Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins {a.k.a. The Best Muffins On The Planet}
If the world could have only one great muffin, this would be it. These sourdough pumpkin muffins are incredible. Fluffy, moist, PERFECT!
If you are one of the 3.2 million people who delved into sourdough last year when we were all stuck at home, today you are going to be very happy about that decision.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, don’t panic, you can beg one off a friend, neighbor or start appealing to your community Facebook groups. Trust me, you’re going to want it, because these muffins are epic.
The Best Muffins in the World
I have eaten a lot (a lot!) of muffins in my day. A lot of really really good muffins.
And you probably think I’m being overly dramatic right now, but you guys, I’m not exaggerating when I say these sourdough pumpkin muffins are some of the best muffins I have ever had.
And I’m not alone. Every person that tries these muffins is blown away by the pillowy-soft texture and yummy pumpkin flavor.
What Does the Sourdough Do?
The sourdough starter, while subtle and nearly undetectable in flavor, lends a soft, fluffy texture to these muffins that is unparalleled.
You don’t take a bite of these muffins and think “whoa, sourdough!” Rather, you take a bite of these muffins…and another bite…and another bite…and you forget all else because they are that good.
I have a sourdough starter from a friend that, to be honest, stays largely forgotten in the refrigerator until I decide we want sourdough waffles or easy sourdough bread.
This pumpkin muffin recipe uses sourdough discard, which means the sourdough starter doesn’t need to be fed before using it in this recipe. This is GREAT NEWS for lazy sourdough bakers like me.
One Bowl Recipe
These muffins are mixed like any ol’ muffin recipe. Even better, they’re a one bowl wonder.
The sourdough starter is combined with the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, and vanilla. And then the dry ingredients go in for a quick mix.
Same muffin-mixing rules apply here: don’t over mix! Just give the batter a few quick stirs until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
A Perfect Bake
I have made these muffins close to a dozen times, and they turn out perfect every single time.
No overflowing. No flat tops.
These sourdough pumpkin muffins have the perfect rise and cutest little domed muffin tops ever.
Chocolate Chips Always Acceptable
I usually bake half the batter as-is and stir in mini chocolate chips to the remaining batter.
You just can’t go wrong with the pumpkin chocolate chip muffin combo. If I feel really motivated, I also sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top, but that’s entirely optional.
Of course, you can use regular chocolate chips, but I find that mini chocolate chips give a much more thorough representation of chocolate throughout the muffin.
I have many other pumpkin muffins that I love and that I will continue to make. But I have no problem declaring these sourdough muffins to be the best of them all (chocolate chips or not).
They are absolutely tremendous. And they stay soft and moist for days!
Even if you never venture into authentic sourdough bread, these pumpkin muffins make keeping a sourdough starter around absolutely worth it.
Dig out that starter from the back of your fridge or start making sourdough friend requests now, because I promise you are going to want these muffins in your life.
One Year Ago: Easy Homemade Broccoli Cheese Soup
Two Years Ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Cake {One-Bowl + Whole Grain}
Three Years Ago: Ultimate Beef Stroganoff {Slow Cooker or Instant Pot}
Four Years Ago: Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes {30-Minute Meal}
Five Years Ago: Perfect Pot Roast and Gravy
Six Years Ago: Quick and Easy Quinoa Enchilada Skillet Meal
Seven Years Ago: Slow Cooker Applesauce {No Sugar Added}
Eight Years Ago: Salt Crusted Potatoes with Fresh Rosemary
Nine Years Ago: Pumpkin Blondies with Chocolate Chips
Ten Years Ago: Monster Pudding Cups
Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (456 g) pumpkin puree, canned or homemade (see note)
- 1 cup (227 g) sourdough starter, unfed/discard (see note)
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup neutral-flavored oil like canola or vegetable or melted butter or coconut oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour (see note)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt (decrease if using salted butter)
- 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sourdough starter, granulated sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until well-combined.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips (if using) and mix until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Don't over mix.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling the muffin cups 1/2 to 2/3 full. If desired, sprinkle a few regular or mini chocolate chips on top of the muffins.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops spring back lightly to the touch and/or a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from this recipe Janae W., a blog reader, sent to me (thanks Janae)
156 Comments on “Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins {a.k.a. The Best Muffins On The Planet}”
SO good. I used pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon and I halved the sugar (of course included the chocolate chips) and they were delish.
Delicious! Didn’t use chocolate chips. Easy to make & taste great. Thanks for this recipe!
I’ve just started baking with sourdough. I use Einkorn flour so I can’t bear to throw any away when feeding, and have been looking for recipes to use up the extra.
I made these using the same amount (by your weight) of all-purpose Einkorn flour, swapping the 1 cup white sugar with 1/2 cup coconut sugar and 1/2 cup maple syrup, and added a bit of nutmeg and ginger. (I don’t believe in chocolate with pumpkin–haha–so I left out the chocolate chips.) Turned out great and I shared the recipe with the friend who gave me the starter.
Can’t wait to try your banana bread with sourdough starter next!
These are SO good! Didn’t know I needed another pumpkin muffin recipe but this one is amazing!!!!
I love this recipe! I swapped the eggs for 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce and swapped the vanilla for maple syrup since I was out of vanilla! Yum!
I don’t know why, but I was so skeptical about this recipe. But I believe you, Mel. Always. And you were right again. The sourdough just lifted pumpkin muffins to a new level! The texture was perfect! Thanks for giving me a use for my discard.
I wonder if you could make these with persimmons?
I’m not sure – sorry I’m not more help!
The consistency was light and fluffy. I liked that very much. I would add a little ginger and nutmeg to spice it up a bit more.
Just made these today and they’re a hit. I stirred in dark chocolate chips AND cinnamon chips. Super easy to mix up, my 4 yo and 2 yo were able to do all the mixing (I measured for them). Oh! I didn’t have large eggs, but 4 medium eggs worked nicely.
Insanely delicious!! Did not disappoint!
These are so yummy and soft! I personally like to absolutely load the muffins with choco chips, so highly recommend doing that.
We love them! I used hemp seeds and water to replace the egg, and applesauce to replace the butter. Did half the amount of sugar. Vegan, sweet enough with applesauce and mini choc chips. It made 4 dz mini muffins and I send them in school lunches! So delicious.
These are AMAZING.
the best taste and smell ever thank you for this amazing recipe
Mel, I would like to use Einkorn flour in these muffins. Do you think it would work well? I’m new to Einkorn and it is tricky in bread, so I am not sure with muffins.
Are you going to be using einkhorn wheat flour or einkhorn white flour?
These are phenomenal! Do yourself a favor and try these with Trader Joe’s salted caramel chips – unbelievably good!
I made these for breakfast. I used oat flour in place of the white flour. My family all loved them! They were super light and flavorful. Thanks so much for a yummy recipe.
I’m allergic to cinnamon and cloves. What spice would you recommend instead ?
Maybe try 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and a pinch of allspice
Can I substitute honey for sugar with the sourdough?
I haven’t tried that, but you could definitely experiment!
I have made these a number of times since discovering them last fall. Without a doubt they are my husband’s favorite muffin. He was begging for them throughout the spring and summer. So today, since it was the first day of autumn I made a batch and baked them in jumbo muffin tins. I texted one of his bachelor friends to come by and get some. While my husband was walking his dog, his friend ate a muffin. I walked out to his car with a sack of additional muffins and he was so engrossed eating his muffin, head down , face planted in the paper liner to get every last crumb that he didn’t hear me walk up and I scared him. He was embarrassed and said they were so good he was about ready to eat the paper liner! Then my husband texted his other bachelor friend and taunted him with the story. He responded that his mouth was watering and he was promised a bag of his own. I just knew you’d get a kick about all these men crazy for your muffins!
These really are The Best Muffins On the Planet!!!!!!
Haha, I LOVED this! Thank you for sharing!
Great. I am always looking for ways to use sourdough disgard.
Pumpkin muffins are a favorite of my family. I like this recipe better than the pumpkin muffins recipe that I have been making for many years. I left out chocolate chips and vanilla. I added nutmeg, cloves, orange oil and dried cranberries
I love these!
I did add some extra seasoning like you use in pumpkin pie plus a pinch of black pepper.
They baked well, froze well and are delicious. Mine made exactly 24 .
Yes Yes, and YES! These are the bomb amazing. I’ve been into all things sourdough lately, and could not wait to try these. Thanks for another winner, Mel! It may be the peak of summer, but these pumpkin muffins are SICK!
I’ve made these muffins a few times now using a 15oz. (425g) of pumpkin. They turn out fluffy and moist. It doesn’t seem that less pumpkin affects texture and rise. I do wonder if using the amount called for will make them a bit more flavorful? I will try that one of these days. (I’m getting ready to move so didn’t want to have leftover pumpkin in the freezer).
I may try adding a bit of ground cloves as well…
Thanks for another great recipe Mel
I’ve been making these for months, and they are a favorite in my house! I use white whole wheat flour for them.
I just tried making them with a flax-egg substitute for the eggs in order to share them with a friend who has a kid with allergies, and they turned out great with the substitution. I used one tablespoon flaxmeal mixed with three tablespoons water for each egg (total 3 T flaxmeal 9Twater ). It’s slightly nuttier in flavor with the flax-eggs, but still tastes great and has a great fluffy texture.
Made great tender muffins, very good recipe! I made 24 mini and 12 regular size out of one recipe. My kids love them!
Lordy Lordy Lordy!!! These are soooo good!!! I was looking for a recipe to use a large amount of my discard and I had everything else in the pantry. The only changes I made is I did half Swerve and half regular sugar since I am diabetic. Also added nutmeg and a little clove. Will def make this again!
These turned out great! My family loves them.
These are delicious. I used all white whole flour and butter. Please keep the sourdough discard recipes coming. I just entered the sourdough world and I am loving it. I do not want to waste anything either. Thank you for the recipe.
Made these Pumpkin muffins it was a great way to use sourdough discard up. My family agrees they are they are the “Best Muffins in the World” and ask for them all the time. Thanks!
Forget to give it the 5 Stars!!
Solid recipe. One batch made a dozen muffins and a high-domed mini loaf. I opted for whole wheat pastry flour and roughly 30% less sugar and they were still moist and sweet.
Just fyi, I think a couple of the volume-to-weight conversions are a bit off in the recipe. A cup of sugar is 200 grams, not 212. Two cups of AP flour is 240 grams, not 284. (2 cups of whole wheat flour would be 226.) And two cups of canned pumpkin puree — at least of the two brands I have at home — would be between 488 and 520 grams, not 465. I’m guessing that last one varies a lot brand to brand and even more if you’re using homemade puree.
Hey Mack, thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the muffins. As for the weight amounts, the weights given in the recipe are correct. Those weights are how I test my recipes. The weight of a cup of flour (or sugar or other ingredients) varies depending on the source. For instance, King Arthur Flour uses 198 g for a cup of sugar and 120 g for a cup of flour, whereas America’s Test Kitchen uses anywhere from 200-210 g for a cup of sugar and about 145 g for a cup of flour. Those are just two sources, but I point it out just to emphasize that as long as a recipe has been tested by the author, it’s best to use the weights given in the recipe. Because I tend to measure with a slightly heavier hand, my weight measures reflect that (and my recipes won’t turn out the same using weight measures from other sources). Hope that helps!
I LOVE these muffins. I’ve made them as written several times and made them with all whole wheat flour and maple syrup/honey as sweetener with amazing results. Today I was out of pumpkin but had overripe bananas and lots of sourdough discard so I subbed the pumpkin for mashed bananas, decreased the sweetener to about 1/3 c maple syrup, 1/4 c honey to compensate for the sweetness of the bananas and used all WW flour and they were still delicious. Such a good recipe to use up discard! (I’ve also made them with fed sourdough multiple times and they’ve also turned out amazing). Thank you, Mel! I use your recipes 4+ times every week and they’re always awesome.
*Subbed mashed bananas for the pumpkin
Love the banana version! Thanks for the detailed notes!
Can I sub honey/maple sugar in replace of the white sugar?
I haven’t tried that, but I bet it would work fine!
Thanks for sharing this recipe- it is the BEST pumpkin muffin I have made. Thanks for giving me something to make with my sourdough discard. Please figure out more exciting recipes with the sourdough. I have made these twice already- first time as written- second time I halved the recipe because we couldn’t possibly eat all the muffins we made the first time.
Wonderfully moist and so delicious! These muffins are my new favorite!
I’ve made these 3 times in the last 2 weeks. My kids love them! Even our friends son who is an extremely picky eater loved them! Went into my sons lunchbox as a snack for preschool….and I felt good about it with the pumpkin and whole wheat in it! Obviously the chocolate chips aren’t optional in our house…I made these mini muffins (daughter thought I meant Minnie (as in mouse) muffins and won’t eat muffins any other way now) and they were great..baked in about 10 minutes! Great recipe as usual!!
This is the 1st recipe that I have tried from your site. I make my own pumpkin purée, and have lots of that plus lots of discard. It’s a win-win!!! I altered the recipe slightly by spraying my pampered chef muffin pans with canola spray vs using paper liners. I did add the mini chocolate chips too. Couldn’t have asked for a better outcome! Thank you!!!
I think those muffins are delicious! Really good texture.
I tried making sourdough banana bread once and thought it tasted “yeasty” like bread instead of muffin-y like I want it to. But these did not. Very yummy. And the addition of chocolate is awesome of course.
The muffin itself doesn’t taste super sweet.
If you don’t have a box of Good Earth Sweet and Spicy tea bags, run out and get a box! A hot cup of that tea and a one of these muffins (or two!) on a chilly afternoon is ✨heaven✨
Every time I feed Karen (What? You don’t name your sourdough starter?!), I keep some discard because I know there must be SOMETHING delicious to make with the discard. Well this is it! As stated, these are so soft and pillowy and flavorful. 🙂 I made 12 full muffins (half with chocolate chips for those in my home who want them in everything ) and 24 mini muffins that I bagged up and stuck in the freezer to grab on the way out to work on busy mornings. Another great recipe! Thanks, Mel!
Made them as directed, came out awesome! Ran out of pumpkin but had a load of bananas in the freezer and substituted mashed banana for the pumpkin and it worked out just great! Fluffy and moist! Can’t wait to try with other substitutions. Such a delicious way to use my discard! Thank you!
The muffins are FANTASTIC!! Thank you! I’m having problems with my muffins HORRIBLY sticking to The paper liners. I bought some liners at a restaurant supply store and they seem to stick more than others (I don’t prefer to spray them). Do you have a certain brand that you use? I’ve been having this issue with banana and other muffins as well. Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Krista, I usually use the Reynolds brand of parchment liners. What kind/brand of muffin tin are you using?
I have used these parchment liners for years and nothing sticks to them! I will never go back to normal liners. https://www.amazon.com/Standard-Paper-Cupcake-Liners-Baking/dp/B017O9TAXM/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=parchment+liners&qid=1639604047&sr=8-2
I use silicone liners and they popped right our.
Delicious! We love a good pumpkin muffin and even more one that uses my sourdough starter. Mine didn’t puff up as much as your photos, but I just brought my starter back to life after awhile of neglect. Regardless, delicious muffins!
Great muffins! I put semi-sweet chocolate chips in and loved it. Have them for breakfast, or top with whipped cream for a dessert. They were also super easy to make which is always nice. Thank-you for sharing!
These were so delicious! Such a great texture and moistness. I did top them with a cream cheese powdered sugar vanilla frosting to make them more into cupcakes for a treat. That took them over the top. Thanks for a great recipe and opportunity to use up my discard!
These were good, but just good in my book. Which is a perfectly acceptable food standard, but slightly disappointing after reading that they’re the best muffin on the planet. 😉 My can of pumpkin was 425 grams, but I wasn’t inclined to open another can for 26g of purée. Perhaps that 26g makes all the difference and then they would have been the best ever. I was happy to use some of the sourdough discard that had been languishing in my fridge for months.
I’m back! I had discard to use, and homemade butternut squash purée, so I decided to give these another shot. I also added a cup of mini chocolate chips (I didn’t last time, because the pumpkin + chocolate chip thing sort of makes me cringe). This time they’re delicious! I’m still refraining from calling them the best muffins ever, because I can’t commit to that standard haha, but they’re very good and I’ll be making them again.
So good and fluffy! Made 30 muffins -yum!
Mel! These are amazing! Do you have other sourdough muffin recipes?
I don’t have any others yet, but I’m hoping to get a few more variations up since these are so delicious!
12 muffins?? I made 24, nice and full, and still had more batter.
The yield on the recipe is 24 muffins. 🙂
Perfect! I added cranberries and walnuts
When I was on the prowl for sourdough muffin recipes I must admit I rolled my eyes reading ” best muffin recipe on the planet”. Chocolate chips, mini or otherwise, just didn’t seem to have a place in a pumpkin muffin. I had already made an assortment of other sourdough muffin recipes from other sites which were perfectly delicious, so when I embarked on this less than appealing combination I was not enthused. Even my husband, who is thrilled with anything in the sweet treat category because he so rarely gets it, was doubtful. That being said and after making them 3 times in a month, my husband and I loudly and proudly proclaim these ARE The Best Muffins on the PLANET!!! When you’re wrong, you’re just plain wrong. Don’t miss out on this delectable recipe and for heavens sake, don’t forget the mini chocolate chips!!
100% agree these are the best pumpkin muffins ever.
I’d like to use recipe for a loaf.
Fantastic muffins. Instead of chocolate chips, I put in walnuts and dates.
Perfect texture! I made one tray of 12 regular sized muffins and one tray of 24 mini muffins. The minis baked up in 15 minutes for me and the regular sized took 20. I used a little less cinnamon but added some nutmeg, ginger and allspice. I’m freezing most of them to be used for morning snack for the next few weeks. Enjoyed by kids and adults!
I made my own sourdough starter and waited two weeks to bake these… And let me tell you, they were/are worth it! I’m excited to add sour dough to my budding collection of baking skills! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you were able to try them. Way to go on making your own starter, Kaylin!
So delicious! Followed the recipe exactly. They turned out perfect. Excited to share these with friends. Thanks, Mel!
Sour dough starter…I wonder if Amish Friendship Bread starter would work?
I like how it only has a half a cup of oil vs other recipes that call for a whole cup.
Have you ever experimented with Amish Friendship Bread recipes?
Love your recipes,
Mercy
Using Amish Friendship Bread Starter works very well with this recipe!
Had to add a bit more flour, but will definitely use this recipe again in the future.
That’s good to know! Thanks for commenting with the results!
I made these for the first time yesterday. I mostly followed the recipe. My sourdough starter had been fed the previous day. I also did not use the full 2 cups of pumpkin because as another reviewer mentioned, it causes waste when only using a partial can. With those slight changes the muffins still cooked up ok. They didn’t get very dome shaped and I felt they tasted bland. If I make them again, I’d add more cinnamon and try using the full 2 cups of pumpkin instead of one can.
We have a long-standing favorite pumpkin muffin recipe and I thought nothing could beat it until I tried these. We used 50/50 whole wheat/white flour and, of course, as we do with all Mel’s recipes, we doubled it. Fantastic flavor and so yummy!
These muffins were amazing! I even cut the sugar in half and they were still amazing! I will be making these again VERY soon.
What if I use fed sourdough starter?
Just kidding! I just saw your note!!
Wow, incredible!!! I hate leaving partial pumpkin cans, so I used a single 15 oz can of pumpkin (slightly less g than written) and it worked perfectly. I also added cinnamon chips — fabulous!
Made these with Kamut flour. Don’t look as beautiful as yours, but they are delicious!! Thanks for another great recipe!
So good! Thanks for giving me another way to use my sourdough discard! Other than my husband turning off the timer and not telling me, these turned out perfect! And the extra couple of minutes of baking time didn’t take away from the moist and fluffy result. Will be making again soon!
These were delicious! Took them to a family event and everyone loved them! A perfect way to use up discard. Hoping for more sourdough muffin recipes!
Made these this morning with Whole wheat pastry flour, adding 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves. Instead of chocolate chips, I added 1/2 cup each of golden raisins and chopped toasted pecans.
The recipe made 12 muffins and 1 loaf cake. Moist and very tender. Almost too good as I had to force myself to stop at two!
These are delicious!! Now I want more discard muffin recipes!!
Came to say that I did use just one can (425g) of pumpkin instead of the full 2 cups as written because I hate having partial cans open. Always seems to get thrown away despite the best intentions. And they were still fabulous and so soft!
These are so yummy!! I made them twice this week, once with recently fed starter and once with the discard and they were great both times. The texture is so soft and fluffy. Everybody loved them! Here’s to hoping for more sourdough recipes in the future ;). Thanks Mel!
Made them yesterday and they were gone in no time! Making a double batch today and hopefully they last the weekend. They are delicious!
Made them, love them. Super moist and yummy. Chocolate chips are a MUST. I made a batch of mini muffins and sent them to preschool with my son. They were perfect!
I need to either make or get some sour dough starter so I can try this recipe. They photos make them look so scumptious.
By the way, the Friday thoughts you posted is wonky—the post will not allow me to read your amazing thoughts. I really like learning from you and the comments that are posted. I hope this glitch will be fixed soon. The two cute piggies was worth seeing.
Thank you, Mel, for all the amazing recipes you share. All of them I have tried are five stars.
These are VERY good. Fluffy and moist. I used 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice and 1 tsp cinnamon, and used the technique of filling up the muffin tins and baking at 425 for 5 min and reducing the temp to 350 and baked for 15 min total. Can’t wait to make them again – and keep the discard recipes coming, Mel!
Hi Mel! Do you have other sourdough discard recipes? Would love to try them. Thanks!
I’m experimenting with a bunch of other ones!
Those are so good!!!!!
I made these this morning and they were sooo good! Not too sweet and the sourdough did give them a great taste and texture. I would love to see more sourdough recipes in the future!!!
I halved the recipe (using 2 eggs) and it worked just fine to make 12 muffins!
Thanks for including details on the eggs for a half batch, Kaylee!
First fall baking of the year and we tried these! Delicious! They turned out great, I made a pan of regular muffins and mini muffins. They had a perfect rise to them just like in your pictures. So easy, so yummy we will be making these often. Thank you!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Melanie!
I couldn’t find any pumpkin in the store but I had a few butternut squash’s so I put those in the instant pot and made purée. It was sooo good! I couldn’t even tell it wasn’t pumpkin. The muffins turned out so yummy and fluffy! Can’t wait to make them again!!!!
Dose the nutritional information apply to muffins made WITH or WITHOUT chocolate chips? If so Milk chocolate or semi sweet. Trying to bake for my newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic 6 yr old
That’s a good question, Ann. I actually just recalculated the muffins without the chocolate chips since they are optional (I had them included before) – the nutrition facts reflect this change. Good luck with your son’s diagnosis! We have some very good friends with sons that have type 1 diabetes – what a journey!
Thanks so much!! I’m making them tomorrow!
So yum! I made these with a fed starter cause that’s what I had and I didn’t want to wait. So delicious!! Turned out great.
Thanks for letting me know! I was wondering how a fed starter would work – glad to know they turned out great!
These really were amazing. I didn’t have quite enough sourdough discard, maybe 2/3 a cup and they still turned out great. It was a struggle to not eat 3 in one sitting, lol. So many great recipes lately, I also loved the Instant Pot Alfredo! Thank You!
Thank you so much, Elaine!
Thanks, Mel! Thanks to you I ventured into sourdough this past year and love it! Grateful for another great discard recipe!!
These were incredible. Softest pumpkin muffins ever and I’ve made a lot of muffins in my time!
I’m glad you liked them – thanks, Heather!
I have a sourdough banana muffin recipe that my family loves, so I’m excited to try these! With the banana muffin recipe, you actually let the batter sit for 4-6 hours before folding in the chocolate chips and baking. I wonder if it would work for this. It just gives it time to breakdown that gluten a little… better for the tummy. 🙂
Interesting, Tracey! Worth trying with these for sure!
Made this for breakfast after prepping last night: mixed wet ingredients and then ingredients in separate bowls, combined this morning and baked in two loaf pans instead of muffin tins very easy and delicious! Took about 40 minutes to bake at 350 degrees. Thanks, Mel!
*wet ingredients and then dry ingredients in separate bowls
Brilliant idea to make this in loaf pans, Betsy! Thanks for including your review and details of your changes!
Wow!! Delicious!
Thanks, Tanya!
It would be nice to have this recipe for 12 muffins. If not for the eggs it would be easy.
You could always freeze the other 12 muffins 🙂 your future self will thank you!
The baked muffins freeze really well. Or you could try using one whole egg and one egg yolk for a half batch.
I halved the recipe and used 1 whole egg and half of a flax egg (1/2 T ground flax + 1.5 T water) Turned out great.
Awesome! Thanks, Stephanie!
Made them tonight and they worked out perfectly! First time using sour dough discard for muffins. I was really surprised that the sour flavor didn’t come through (especially because my starter has been in the fridge for several weeks and so was particularly pungent when I took it out today!) Great fluffy texture, flavor was nicer even at room temp, used 50/50 all purpose and white whole wheat. Only change I made was replacing the cinnamon with the pumpkin pie spice you have noted in your regular pumpkin muffins. Thank you! They’re great!
Made it tonight. They were perfect. The texture of the muffins were amazing. So light and fluffy. Everyone loved them, even those who were skeptical about the sourdough in them. Will make these again for sure. Love that I’ve found a new use for our discard! I wonder if these would work with applesauce in place of the pumpkin for a different flavor?
Thanks for taking the time to review these muffins (and for making them so quickly after I posted the recipe!). If you experiment with applesauce, let me know how it goes!
I am with you on the mini chips. Pumpkin muffins and pancakes are best with minis!!
Now let’s talk about how many other muffins could be made with sourdough starter… let’s have you go first
Going to make these, you better believe it! New double oven comes Wednesday!
Exciting!!!
Hi, I’m confused, if we don’t have a starter and want to make one that is “unfed”…isn’t it just whole wheat flour and water? Can I mix it up and use it right away or do I have to wait a few days? Would love to try this recipe!
Hi Jen, if you make your own starter, you want to let it mature for a few days (even better, a few weeks) so the flavor and activity improve.
You are my favorite. Like seriously. The best! ❤️
You are the sweetest, thanks, Kristie!
I recently started my own sourdough starter and was very excited to see this recipe. It is great to be able to use the discard in delicious recipes like this one. I hope you will post more sourdough recipes! Thank you!
My daughter can’t wait to make these with her starter and I can’t wait to eat them!
Just set my sourdough start out of the fridge, can’t wait to try these! Thanks Mel
I’m excited to give these a try! I just recently made my own starter and am always looking for discard recipes. I am definitely in camp lazy Sourdough making! I think anyone who has starter should just give it a try. You can always tweek a recipe if your starter is thicker/thinner. That’s part of the fun!
Thanks, Vickie! I think this is a good recipe to experiment with for sure!
What if you are super lame and don’t have any friends or neighbors that make sourdough bread. Can I make my own sourdough starter?
Yes! Absolutely! Here are a few resources for how-to’s:
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe
https://www.feastingathome.com/sourdough-starter/
I’m excited to try these! I always measure my sourdough starter by weight. How many grams do you say are in a cup of starter?
I’m glad you asked this, Vicky! I have the weight measures, I just forgot to include them. Updating recipe now!
Can’t make it. Maybe someone who is reading this will have the exact same sourdough starter recipe you use so it will come out as great as you say it does. There are many different recipes for sourdough.
Hello! I have the same question. My starter proportions are 1:2:3, but I know that many people uses 1:2:2. Maybe Mel could inlight us.
I prefer to bake by weight and when they don’t post it I use the King Arthur conversion chart. Has most everything on it.
Just waiting for the muffins to come out of the oven. They smell wonderful. I added a little cooked sweet potato as my can of pumpkin purée was a little short. Also added pecans, and chocolate chips tp half
Hi Deanna, I like to bake by weight, too. I apologize for leaving the weight measures off this recipe. I just updated the recipe. Hope they turned out!
Hi Edith and Elisabete, you are right, there are definitely differences in sourdough starters, and I don’t know how that will affect this recipe, but I hope that different types of sourdough starters will work in this recipe. I use the 1:1:1 method (i.e. for 500 grams of sourdough starter, I feed it 500 grams of flour and 500 grams of water).
Made these last night and they came out just as described. My starter is a 1:1:1 ratio.
Thanks for including details on your starter, Rachel! Glad they worked out well!
I have a pancake sourdough starter. My friend that gave it to me says it doesn’t really work for making breads. Any idea if this is going to work for it? I usually mix it with milk and flour and let it sit for 6-8 hours then mix it up.
Hi Erica, I’m not familiar with pancake sourdough starters. Sounds like one of the key differences is that it is fed with milk. I don’t know if it will work here, but I think it might be worth experimenting!
Erica,
I just made these with a milk/flour starter. They turned out fine (but not drop-over amazing). I think you can use your starter as is, no sitting required.
Also, I use mine in bread all the time – BUT I still use yeast. It still adds a nice sourdough flavor and the bread rises more nicely. Just dump some into your bread recipe in place of some of the liquid (like 1/2 cup starter in place of 1/4 cup liquid or so).
Wait, I’m confused, Why would you rate this recipe with three stars if you made such a big chaneg like using a milk and flour sourdough starter? It sounds like the recipe calls for a regular sourdough starter? I just think that’s odd to rate something low when you didn’t follow the recipe. Anyway, I made them this morning with my sourdough starter that’s on the runny side and they turned out amazing! Loved them and will make them often. Thanks, Mel!
Any sourdough muffins I’ve tried are so heavy… I can’t wait to try these! Every single recipe of yours that I have tried are amazing, you’ve never let me down! Your blog is my go to ❤️
Keep the sourdough recipes coming.. I’m a proud member of the sourdough bandwagon!
Thanks so much, Amber! I hope you love these. They are honestly so good, they are worthy of being called lifechanging!
Mel, how thick is your starter? Mine isn’t pourable. Just wanted to compare so that these don’t turn out dry.
Hi Lesli, mine is fairly thick. It’s not runny and pourable.