dry ingredients needed for Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles including flour, baking power, baking soda, pumpkin spices, and salt — Dry ingredients

Wet ingredients needed for Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles including pumpkin puree, brown sugar, eggs, butter, sourdough discard, and buttermilk — Wet ingredients

🧇 How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles:

Follow this visual and detailed guide to help you make these easy Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles.

1. Mix Dry Ingredients:

In a large bowl, whisk together the following dry ingredients:

2 cups (240 grams) of all-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Set aside.

Dry ingredients for Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles in bowl including pumpkin spices — Dry ingredients, including pumpkin spices

Mixed dry ingredients for Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles in bowl — Dry ingredients, including pumpkin spices

2. Whisk Wet Ingredients and Egg Whites:

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the following wet ingredients:

1 cup (240 grams) of buttermilk
1 cup (244 grams) pumpkin puree
¾ cup (150 grams) sourdough starter (active or discard)
4 TBS (57 grams) melted, unsalted butter
Two egg yolks (keep the egg whites in a separate bowl)
¼ cup (53 grams) dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a separate small bowl, beat the two egg whites until stiff peaks form. This extra step only takes a few minutes and will help make the waffles extra fluffy!

Note: If you want to skip whisking the egg whites, you can. Just add the whole eggs to the waffles. The waffles might not be as light, but they’ll still be great.

Pouring buttermilk into wet ingredient bowl — Sourdough discard in pourable bowl

3. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients:

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients just until no floury spots remain.

Gently fold in the whipped egg whites with a spatula, trying not to deflate the egg whites.

Pouring wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl — Pouring wet ingredients into dry ingredients

Whisking together wet and dry ingredients in bowl — Pouring wet ingredients into dry ingredients

4. Make the Sourdough Waffles:

Preheat your waffle maker and use a non-stick spray or neutral oil to oil the iron.

Add waffle batter to the waffle iron, according to your waffle maker’s capacity. For example, I use ½ cup of waffle batter for my 7″ round waffle maker. This amount makes 6-7 large waffles.

Follow the instructions for your waffle maker to cook the waffles.

Serve immediately, as sourdough waffles are best warm.

Alternatively, keep the waffles in a 200ºF (93ºC) preheated oven. Place the waffles on a baking sheet with a cooling rack in a single layer for best results and to prevent sogginess.

Half cup in Sourdough Pumpkin Waffle batter in bowl — Bowl of Sourdough Pumpkin Waffle batter

Pouring a half cup of Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles batter on waffle iron — Bowl of Sourdough Pumpkin Waffle batter

Toppings for Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles:

These Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles are not very sweet. Thus, they benefit from drizzling maple syrup on them. The honeycomb pockets soak in the syrup, and welp, they’re perfect.

If you’re a fan of crunch, add some toasted pecans. You can add pecans to the waffle batter or on top of the waffles. To stay in the pumpkin theme, sprinkle some toasted pumpkin seeds on top.

Another personal favorite topping with these waffles is to add a dollop of whipped cream with freshly grated nutmeg.

Make whipped cream by whisking heavy cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar to the whipped cream if you prefer sweetened whipped cream.

Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles with pecans and whipped cream

How to Store Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles:

Serve Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles immediately, warm off of the iron.

You can store the sourdough discard waffles in a resealable bag or airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days. For longer-term storage, you can freeze waffles in a freezer-safe bag.

To reheat cold or frozen waffles, toast them in a toaster oven or reheat them in an oven at 300ºF (149ªC).

You can microwave the waffles, but they can get too soft and even a bit soggy using this method.

❓Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles FAQs:

Could I make these sourdough pumpkin waffles into sourdough pumpkin pancakes?

Generally, yes, you could make pancakes with this recipe. However, pancake batter is best if it is a little thinner, so I would recommend cutting the flour back by ½ cup.

How many waffles does this recipe make?

This sourdough waffle recipe makes approximately six or seven 7″ round waffles. Of course, if you have a smaller waffle maker, it will make more waffles.

Can I use active sourdough or sourdough discard in sourdough waffles?

For this sourdough waffle recipe, you can use either active sourdough or sourdough discard. Since you’re not fermenting the batter, using an unfed sourdough starter is fine for this recipe.

I have many more sourdough discard recipes, too.

Can I make sourdough waffle batter overnight?

Since this waffle batter contains baking powder and baking soda, which will react immediately to the acidic sourdough starter and buttermilk ingredients, I would not recommend making this batter the night before.