Easy Sourdough Muffins
These easy sourdough muffins are the perfect solution to use up some of your sourdough discard! Adding some sourdough discard to this muffin recipe gives it a slightly tangy flavor that is so delicious!
OVERVIEW
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Technique Used: Muffin Mixing Method
- Component Used: Sourdough Starter
If you haven’t tried adding your sourdough starter discard to a muffin recipe, you are missing out! It’s so easy to elevate your everyday muffins by adding a slightly tangy and delicious flavor. You can make these muffins into any flavor you want like sourdough blueberry muffins or sourdough cinnamon muffins!
What makes this recipe easy and customizable
- If you’re working on a sourdough starter, then you already have sourdough discard on hand. This recipe is the perfect way to use it up without waste!
- The steps to make muffins couldn’t be easier. Simply combine the wet and dry ingredients- then bake!
- This is a base recipe for sourdough discard muffins meaning you can turn these into your favorite muffin flavor!
Variation Ideas
This is one of my favorite recipes to customize. I like to make a big batch of batter, divide the batter into muffin cups, and then top each one with a few different toppings.
For example, I’ll add fresh strawberry pieces to some, chocolate chips to some, and chopped pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon to others. This is perfect for picky eaters, a great way to get the kids involved in making their own, and will soon become a family favorite!
Other delicious ways to flavor the entire batter:
- Blueberry Muffins: Fold in 250 grams (2 cups) fresh or frozen blueberries.
- Cinnamon Raisin Muffins: Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 150 grams (1 cup) raisins.
- Chocolate Chip Muffins: Fold in 300 grams (2 cups) chocolate chips.
- Cranberry Orange Muffins: Add 1 tablespoon orange zest and 165 grams (1 1/2 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries. Top with an orange powdered sugar glaze.
- Cheddar Bacon Muffins: Fold in 4 strips of crumbled cooked bacon and about 400 grams (4 cups) of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Sprinkle more shredded cheddar on top of the muffins before baking.
FAQ
What is sourdough discard?
Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that you get rid of when you do a feeding. A sourdough starter is a culture of wild yeast and bacteria that is used to leaven bread made out of whole wheat flour and water.
The reason we have discard after a feeding is because every time you feed your active sourdough starter you must give it enough flour and water so that it is sufficiently fed. If you were to feed the entire starter every feeding, then your starter would get bigger and bigger and you would need to feed it a larger quantity every time.
Can I make other things with my sourdough discard?
Yes! Baking with your leftover sourdough discard is a great way to use it up without throwing it away. You can search for specific recipes that call for it like this sourdough muffin recipe, these sourdough crackers, and these sourdough cookies or you can use my basic formula to alter your favorite recipe to include sourdough discard.
Can I make a loaf bread instead of muffins?
Yes, you can use this same recipe to make a loaf bread. Instead of dividing into a muffin tin, pour the batter into a parchment lined loaf pan. Bake at 350°F/175°C for 50-60 minutes until lightly golden brown and the tops spring back when gently pushed or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
PREP & STORAGE
How to prep ahead: Muffin batter can be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to bake, portion into a muffin tin directly from the refrigerator and bake. The batter does not need to come to room temperature.
How to store at room temperature: For best results and flavor, these delicious muffins can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
How to store in the freezer: Let muffins completely cool and then freeze in a single layer for 1 hour until frozen solid. Then move the frozen muffins into a zipper bag squeezing out all of the air. Baked muffins can be frozen up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator and then microwave for a few seconds to refresh.
MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!
If you loved this delicious sourdough recipe, you might like to try these other recipes!
Easy Sourdough Muffins
These easy sourdough muffins use up some discard to give your muffins a delicious sourdough taste!
Ingredients
- 180 grams (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 130 grams (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 10 grams (1 tablespoon) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (*optional)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 76 grams (⅓ cup, 80 milliliters) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 113 grams (½ cup, 120 milliliters) liquid fat (oil or melted butter, shortening, lard, or coconut oil)
- 120 grams (½ cup) sourdough discard (make sure you stir down the bubbles before measuring
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220 °C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour (180 grams/ 1 ½ cups), granulated sugar (130 grams, ⅔ cup), baking powder (10 grams, 1 tablespoon), salt (¼ teaspoon), and cinnamon (½ teaspoon) if using.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg (1 large), milk (76 grams, ⅓ cup), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), oil (113 grams/ ½ cup), and sourdough discard (120 grams/ ½ cup) until well combined.
- Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. The batter will be lumpy. Do not over-mix or the muffins will become tough. If using, fold in any add-ins.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 10 muffin cups.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes and then turn the oven heat down to 350°F (175°C) for about 5-7 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
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73 Comments on “Easy Sourdough Muffins”
What if I don’t want to use eggs…..the vegan option mentioned in ingredients is not there in notes….
Thank you for letting me know. It has been updated!
Do you have any recommendations for ways to eliminate the baking powder entirely?
I left out the baking powder and added 1 tsp. Baking soda and increased to 1/2 tsp of salt – came out beautifully.
Thank you … I will try it!
Sounds like a great way to utilize my SD discard…I’m going to try lemon zest and blueberry add ins.
These sourdough muffins are probably the BEST I’ve ever tasted! I left out the cinnamon, used 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, added in lemon zest, and 2 cups of frozen blueberries. It filled 12 muffin cups. Absolutely heavenly taste, texture is moist, and fluffy yet it isn’t crumbly. They hold together nicely when taking off the cupcake papers. Simply PERFECT muffins. Thank you for a super- great recipe using sourdough discard.
In my country all-purpose flour protein 12%. Can I use this for cake?
AND can I add commercial egg replacer powder in place of egg/applesauce/banana?
These are absolutely phenomenal! I added zest of 1 lemon, juice from half that lemon, and 2 c frozen blueberries. Thank you so much for authoring such a fantastic way to use discard!
That sounds amazing! Glad you are enjoying the recipe Lynn!
I just made lemon-poppyseed muffins with this recipe and they are friggin’ amazing. I put about two tablespoons of poppyseeds, 1 tablespoon lemon zest and juice from half a lemon. You could probably use less milk because the juice made the dough a little too moist. Anyways, amazing recipe! Thank you for this website. It’s a treasure trove for me!
That sounds absolutely delicious Lina! I’ll have to try that soon!
These were not only the best muffins I ever made, but the best I’ve ever eaten! I have been following your sourdough starter instructions, so I thought I would give these a try. Amazing. I added a scant 2 cups of frozen blueberries, made 12 muffins, and baked them 5 minutes longer than specified. Thank you for sharing.
I made these- a 1/2 recipe as there are just 2 of us and they baked up nice and fluffy but were so salty we could not eat them! Is the measurement for 1 T of baking powder correct? I used 1/2 T of baking powder and they were crazy salty. Anyone else have this problem?
I love these sourdough muffins!! So delicious and easy!! I’ve made them with extra cinnamon a lot extra it was a mistake and still amazing!! Plain and blueberry and they have all been a hit with my whole family! Thank you for the recipe!
How could I include cream cheese in this recipe. A local bakery makes them and sooo yummy!
If you are using sourdough discard, which is derived from (wheat) flour, it seems impossible to make these gluten free just by using a GF blend in the recipe. Or am I mistaken?
Will definitely try cupcakes, have plenty of discard left, hated throwing it away, , tried to bake bread with the addition of yeast, perfect failure , however I know how to account for the extra flour and water, I think, with your help, so I will try them tomorrow. One other thing, I cannot quite understand the 1.3.3. Ratio, any chance of explaining that again.
Thanks for the info. Will be trying to make my favourite cupcakes with some lovely discard I have, good tip about dating the discard. I am having trouble with your micro feeding regime 1.3.3. What does that mean, have watched your videos but cannot get my head around this one!
Hi Linda, a 1:3:3 feeding means I am adding 1 part starter, 3 parts water and 3 parts flour. I suggest you checking out my Understanding Sourdough Starter video, I go into depth about feedings including micro feedings:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsZDOWss3eE&t=424s
Made the chocolate chip version today. These were the best muffins I’ve ever had let alone baked!! I would like to make these as jumbo muffins, any idea on how the timing would work?
I’m so glad you like them! I would start by adding 5 min to your baking time then testing the center with a toothpick. Add increments of 2 more minutes if needed.
These muffins were great but they were too big for my muffin tins and took MUCH longer to bake than the recipe indicated. They also ran over the tops of the muffin papers, so they were difficult to remove. Next time I would divide the batter into 12 portions or make large muffins.
The whole Tbsp of baking powder was too much. All i could taste in my muffins was that metallic flavor. If I make these again, I’m going to sub the baking powder for baking soda and use yogurt or buttermilk instead of milk. Flavor would have been better if I could have tasted the sourdough over the baking powder.
Gluten free flour substitution can only be made if a gluten free starter was used.
I am unfamiliar with grams in recipes. Would it be possible to translate the recipe into cup
increments? Many recipes have this
feature available. I would LOVE to make the Sourdough
Bread but I don’t understand the measurements given.
Purchase a digital scale, makes life (and bread) so much easier! It’s a lot more accurate to measure dry ingredients by weight.
Exactly!
I love these muffins. Made the chocolate chip and the cinnamon raisin! I froze some. How long can they remain frozen? Thanks! Marguerite
They can be frozen for about 3 months. So glad you like them!
How can I replace the sugar with maple syrup or honey? What quantities?
I tried to find the answer to this in the list of comments but don’t see it – I like using whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour – could I swap one of them out in this recipe? Love your site – my starter is great, thanks to you and your youtube videos!
I NEVER comment on recipes, but OH MY GOODNESS! This was my first attempt at using a sourdough starter a friend gave me, and I am hooked! I made them with fresh blueberries and everything came out perfectly. Can’t wait to make other variations!
Thanks so much for commenting! Blueberry sounds great!
I think 1 TBSP of baking powder is way too much. It was a very strong flavor. Why would you add this much baking powder? It seemed fishy to me but I went with it and it was a mistake. Please update this recipe for the sake of others.
Hi Cassandra, this recipe has been tested many times and usually yields great results. I’m sorry you didn’t like them!
I needed to use some of my sourdough discard and also some blueberries so I made these – followed directions and they turned out delicious! I ended up with 18 muffins after adding two cups of blueberries. Definitely a keeper!
Awesome recipe! It was light and so good!! I added cheddar cheese and grated apples amazing! Love love this recipe, will def be making this recipe again!
I try your receipt on sourdough muffins why the texture was not fluffy as bought the muffin outside.please comment
These are fabulous and are now a family favorite. just thought I would share a “add in”. Mocha Chocolate chip option: Use the Cinnamin in the recipe, mix 1 tbsp instant coffee with 1 to 2 tablespoons boiling water (or coffee from the pot) and add to the Chocolate chip variation.
Yum! Thank you for the tip!
These muffins were an absolute hit with the family!!! I’m baking them again to take to my ladies group tonight!!
My sourdough has been brewing happily!!! THANKS!!
Wonderful!
Technically nothing sourdough is vegan, Since sourdough is a Result of the cultures being made thus being living organisms. And what about a substitution for Lactose intolerance? .
Marissa, by that logic absolutely nothing you eat is vegan considering that the wild yeast that is in sourdough is LITERALLY ON EVERYTHING. I don’t know if you’re vegan or just trying to troll, but your comment is ridiculous. By the way, I am actually 100% plant based. I don’t know if you are, but stop making the rest of us look bad with comments like this.
Lily,
I am actually trying to understand what vegan is. I made the vegan version for a friend and they told me they couldn’t eat it because it is not vegan. I was actually trying to avoid someone being offended. Still wondering what is a good substitute for milk with these recipes. Sorry Lily if you were offended, but when we are trying to learn we do make mistakes. Like I didn’t know they don’t do milk either. By the way I absolutely love this site, and love baking. Baker Bettie makes it easy to be successful the first time.
Hi Merissa, I will say I have made this recipe using flax milk and oat milk. Both came out great. I don’t know if that’s available where you are, but soy milk and almond milk are available in most places and I think that should work just fine too. Ooh..hemp milk would probably also be great. (I thought you were trying to be snarky about the bacteria comment, didn’t realize you were trying to figure things out.)
Thnk you I can get oat so it will try that first.
These muffins are amazing! Thank you for this recipe 🙂
I love your website , so informative and easy to understand and follow 🙂
Glad you like them!
Hi there Bettie! I make these muffins once a week and my whole family LOVES them. One question: today I tried a savory variation with 1 cup shredded cheddar and 1/4 cup green chile. I left the sugar amount as-is per the recipe since the basic recipe isn’t overly sweet. But the sugar level was a bit high for this savory batch! How would you recommend amending this for next time? I don’t know what to sub for the sugar and still get the texture right. Thank you, I’m such a fan of your site!
I have the same question! Hope someone can help answer this.
How would I make this dairy-free?
You can swap the milk in the recipe for any non-dairy milk like soy, almond, or oat.
Would this one taste good with lemon too?
I made these muffins with the Bacon and Cheddar suggestion.
They were too sweet. How much can sugar be reduced to keep the recipe whole but be more savory?
cool. my familyy is tired of sourdough waffles
😉
Enjoy!
This is great. Delicious muffins with a slightly crunchy top. I had to bake them a little longer
I tried this recipe and they taste good, however they came out spongy but fall apart easily. I used oatmilk as a substitute, but I feel as if that wouldn’t entirely change the texture. Could there be a different reason? I forgot to turn the oven down, so does that mean they over baked?
Added 2 cups diced rhubarb, 3/4 cup pecans and zest of orange. Yummy. This is a great base recipe.
These turned out very tasty! I love how you included the amounts in the recipe text so I didn’t have to scroll up from the instructions to check the amount, very handy!
So glad you like it!
I agree, that made it so much easier to have the measurements in the directions. I made a batch last night and they were gone before morning. My family obviously loved them too.
I am diabetic. If there are any recommendations for any recipes I look forward to seeing them.
Hi, I am not a nutritionist so I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving recommendations.
Bettie, I am so grateful to have found a sourdough discard muffin recipe here. I have made this recipe many times. Is there any way I can eliminate the baking powder? I mix the dry ingredients very well. I weigh and measure everything diligently. It still keeps showing up in very unpleasant bites.
Hi, can you substitute oats for some of the AP flour?
Also, what can I do to make sure the muffins don’t turn out too sour? I used sourdough discard for a flatbread recipe, and it turned out too sour. So I don’t want to make the same mistake with the muffins. Thanks!
I’ve made these many times and they do not taste sour. It’s the first discard recipe I’ve used that doesn’t!
What’s the best fat choice for this recipe?
I tend to always use a neutral oil like vegetable or canola for muffins to keep them light.
I recently made Sourdough donuts using Raspberry jam as a filling. then I made a Raspberry Rum with powdered sugar, cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg icing. I just made Raspberry Muffins and make the same glaze for them; all my friends are begging for more. The glaze is simple using 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg with Raspberry Rum, making a pretty thick mixture and dipping the muffins then adding a bit more to the thin spots with a pastry brush where needed. Try it, you will love it.
These are delish. I did the lemon and blueberry version and they’re so light and fluffy.
I subbed a flax egg for the hen’s egg.
I’d also read the comments about the tablespoon of baking powder so changed it for 1/4 tsp baking powder + 1 tsp baking soda.