Looking for Sourdough? 
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 â…” cup of the chopped walnuts.
- Divide the batter into the muffin tin and sprinkle the remaining â…“ 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
- In order to get the most sourdough flavor into this banana bread, the starter must be "aged". This simply means that the sourdough discard has been allowed to sit in the fridge for a minimum of one week before using it to bake with. This will allow the acid to build up, producing the sour flavor.
- 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.
PREVIOUS
Carla says
Made these this morning, just came out of the oven - so good, light and fluffy, delicious! I added some dark chocolate chips; and used a gluten free flour. This recipe is a keeper!
Angie says
I love these muffins! I have made them with brown sugar Swerve as a sugar substitute and they turned out great. My husband doesn't like the sugar substitutes so I made them the second time using 2 Tbs molasses and 10 Tbs of honey. They were wonderful!
Tory says
Do you think I can do an overnight ferment with these with everything mixed in and then bake them in the AM?
Amy says
Hi Tory, yes you can 🙂
Joe RC says
Baked the first time following your recipe, muffins came out great.
The second time I swapped the brown sugar for the Whole Earth brand of Golden Erythritol & Monk Fruit plant based sugar. They taste just as good without using brown sugar.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol derived from the fermentation of glucose from non-GMO corn. It’s also found in fruits like pears, melons, and grapes. No net carbs in the Erythritol & Monk sugar alternative. It’s also Keto friendly.
Debra says
I followed the recipe exactly, and the muffins were perfect! There was extra batter to make a mini-loaf of banana bread. I initially thought it was a lot of nuts in the batter, but the results are exactly what you want to taste in a banana nut muffin. These muffins actually had a big "rise". Do you have a good sourdough blueberry muffin recipe?
Amy says
Check out these sourdough blueberry muffins with a crumb topping. They are amazing!
Sevda says
These were delicious, I didn’t have sour cream on hand but used Greek yoghurt and made them so fluffy. I also replaced all purpose flour with spelt. They were delicious
Alicia says
These might be the best muffins I ever made. I doubled the batch, added mini chocolate chips, used coconut sugar instead of brown (reduced it by 25%), and gluten free AP flour. Rose beautifully and were light and fluffy!
BM Blackner says
Easy to make..didn't take long for the grandkids, parents and wife to consume them. Need to make a double batch next time. Thanks for a great recipe.
Renee Zonka says
Made these muffins with Freshly Milled Sprouted Spelt. I used a sourdough spelt discard as well. Used this flour and discard for someone who has IBS. They tolerated them very well. They were absolutely delicious and gone in a minute. In my house that is something. They will be made again and again.
Amy says
Thanks for sharing Renee!
RumRaisin says
An amazing recipe that puts discard to its best use. My family love these muffins. I love making them as it’s so simple, no need for an electric mixer. They can be whipped up in no time. I stuff the mixture into 12 large cupcake cases and they rise up perfectly to give a generously sized, highly addictive, banana muffin. The flavour is rich, texture is fluffy and moist. I don’t put nuts in as my children don’t like them but I’d love to try them with walnuts or pecans, maybe some raisins. I might mix in some different types of flours too. They make a great offering for a bake sale.
Shannon says
Is the starter supposed to to be fed or unfed?
Amy says
It doesn't have to be fed.