Double Chocolate Sourdough Muffins
These double chocolate sourdough muffins are the best muffins you'll ever make with your sourdough starter discard.
Chock-full of chocolate chips so there's extra chocolate in every bite. They practically melt in your mouth!
The batter can be mixed and baked right away OR fermented overnight in the fridge.
They bake up just like big, bakery-style muffins that are ultra moist!
This AMAZING recipe for double chocolate sourdough muffins is a delicious way to use your unfed sourdough starter discard.
The addition of cocoa powder and chocolate chips makes them irresistible.
A sourdough recipe that's sure to become one of your favorites!
This muffin recipe makes 16 double chocolate sourdough muffins.
Because these muffins freeze great, we like to make a double batch and freeze some for later. They are easy to thaw out for a quick breakfast, snack or dessert.
What you'll need for sourdough chocolate muffins
For this recipe, we modified our sourdough banana nut muffins by removing the bananas and butter and replacing them with extra sour cream and oil to keep the muffins super moist.
We also added cocoa powder and chocolate chips for a rich deep chocolate flavor.
- all-purpose flour
- cocoa powder
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- vegetable oil*
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- sour cream*
- milk*
- vanilla extract
- unfed sourdough starter discard
- chocolate chips
Here are a few ways to modify the recipe if needed:
- We prefer to use avocado oil for our recipes because it has a neutral flavor. Avocado oil can be replaced with either melted butter or melted coconut oil. Do not use solid coconut oil in this recipe as it will not mix into the batter evenly.
- Sour cream can be replaced with full-fat, plain greek yogurt.
- We use unsweetened almond milk to help thin down the batter but feel free to choose from whole milk, skim milk, or any plant-based milk.
- Because this recipe is made with a ½ cup sourdough starter that hasn't been fed, it's a great way to make sure that your sourdough discard never goes to waste. But, it can also be used with a sourdough starter that is active. You will still need to use baking soda and baking powder for the muffins to rise.
- If you like nuts, try adding a ½ cup of chopped pecans or chopped walnuts for a different flavor variation.
- For the best texture, we do not recommend using whole wheat flour or bread flour.
Helpful equipment
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How to make double chocolate sourdough muffins
The batter is made without the use of a stand mixer. All you need is a few bowls, a whisk, and a spatula to mix the batter. (The recipe makes 16 muffins)
NOTE: The muffins will bake at 425°F (218°C) for the first 5 minutes and at 350°F (176°C) for the remaining 15 minutes. The initial higher temperature will help to give the muffins a bigger oven spring.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and place the oven rack in the center position. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the AP flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set the bowl aside.
In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients. Use a whisk to combine the oil, sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, and sourdough starter discard. Mix until the ingredients come together and are smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix the batter until it just comes together. Do not over-mix the batter.
Add the chocolate chips and stir until they are evenly distributed in the batter.
Use an ice cream scooper to fill the liners. The batter should come to the top of the liner for bigger muffins. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each one if you want even more chocolate flavor!
Bake the muffins for the first 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) in the preheated oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (176°C) and continue to bake the muffins for an additional 15-18 minutes.
A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean when they are done.
Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the muffin tin or transfer them to a wire rack.
How to store them
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
They freeze great too! Just wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them into a freezer-safe container to avoid freezer burn. The sourdough muffins will stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer.
More sourdough discard recipes
- sourdough morning glory muffins
- sourdough blueberry muffins
- lemon poppy seed sourdough muffins
- sourdough pop tarts
- sourdough chocolate chip cookies
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Double Chocolate Sourdough Muffins
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (45 g) cocoa powder (regular or dark)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
- ½ cup (125 g) unfed sourdough starter
- ½ cup (120 g) avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (185 g) sour cream
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 g) milk
- 1 ¾ cups (315 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and place the oven rack in the center position. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups AP flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Set the bowl aside.
- In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients. Use a whisk to combine the ½ cup of oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, ¾ cup sour cream, ¼ cup milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and ½ cup of sourdough starter discard. Mix until the ingredients come together and are smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix the batter until it just comes together. Do not over mix the batter. Add the chocolate chips and stir until they are evenly distributed in the batter.
- Use an ice cream scooper to fill the liners. The batter should come to the top of the liner for bigger muffins. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each one if you want even more chocolate flavor!
- Bake the muffins for the first 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) in the preheated oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (176°C) and continue to bake the muffins for an additional 15-18 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean when they are done.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the muffin tin.
Could I add Andes mint chips instead of chocolate chips to make them chocolate peppermint muffins?
We haven't tested it with mint chips, but that sounds very yummy!
My muffins looked beautiful!! They were somewhat dry though. Any suggestions??
Hi Jane, Did you use a scale or measuring cups to measure the ingredients?
Can I freeze these after making for later use?
Yes, you can. I would individually wrap each one before freezing.
the best! we love them. next batch will be double or triple. thank you!
These were yummy! I didn't have sour cream, so I used coconut yogurt. My husband and I don't like overly sweet things, so I used 1/2 cup of sugar. Somehow I missed the chocolate chips. Since I only made 6 cupcakes, I'll add them in the next batch.
Absolutely delicious and moist. Not overly complicated to make or overly sweet but nice and rich.
Hi! I would love to make these muffins but I don’t have sourdough. Can you make these without? Can you replace the sourdough with something else?
Thank you
Hi Melanie, I would try doing an equal amount of water and flour to replace the sourdough discard.
it's easy to make your own starter, it only takes about a week to get it to where it's ready to bake with, the longer you maintain it, the better your recipes will be I PROMISE YOU!
If you don't bake that often, once it is established, you can keep it in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a lid on it, take it out the night before you bake with it, and FEED IT
Ingredients & Equipment
Flour: Unbleached all-purpose flour is fine, but whole grain flours (like whole wheat or rye) can help jump-start the process due to higher natural yeast content.
Water: Use filtered or dechlorinated water. Chlorine in tap water can inhibit yeast growth.
Container: A clear glass jar (at least 1-quart capacity) with a loose-fitting lid is ideal for observation and airflow.
Tools: A kitchen scale for precise measurements (recommended), a spoon or silicone spatula for mixing, and a rubber band or marker to track growth.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The key to success is maintaining a consistent feeding schedule and a warm environment (ideally 75–80°F or 24–27°C).
Day Action Observation
Day 1 In your jar, mix 60g (½ cup) whole wheat flour and 60g (¼ cup) warm water until smooth. Cover loosely and rest in a warm spot for 24 hours. Use a rubber band to mark the starting level. You may see no activity, or perhaps a few tiny bubbles.
Day 2 Just stir the mixture to incorporate oxygen. No extra flour or water needed on this day. Cover and rest for another 24 hours. You might see some initial bubbles, which could subside later. This is normal.
Day 3 Discard half of the starter mixture. To the remaining half, add 60g (½ cup) all-purpose flour and 60g (¼ cup) water. Stir well, cover, and rest for 24 hours. You should start to see more bubbles and a slightly fruity or tangy aroma may develop.
Days 4-7+ Repeat the Day 3 process: discard half and feed with 60g flour and 60g water every 24 hours. The starter will become more consistently bubbly and aerated. It should start to double in size within 6-12 hours of feeding.
When Is It Ready?
Your starter is considered "mature" and ready for baking when it consistently doubles in size a few hours after feeding, has a pleasant tangy smell, and passes the float test. To perform the float test, drop a small spoonful of starter into a glass of water; if it floats, the wild yeast is active enough to leaven bread.
Otherwise it's just a triple Chocolate muffin recipe ❤️ I suppose you could use baking soda, or baking powder instead of the sourdough starter, the starter is the leavening agent.
If leaving overnight in the fridge, do you put them in the fridge in the muffin tin, or do you leave them in the bowl overnight and put the mixture into the muffin tin just before baking in the morning?
You can leave the batter mixture in the bowl with a cover overnight and portion into muffin tin before baking in the morning.
I’ve made this recipe before and they’re phenomenal! But this most recent time i have a new gas stove and dropping the temperature didn’t lower the temp fast enough in the oven so an extra 15 minutes and they were over baked 😪. Something for others to keep in mind if they have gas!
This may be a really silly question but is there a difference in cupcake tins and muffin tins? I have a standard cupcake tin and I also have a jumbo muffin tin. If I wanted to do jumbo muffins, do you know how much I would have to increase baking time?
Hi Malia, muffin tins and cupcake tins are the same! For the jumbo muffin tin, I would increase the baking time by 5 minutes, check with a toothpick in the center of a muffin, and add an additional 5 mins at a time if needed.