With school days all wrapped up for the semester, we are devoting our newly found free time in the mornings to sleeping in a little later followed by long, slow, lazy breakfasts – like these Overnight Sourdough Waffles. Although they require just a bit of forethought (the sponge is made the night before), they could not be easier. Combine that with the fact that everyone who has tried them declares them the BEST waffle they’ve ever had, we’ve got a keeper!
What makes these Overnight Sourdough Waffles so amazing? I believe it’s the distinction of textures – the outside is buttery and crisp, while the inside is tender, light, airy, spongy… think of the inside of a really good churro! I also love the slight tang of the sourdough flavor along with the sweetness of maple syrup. I’ve been making them every morning for the last week just to make sure the recipe is just right, and we’re still eating them up as if we’ve never beheld such a waffle before.
This recipe makes four large Belgian style waffles. It would easily double, and I think you’d be glad you did if your family wakes up hungry like mine. To make the sponge the night before, just add sourdough starter to a bowl along with plain Greek yogurt, milk, sugar, and flour. Mix this together and then cover it and allow it to sit overnight.
In the morning, when you are ready to make the waffles, add melted butter, an egg, vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. Whisk that together and watch as it puffs up in the bowl. Preheat your waffle iron, and then scoop about 1 cup of batter onto the waffle iron.
I think every waffle iron varies slightly, but aim to cook the waffles for 2-3 minutes or until the outside is a deep golden brown.
Enjoy immediately, and to the fullest, with all the butter and maple syrup you desire. Bacon is a good idea. Breakfast is served!
Overnight Sourdough Waffles
These Overnight Sourdough Waffles are by far the BEST we’ve ever had! The outside is crisp and buttery, while the inside is light and tender.
- Prep Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 2 minutes
- Yield: 4 waffles 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Overnight Sponge
- 100 grams active sourdough starter
- 120 grams (1/2 cup) milk
- 140 grams (1/2 cup) plain Greek yogurt
- 12 grams (1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
- 120 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
For the Waffle Batter
- 55 grams (1/4 cup) butter, melted and cooled
- 1 egg
- 4 grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) Kosher salt
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda
Instructions
For the Overnight Sponge
- In a large bowl, whisk together active* starter, milk, yogurt, sugar, and flour until smooth. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight.
For the Waffle Batter
- To the overnight sponge, add melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until incorporated.
- Sprinkle salt and baking soda evenly over the top of the batter. Whisk all together.
- Preheat the waffle iron while the waffle batter sits. It should puff slightly in the bowl.
- Pour 1 cup of batter onto the waffle iron and cook 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
Notes
*I have used both active and inactive starter with good results. I think as long as your starter has been fed within that last 8-12 hours, it is fine to use.
Adapted from NY TIMES Waffle or Pancake Batter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 waffle
- Calories: 321
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 767mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.5g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1.7g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 80mg
How do I make this gluten free for my visiting grandkids?
Sorry Mary, I do not have experience with gluten free baking.
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I didn’t have yogurt in the house so I used the same amount, by weight, of sour cream….best waffles I’ve ever made.
Made the batter last night and cooked the waffles this am. The batter doubled in size over night glad I put it in an oversized container. I used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt just what we had in hand.
The waffles were amazingly light and airy, very posh! I made a double batch so we have a few left over for snacks this afternoon, we love left over waffles sprinkled with powder sugar.
Great recipe will make these again.
I’m making these right now! My kids love waffles…I’m excited for them to try these!
These were amazing, probably best waffles I’ve ever had. They were light and fluffy but buttery and crisp. I will make waffles forever this way.
I made these this morning and they are hands down the best waffles I’ve ever had! Husband and kids devoured them too! The only thing I’ll do differently next time is make more!!
I love sourdough waffles, I need to try this recipe out.
Can you leave it in the fridge for a couple of days?
My batter was thick in the morning. Is that normal?
I make this recipe all the time. If it’s still too thick after adding your melted butter and egg you can add small amounts of milk or water to thin it up a bit, it won’t take much
Could I use this batter for pancakes?
I have made these 10 or more times and they are hands down THE best waffles I’ve ever had in my life. Every time someone new tries them- they rave about them. Even my insanely picky 5 year old DEVOURS these. I am forever grateful for this waffle recipe 😘 only thing that makes them better is serving them with homemade buttermilk syrup.
Tried the SD waffles! Amazing!!! We absolutely LOVED them. Period!
These are so good, easy to make. Best taste and love not having to make batter all in one morning.
Can leftover batter be refrigerated and use the next day rather than cooking all of it.
Hi! We have not tried using leftover batter later. We prefer to make extra waffles and the reheat in waffle iron or toaster the next day.
This is the best sourdough waffle recipe I’ve tried! They turned out nicely crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. Perfect tangy and slightly salty balance paired with syrup. My kids devoured them too!
These are the BEST waffles. I make them all the time. When I need to feed my starter, I made a batch of waffles. All my family and friends love them. Have you tried adding cocoa to your recipe and how would you do it?
This is my go to recipe for sourdough waffles. I’m wondering if you have ever tried thinning the batter slightly, and using it to make crumpets, using crumpet rings?
Can I omit the baking soda? I love so much yet sometimes when I make them, they have like a little bit of like a metallic taste from the baking powder.
These are fantastic. I have used active starter but more often than not it’s right out of the fridge, and turns out perfect every time. It’s obviously ideal to let the sponge sit overnight for fermentation benefits, but in a pinch I’ve even mixed the sponge that morning and kept right on going with the waffle batter and still amazing. All my picky children agree! 🙃
Fantastic! I was looking for a way to use up discard.
I tripled the batch so I could freeze and toast them later.
I also subbed most of the AP with whole wheat, artificial sweetener for the sugar and coffee creamer for the milk(I had it on hand and needed to use it up). The waffles are crispy and fluffy. All the things you want in a waffle.
Thank you! And now I have waffles in my freezer for weekday breakfasts!
These were very good! Crispy on outside, fluffy on inside. Only made 3 round waffles so I’ll double or triple the ingredients next time!!
These were great. 5-year-old said they were the best waffles he’d ever had. I used almond milk and inactive starter, though I did throw it in the oven on the proofing setting for 30 mins in the morning. This was just a little shy of what we wanted to feed our family of 4, so I’ll double it next time and freeze the extras. My new go-to for waffles!
I love this recipe but I always forget if it’s salted butter or unsalted butter that should be added. I can never remember what I did last time.🫥
Just tried this recipe. Easy to assemble. My brother said it was a success. Light and fluffy. And he liked the crunch. Soaks up copious amounts of syrup.Thank you!
My husband and I both agree that these were the best waffles we’ve ever had. They turned out perfectly crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside and had a nice buttery flavor. We’ll definite be making these again soon. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
These were super easy. And super delicious!!!!! I live alone, so this recipe is a keeper because now I have delicious waffles for 4 days!!!!!!! Win-win!! Thank you!!
What kind of waffle maker did you use for these? Thank you so much
What brand is your waffle maker? Thank you
It is a KitchenAid Belgian Waffle Maker. We love it, but they don’t appear to make it any more. You may be able to find a used one on eBay or Facebook marketplace.
I’m a baker and this is hands down the best waffle !
Although i’ve a trick to share here.You can substitute to low gluten flour and use it to make pancakes.Voila! Win win!
Leave the batter to proof mode in the oven on the cold night and use brown butter in half of the recipe.The smell is out of this world:)
Excellent waffles! The yogurt gives the dough a tender inside and with a hot waffle iron you can get a crispy crust. I topped them with crushed pecans and thinly sliced bananas covered with heated pure maple syrup that was finished with butter. Mmmm. Delicious!