Sourdough Banana Muffins

This easy and delicious recipe for Sourdough Banana Muffins can be made with sourdough discard, OR active sourdough starter for a long fermentation. Includes variations for making with whole wheat, honey, chocolate chips, nuts, and more!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. You have the option to use sourdough discard OR active starter, as well as quick and easy recipe or an overnight fermentation.
2. There are lots of great options for healthy swaps like whole wheat flour, honey, coconut oil, etc.
3. Great for keeping on hand for snacking or an easy grab-and-go breakfast option.
4. They are kid-friendly and picky eater approved!

Ingredients

• Bananas: You will need 3 overripe bananas, which equals about 1 1/2 cups once they are all mashed up. You can also use frozen bananas – just be sure to thaw them first.
• Flour: All-purpose works great here, but you can swap it out for whole wheat or sprouted flour – you’ll just need to reduce it by 1-2 tablespoons.
• Butter: Some melted (and cooled) butter is added for flavor and texture, but you can easily swap it out for melted coconut oil if you prefer. I’ve even made these without butter or coconut oil and still had good results.
• Brown sugar: This adds both sweetness and a caramel-y flavor. You can also swap this out for coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey if preferred.
• Egg: This holds everything together! You’ll need 1 large egg.
• Pantry basics: You’ll need salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla extract.
• Spices: Some cinnamon and nutmeg compliments these sourdough banana muffins perfectly!
• Sourdough starter or discard:
• Chocolate chips or mix-ins (optional): Add your favorite flavors and textures for some delicious variations. My favorites are sourdough banana chocolate chip muffins OR sourdough banana nut muffins.

Equipment and Tools

• Muffin pan: You’ll need a 12-cup muffin pan or 2 6-cup muffin pans. I’m totally in love with this silicone-coated pan – it’s the best I’ve ever used.
• Parchment muffin liners: I always recommend lining your muffin pans with paper liners. I really enjoy these unbleached parchment liners.
• Whisk: Since this recipe is made by hand, you’ll need a standard whisk to combine the ingredients. If you like making sourdough on a regular basis, I highly recommend investing in a Danish dough whisk.

How to Make Banana Muffins with Sourdough Discard

To get started, preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Then set the muffin pan aside as you get ready to prepare your muffin batter.

Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a large bowl and whisk well to combine the dry ingredients.

Add 3 overripe, peeled bananas to a separate medium sized bowl and mash well using a fork.

Add the melted butter and brown sugar to the bowl of mashed bananas and whisk well to combine.

Then add the egg and vanilla to the mashed banana mixture, and whisk once again.

Finally, add in the sourdough discard (1/2 cup or 142 grams) and whisk until it is fully incorporated into the other ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients into the mashed banana, butter and sourdough mixture and whisk just until combined. Be careful not to overmix this batter – just whisk until all of the flour has been moistened.

Adding Chocolate Chips, Nuts or Raisins

While you can absolutely bake this banana muffins without any additions (I have, and they’re delicious!), adding in some of your favorite mix-ins is a great way to add flavor and texture.

Add approximately 1 cup of a mix-in of your choosing. Here are a few suggestions:

• Chocolate chips
• Chopped pecans
• Chopped walnuts
• Raisins
• Etc.

Once the mix-ins have been added into the batter, gently fold them in just until they are evenly distributed. Then scoop into the lined muffin cups, filling each one almost to the top, distributing the batter evenly over 12 cups.

Baking the Muffins

1. Bake for 5 minutes at 425ºF (220ºC).
2. Reduce the heat to 350ºF (177ºC) and bake for an additional 16-19 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Storing Banana Muffins

• Allow the muffins to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container.
• Store at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• To freeze, add completely cooled muffins to a freezer bag and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Substitutions

Using natural sweeteners: This recipe can be made with coconut sugar, honey, OR maple syrup. Coconut sugar yields a less-sweet muffin, while the liquid sweeteners yield a muffin that doesn’t rise as much and is more moist.

Without butter: I (accidentally) tested this recipe without butter, and it worked out great! Other than the texture being slightly different, we still enjoyed the muffins and no one noticed that they were missing an ingredient!

With coconut oil: If you prefer, you can substitute the melted butter for melted coconut oil. It will yield a slight coconut-y taste to the muffins, but it’s not unpleasant in my opinion. Just make sure to allow it to cool after melting.

With whole wheat flour: If you want to swap the all purpose flour for whole wheat, you can absolutely do that. Just reduce the total amount of flour by about 1-2 tablespoons, since whole wheat flour tends to absorb more liquid.

Variations

Sourdough Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins: Add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the muffin batter, scoop into muffin tins and bake!

Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins: Add approximately 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter, folding them in gently. Then scoop into muffin tins and bake.

Sourdough Banana Mini Muffins: Follow the recipe as directed, but bake them at 350ºF for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of each muffin.

Long Fermentation Instructions

1. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until combined.
2. Add in ½ cup of active sourdough starter and mix to combine with a dough whisk or silicone spatula.
3. Allow it to ferment for 8-12 hours.
4. When ready to prepare, add the mashed bananas, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract to a medium sized bowl. Whisk well to combine.
5. Add in the baking powder and baking soda and whisk again.
6. Pour this mixture into the fermented dough, and fold everything together.
7. Finally, add in the mix-ins of your choice (if using) and fold them in.
8. Scoop into muffin liners and bake as directed.

More Sourdough Muffins and Quick Breads

• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Sourdough Beer Bread
• Sourdough Applesauce Muffins
• Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins
• Sourdough Zucchini Bread

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