Banana sourdough muffins
These sweet, fluffy banana sourdough muffins are perfect for breakfast! This recipe is a great way to use sourdough discard along with ripe bananas, creating a tasty treat to start your day.
Why you will love this recipe
- You don’t need an active sourdough starter; discard it is all you need! Maybe I should call them sourdough discard banana muffins!
- These banana sourdough muffins are perfect for meal prep.
- They are suitable for freezing.
- Moist, fluffy banana muffins paired with crunchy nuts create a perfectly balanced texture.
- If you love banana bread, you will LOVE these sourdough banana muffins.
Ingredient notes
Sourdough discard: When you’re making breakfast, you don’t want to wait for hours for your sourdough starter to become active. That’s why we’ve created this sourdough banana muffin recipe that uses sourdough discard. Discard is what you take out of your starter jar when you feed it, and that’s the key ingredient you’ll need!
Flour: To make this recipe, you need all-purpose flour. If you want to make your muffins a little healthier, you can substitute half of the flour with whole wheat flour.
Bananas: For the banana purée, it’s best to use very ripe bananas. The more brown spots they have, the better your banana muffins will turn out!
Spices: The warm flavors of cinnamon and ginger pair perfectly with brown sugar and bananas.
Nuts: I like to use a mixture of chopped nuts like pecans, almonds, and cashews when I make sourdough banana muffins. Pecans have a warm, slightly earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with the banana and spices. If you’re looking for an alternative, I recommend using walnuts or hazelnuts instead.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar gives the muffins a mild caramel flavor and adds color to the batter. You can use granulated sugar, but it will affect the flavor.
Variations & additions
Chocolate chip: Sourdough banana muffins are delicious, but one thing makes them even better: chocolate chips! Add 1/4 cup of your favorite chocolate chips to the batter for easy chocolate chip muffins.
Dried fruit: Incorporating dried fruits like dates, figs, and berries transforms your sourdough banana muffins into a delicious fruity summer treat. You can also include candied citrus peel or cherries!
Coconut: Coconut pairs great with sweet bananas and brown sugar. Add 1/4 cup of coconut flakes or shredded coconut to the batter, and sprinkle some additional coconut and brown sugar on top before placing it in the oven.
How to make banana sourdough muffins
In a bowl, add your dry ingredients. It’s important to mix your dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls to avoid overworking your batter. Next, combine your wet ingredients in another bowl and then pour them into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
Gently mix everything together until you have a smooth batter, then line your muffin tin with liners. I prefer making my own muffin liners, but you can absolutely use store-bought ones.
Divide your batter among the liners and place them in the center of the oven. Baking your sourdough banana muffins takes about 25 minutes, but always check to see if they’re done before taking them out of the oven.
You can check to see if your muffins are done by probing the center with a toothpick. If it comes out dry, your muffins are ready, and you can take them out of the oven. Let them cool on a cooling rack before serving.
Our tips for this recipe
- Make them when you are feeding your starter! Making sourdough banana muffins is a great way to use up your discard.
- Add your favorite nuts or dried fruit!
- Make sure to use ingredients that are at room temperature. This will help ensure that everything mixes together smoothly.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. Weighing your measurements can lead to much better results, but I understand that many of you may find it a bit intimidating. If you’re willing to give it a try, you can find both imperial and metric measurements on the recipe card below.
Storage
Your sourdough banana muffins stay fresh for up to four days at room temperature. You don’t want to put them in the fridge because they will become much drier.
You can freeze them as well. When wrapped in plastic wrap, they can last for six months. To enjoy your muffins, let them thaw on the countertop overnight.
More easy sourdough breakfast recipes
Banana sourdough muffins
Equipment
- 1 muffin tin
- 1 large bowl
- 12 muffin liners
Ingredients
For the banana sourdough muffins
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup mashed banana
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-pupose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
For the streusel topping
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cupped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Add the dry ingredients for your muffins to a large mixing bowl and mix until combined.
- Once combined, add the rest of the muffin ingredients and whisk them in until everything is incorporated. Don’t worry if there are a few dry bits left, you don’t want to overwork your batter.
- In another bowl, rub the ingredients for the streusel topping together with cold fingers.
- Divide the muffin batter over your muffin liners, and sprinkle some streusel topping over every banana sourdough muffin.
- Place your muffin tin in the canter of the oven and bake them for 25-30 minutes.
- Check if they are done and let them cool on a cooling rack before taking them out of the tin.
These sound so amazing!
Thanks!
woah, this looks amazing! Banana Muffins with sourdough?! Yes please!
Let us know how they turned out!
Absolutely delicious and perfect for my gluten-sensitive kiddo. Thank you!
You’re welcome!