The Ultimate Sourdough Banana Muffin Recipe

If you’re in search of an easy and guaranteed crowd-pleaser among sourdough discard recipes, look no further than my Sourdough Banana Muffin recipe. Now, I can’t claim all the glory for this one; the foundation of the recipe comes from my talented mother-in-law, who has been making exceptional banana bread for years. So I combined my love for sourdough discard with her renowned banana bread recipe to make the ultimate sourdough banana muffin.

These Sourdough Banana Muffins are a great grab-and-go snack. They make an easy snack for my kids and I love that they are already portioned out into a serving size. Plus they bake much quicker than banana bread so you can make and bake these muffins in under 30 minutes. If you are a muffin lover you’ve also got to try Sourdough Bran Muffins and Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins. Or, swap out bananas for zucchini and make a yummy Sourdough zucchini bread.

Sourdough Banana Muffin Ingredients

• Butter- I have used salted and unsalted butter in this recipe. Both will work and I haven’t noticed much of a difference in flavor or texture. To control the amount of salt in your recipe use unsalted.
• Sugar– This combination of white and brown sugar is the perfect pair. The brown sugar keeps it soft and moist while the white sugar helps make it thick and fluffy.
• Bananas- It’s best to use very ripe bananas as they are sweeter and easier to mash.
• Vanilla– Enhances and balances the flavor.
• Eggs– Acts as a binder..
• Milk- Any kind of milk will work. For a dairy free option use full-fat coconut milk.
• Sourdough Discard- This can be taken right from the fridge or can be at room temperature.
• All-Purpose Flour- You can swap this out for Whole Wheat Flour if you prefer but it will create a denser muffin.
• Baking Soda– Help the muffins to rise.
• Salt– Brings out the flavor and balances the sweetness.
• Mix-Ins (Optional)- Chocolate chips, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1 t cinnamon, and/or shredded coconut.

What’s Sourdough Discard and Why Add It?

The secret ingredient in these muffins is sourdough discard. Sourdough discard makes these muffins extra moist and yummy. The two most common terms for sourdough starter in a recipe are active and discard. Active sourdough starter means the starter has recently been fed and is at “peak”, meaning bubbly and doubled or more in size. Discard refers to the starter once it has passed peak and begins to fall back down. At this point the starter is no longer able to leaven dough. Learn more about the benefits of using sourdough discard. If you are new to sourdough and don’t have a starter yet, I can help! Check out my beginner’s sourdough class.

Mix-In Ideas

My kids and I love adding milk chocolate chips to these muffins. However if you are not a chocolate person (like my husband) you can omit them. 1/3 cup chopped walnuts are another great option or shredded coconut for a more tropical feel.

Baking Equipment

You don’t need much to make these incredible sourdough banana muffins but here are a few things that I use.

• Muffin Pan– You can make these in a greased muffin pan or use cupcake liners. Another option is to bake in a silicone muffin pan to easily pop out the muffins.
• Bosch Mixer– I use my bosch mixer to mix my batter in but you can also mix with a kitchen aid stand mixer or with beaters. Or if preferred you can beat it by hand.
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cooling Racks

How To Make Sourdough Banana Muffins

• Start by preheating the oven to 350F. Spray non-stick spray on the muffin pan or line with cupcake liners.

• Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. If you are using a Bosch Mixer make sure the butter is room temperature not cold as it can break the Bosch.
• Mix in eggs, vanilla, milk and sourdough discard until combined.

• You can mash the bananas ahead of time or if you are like me just throw them in whole into the mixer. When they are overripe and starting to brown they mash very easily.
• Mix together the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda together and then dump into the wet ingredients. It’s ok if the batter is lumpy.
• Fold in any mix-ins that you want to add. You could do 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/3 cup of walnuts. You could also do 1-2 cups of chocolate chips. Or if you want a more tropical feel add in some shredded coconut.

• Place them in the oven and bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Once baked remove them from the pan and place onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Recipe Tips for Sourdough Banana Muffins

1. Do not overmix! This is the most important rule to follow to ensure tender muffins. It’s okay if the batter is a little lumpy, it does not need to be smooth. The more you mix the batter the more gluten development happens, which results in a tough muffin.
2. Make sure to use very ripe bananas. The more ripe they are the better as that will add a sweeter flavor to these muffins.
3. Pull the muffins out of the pan very soon after getting them out of the oven. When they sit in the hot pan they begin to steam which makes the muffin tough.