My sourdough double chocolate muffins are the kind of treat you make when you want something rich, comforting, and still incredibly simple to pull together. They use sourdough discard for extra moisture and depth, giving you a soft, chocolate-packed muffin without any extra effort.
They're a year-round favorite here — cozy on snowy mornings, sturdy enough for lunchboxes and road trips, and festive on Christmas morning. When you want a full dessert instead, my chocolate sheet cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting and my sourdough chocolate cupcakes are easy chocolate bakes to make next.
Quick Look: Sourdough Discard Double Chocolate Muffins
⏱️ Ready In: About 30 minutes
🔥 Bake Time: About 20 minutes (5 min at 425°F, then 12–15 min at 350°F)
🍽️ Makes: 12 muffins
✨ Calories: Approximately 398 per muffin
🥄 Main Ingredients: Cocoa powder, chocolate chips, sourdough discard, sour cream, oil
🌿 Dietary Info: Vegetarian (easily dairy-free)
💛 Why You'll Love It: Deep double-chocolate flavor, a soft tender crumb from discard and sour cream, and tall bakery-style domes — all from one bowl.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Double the chocolate: Cocoa powder in the batter and chocolate chips folded throughout mean every bite is rich and chocolatey.
- A perfect use for sourdough discard: The discard adds moisture and a subtle tang, the same way it does in my sourdough discard banana muffins.
- Soft for days: Oil and sour cream keep these tender well past day one.
- One bowl, no mixer: The batter comes together fast — as easy as my chocolate chunk banana muffins.
- Bakery-style domes: A hot-oven start gives you those tall, rounded tops.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: The structure of the muffins.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens and helps the tops crisp.
- Cocoa powder: The first layer of chocolate flavor.
- Baking soda + baking powder: Your lift for tall domes.
- Salt: Balances the richness.
- Eggs: Bind the batter; room temperature is best.
- Sour cream: Adds tang and keeps the crumb moist and tender.
- Vegetable oil: Keeps the muffins soft for days (melted coconut oil works too).
- Milk: Loosens the batter.
- Sourdough discard: Adds moisture and a subtle tang.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the chocolate.
- Chocolate chips: The second layer of chocolate — fold in extra if you love melty pockets, like my sourdough chocolate chip muffins.
See recipe card for quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Dairy-free: Use a high-fat non-dairy milk (full-fat oat milk is my favorite) and dairy-free chocolate chips; the recipe already uses oil instead of butter.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works beautifully (a reader-tested swap).
- Gluten-free: A cup-for-cup GF flour blend works well here — readers have had great results with King Arthur Measure for Measure.
- Extra crunch: Add chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Espresso (reader favorite!): Add 2–3 tablespoons of instant espresso powder with the dry ingredients for a deep, mocha-rich flavor — the same chocolate-and-coffee magic in my chocolate cinnamon rolls with espresso cream cheese icing.
- Berries: Fold in ½ cup chopped strawberries (toss in flour first so they don't sink).
- More muffins to try: Craving something fruity next? My sourdough discard lemon muffins are a bright change of pace.
How to Make Sourdough Double Chocolate Muffins
Note: I bake by weight for accuracy. Cup measurements are approximate and may vary depending on how you scoop.
- Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, milk, eggs, sour cream, sourdough discard, and vanilla.
- Step 2: Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until just combined — don't overmix.
- Step 3: Stir in the chocolate chips: Fold them through the thick batter.
- Step 4: Divide the batter into a 12-muffin pan. Bake at 425F for 5 mins then 350F for 12-15 (thick batter, fill to the top)
Weigh your ingredients! Using a kitchen scale ensures your measurements are accurate, which is key for consistent results in baking. It takes the guesswork out of measuring and helps your muffins turn out exactly as intended every time.
Expert Tips
- Start with a hot oven. The blast at 425°F sets tall, bakery-style domes; dropping to 350°F lets the centers bake through without over-browning. Don't open the door when you switch.
- Don't overmix. Stir just until combined — overmixing gives you flat, dense muffins.
- Fill the cups to the top. The batter is thick, so generously full cups are what give you big domes.
- Catch them when they're just set. Pull them when the tops look done (no wet batter) but before they overbake; underbaked tops can sink as they cool.
- Want even taller muffins? Chill the batter overnight (8–12 hours) to ferment it — just stir in the baking soda and powder right before baking.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
Most chocolate muffins lean on cocoa alone. These get their richness from two sources — cocoa in the batter and chocolate chips throughout — plus sour cream and discard for a crumb that stays soft for days. The result tastes more like a portable chocolate cake than a dry breakfast muffin. It's the same deep-chocolate approach behind my sourdough double chocolate banana muffins.
The sourdough discard is the quiet hero here, adding a subtle tang that keeps all that chocolate from tasting flat or overly sweet. If you love a deeply chocolatey discard bake, you'll also want to try my sourdough chocolate sheet cake with brown butter buttercream and my sourdough chocolate crinkle cookies.
Sourdough Double Chocolate Muffins FAQs
Yes! Use a kitchen scale to add the right amount (100g). Active starter has more air in it, so a cup weighs less than a cup of unfed discard — weighing keeps your results consistent.
Yes. Use a high-fat non-dairy milk, dairy-free chocolate chips, and a non-dairy sour cream or yogurt. The recipe already uses oil rather than butter.
Yes — a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend works well at the same 2-cup measurement. Readers have loved them made with a GF starter and GF flour.
Absolutely — it's a reader favorite for a deeper sourdough flavor and taller muffins. Just hold the baking soda and baking powder and stir them in right before baking.
It's optional, but readers (and I) swear by it. A couple tablespoons of instant espresso powder makes the chocolate taste richer and more decadent without tasting like coffee.
Sourdough Double Chocolate Muffins Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Flat muffins, no dome | Batter overmixed or oven not hot enough to start. | Mix just until combined and start the bake at 425°F before dropping to 350°F. |
| Muffins sank while cooling | Pulled from the oven slightly underbaked. | Bake until the tops are fully set with no wet batter. |
| Dense, gummy crumb | Overmixed batter. | Fold gently and stop as soon as the flour and cocoa disappear. |
| Chocolate chips sank | Very thin batter or wet chips. | This batter is thick, which helps — for extra insurance, toss the chips in a little flour. |
| Tops over-browned | Oven runs hot. | Keep the high heat to just the first 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F. |
Storage
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–5 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months — they thaw beautifully and satisfy a chocolate craving straight from the freezer.
- Warm briefly in the microwave to bring back that fresh-baked softness.
Other Muffin Recipes to Consider
Did you make this recipe?
If you try this recipe, I’d love if you left a quick rating and review below! It really helps support my blog and lets others know how the recipe turned out for you. Also, don't forget to tag me @kneadedthat on Instagram and use the hashtag #kneadedthat so I can see what you made and share it!
Sourdough Double Chocolate Muffins
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- spatula
- 3 Tablespoon cookie scoop
- 12-cup muffin pan
- Muffin liners (optional)
Ingredients
- 240 g all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 200 g granulated sugar 1 cup
- 42 g cocoa powder ½ cup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 185 g sour cream ¾ cup
- 120 ml vegetable oil ½ cup
- 80 g whole milk ⅓ cup
- 100 g sourdough discard ⅓ cup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 255 g chocolate chips 1½ cups
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (oil, sugar, milk, eggs, sour cream, sourdough discard, and vanilla).200 g granulated sugar, 2 eggs, 185 g sour cream, 120 ml vegetable oil, 80 g whole milk, 100 g sourdough discard, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.240 g all-purpose flour, 42 g cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.255 g chocolate chips
- Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups, filling to the top. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and bake another 12–15 minutes, until domed and slightly firm to the touch. Do not open the door when changing the temperature.
Isabella Crown says
Came out amazing! A substituted oil for zucchini and a banana just to experiment a little and they came out amazing!!!
Audrey says
Omg! You are so creative. I’m totally going to try this. Thank you for trying my recipe, I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Stephanie says
These are my favorite muffins! I've made them 3 or 4 times and I always cold ferment them overnight. They freeze well and satisfy my chocolate cravings.
Brelin says
I am LOSING MY MIND over these!!! I did a quick Pinterest search for something I could make with my discard tonight with ingredients I already had so I didn't have to throw my discard away. (iykyk) Holy cow, these muffins are everything to me. I made a few adjustments just based off of what I had handy... I have to eat gluten free, so my sourdough starter is gf. I used the same measurements in this recipe though for my discard and it was perfection. I also used King Arthur's Measure for Measure GF Flour instead of regular flour, but 2 cups was perfect for that too. I didn't have sour cream, so I used plain greek yogurt. And I was just curious how it would taste, so I used 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 of coconut sugar. Taste buds are exploding. Seriously, thank you for this recipe! My family loved it!!
Audrey says
Brelin! Thank you so much! You made my day. I'm glad your family loved the recipe!!
Karisa says
Absolutely DELICIOUS! Exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks for sharing!
Audrey says
So glad you liked it!
Meaghan says
Wonderful recipe! They came out perfect. I cannot overstate how amazing these muffins are! The espresso powder is absolutely a must for a rich, decadent chocolate taste.
Audrey says
So happy you enjoyed them! I love adding espresso to my chocolate muffins, too!