These sourdough discard banana muffins are moist, sweet, and a great way to use up 4 of your ripe bananas and ⅓ cup of sourdough discard! These muffins are delicious by themselves, but I love to add a streusel topping for some extra crunchy sweetness. Add these to your rotation for a fun and easy breakfast, dessert, or snack. If you give these a try, be sure to let me know what you think!
While I love to enjoy these year-round, these are perfect for Easter brunch and the holiday season.
If you're looking for another sourdough muffin recipe, check out my sourdough chocolate chip muffins! Looking for another way to use your bananas and sourdough? Try these sourdough breakfast cookies!
This recipe also inspired my pumpkin banana bread muffins! They’re sweet, soft and perfect for fall.
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Ingredients
- Ripe bananas (the bananas pictures above are the absolute earliest I would use them! I prefer to use them when they are a little bit more brown.)
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Brown sugar
- Sourdough discard
- Melted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cardamom
See the recipe card for quantities and ingredients for the optional streusel topping.
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425; in a small bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, mash bananas thoroughly and add in melted butter, sourdough discard, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and the egg. Mix until just combined.
Step 3: Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix because over-mixing will impact the rise of the muffin.
Step 4: Evenly divide the batter on a prepared 12-muffin baking sheet.
Step 5: Mix streusel topping ingredients and generously top each muffin. Use all of it! Even if it seems like too much. Just trust me.
Step 6: Bake for 5 mins at 425 and then switch to 350 for another 15-16 mins or until you can stick a toothpick in it and it comes out with just a few crumbs. Don’t open the oven when you change the temp!
Hint: Want even taller muffins? Chill the batter covered overnight for 8-12 hours. This will ferment your dough and also help it rise more!
Substitutions
Some of the listed ingredients not work for you? Here are a few of my tried and true substitutes!
- Milk: Use high-fat non-dairy milk if you don't want to use dairy! I highly recommend Oatly oat milk (full fat or regular would be ideal).
- Butter: Use a non-dairy butter like Country Crock's plant butter. A neutral oil (like coconut oil) would work well here too!
Variations
- Extra crunch - Add chopped walnuts or pecans to give these an extra crunch!
- Chocolate - Add 1 cup of chocolate chips to add some rich, chocolatey goodness!
See this chocolate chip sourdough discard muffin recipe!
Equipment
- Small mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- 12-muffin pan
- Muffin liners (or just butter the pan)
- Kitchen Scale (optional but HIGHLY recommended)
- Batter scoop (optional - you can use a spoon)
Storage
For best results, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Sourdough banana bread muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months, however, the streusel will be significantly softer after being thawed. It will be very yummy still, though!
Top tip
Don't over-mix your batter! Over-mixing can lead to flat, sad muffins that don't rise.
FAQ
Yes! I do recommend using a weighted scale here especially to make sure you are adding the right amount (100g) of sourdough to the mix. Active starter has more air in it so 1 cup of it will inevitably weigh less than 1 cup of unfed discard.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- 12-muffin pan
- Muffin liners or just butter the pan
- Kitchen Scale optional but HIGHLY recommended
- Batter scoop optional - you can use a spoon
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 2 ¼ cups flour 270g
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- 4 ripe bananas mashed - about 1.5 cups
- ⅓ cup discard 100g
- 6 tablespoon melted butter unsalted
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar 147g
Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup flour 60g
- ½ cup white sugar 100g
- 4 tablespoon melted butter unsalted
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425; in a small bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.
- Step 2: In a medium bowl, mash bananas thoroughly and add in melted butter, sourdough discard, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and the egg. Mix until just combined.
- Step 3: Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix because over-mixing will impact the rise of the muffin.
- Step 4: Evenly divide the batter on a prepared 12-muffin baking sheet.
- Step 5: Mix streusel topping ingredients and generously top each muffin. Use all of it! Even if it seems like too much. Just trust me.
- Step 6: Bake for 5 mins at 425 and then switch to 350 for another 15-16 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in it and it comes out with just a few crumbs. Don’t open the oven when you change the temp!
Notes
- Make sure your baking powder is NOT expired! Expired baking powder might not rise. If you have any issues with your muffins rising, check and see if you need some fresh baking powder.
- The more ripe your bananas are, the better.
- Store these on the counter in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Food safety
- Wash hands after touching raw batter.
- Never leave a hot oven unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Brenda says
I'm giving these 5 stars and I haven't even tasted the finished product yet. They look and smell amazing. I didn't have any cardamom so I subbed with a little extra cinnamon and added a pinch of cloves. I also used giant muffin tins so mine needed 5 extra minutes of baking time.
Audrey says
Wow, thank you so much, Brenda! I hope you loved them!
Sherry P. says
These are so easy and so good!! Yes, be sure to use ALL the topping! I did add 1/2 c. chopped pecans to the topping. I will be making these again.
Ally says
How long should I bake for mini muffins?
Audrey says
Hey Ally! I'd say around 10 minutes but be sure to check on them periodically so they don't burn.
Lo says
Delicious! I needed to use up some discard as I am just starting out on my sourdough journey, and I had extra struesel from a different recipe to use. These turned out AMAZING. Husband said it's his favorite banana recipe I've made. Definitely will be making these again!
Audrey says
Thank you, Lo!! I'm glad you two liked the recipe!
Christel Bateman says
I've made that 4 times in the last 3 months, and with my co-workers. They're a hit! I made the recipe exactly how it says the first time, but the second time I didn't have enough bananas so I made a substitution - I now use two bananas and two small cups of applesauce (still totaling one and a half cups). I now call them Sourdough Banana Harvest Muffins! Now I have to calculate the price because people want to buy them. Thank you for creating and or sharing those recipes.
Audrey says
I' m so happy to hear this! Now I want to try your Banana Harvest Muffins!
Nikki says
My go to recipe. I’ve made them over and over again! So good!
Audrey says
I'm so happy to hear that!! Thank you, Nikki!
Karen says
Really tasty! I didn’t make the crumb topping but put mini chocolate chips in them instead. I’ll definitely make those again! Maybe with the topping next time.
John Morris says
I made these according to the recipe the first time (I always follow the recipe the first time) and the came out light and airy, moist, and super yummy. I confess that I thought they could use a little less banana, but I still loved them. Today I made them again with 1.5 bananas - the dogs required their portion of banana before I added it. They were still super light and airy, not quite as moist and not as sweet. Next time I think I'll go with 3 (2.5 if the dogs catch me) and see if that brings in enough sweetness and moisture.
Super yummy recipe. It is one I would make others.
Shawna T says
Thanks for sharing the recipe! It's super tasty; my family loves them!
Audrey says
You're welcome! I'm so happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe.
Ellie Lintal says
Sound amazing. Can’t wait to try them. Do you think you could also add a cup of blueberries?
Ellie
Audrey says
Yes, you definitely can! Either toss them in a bit of flour before stirring them in, or give them a gentle smash to prevent them from sinking; otherwise, you won't need to make any changes. I hope you love them!