A sourdough banana nut muffin recipe, chock full of nuts, ripe bananas and of course, sourdough discard!
You'll love how tender and moist these muffins are with the addition of a little sour cream. Perfect to make ahead and freeze for busy mornings!
I think I could eat these muffins every single day. They're not too sweet or too heavy, and the sourdough discard gives them that tangy flavor I crave!
If you've been throwing your sourdough starter discard away after feedings, STOP! Save that liquid gold!
It's perfect for adding that sourdough flavor to recipes just like this one. Even though we are not fermenting the batter.
This recipe for sourdough banana nut muffins is based off my sourdough banana bread recipe, with the addition of walnuts. (So if you want to make a loaf of bread instead of muffins, check it out!)
This recipe makes 12 large muffins that you can eat right away or freeze for later!
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Step by step instructions
This recipe couldn't be easier to make, so let's dive straight into the details!
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Remove the bananas from their peels and use a fork to mash them in a separate bowl until they are smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a spatula to cream the butter and sugar. Add the rest of the wet ingredients, including the mashed banana.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir in the walnuts until just incorporated. (Make sure to reserve some walnuts for the top!)
5. Divide the batter into a 12 count, paper lined muffin tin and sprinkle the top of each muffin with chopped walnuts. You can also sprinkle a little extra brown sugar if you have a sweet tooth like me!
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
Tips for success
When using baking powder and baking soda as leavening agents, it's always best to whisk them into the flour before combining them with the wet ingredients. It ensures that they are evenly distributed throughout the batter and that they are not activated until right before you bake.
I also recommend checking the expiration date on your baking soda and baking powder. These are ingredients that lose their strength over time and cause baking failures!
Don't over-mix the batter once you've added the flour. Over-mixing at this phase can cause the muffins to be tough. So stir in the dry ingredients until "just" combined!
Don't have a kitchen scale to measure flour?
Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
Because flour is measured by weight in these recipes, if the flour is scooped straight out of the bag with the measuring cup, there will be more flour than is called for in the recipe.
If you're craving banana nut muffins but you don't have overripe bananas on-hand, you can make your own! Place the bananas, in the peel, on a baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 30-40 minutes. You want them to turn a dark color. Let cool before using.
I recommend using "aged" sourdough discard for this recipe. I like to collect my discard in a separate jar in my fridge. I keep adding to it when I feed my starter. After about 2 weeks, the discard has a really strong flavor, which is what really makes this recipe so special!
I tested this recipe with white sugar, light brown sugar and dark brown sugar. At the end of the day, I preferred the flavor of the dark brown sugar. With that being said, any of the these sugars works well. I have not tested with any sugar substitutes.
Add-ins like walnuts and/or chocolate chips make these muffins even more tasty!
I used an ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin.
If you don't have muffin tin liners, grease the tin liberally before adding batter.
How to store and freeze
Store your cooled banana nut muffins, at room temperature, in an air-tight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. Let the muffins cool completely so that condensation does not build up inside of the container!
These muffins will stay good for up to 4 days on the counter if properly stored.
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can pop one in the microwave for 30 seconds to quickly reheat, but make sure you don't cook too long. It will become tough and rubbery!
If you'd like to freeze the muffins, wrap them individually with foil and place them in a freezer bag. Make sure you get all of the air out before sealing the bag in order to help prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw, take as many as you'd like out the night before, or at least a few hours before, and let them thaw on your counter.
Reheat the muffins in the microwave for 30 seconds or in an oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through.
We hope you love this sourdough banana nut muffins recipe as much as our family does. Leave us a message in the comment section below!
Other recipes you may want to try:
- Double Chocolate Sourdough Muffins
- Sourdough Morning Glory Muffins
- Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
- Sourdough Banana Bread
- Sourdough Zucchini Bread
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Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins Recipe
EQUIPMENT
- Muffin tin
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Spatula
INGREDIENTS
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar (see notes)
- 2 large eggs
- 3 (350 g) very ripe bananas (about 1 cup, mashed)
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
- 1 cup (125 g) walnuts (chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease.
- Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas until smooth.
- Melt the butter in a mixing bowl and add the dark brown sugar. Use a spatula to cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, mashed banana, sour cream, sourdough discard and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with the spatula until just combined. (Do not over mix!) Gently fold in ⅔ cup of the chopped walnuts.
- Divide the batter into the muffin tin and sprinkle the remaining ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack.
NOTES
- Dark brown sugar can be replaced with either light brown sugar or white granulated sugar.
- Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
- Store at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze individually wrapped in foil and placed in a freezer bag.
Amy says
Banana muffins do not disappoint! They are delish and will be my go to banana muffin recipe! In fact every single recipe on this site has been a hit! I did have extra batter so I baked it in a ramekin for one giant muffin...that the whole family looks at and says “is that one for me?” 😉. Can’t wait to try the pop tarts! Amy Duska you are one amazing baker!
Catherine says
Always on the look out for discard recipes. Having failed so many times with regular banana bread I was a bit dubious about making these, but we always have over ripe bananas that no one will eat. These have turned out delicious, really light, not too banana tasting or sweet. Will definitely be making these again. Thanks
Joelle says
I love all of your recipes. I just made these and they did not disappoint. I used fresh discard since I don’t prefer that “sour” taste to be too strong. Although I enjoy making a loaf of bread, all of your discard recipes make having a sourdough starter more worthwhile. Thank you!
Kimberly says
I made this yesterday and silly me, had the eggs set off on the side and nearly forgot to add them. I was wondering why the batter looked a bit strange. Well, I beat them a bit and added them as the last ingredient and must have been my lucky day as the muffins came out perfectly! The best looking banana muffins I have ever made. They are not very sweet which I like a lot. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you very much.
C Wright says
A few changes:
1/2 &1/2 butter and oil
3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
Whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons of espresso
Yoghurt
22 minutes in convection oven
I live in Thailand where we have very sweet bananas that are cheap and plentiful
I’m always making muffins or freezing ripe bananas
This recipe helped use up some starter.
Rave reviews from all
Thank you
Ivana says
Made these today - SO good!! My husband, 2 yr old and I thoroughly enjoyed them as did everyone I shared them with. I also added 1 tsp cinnamon like a fee other reviewers and followed your suggestion for sprinkling extra brown sugar on top. Absolutely delicious! I hate waste and I've tried several of your recipes so far and am so thankful I came across your website!! I even share your recipes with my friend in Italy who can follow easily enough given the videos and measurements in grams. Thanks once again!
Katherine says
These are absolutely amazing! SO DELICIOUS! I doubled the batch and realised I only had enough bananas for a single batch! So I made half with banana (same as recipe above) and for the other half swapped out the bananas for raspberries and coconut flakes! Both versions are amazing! Also, used choc chips in the banana ones - this is my go to recipe for sure! And such an awesome way to use up the additional starter each week. THANKYOU! So very much appreciated here in Australia 🙂
Tracie says
I made these today and they are so good and so moist. I didn't put nuts in them, I put chocolate chips instead to appeal to the teens in my house. I will definitely be making these again!
Andrea says
Delicious!! These were so wonderful. I ended up putting a little cinnamon and nutmeg in it as well. The only change I would have made is toasting the walnuts first. Thank you!
Bethann says
Hi Amy—Thank you for all of your sourdough discard recipes! I’ve always felt bad throwing away the discard, but can only make so many pancakes... 😄
The banana muffins are wonderful! Easy to make and flavorful with a beautiful crumb. I added 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg to the dry ingredients, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
A sweet story to share with you:
I got my original starter from a friend (the starter had been in her family for 75 years!). I’ve used the starter for the last 10 years and when our daughter headed to Maine 2 years ago to attend university, she took some of the starter with her and has baked with it and shared it with her professors and classmates.
We finished our house renovation the week. My sourdough starter was neglected during the renovation (because I didn’t have a kitchen) and I couldn’t revive it, which made me very sad.
Our daughter came home when the university closed. When we picked her up at the airport, the first thing she did was give me a big bear hug and then she handed me a little bottle with some of her starter in it! Hallelujah! My daughter was safe and we had starter to use in our brand new kitchen!
I hope you and all the folks who are viewing your site are well. I look forward to trying many of your other recipes. Blessings to everyone!