These sourdough discard banana muffins aren't your typical "use up your starter" recipe.
Theyâre made with bread flour for bakery-quality domes, toasted walnuts for blood sugar balance, and a two-temperature baking method that creates a fantastic rise.
Plus they're light, fluffy, and perfectly moist, they stay fresh for days thanks to sour cream and fermented sourdough starter. Let's make some!
Why This Banana Nut Muffin Recipe Works (Baking Science)
I wish I could have just poured my sourdough banana bread into muffin tins and posted this recipe. I tried that but turns out, the volume-to-surface-area ratio in muffin tins is a completely different beast than a loaf pan. The muffins went concave in the centers. Who knew? (Okay, probably more experienced bakers knew. But that's the fun of learning.)
After a lot of flat muffins and rounds of tinkering, I developed this recipe specifically for muffins. Bakery-quality domes every single time.
Brand new to sourdough? Check out my Sourdough Starter for Beginner's Guide.
Here's what makes this the BEST banana nut muffin recipe:
- Bread flour instead of all-purpose. Bread flour has more protein, which means better structure, taller domes, and muffins that stay moist for days. Iâm going out on a limb, assuming if you have a sourdough starter you also already have bread flour.
- The two-temperature "burst" bake. You start at 425°F for 5 minutes to create rapid rise, then drop to 350°F without opening the oven door to allow the muffins to bake all the way through. It's a bakery technique that makes your home-baked muffins look professionally made.
- Sour cream + oil combo. The sour cream adds tang and tenderness, the oil keeps them ridiculously moist. Together with the sourdough discard, you get that perfect balance of moisture and structure.
- Toasted walnuts. Toasting takes 5 minutes and makes the flavor so much better. Plus, walnuts bring omega-3s and prebiotic fiber that actually support your gut health and blood sugar balance. (More on that in the Balanced Bites section below)
- A 30-minute bench rest. The rest lets the flour fully hydrate and the gluten relax, which means tender, fluffy muffins with better structure. I tested with and without and the difference is real.
Top Banana Tip ð
Banana sizes vary wildly ð In developing this recipe I went through a ton of âem and from the same store, same brand, I had 90g bananas to 150g bananas. That's almost double! Three small bananas won't give you the same results as three large ones, but 340g of mashed banana is always 340g. Weighing ensures consistent, perfect results every time.
Key Ingredient Notes for Sourdough Banana Muffins
Here's what you need and why it matters. I've included the key details on ingredients that make or break these muffins. Feel free to skim to what you need.
The Game-Changers
Bread Flour (200g) The secret to those bakery-style domes. Higher protein = better structure + muffins that stay moist for days. Can substitute all-purpose, but you'll get slightly shorter muffins.
Ripe Bananas (340g mashed, 3-4 medium) You want brown spots. Lots of them. Soft, maybe even a little black. As bananas ripen, starches convert to natural sugars, making them sweeter and adding incredible moisture.
Speed-ripen trick: Bake unpeeled bananas at 300°F for 15-20 minutes until peels turn dark brown.
Toasted Walnuts (150g, chopped) Toasting = 5 minutes that transforms "fine" to "fabulous." Walnuts win for omega-3s and blood sugar benefits. Pecans work too. Or go without nuts. I often bake a half + half batch.
The Moisture
Sourdough Discard (180g, Ÿ cup, unfed) - Straight from the fridge works great. It does need to be a starter fed at a 1:1 water to flour ratio.
Sour Cream (75g, â cup) - Adds tang, tenderness, and keeps muffins moist for days. Greek yogurt can substitute.
Neutral Oil (110g, œ cup) - I like using avocado or extra virgin olive oil for healthy fats. Melted coconut oil can be used, too but if you do make sure all your other ingredients are room temp otherwise the coconut oil seizes up and changes the batter consistency.
The Sweet Stuff
Granulated Sugar (100g, œ cup) + Light Brown Sugar (100g, œ cup) - This combination gives sweetness + moisture but you can use all of one or the other if needed.
The Supporting Cast
Eggs (2 large, room temp) - Set out early so they emulsify better. Or pop them into a cup with warm water for 10 minutes and they'll be good to go.
Leaveners - Make sure baking powder and baking soda are fresh or you'll get flat muffins.
Cinnamon, Salt, Vanilla - Don't skip these. They balance sweetness and enhance all the flavors.
How to Make Banana Nut Muffins with Sourdough
Start by preheating the oven to 425F, toast your nuts (if using) and line two standard muffin tins (16 muffins worth) with liners or spray with non-stick spray. Then time to dive in!
- Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients (bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt) and set to the side.
- Step 2: Mix together with an electric mixer or by hand the banana and sugars until fully mixed and slightly lightened in color. This adds air and helps with texture.
- Step 3: Then adding, one at a time, in this order, beat until fully incorporated the eggs, sourdough discard, sour cream, oil, and vanilla. The batter should look cohesive and creamy, not separated or streaky.
- Step 4: Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold gently and try not to overmix. Stop as soon as you no longer see dry flour streaks. A few small lumps are totally fine.
Over-mixing develops gluten, which makes muffins tough and dense. We want tender and fluffy.
- Step 5: Scoop batter into your 16 prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the top, like 90% full. This is helpful for getting those domed tops.
Then let them rest on the counter for 30 minutes. The flour is fully hydrating, the gluten is relaxing, and the leaveners are starting to activate. This creates a more tender, fluffy crumb with better structure.
Can you skip it? Technically yes, but the texture won't be as good. I've tested this extensively. The bench rest is worth it.
- Step 6: Bake for the first 5 minutes at 425F then reduce the heat to 350 for the remaining 9 - 11 minutes or until an instant read thermometer shows 200F internal temperature.
The initial blast of heat causes the batter to rise quickly before the structure sets. Dropping the temp prevents over-browning while the insides finish cooking.
Serving Suggestion
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They're incredible warm, but they'll be easier to remove from liners once they've cooled for about 10 minutes.
Troubleshooting Flat Muffins
If your muffins came out flat, here's what might have happened:
- Expired leaveners - Check your baking powder and baking soda dates
- Overmixing - Fold gently; stop when flour just disappears
- Skipped the bench rest - It really matters for structure
- Not enough batter per cup - Fill them generously
- Opened the oven too early - Opening and closing the oven causes fluctuations in temperature and can affect the quality of the rise
Joanie's Balanced Bites for Blood Sugar
What's Working in This Recipe
â
Walnuts - Omega-3s and healthy fats that slow glucose absorption
â
Eggs + Sour Cream - Protein and fat to help stabilize blood sugar
â
Pre-fermented sourdough - Organic acids help digestibility
â
Prebiotic fiber - From the walnuts, feeding beneficial gut bacteria
What to Pair It With
These are still carb-forward (it's a muffin!), so you'll want to add a bit more more protein, fiber and fat to create a truly balanced blood sugar response.
For breakfast, I love these with a big scoop of Greek yogurt sprinkled with chia (protein + fiber) and cinnamon (anti-inflammatory) or a couple of eggs any style. Cottage cheese with berries is another winner. Or go simple and simply smear the muffin with nut butter and grab a hard-boiled egg on the side.
For a snack, pair it with string cheese, some deli meat roll-ups, or smoked salmon if you're feeling fancy. And if you made the nut-free version, adding a handful of nuts on the side brings back those healthy fats and keeps you satisfied longer.
Browse â¡ïž Blood Sugar-Friendly Recipes
Sourdough Discard Banana Nut Muffins
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 muffins
- Category: bread
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: sourdough
Description
These sourdough discard banana muffins use bread flour and a two-temperature baking method to create bakery-quality domes. Light, fluffy, and perfectly moist, they stay fresh for days thanks to sour cream and fermented sourdough starter.
Ingredients
- 1Πcups (150g) walnuts or pecans, chopped
- 1â cups (200g) bread flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Ÿ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- œ tsp salt
- 1œ cups (340g) mashed ripe banana (3-4 medium bananas, measured after mashing)
- œ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- œ cup packed (100g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- Ÿ cup (180g) sourdough discard, unfed
- â cup (75g) sour cream
- œ cup (110g) neutral oil (avocado, grapeseed, or vegetable)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- If adding walnuts, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes until fragrant and slightly darker. Watch closely as they burn fast. Set aside to cool.
- Increase oven temperature to 425°F (218°C). Line two standard muffin tins with 16 paper liners or grease wells generously.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine ripe banana, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with a whisk or electric mixer for about 1 minute until well combined and slightly lightened to incorporate air for texture.
- Add eggs to the banana mixture and beat until incorporated. Add sourdough discard and whisk until no white streaks remain (this takes a minute since the discard can be stubborn and gluten rich). Add sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy looking.
- Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold gently until just combined and stop when you no longer see dry flour streaks. Avoid over-mixing as that will create a denser texture in the final muffins.
- Fold in the toasted, cooled walnuts.
- Scoop batter into the 16 prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the top (about 90% full). Sprinkle extra walnuts on top if desired.
- Cover muffin tins with a metal baking sheet to protect them and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- After the rest, place muffins in the 425°F oven for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 9-11 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, or internal temperature reaches 200°F. Reheat the oven to 425F and proceed with second pan to bake off the remaining muffins.
- Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
For half with nuts/half without: Scoop batter into only 8 of the muffin liners, then fold nuts into the remaining batter and proceed with portioning out the rest of the batter. Also note that if you're only including nuts in half the muffins, you'll use half the amount of nuts.
Storage: Counter for 3-4 days in an airtight container, fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze individually wrapped for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 279
- Sugar: 15.3 g
- Sodium: 147.7 mg
- Fat: 14.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 5.1 g
- Cholesterol: 24.9 mg
Sourdough Banana Muffin FAQ
Yes, but your muffins might be slightly shorter. Bread flour's higher protein content supports those tall, bakery-style domes and helps them stay moist longer. If all-purpose is all you have, go for it! They'll still be delicious.
Absolutely! Just leave them out. The muffins will still be fantastic. Chocolate chips are a fun substitute to make these a sweet treat!
Brown-spotted, soft, maybe even a little black. The riper, the better. If your bananas are still yellow, they're not ready. Need to speed things up? Bake unpeeled bananas at 300°F for 15-20 minutes until the peels turn dark brown then let them cool for 15 minutes before using.
Joani Simon says
These muffins were moist and delicious!