Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Muffins
These pumpkin sourdough muffins are everything I want from a fall bake. Super soft and tender, full of warming spices, and topped with a generous pile of buttery streusel. The sourdough discard adds flavor and helping create a more tender crumb. They’re a brilliant way to use up extra discard, and the batter can be cold-fermented overnight for an even taller, more flavorful muffin.
What readers say:
These are the best muffins!! I will be making these for the rest of my life, thank you lol
Honara
About these muffins
This is a sourdough discard pumpkin muffin recipe and the sourdough discard is there for flavor and tenderness. This is because the acid in it slows gluten development, which keeps the crumb soft and bakery-style. It uses 100g of discard, which is roughly half a cup, and the batter comes together in one bowl with a whisk.
The other thing I love about these is the streusel. It’s a quick mix of melted butter, sugar, and flour that bakes into shortbread-like clusters on top of each muffin. If you want to dig into the streusel itself, my streusel topping post breaks it down in more detail.
You can bake the batter right away, or you can cover the bowl and cold-ferment it in the fridge for up to 20 hours. The overnight ferment is worth it if you have the time, the muffins bake up taller, the flavor deepens, and the cold-fermented flour is gentler on the digestive system.
A few key ingredients and why
- Sourdough starter discard. Use leftover discard, ideally from the past week. Older, more acidic discard works but can push the flavor sour. The discard’s acidity reacts with the baking soda for extra lift, and it also creates a more tender crumb by slightly inhibiting gluten development. If you don’t have a starter yet, my homemade sourdough starter guide will get you set up.
- Pumpkin puree. Use 100% pure pumpkin puree, either canned or homemade pumpkin puree. Do not use pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced and will throw the recipe off. The pumpkin adds moisture, natural sweetness, and that beautiful orange color.
- Vegetable oil. Oil keeps these muffins soft for days. Unlike butter, oil stays liquid at room temperature, which means the crumb doesn’t firm up as the muffins cool and sit. This is why oil-based muffins almost always stay softer longer than butter-based ones.
- Two sugars. White sugar adds sweetness and helps with structure. Brown sugar brings deeper, caramel-like flavor and adds extra moisture because of the molasses it contains. The combination gives you both lift and richness.
- Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves bring the warming pumpkin spice flavor. You can also use my homemade pumpkin spice mix if you have it on hand.
- Butter (for the streusel). Melted butter is mixed with flour and sugar to make the crumbly streusel. This is the one place butter does better than oil, butter gives the streusel its rich, shortbread-like flavor.
Method
- This is a one-bowl whisk-and-fold batter, so it comes together fast.
- Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices) in a medium bowl until evenly combined.
- In a large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, oil, sourdough discard, both sugars, milk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Whisk until fully combined and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined.
Overnight fermenting
Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the refrigerator for up to 20 hours. Cold fermenting allows the flour to absorb more moisture from the batter, which can lead to a more tender and moist crumb. Additionally, slow fermentation helps break down the proteins in the flour.
- In a small bowl combine melted butter, granulated sugar, and all-purpose flour for the streusel. Use a fork to combine into a coarse crumb, then set it aside.
- Divide pumpkin muffin batter evenly over 12 muffin cups. They will be full. Generously pile the crumbly streusel mixture on top of each muffin.
- Bake at 425°F/220°C for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F/180°C (without opening the oven) and continue baking until a cake tester comes out clean.
Tip: The initial bake at high heat is what gives these muffins their tall, domed bakery-style tops. The drop to 350°F lets the centers cook through without the streusel getting too dark
Tips for the best sourdough pumpkin muffins
- Fill the muffin cups all the way. These muffins are designed to fill 12 cups generously. Underfilling gives you flatter muffins instead of tall domed ones.
- Watch the discard age. Discard that’s a few days to a week old is ideal. Older discard works but gets quite acidic, which can push the flavor too tangy. If your discard is more than a week old and smells very sour, refresh it with a feed and use it within a day.
- The cold ferment is optional but recommended. If you have the time, the overnight rest in the fridge genuinely improves the texture and flavor. It’s also handy if you want to bake fresh muffins in the morning without doing all the mixing first thing.
Storage and make-ahead
These muffins keep well for a few days and freeze beautifully.
To store: Keep them loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Don’t use an airtight container, that softens the streusel topping. A clean tea towel draped over the muffins is ideal.
To freeze: Once completely cool, transfer to a freezer bag with the air squeezed out. They’ll keep for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in the microwave (15 to 20 seconds) before serving.
To make ahead: Mix the batter and cold-ferment in the fridge for up to 20 hours. The streusel can also be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for a month.
Variations
This recipe is a great base to play with once you’ve made it once.
- Add a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts to the streusel for crunch
- Swap the streusel for a vanilla glaze drizzle
- Fold a handful of chocolate chips into the batter
- Add a teaspoon of orange zest to the batter
- Make them as a loaf, pour the batter into a 9×5 inch loaf pan and bake at 350°F/180°C for 50 to 60 minutes
- Make jumbo muffins, fill 6 to 8 jumbo cups instead of 12 regular, and bake for an extra 5 to 10 minutes
More sourdough recipes
Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
Pumpkin muffins
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 226 g pumpkin puree
- 105 g vegetable oil
- 100 g sourdough discard starter
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g soft brown sugar
- 60 g whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Streusel
- 45 g butter
- 63 g all-purpose flour
- 65 g granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. 190 g all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- In a large mixing bowl, add pumpkin puree, oil, sourdough discard, brown and white sugar, milk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. 226 g pumpkin puree, 105 g vegetable oil, 100 g sourdough discard starter, 100 g granulated sugar, 100 g soft brown sugar, 60 g whole milk, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Fold until combined. The muffins can be baked right away or cold-fermented overnight.
Overnight sourdough muffins
- Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the refrigerator for up to 20 hours. Cold fermenting allows the flour to absorb more moisture from the batter, which can lead to a more tender and moist crumb. Additionally, slow fermentation helps break down the proteins in the flour.
Streusel and Baking
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, granulated sugar, salt, and all-purpose flour for the streusel. Use a fork to combine into a coarse crumb, then set it aside. 45 g butter, 63 g all-purpose flour, 65 g granulated sugar, 1/8 tsp salt
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick or line it with 12 paper liners.
- Divide pumpkin muffin batter evenly over 12 muffin cups. They will be full.
- Generously pile the crumbly streusel mixture on top of each muffin. Gently press it on top of each muffin to keep it in place.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F/220°C, then reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 20-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack.
These are the best muffins!! I will be making these for the rest of my life, thank you lol
So happy you love them! 😀
Any recommendations of changes when doing these as jumbo muffins?
Hey I wouldn’t change the recipe, I would just fill 6 or 8 jumbo muffins instead of the 12 regular 🙂 and increase the baking time as needed, testing the muffins for doneness with a cake tester until it comes out clean
Could I make these into a loaf instead of muffins?
Yup! 🙂
Can I use 1/2 cup melted butter instead of oil?
Hey I haven’t tried it with butter before so I can’t tell you how it works out but I’d give it a go 🙂
I made 2 batches of these. My kids did not like them, but that was a longshot anyway. My coworkers, however, RAVED about them. They ate every single one. I also think they are the best muffins I’ve had in a long time.
These look delicious! Two questions ….
1. Do you add the baking soda & powder before cold fermentation? And, they rise well?
2. Do you bake straight from the fridge or allow to come to room temp first?
Thanks!
Hey, I do add it before and they rise very well! I did some tests with adding before and after, and by far preferred adding it before! And I bake the batter fron cold 🙂
My family loved these!!
Yay I’m stoked to read this!