If you love sourdough discard recipes that don't require additional flour, then you're going to be obsessed with these quick sourdough discard scallion pancakes served with a yummy dipping sauce!

Along with your sourdough starter, you'll need just a few basic ingredients, including water, salt and baking powder to create these seriously delicious sourdough discard scallion pancakes. And did I mention the chili-soy dipping sauce?

If you love sourdough recipes that don't need extra flour, then make sure you check out these sourdough crackers and this sourdough Dutch Baby pancake.

3 sourdough discard scallion pancakes sitting on a blue stoneware plate. There is also a bowl of chili soy dipping sauce sitting on the plate.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

No Added Flour - You don't need any extra flour for this recipe - just sourdough discard (or sourdough starter) which means it's cheap and easy to pull together at the drop of a hat.

No Waste - This simple sourdough discard recipe utilises sourdough discard in a productive way to ensure nothing is wasted! You do need to make sure your sourdough starter is more than 7 days old before you start using the discard from it.

Minimal Ingredients for Maximum Flavor - Seriously, you won't believe the magical savory flavors created by these sourdough discard scallion pancakes. With just a few ingredients, you are going to perform culinary magic!

A plate of sourdough discard scallion pancakes topped spring onions and served with chilli soy dipping sauce.

What Are Scallion Pancakes & Where Do They Come From?

Scallion pancakes, also known as green onion pancakes or cong you bing in Mandarin, are a savory Chinese flatbread made from dough that is layered with chopped scallions (green onions) and pan-fried until crispy. Originating from Northern China, scallion pancakes have been a popular street food and snack for centuries, especially in regions such as Beijing and Tianjin.

They are enjoyed both as a standalone snack or as an accompaniment to other dishes, often served with dipping sauces such as soy sauce or vinegar. Scallion pancakes are cherished for their crispy exterior, tender layers, and the aromatic flavor of the scallions infused throughout the dough. Over time, they have become a beloved dish in Chinese cuisine and have gained popularity in other parts of the world as well.

What Is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough discard is the unfed portion of sourdough starter that you remove from your starter jar before you add fresh flour and water. It can be used to create lots of different recipes and adds flavor, moisture and texture to many baked goods.

For this recipe, you can use sourdough discard (provided your sourdough starter is more than 7 days old) or active sourdough starter. It really won't make too much difference to the recipe.

You do need to make sure that the discard you use isn't too old or sour or it will make these scallion pancakes taste really unpleasant.

You can read more about the difference between sourdough discard and sourdough starter here.

How To Make Quick Sourdough Discard Scallion Pancakes & Dipping Sauce

This sourdough discard version of scallion pancakes is not prepared exactly as traditional scallion pancakes would be. Traditional scallion pancakes are made from more of a dough.

In this version, sourdough discard is mixed together with a little water, salt, baking powder and scallions (green onions or spring onions) to create crispy, savory pancakes that will make your mouth water!

Flat lay of ingredients necessary to make sourdough discard scallion pancakes.

Dipping Sauce

I recommend making the dipping sauce first so you can enjoy your sourdough scallion pancakes straight away.

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and peanut oil. Stir until well combined and set aside. You can leave the peanut oil out if you prefer.

Sourdough Scallion Pancakes

In a medium mixing bowl, place the sourdough discard, baking powder, water, salt and chopped scallions. Stir vigorously unti well combined. It will fizz and bubble as the baking powder dissolves.

A bowl of batter made to make sourdough discard scallion pancakes.

Heat a non stick frying pan or cast iron skillet on high heat. When you're ready to cook, add a little oil to the pan and then spoon out the mixture into pancakes. I make 6 good size pancakes from this mixture, but you would get 10 smaller sized pancakes.

A bowl of batter used to make sourdough discard scallion pancakes sitting on a white kitchen counter top next to a black cooktop.

Once the pancakes are bubbling, flip them over and cook on the other side. Remove cooked pancakes from the pan and repeat with remaining mixture.

Sourdough discard scallion pancakes cooking in a non stick frying pan.

Serve pancakes warm with dipping sauce.

How to Store + Freeze

I recommend eating these sourdough discard scallion pancakes straight away. They don't really store that well, although they can sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours if you need to. Just warm them through before eating (either pop them in the oven for a little bit or back in the pan). They won't be as good as when you first made them though.

I don't recommend freezing this recipe at all. Although, you can use sourdough discard that has been frozen to make the batter.

These are TO DIE for! I needed to use up some discard, so I tried these this afternoon. I didn't have peanut oil on hand, so I used toasted sesame oil in the dipping sauce, and a mixture of vegetable and regular sesame oil to fry. I ate them all by myself!