Sourdough Banana Muffins are easy to make, using sourdough discard from your Sourdough Bread Starter! Whip these lofty sourdough discard banana muffins up in one bowl; they feature all purpose or whole wheat white flour, brown sugar, walnuts and a hint of vanilla. Like in my Easy Sourdough Biscuits, sourdough discard creates the most flavorful, and tender baked recipes! This recipe is vegetarian and dairy free.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: “I pretty much bake these weekly now. The fluffiness is unreal.” ~ Esti
Table of Contents
Highlights of Sourdough Discard Muffins
Don’t you just love a tasty Moist Banana Bread Recipe? But when there’s sourdough discard in the house, Sourdough Discard Recipes are on the agenda.
Tender. Fluffy. The magic is in the discard! Save it after feeding your Sourdough Starter, then hold on to the discard and repurpose it. Here are three reasons why sourdough starter discard is fabulous in baked goods:
- Sourdough discard has a tenderizing effect when combined with other leavening agents in gluten containing recipes making these banana muffins extra soft and tender.
- Sourdough containing recipes offer a little longer shelf life compared to its non sourdough counterparts.
- Using sourdough discard in recipes is a delicious way to maintain a no waste sourdough starter.
- Sourdough adds a subtle tangy flavor to any baked goods recipe!
These sourdough muffins aren’t very sour, however, as the sourdough flavor is subtle. But, the magic can be found in their tender and fluffy texture.
Quick Guide: How to Make this Sourdough Starter Banana Muffins Recipe
Sourdough discard banana muffins are easy to make with limited hands on time. In summary, here’s how to make em’ (see recipe card for details):
- First, toast the walnuts in a preheating oven. Chop and set aside.
- Second, in a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and soda.
- Third, in a large bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, mashed banana and discard.
- Next, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Allow the batter to set for 15 minutes.
- Last, fold in the chopped walnuts, scoop and bake.
Resting the batter helps hydrate the flour and supports a lofty muffin. It’s worth the wait.
At a Glance: How to Bake Banana Muffins
You’ll need a twelve cup muffin pan and tulip cups to bake these sourdough muffins. This fluffy banana muffins recipe creates extra tall sourdough muffins so tulip muffin liners give them the support they need. Tulip cups can be purchased or follow the Kitchen’s DIY method for homemade!
You’ll notice a relatively high temperature for baking these sourdough starter discard banana muffins at 400F (205C), but as soon as the muffins are popped in the oven, the temperature is lowered to 375F (190C). This high starting temperature helps give these muffins their loft and a nice domed shape.
Pro Tip: Knowing the temperature of your oven is key for best baking outcome. Use an external oven thermometer (dial or digital) to know its true temperature and adjust as needed.
How to Make Sourdough Banana Muffins Healthy(ish)
I tested this recipe with both all purpose flour and whole wheat white flour. They both work beautifully! I prefer whole wheat white flour, due to the bonus of whole grain goodness, and its nutty flavor. But it’s good to know there’s another option if needed.
About Sourdough Discard
For this sourdough muffin recipe you’ll need half a cup of 100% hydration sourdough discard. It can be old or young, and pulled straight from the refrigerator. If it’s been hanging out in the fridge for a while (a few weeks or more), smell the discard. If it smells fruity and ripe, with a little sourness, carry on with your recipe. However, if it smells for, stinky, or overly alcoholish, toss it and create a new sourdough discard.
If you’re new to the sourdough world, I have a DIY Sourdough Bread Starter recipe that’ll help you get off an running with a sourdough starter! It’s super easy to pull together.
How to Store Your Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins
- Store at room temperature, covered for up to four days.
- Freeze individual muffins on a sheet pan then, once frozen, store in a covered container for up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature.
How to Rewarm Sourdough Muffins
Warm muffins in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes. They’ll be soft and tender. Slather them with butter, or as my mom would say, cream cheese.
Pro Tips
- Muffin Liners: Use tulip muffin liners to support these fluffy sourdough banana nut muffins. They can be purchased (look for 2″ x 2 3/4″) or The Kitchn has a tutorial on how to DIY them!
- Oil Choice: I use coconut oil in this recipe. However, canola oil will also work.
- Flour Substitution? Choose all purpose or whole wheat white flour. Both make delicious muffins!
- Nut Options: Enjoy this recipe with walnuts or pecans. For nut-free muffins, they can be left out.
- Bananas: Make sure they’re soft, dark and/or heavily speckled. Mash them, then measure the portion.
- Kitchen Tools: I recommend a digital oven thermometer with an air probe and weighing your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale for the best outcome (affiliate links).
Need a sourdough starter? I’ve got a handy DIY Sourdough Starter Recipe for that
More Sourdough Discard Recipes to Love
- Easy Sourdough Biscuits
- Cranberry Orange Sourdough Scones
- Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Strawberry Shortcake with Sourdough Biscuits
- Overnight or Same Day Sourdough Oat Pancakes
Fluffy Sourdough Banana Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 C (80g) Walnuts whole
- 1 1/2 C (215g) Whole Wheat White Flour or Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon ground
- 3/4 C (155g) Dark Brown Sugar packed
- 2/3 C (135g) Coconut Oil melted, warm to the touch or use canola oil
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 C (305g) Mashed Bananas about 3 very ripe bananas
- 1/2 C (160g) Sourdough Discard 100% hydration, stirred down
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F (205C) and set oven rack in the center. Line a standard muffin pan with 12 tulip style muffin cups or DIY your own.
Toast the Walnuts:
- Place the walnuts in a pan and set them on the center rack in your just turned on pre-heating oven. They'll toast for 15-18 minutes while the oven is heating (keep an eye on the walnuts since they're espically sensitive to heat and because ovens vary in how fast they pre-heat). Transfer toasted walnuts to a board and rough chop once cooled. Set aside a few tablespoons for sprinkling on top if desired. Chop fine. Set aside.
Make the Batter:
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Whisk the ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, warm coconut oil, eggs, bananas, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the ingredients come together. Add the sourdough discard and whisk again until no white streaks remain.
- To the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients all at once. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the dry ingredients and mix until no dry flour patches remain. Fold in the chopped walnuts, holding out the small portion for sprinkling on top. .
- Set batter aside to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Scoop an overfilled large cookie scoop (#20) or about 1/4 C each with batter and transfer to the muffin liners. Distribute leftover batter evenly among cups. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts if desired.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375F (190C). Place the muffins in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Use a toothpick to test several muffins starting at 25 minutes. Once the toothpick comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, the muffins are ready.
- Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and cool completely. Once cool, cover for up to four days at room temperature. To Freeze: allow muffins to cool completely. Place individual muffins on a parchment lined sheet pan and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a lidded container for up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature.To Rewarm: rewarm muffins in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Barb
These banana muffins are well deserving of “Fluffy” in their name. They are the first banana muffins that I ever made without the addition of chocolate chips. My son wasn’t going to try them when he didn’t see chocolate chips, but he said they were so good that they didn’t need the chocolate chips! Probably the best compliment this kid could give. Thanks so much for a great recipe that enables me to use. It’s overripe bananas and sourdough discard which I hate wasting.
Traci York
Hooray for tasty fluffy banana (no chocolate) muffins – son approved! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go, Barb!
monique
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. I just took it out of the oven. I hope it tastes as good as it smells and looks. I baked in a loaf pan. I used Nature’s Raw Cane sugar and all purpose flour. I also burnt the walnuts as they toasted a lot faster than the recipe said. I set it for 10min and checked even sooner. I cut the burnt pieces off. So here’s hoping it tastes good! Thanks Again.
Nova
This was my first time using a discard for a recipe, as I have just begun my sourdough journey, and the muffins are delicious! I did cut back on the sugar to just under 1/2 cup and they are plenty sweet and I threw in a handful of mini chocolate chips! Will definitely make these again!
Kerry
Perfect muffins! Seriously good, thank you so much.
Nicola
So good. I subbed flax eggs for hens eggs and they came out perfect. Soft and so tasty. Thanks for this 🙏
Traci York
Hi Nicola! Thank you for your note, sharing your flax egg tip and five star rating!
Diane
Wow! So light and fluffy and oh so yummy!
I did a gluten free version of this recipe.
I blended up some oatmeal to make 3/4 oat flour and 3/4 gf all purpose.
I used a hybrid 4TBS of unsalted butter and the rest coconut oil because the butter was left over from a recipe the day before.
I did 1 TSP of cinnamon because I love it!
I also used a little over half a cup of coconut palm sugar not packed and the sweetness is perfect!
I added 2 TBS chia seeds
I ended up separating the batter to make half nut friendly for school.
The nut friendly I added raisins and topped with banana slices
The ones with nuts I added sliced banana to the top of them.
You really can’t go wrong with this recipe!
Don’t forgot to watch the toasting walnuts or you will burn them like I did (my 2nd batch toasted up in less than 10min) and I forgot to turn the oven down when putting them in the oven-so glad I caught them before they burned! other than that the only thing wrong with it is the muffins won’t last very long! :)
Thank you, from a first-time follower.
Cindy
GREAT RECIPE!!!light and moist muffin. Substituted truvia for sugar to make them diabetic friendly.
Cole
Delicious!! I was out of walnuts and burned all the pecans so I added a few dark chocolate chips…amazing! Huge hit with the family.
Traci York
Yayyya! Oh nooo on the pecans… but what a delicious remedy with chocolate chips! Thank you for your note and giving the muffins a go, Cole! Day made!
Laura Joyce
Tried this recipe out this morning as I was looking to incorporate my sourdough discard in a recipe and it is definitely a winner, not too sweet and super delicious. My Grandson said no thanks Nanna I don’t like Banana Muffins but I insisted he taste it and the whole lot was devoured..
This is a winner. The recipe gave me 12 medium sized muffins.
Traci York
Best news ever, Laura! I LOL at your Grandson. Thank you for your note and giving the muffins a go!
Erin Maze
I love these. I made them vegan with 2 flax eggs, used only 1/2 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup sugar and added chocolate chips. Great recipe. Thank you.
Traci York
Hi Erin! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the muffins. Thank you for your five star rating and sharing your tips with us!
Carol
Made this morning and they were so tender and delicious. I used 100% whole grain pastry flour, weighed my ingredients and they came out perfect! I cut back a bit on the brown sugar but then sprinkled some raw sugar on top before baking. Loved the bit of crunch on top. Baked in my Air fryer convection oven and it took 20 min.
Traci York
Hi Carol! Hooray for tasty muffins! Thank you for sharing your tips and five star rating! Day made!
Danny Parker
These didn’t work for me. Muffins were dry and the toasted walnuts were over. Felt like my oven was too hot.
I may try again at a lower temp/ shorter time.
Traci York
Hi Danny! I’m sorry these didn’t work for you. I hope you give em a go again, but with an oven thermometer so oven temperature adjustment can be made.
Linda
Can flax egg be used instead of a regular egg in this recipe? I want to make it for someone who does not eat eggs.
Traci York
Hi Linda! I’ve not tried flax egg in this recipe so I’m not sure if it’ll work. If you give it a go, please keep us posted!
Dee
Made these for my 80yr old dad – whose tastebuds are really picky these days. He complains my sourdough is too sour! These were a hit! I didn’t pack the brown sugar, but lightly spooned it to reduce sugar level, and added dark chocolate chips (1/3 cup). Used 1/2c whole wheat bread flour, 1c AP flour
Baked in our air fryer/convection oven on the convection bake setting – took 21 min
Karla
Just made the fluffy sourdough banana muffins. OMG, absolutely delish!! Thank you for sharing
Traci
Hooray, Karla! thank you for your note :D
Lisa Strafford
This is my go to discard using recipe! I’ve taken liberties; I add 1/4c mixed nut butter and fill up to 2/3c w/ coconut oil. I add 1/3c of chocolate chips and 1/3c of craisins, too. I don’t measure my discard; it’s about a cup. Makes fabulous fluffy muffin beasts!!!
Traci
Super happy to hear, Lisa! Love your nut butter and chocolate chips tip – SO yumm! Thank you for your note!
Samantha
I really like the idea and texture of these muffins but all I can taste is coconut oil. They don’t even taste like banana muffins because the coconut is so overpowering. I can even feel it on my tongue after. Canola oil is an awful oil to use so I didn’t want to try crap oil. I think I’d even try yogurt or applesauce long before this much coconut oil again. Definitely change something up if you don’t want to take pure coconut.
Traci
Hi Samantha! I’m so sorry to hear these didn’t meet your expectations. I’m curious about the brand of coconut oil you used?
Samantha
I’m not sure as I used the rest of it and it’s in my recycle bin now. I use this brand for everything and I’ve never had issues. I will try your recipe again but I will definitely alter it. I wanted to give a review for those who may not love something with a coconut taste. I’ll update once I try again.
Natalie
Loved these! I used honey instead of sugar (1/2 cup) and decreased the oil to 1/3 cup and they turned out great!
Traci
Super happy to hear, Natalie! Thank you for your note and tips! Oh myyyy with honey… that sounds amazing!
Angela W Broyles
They were good, not sour, with discard straight from refrigerator. But they were very sweet! (all ingredients were weighed) Next time I will cut down on the sugar
Traci
Hi Angela! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! Indeed, using sourdough discard in recipes isn’t generally for the flavor (like in sourdough bread), rather for texture and using up discard. To tease more sour flavor from these muffins, you could let them rest for an hour or so.
Taylor
Could this batter be made ahead of time?
Traci
Hi Taylor! I’ve not tried it with these muffins, but have with others (non sourdough). With this recipe, there’s a lot more baking soda than baking powder. My concern is that as the baking soda sets, it looses its leavening power. But at the same time, you’ve got sourdough in there. So, some experimentation is in order. I’ll give these an overnight rest next time I make em, and update here. Otherwise, I’m just not sure it’ll work with this recipe. If you play with the timing, please keep us posted!
Taylor
Maybe I’ll try it leaving the baking soda and powder until before I bake them? I’ll try a few things in the future and keep you posted.
Traci
I like that idea! Kinda like overnight pancakes. Looking forward to learning what you find! Thank you, Taylor!
Vinci
Thank you for such an easy and DELICIOUS recipe! It was moist and fluffy and light.
I did adjust the recipe slightly:
– no walnuts
– half a lemon’s zest (so fragrant)
– 1 cup all purpose and 1/2 cup whole grain flour
Turned out super well!
Bethany
Delicious! This is my go to recipe for using sourdough discard. I am in the UK and added 1/2 a tsp of biscoff spread (like caramel) for a hidden centre. ‘Best thing you have ever made’ was one of my family’s comments.
Traci
Hooray! What a complement :D Thank you for your note, Bethany… the biscoff spread sounds amazing for a hidden center!
gordon wilkey
It’s nice when a recipe turns out and it’s as good as it looked in the recipe. Thank you for sharing
Traci
Hooray! Thank you for your note, Gordon!
Jennie O
Did half and half flour mix with whole wheat and all purpose. Other than that, followed recipe and it was a delicious hit. I like having a non-butter option.
They were fluffy with a slight crisp to the edges. Lovely taste of toasted walnuts. I will definitely make this again!
Thank you!
Traci
Love that half and half mix, Jennie! Thank you for giving the muffins a go and sharing your thoughts. SO happy to hear!
Esti Gordon
I pretty much bake these weekly now. The fluffiness is unreal. Coconut oil gives it this buttery taste without being overwhelming
Only swap I did was pecans instead of walnuts cuz it’s what I have available and keep forgetting to buy walnuts
Traci
Hiii Esti! Loved seeing these fluffah muffins on Instagram! Thank you for your note and sharing your success. Isn’t the buttery taste so inviting? Pecans sound fabulous!
Jean
This is my first attempt at using a sourdough recipe. I loved how these muffins turned out to taste so yummy with a soft texture too. I did add some golden raisins that were soaked in bourbon to complete the banana ingredient amount as I only had two ripe bananas medium in size. It did not harm the recipe at all. I am thankful for your clear instructions it helped take away my intimidation with sourdough baking, So as I am doing this recipe I also chose to make your maple sourdough sandwich bread…it is in the oven …to be continued…
Traci
Hi Jean! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! Golden raisins (!!) soaked in bourbon – yum – sounds so delish! Here’s to more sourdough baking (and hooray for a delightful maple sandwich bread in the oven!).
AR
Made these this morning. So good! We are a gluten free household so I omitted the nuts and substituted gf 1:1 flour and my gf brown rice sourdough starter. Thanks for the recipe!
Traci
Hii Ar! Thank you for your note and sharing your adaptation! SO happy to hear these worked with GF flour and starter. Hooray!
Sarah Francis
I just finished eating my first muffin made from this recipe and I LOVE them! My husband also thought they were scrumptious. I only made a very few changes- I have a pathological need to change something in every recipe! I didn’t toast the walnuts- just folded them in raw. I didn’t have dark brown sugar, so I used light. Also, I used 1 cup of unbleached white flour and 1/2 a cup of whole wheat flour.
Traci
Hi Sarah! Hooray! Thank you for your note and sharing your tips – love that 1/2 n 1/2 approach!
Courtney
This is a great recipe! Second time making these. I use coconut sugar instead of brown, avocado oil instead of coconut/canola oil, white spelt flour instead of wheat, and I cut the sugar to 1/2 cup because my bananas are usually very well past their prime. I also let the dough ferment longer each time, for 30min or more. They are sooo good! Thanks so much for the amazing recipe!
Traci
Hooray! Thank you for your note, Courtney, sharing your ingredient subs and note on fermentation. I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying the muffins!
Yelena
These muffins are absolutely delicious!!! So light and fluffy! They taste so buttery even though there’s no butter in them at all. This is now my favourite muffin recipe!
I used pecans because I didn’t have walnuts, so yummy 👌
Traci
Hooray, Yelena! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the muffins! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go!
Angela Andiorio
I didn’t have white flour so subbed whole wheat and subbed grape seed oil for canola. Turned out yummy!
Traci
Hooray! Thank you for your note Angela and sharing your tips! So happy to hear!