The Best Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry season is one of my favorite times of year, and this easy Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins recipe puts freshly picked blueberries and leftover sourdough starter to delicious use! The sourdough discard in the batter creates a slight tang that pairs perfectly with the sweet, juicy pop of the blueberries.

Why We Love This Recipe

• They aren't overly sweet like many homemade muffin recipes can be.
• It's one of the best ways to use your sourdough discard instead of tossing it in the trash. Other great ways to use it up is with these sourdough chocolate chip cookies and sourdough discard banana bread!
• It works well with both fresh or frozen blueberries, so you can make it all year long!
• The coarse demerara sugar on top creates the perfect sweet crunch on top of these fluffy, jumbo blueberry muffins.
• Bakery-style sourdough blueberry muffins make for an easy homemade breakfast all week long! Make my sourdough discard pancakes to go along with them!
• They take less than an hour to make and freeze super well!

Ingredients

• Baking powder helps give these muffins the perfect bakery muffin top.
• Sourdough discard is the leftover sourdough starter that doesn't get fed. Instead of letting it go to waste, it can be used to make these delicious blueberry muffins! This muffin recipe uses ½ cup of sourdough discard. If you don't have your own starter at home, stop by a local bakery and see if they'll share some with you.
• Sour cream is used to add extra moisture and tanginess.
• Fresh blueberries work best in these muffins, but frozen blueberries can be used as well. If you go this route, do not thaw them ahead of time.
• Demerara sugar is an optional topping to give them an extra sweet crunch!

See recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements.

Substitutions & Variations

• For a blueberry almond twist on these sourdough starter muffins, add ¼ teaspoon almond extract to the wet ingredients, and sprinkle the top of the muffins with sliced, toasted almonds.
• Next time, try lemon blueberry muffins by adding a teaspoon of lemon zest to the we ingredients.
• You can substitute other berry varieties in place of the blueberries, or use a combination of multiple berries.
• Use chocolate chips in place of the blueberries for sweet bakery-style chocolate chip muffins!
• These sourdough discard muffins can be made into regular or mini muffins as well! Follow the instructions in the recipe card notes below.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

Equipment

This sourdough discard muffin recipe only requires a few simple tools to make.

• Mixing bowls
• Jumbo muffin pan
• Muffin liners

How to Make Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add blueberries to the dry ingredients and toss to coat.

Step 2: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, vanilla, sour cream, milk, and sourdough starter discard.

Step 3: Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined.

Step 4: Using a large cookie scoop or spoon, fill 6 jumbo muffin liners about ¾ of the way up with muffin batter. Sprinkle demerara sugar on top of each muffin (optional).

Bake at 425°F for 6 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking about 15-20 minutes more until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Leave in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Expert Tips

1. Place your oven rack in the center of the oven for the most even baking. Make sure it's fully preheated to 425°F before placing the muffins inside. I recommend using an oven thermometer so you know it's accurate!
2. When tossing the blueberries in the flour mixture, do so very gently so you don't smash the blueberries which will bleed into the batter.
3. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the flour in grams. This will help ensure that the muffins have a light and fluffy texture, since flour is easily over-measured in measuring cups which often yields dry, dense muffins.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

Room Temperature: Store sourdough discard blueberry muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.

Refrigerator: These are best stored at room temperature or in the freezer.

Freezer: Individually wrap each cooled blueberry muffin in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 1 month.

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