Full of cozy Autumn flavors, these Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins are an easy, make ahead breakfast for a chilly, Fall morning. Moist and tender, serve them for breakfast with a big bowl of fruit, or have them as a snack to satisfy your mid day hunger!
Don't be afraid to bake with your extra sourdough starter. For the longest time I was throwing out the extra starter that I wasn't "feeding". What was I thinking?? Now I know how amazing it is in all baked goods! Sourdough Discard Banana Nut Muffins, Apple Streusel Sourdough Muffins, and Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins are some other yummy muffin recipes you should try!
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Why You Should Make This Recipe
- It's a great way to use up your extra sourdough starter.
- These muffins are full of warm, Fall flavors like pumpkin spice and cinnamon.
- There's a whole can of pumpkin puree in these muffins! That's a lot of veggies your family will be eating in these muffins. Just like these mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, muffins are a great place to hide veggies in your recipes!
I like to make a batch of delicious muffins on a Sunday morning, let my kids have a few for breakfast, and then save the rest for them to eat during the week. Have these muffins with a piece of fruit for a delicious, and filling breakfast!
What is Sourdough Discard?
When you have a sourdough starter, you "discard" a portion of it and "feed" the rest so it becomes active and bubbly to use for baking. The portion that you aren't feeding is called the "discard". That portion is still great to bake with! Keep it in a mason jar in the refrigerator and use it to add texture and moistness to baked goods.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
- Sourdough Discard- a half cup is enough
- Pumpkin puree- one 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
- Brown Sugar- to add sweetness
- Spices- I used cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, add allspice and nutmeg instead. Just a little of each.
- Eggs- to add structure and a little bit of fat to the muffins
- Butter- if you don't have butter, coconut oil would be a great substitute.
See printable recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by step photos
How To Make Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins From Scratch
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, butter, sourdough starter, and pumpkin puree. Mix that well with a whisk until everything is fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It's ok if there are a few lumps left in the batter.
- Scoop the batter into a muffin tin lined with muffin liners. For my kids, I like to use these silicone ones that are reusable. They are fantastic!
- Mix together ¼ cup of brown sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the muffins evenly.
- Bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and it comes out clean. If the cinnamon sugar topping gets a little too brown, place a piece of aluminum foil over the muffins.
- Allow the muffins to cool slightly and serve.
Adding the topping is optional. If you don't want to add anymore sugar to these muffins, leave off the cinnamon sugar crust. They will still be delicious with a smear of butter!
Canned Pumpkin vs. Canned Pumpkin Pie
When purchasing canned pumpkin, make sure it's pure pumpkin. Canned pumpkin pie has the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and sugar already in it. The extra spices in the canned pumpkin pie would overpower the muffins and make them too spice forward. Stick with pure canned pumpkin.
Do They Taste Like Sourdough?
They don't! These muffins don't have the long fermentation process that a loaf of bread would have, so they don't taste like sourdough at all.
I don't have sourdough starter, what can I use?
If you don't have sourdough starter, feel free to use sour cream or buttermilk instead. The sourdough starter adds a little bit of acid to the batter in order to activate the baking soda. Sour cream or buttermilk would do the same thing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins
These muffins will last in an air tight container on the counter up to four days. You can freeze them in an air tight container for up to three months. When reheating, I like to cut the muffins in half, toast them in a toaster oven for about 90 seconds, then smear a little butter on each side.
Raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips, and even cinnamon chips would be fantastic in these muffins! Add them right at the end before you scoop the muffin batter into the muffin tins.
Yes! You would need to cut the pumpkin in half, get rid of the seeds, and then roast it at 425 degrees for 40 minutes. Then puree the meat of the pumpkin and use 1 ½ cups of pumpkin puree. Pumpkin puree in the can is much easier, so if you can, stick with canned!
More Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Did you give these Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins a try? I’d love to hear from you! Give me a shout on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! And don't forget to check out some other drool worthy recipes below! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!
- Peanut Butter and Banana Oat Bars
- Death by Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Nutella Zucchini Bread
- Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with Tortilla Crust
- Spinach and Feta Egg Cups
- Instant Pot Peach Jam
- Light and Crisp Sourdough Waffles
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📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 15 ounces Pumpkin Puree
- ½ cup Butter Melted
- ½ cup Sourdough Discard Inactive
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Spice
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, sourdough starter, and melted butter to a large bowl. Mix well.
- Mix together the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon the mixture into a muffin tin lined with muffin liners.
- Mix together ¼ cup of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the muffins. This is an optional step.
- Bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the center of the muffin and comes out clean.
Notes
- The extra cinnamon sugar topping is optional. If you feel there is enough sugar in the muffins, feel free to leave this step out. They are just as good with a smear of butter!
- Make sure you are using canned pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie. Canned pumpkin pie already has the spices in it, which would overpower the muffins.
Caroline
Love this recipe for discard! I double it and after they’ve cooled I freeze half the muffins in a large ziplock. When I want to eat some I can microwave directly from frozen and they turn our great!
lynnswayoflife
I love to hear that! Thank you for making my recipe!
Staci
How do you store these as leftovers? In the fridge or on the counter?
lynnswayoflife
Counter would be best in an airtight container.
Christina Williamson
These turned out so beautiful! The tops are so high they look like bakery muffins! My boys ate them up! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!