A great way to use up some extra sourdough discard you have, these Sourdough Corn Muffins are fluffy, sweet, and so easy to make! Bake up a big batch of these on the weekend and enjoy them throughout the week!
Is there anything better than sourdough cornbread muffins right out of the oven? Slather it with some butter and you have a delicious breakfast or snack!
I love using my sourdough discard to make baked goods and even quick bread recipes. Don't get me wrong, I love a good loaf of sourdough bread, or a sourdough dinner roll. Using that sourdough discard for a quick dessert or muffin is amazing too!
You can make baked sourdough donuts, sourdough scones, and even sourdough discard banana bread. For breakfast, there is nothing better than sourdough discard pancakes, sourdough discard waffles, or sourdough chocolate chip muffins!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe use some of that precious sourdough starter! I love using my sourdough starter for other things than just bread. The starter adds a little bit of rise to the muffins. I especially love making sourdough discard zucchini muffins too!
- These muffins are a great make ahead breakfast! Bake up a big batch on Sunday and then enjoy them throughout the week. Pop one in the oven to heat it through and slather with butter. A delicious grab and go breakfast!
- Sourdough corn muffins aren't just for breakfast! Enjoy these muffins for breakfast, but you can also enjoy them with Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup, Instant Pot Lentil Soup, or Instant Pot Split Pea Soup!
What Is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that you are not feeding. When you are "feeding" your starter to make bread with, you add equal parts flour, water, and starter to a mason jar and let it rise. If you are new to sourdough, you can make your own sourdough starter from scratch, buy one, or get one from a fellow sourdough friend.
You can't feed your entire starter, as it doubles and sometimes triples in size, and that's a lot of starter to have on hand! If you are new to sourdough, be sure to check out how to keep a sourdough starter post all about how to keep your sourdough starter happy.
Ingredients for Sourdough Corn Muffins
- Sourdough Starter- Inactive, meaning straight from the refrigerator. You can use it to make sourdough pumpkin bread, so many sourdough muffin recipes, and even sourdough discard bread!
- Milk- Whole milk gives these muffins their fluffy texture.
- Cornmeal- Yellow cornmeal is classic in corn muffins.
- Flour- All-purpose flour, or standard white flour. A mixture of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour can work too! You will need to add a little more milk to the batter to loosen it up though, so keep that in mind.
- Eggs- Eggs keep the muffins together and add to the rise of the muffins.
- Sugar- Honey or maple syrup can be used instead of sugar.
- Butter- Melted butter gives these muffins their buttery flavor, but you can use coconut oil or vegetable oil if you prefer.
- Baking powder and teaspoon baking soda- The sourdough starter gives a little rise to the muffins, but the baking powder and baking soda do the majority of the work in making these muffins rise.
How To Make Sourdough Corn Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix to combine and set that aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and eggs. Add the sourdough starter, milk, and butter. Mix well to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will not be smooth, it’s ok if there are a few lumps left.
- Line a muffin tin with muffin liners. Scoop equal amounts of batter into the muffin tins.
- Set the bake time to 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and it comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool slightly and serve.
Variations
- Make them spicy! If you are like me and love all things spicy, add chopped jalapenos to the batter! Make sure you wash your hands well because jalapenos are painful if you get the juice in your eyes.
- Make them dairy free! Use oil instead of butter and almond milk instead of whole milk.
- Make it in the skillet! You can make this sourdough cornbread recipe into a sourdough discard cornbread too!
- Leave out the sourdough starter! If you don't have sourdough starter, use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of the sourdough starter. I've also used Kefir to make cornbread too!
- Make them cheesy! This sourdough discard cornbread recipe loves shredded cheddar cheese! Add a cup of cheddar to the batter to make these cheesy corn muffins.
Do Sourdough Corn Muffins Taste Sour?
No. These muffins do not taste sour as they are written here. But! It you want them to have that classic sourdough taste, all you have to do is let the batter hang out.
Make the batter completely. Then cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. This will intensify the sour flavor.
When you are ready to bake them, scoop them into the prepared muffin tins and bake!
Storage Tips
Keep leftover muffins in an airtight container on the counter once they have cooled to room temperature. Do not place leftover muffins in the refrigerator. They will go stale very quickly.
These muffins freeze beautifully! To freeze muffins, allow them to cool completely and then place them in a gallon Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you wanted to make this a cornbread instead of muffins, go for it! In a cast iron skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to coat the skillet. Instead of scooping the batter into muffin tins, pour the batter into the cast iron skillet and bake for 30 -35 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
Yes! If you have some extra active starter (meaning it has already been fed and is active and bubbly) use that! The muffins will get even bigger! Think bakery style muffins.
Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh, otherwise they will not help the muffins rise.
Other Recipes To Try!
Did you love these Sourdough Corn Muffins? I'd so appreciate it if you would give this recipe a 5-star rating! That will help other hungry readers find my recipes!
And don't forget to tag me on social media here on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Corn Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sourdough Starter Inactive, Unfed
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Sugar
- ½ cup Butter Melted
- 1 cup Cornmeal
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix to combine and set that aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and eggs. Add the sourdough starter, milk, and butter. Mix well to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will not be smooth, it’s ok if there are a few lumps left.
- Line a muffin tin with muffin liners. Scoop equal amounts of batter into the muffin tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and it comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool slightly and serve.
Notes
- Whole milk, 2%, 1%, or Almond milk can be used in this recipe.
- If you do not have sourdough starter on hand, replace the starter with Greek yogurt, sour cream, or Kefir.
- Freeze extra muffins in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
Patsy says
Do have to use the liners? Has anyone tried to just grease the muffin tin? I plan to make these, but I don't have the liners/cupcake papers.
Lynn Polito says
Sure! You can make them in greased muffins tins. The liners just help them come out easier, but they will bake up without the liners.
Pam says
These simply really are the BEST sourdough cornbread muffins! I have used another recipe for years but I saw your recipe and since it was more flexible decided to give it a try. I made it in jumbo muffin tins and will serve it with chili for the Super Bowl later today; but I confess I have already tried one and it is absolutely delectable! Perhaps they should be named Best Sourdough Cornbread Muffins on The Planet!
lynnswayoflife says
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for making my recipe!
Mandy says
Love corn bread and have begun making sourdough bread so I always have lots of discard. The narrative at the top says to bake 20-25 but the recipe says 15-20 mins. I baked for 18 and they turned out golden brown and looked delicious! Unfortunately, the muffins are cemented to the muffin liners and I end up with a 'pile' of cornbread to eat when I pull them off. Any thoughts as to why this happened?
lynnswayoflife says
Hm. Sometimes you have to let the corn muffins cool a bit before you take the liners off. I haven't had that happen, I'm sorry!
Lisa K says
The muffins were fantastic, and I added some fresh corn which worked really well. Two things, though: the instructions don't mention when to add the milk (I ended up adding it at the very end), and the ingredient list doesn't include salt, so I had to guess how much to add. If you could fix those two errors this would be an excellent recipe.
lynnswayoflife says
Thanks so much for your comments! I'll take a look and see what happened here! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Lisa K says
You fixed it! Thanks, I'm planning to bake them again today.
Angela says
So good! Delicious, moist and flavorful.
Eileen Kelly says
Finally, a fantastic way to use my sourdough discard. These corn muffins are delicious. Super flavorful and these will be made often.
Anne says
These are tasty, perfect for serving with chili!
Linda says
These corn muffins are so good and moist! Love the texture and flavor of it, too
Sherry says
I have been wanting to learn more about sour dough and your post was a big help. I really like corn muffins and I'm going to give your sourdough recipe a try. Wish me luck! I am confident with your amazing muffin recipe instructions, that I can do this!