Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
These easy sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are a cozy fall dessert recipe you’ll bake on repeat. Made with pumpkin puree, warm spices, and gooey chocolate chips, these muffins are soft, flavorful, and perfect for autumn.
Carmyn’s Notes
This recipe for sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip muffins is the muffin version of our favorite sourdough pumpkin bread, only better, thanks to the gooey chocolate chips!
It’s the perfect flavor combination of pumpkin, melty chocolate, and warm spices that make your whole house smell like fall. These sourdough pumpkin muffins are soft, pillowy, and loaded with chocolate in every bite.
Perfect for cozy fall mornings with a cup of coffee, a quick snack on the go, or a sweet little dessert after dinner, these sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip muffins will be on repeat all season long!
Enjoy! xx
Ingredients & Equipment needed
- (2) 12-Count Muffin Tins & Cooking Spray (or muffin liners)
- Dry Ingredients: You'll need all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You also need chocolate chips. You can use mini chocolate chips or regular-sized chips, whichever you prefer. We love using dark chocolate chips, but milk chocolate chips work too.
- Wet Ingredients: For wet ingredients, you'll need 100% pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), eggs, melted butter, light brown sugar, unfed sourdough starter (sourdough discard), orange juice, and vanilla extract.
Pro Baking Tip
For the best results, we recommend measuring the ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups. A scale gives you precise, consistent measurements every time, which means your muffins bakes up exactly the way it should.
Measuring cups can vary depending on how you scoop or pack ingredients, but a scale takes out the guesswork and helps guarantee bakery-style results at home!
Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos
Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly grease two 12-count muffin tins with cooking spray or line them with muffin liners.
Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, fine sea salt, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and chocolate chips. Set aside.
Step 2
Melt the unsalted butter in a medium bowl and add the light brown sugar. Use a spatula to cream them together until smooth.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, fresh orange juice, sourdough starter, and 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree and mix until well combined.
Step 3
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients bowl and stir until just combined. (Don't overmix!)
Step 4
Spoon the batter into 18 muffin cups, filling each about ⅔ full.
Step 5
Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6
Let them cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
How to Store
How to Store: Keep the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, store them in the fridge for up to a week.
How to Freeze: Let the muffins cool completely, wrap each one in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat: If frozen, let the muffins thaw at room temperature on the countertop. To reheat, microwave in 10-second intervals until warm and soft.
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Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
EQUIPMENT
- Muffin Tins This recipe makes 18 muffins
- Cooking Spray or Muffin Liners
INGREDIENTS
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter (discard)
- ¼ cup (60 g) fresh orange juice (optional)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1 (15oz.) can (425 g) pumpkin puree
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup (150 g) chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly grease two 12-count muffins tins with cooking spray or line them with muffin liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and ¾ cup (150 g) chocolate chips. Set aside.
- Melt 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter in a bowl and add 1 ½ cups (300 g) light brown sugar. Use a spatula to cream them together until smooth. Add 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract, ¼ cup (60 g) fresh orange juice, ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter and 1 (15oz.) can (425 g) pumpkin puree and mix until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and stir until just combined. (Don't over mix!)
- Spoon the batter into 18 muffin cups, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Another amazing recipe to use sourdough discard! These muffins are absolutely delicious, so moist too. I didn't have any orange juice, so I omitted that optional ingredient. Otherwise, followed the recipe exactly.
I have not yet made this, but I really want to. I’m just wondering do I have to use The sourdough starter I could not find any.
Delicious! I made a couple changes. I used 1/2 whole wheat and half white, I used 1/2 the amount of sweetener and used honey instead, and I used coconut oil instead of butter.
Your recipe say that the orange juice is optional, but I don’t see anywhere in the notes what to substitute in its place, or if any substitution is necessary?
Hi Megan, you can substitute it with milk or water.
Made these today and they are absolutley amazing ♡ I did swap out the orange juice with applesauce. I also per my husbands request added, walnuts and raisins.
Hi Donna, that sounds amazing! Glad you enjoyed this recipe.