Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
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These sourdough blueberry muffins have an incredible texture and flavor thanks to sourdough discard! My recipe takes just 30 minutes from start to finish and makes a dozen beautiful muffins.
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins
Before I talk about these sourdough blueberry muffins, I think I should admit that I might have a bit of a blueberry muffin obsession. If you’ve been following along, you know that I recently shared a recipe for blueberry muffin cookies that is simply incredible (if I do say so myself). I also have classic blueberry muffins, plus blueberry cream cheese muffins. How many blueberry muffins recipes is too many?
Correct answer: the limit does not exist.
Now back to today’s recipe, which I absolutely love. Not only are these muffins full of blueberries, but they have a truly amazing texture; they are so, so, SO soft and tender. The sourdough discard is a key player in creating this lovely texture, and of course, it also adds a beautiful depth of flavor too.
What to love about this recipe:
- Comes together fast.
- No mixer needed (seriously, please don’t use one!).
- Beautiful tall muffin tops, thanks to my special muffin trick (also used in my banana muffins).
- Amazing flavor and texture from sourdough discard.
What You Need
Most of these ingredients are pretty standard, except for the sourdough discard–obviously! Here are the most important ones:
- Sourdough discard. You should have some of this lying around if you’re feeding an active sourdough starter! If you don’t, check out the FAQ section below.
- Melted butter. Not only does melted butter make this recipe super easy to mix together by hand, but it also yields a buttery flavor too.
- Blueberries. Fresh or frozen blueberries will work here, but just know that frozen berries will dye your batter purple. If I’m using frozen berries, I prefer to thaw and drain them before adding them to the batter.
- Sour cream. Similar to buttermilk, sour cream adds moisture, tenderness, and flavor.
- Room temperature egg. It’s important that your egg is at room temperature so it incorporates easily; otherwise, you might end up over-mixing your batter. If you forget to set yours out ahead of time, read my post on how to quickly bring eggs to room temperature.
SAM’S TIP: For a pretty, bakery style look I recommend sprinkling some extra granulated sugar on top of your sourdough blueberry muffins just before baking. Or, if you’d really like to take your muffins to the next level, skip the sugar and add some streusel!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the batter is 50% combined.
- Add the blueberries and keep folding until just combined. Do not over-mix!
- Portion the batter into a lined 12-count muffin tin. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this!
- Sprinkle granulated sugar over the tops (if using) and bake for 8 minutes at 425F.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350F (don’t open the door!) and bake for an additional 12 minutes or until cooked through.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
SAM’S TIP: Using two oven temperatures ensures our muffins will have a beautiful rise. We’ll start off high, then reduce the temperature (without opening the door!) to finish baking. You’ll see this technique used in most of my muffin recipes, including my bakery style chocolate chip muffins.
Frequently Asked Questions
These sourdough blueberry muffins were carefully designed to be moist and tender, so they should not be dry at all. If yours are, it’s possible that you over-measured your flour (it’s easy to do!), over-mixed your batter, or simply baked them too long.
Over-mixing will doom any quick bread, muffin, or pancake; it makes them dense and dry. To avoid this, make sure you stir everything together by hand (do not use a mixer!) and stop once everything is just combined.
Sourdough discard is actually a byproduct of feeding/maintaining a sourdough starter. Before you feed your starter, you always discard half of what is in the jar. Instead of wasting that discard (it still has lots of nutritional benefits), I like to use it in other recipes, like these muffins or my sourdough crackers or sourdough pancakes.
If you are interested in baking with sourdough, check out my post on how to make a sourdough starter!
Yes! Just make sure to wrap them really well in plastic wrap beforehand and store in an airtight container. They’ll keep this way for a few months.
To thaw, you can let your muffins sit at room temperature, or you can microwave them for a few seconds.
The muffin liners I’m using here today are my parchment paper muffin liners! They are so easy to make and instantly elevate the look of your muffins.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Sourdough blueberry muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (187 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (105 g) sourdough discard
- ¾ cup (180 g) sour cream, or plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg, room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) fresh blueberries
- Granulated sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1 ½ cups (187 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, sourdough discard, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract until ingredients are evenly mixed.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (105 g) sourdough discard, ¾ cup (180 g) sour cream, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add wet ingredients to dry and use a spatula to gently fold together. Once batter is about 50% combined, add blueberries and continue to mix, gently, until blueberries are well-distributed and batter is just combined. Do not over-mix or muffins will be dense and dry.1 ½ cups (210 g) fresh blueberries
- Evenly divide batter into prepared muffin tin. If desired, sprinkle with granulated sugar.Granulated sugar for topping
- Transfer to center rack of 425F (220C) oven and bake for 8 minutes, then, without opening the oven door, decrease oven temperature to 350F (175C) and bake for 12 minutes longer/until muffins are baked through. The tops will be beginning to turn a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Allow muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tin before carefully removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Blueberries
Frozen blueberries will work but may streak your batter blue/purple. I typically thaw and drain the berries before using.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Muffins may also be tightly wrapped (after cooling) and frozen for up to 3 months.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Your muffins are in the oven as I type this. Can I just say..I love the way you post your recipes. It was so handy to not have to scroll up and down for the ingredients for each step. It was the best written recipe I have ever used!!
Thank you so much, Melisa! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
do I need to feed my discard beforehand
Hi Leigh! You will just measure out some discard and use that. You can then feed your jar of starter if it’s ready. 🙂
The best muffins i have ever eaten
What could I use instead of sour cream or Greek yogurt that is dairy free?
Hi Courtney! Unfortunately I am not familiar with a dairy free substitute here. 🙁 If you do try it and find something that works I would love to know what you use. 🙂
I used full fat coconut milk and a table spoon of lemon juice. I’m going to try some apple sauce next time
Thank you for the feedback! I hope they were incredible! 🙂
Seriously the ultimate best muffins I have ever tasted in my life.
I will use this recipe as a base and try other inclusions like chocolate chip or raspberries.
Absolutely delicious 😋
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Carolyn! 🙂
So easy to make! I appreciate the ingredient measurements being shown again in the instructions. They turned out great and quick enough to throw together before work.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins! 🙂
Best blueberry muffins ever. My work crew loved them
Hands down best sourdough discard recipe! Along with great rise. If you want even higher muffins fill a couple of muffin tins with water in the center but turning the heat down while baking is a key! I substitute Greek vanilla yogurt for the plain yogurt and my kids love it!
Just made these and my boys LOVED them! They were so delicious!!
We’re so happy they were a hit, Sonja! Thanks for the review 🩷
Is there a way to make these Lemon Blueberry Muffins??
Hi Deb! You could add a little bit of lemon zest, but without having tried it I can’t say for sure how much to add. Good luck and let me know how it goes if you try it. 🙂
Tried these once and they were delicious! I am wondering if I can chill them overnight to ferment and get more of the sourdough starter benefits using the exact same recipe?
Hi Shanen! I haven’t personally tried it, but I think it could work. 🙂
could you use active starter instead of discard?
Yes, just stir it down before measuring it.
can I use white bread flour for this recipe instead of all purpose?
Hi Leigh! I’m not sure how it will turn out. It will probably change the texture and make the muffins more chewy, but if it’s all I had on hand I would probably use it. 🙂
Best blueberry muffins ever. So easy.
muffins are delicious 😋
These muffins from my sourdough discard were the best I’ve had ever! a must try.
These were really good! I doubled the recipe and made some tweaks.
1/2 cup less sugar, substituted coconut oil for half of the butter, added some ground flaxseed and coconut flakes, extra vanilla.
Sounds like a lot but to put it simply it’s less sugar, more mix-ins and one substitute.
I’ve made regular blueberry sour cream muffins before and they turn out wonderful. Now better with sourdough!
I did the same with my muffins as you, sans the flaxseed. My great grandsons were visiting and I made the muffins as per recipe. They loved them, and asked for more. I was short on sugar and had to use coconut oil for half the butter. Told the kids they might not be as good, but they said,” No, Nana, they’re better! ” Made them for neighbors and other relatives who are now hooked on them and Sugar Spun Run.!
I’m so glad everyone has enjoyed the muffins so much! Thank you for spreading the word about Sugar Spun Run! I appreciate your support. 🙂
These are our new favourite muffins. Thanks for sharing!