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These Sourdough Banana Muffins are soft, sweet, and packed with banana flavor—perfect for a quick, easy snack the whole family will love.
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 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.
If you’re more of a loaf person, you’ll love my Chocolate Sourdough Banana Bread or Cinnamon Streusel Sourdough Banana Bread—both are just as easy and just as delicious. Or, swap out bananas for zucchini and make a yummy Sourdough zucchini bread.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 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.
- They bake much quicker than banana bread, so you can make and bake these muffins in under 30 minutes.
- You can add different mix-ins such as chocolate or walnuts, for a treat everyone will love.
Important Ingredients & Substitutions
- Bananas- It’s best to use very ripe bananas as they are sweeter and easier to mash.
- 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.
- 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.
- Mix-Ins (Optional)- Chocolate chips, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and/or shredded coconut all are delicious add-ins.
See all the ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below.
Mix-In Ideas for Sourdough Banana Muffins
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 is another great option, or shredded coconut for a more tropical feel.
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.
How To Make Sourdough Banana Muffins
Step 1: Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Spray non-stick spray on the muffin pan or line with muffin liners.
In a large bowl, 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.
Step 2: Mix in eggs, vanilla extract, milk and sourdough discard until combined.
Next, add the bananas. 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.
Step 3: In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda, and then dump into the wet ingredients and mix to combine. It’s ok if the batter is lumpy.
Step 4: Fold in any mix-ins that you want to add. You could do 1/3 cup of walnuts or 1-2 cups of chocolate chips. Or if you want a more tropical feel add in some shredded coconut.
Step 5: Add a little less than ⅓ cup of batter to each lined or greased Muffin Pan. Sprinkle more chocolate chips or chunks on top if desired.
Step 6: Place them in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once baked, remove them from the pan and place them onto a Cooling Rack to finish cooling.
Recipe Tips
- 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.
- Make sure to use very ripe or brown bananas. The riper they are the better as that will more sweetness to the muffins.
- Pull the muffins out of the muffin tin 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.
Storage Instructions
To store the Sourdough Banana Muffins, let them completely cool and then add them to an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap. They can be left at room temperature for several days or in the fridge up to a week.
To freeze, add the muffins to a freezer bag or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, let the muffins defrost on the counter, or you can warm them in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until they are warmed through.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! Either discard or sourdough starter will work in this recipe.
Yes, simply thaw the bananas and drain off any excess liquid before adding them to the batter.
Yes if you prefer snack-sized mini muffins, similar to my sourdough mini muffins, bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.
Yes, if you would like to long ferment the batter for extra digestion benefits and added flavor, simply add the muffin batter to the fridge for 12-24 hours and then add to the muffin pan and bake as instructed.
More sourdough Muffins
Sourdough Quick Bread Recipes
Sourdough Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
Holiday Sourdough Recipes
Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins
Sourdough Discard Recipes
Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Muffins
Sourdough Discard Recipes
Quick & Easy Sourdough Mini Muffins (Little Bites copycat)
Tried this Sourdough Banana Muffins or another recipe from the site? I’d love to hear about it! Drop a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments—can’t wait to see what you’re baking!
Sourdough Banana Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 71 grams butter, 5 Tablespoons
- 110 grams brown sugar, ½ cup
- 100 grams cup granulated sugar, ½ cup
- 2 eggs, 100 grams
- 260 grams ripe bananas, mashed, 1 cup
- 120 grams sourdough discard, ½ cup
- 60 grams milk, ¼ cup
- 5 grams vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
- 5 grams baking soda, 1 teaspoon
- 3 grams salt, ½ teaspoon
- 2 grams cinnamon, 1 teaspoon
- 210 grams all-purpose flour, 1½ cup
- 170 grams chocolate chips or chunks, 1 cup, optional
- ⅓ cup walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ degrees
- Beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.71 grams butter, 110 grams brown sugar, 100 grams cup granulated sugar
- Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sourdough discard, milk, and vanilla.2 eggs, 260 grams ripe bananas, mashed, 120 grams sourdough discard, 60 grams milk, 5 grams vanilla extract
- Mix together baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and all-purpose flour. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.5 grams baking soda, 3 grams salt, 2 grams cinnamon, 210 grams all-purpose flour
- Fold in any mix-ins like chocolate chips, walnuts and/or shredded coconut.170 grams chocolate chips or chunks, ⅓ cup walnuts
- Add a little less than ⅓ cup of batter to each lined or greased muffin tin. Sprinkle more chocolate chips or chunks on top if desired.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
-
- 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.
- Make sure to use very ripe bananas. The more ripe they are the better as that will add a sweeter flavor to these muffins.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made the banana muffins but added a small handful of coconut instead of the chocolate chips. The muffins were amazing! Moist and delicious! I enjoy trying your recipes and the recipes are easy to follow.
Yum coconut sounds great! Thanks for sharing.
So quick and easy and everyone LOVED these. I had people grabbing second and thirds. 10/10
I’m so glad! Thanks for sharing Khy!
Can you bake using mini muffin pan? If so how long?
I would say probably 10-12 minutes for minis.
These came out great! Have you ever tried to substitute milk with buttermilk in this recipe?
I’m glad you liked them! I haven’t but I don’t think it would be an issue doing so.
Hi, when you make this do you follow the measurements in grams or do you use measuring cups and spoons? Thanks!
Sorry this is so delayed I never saw it but I always do grams for all my recipes as it gives more accurate and consistent results.
Can you leave the sugar out or substitute it?
I don’t think it will taste good without the sugar. Not only is it sweetening the recipe but it creates a super soft banana bread. You may be able to replace some with a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup but I haven’t tried it.
Monk fruit is a great substitute for sugar. I substitute monk fruit for half of the sugar in my recipes. Just make sure you buy the 1:1 ratio monk fruit.
Thanks for sharing! Glad it worked well for you.
I added a little cinnamon but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Definitely will be making these again.