Sourdough brownies are perfect for using up sourdough discard! They are fudgy, super chocolatey, and have gorgeous crackly tops. Only 10 ingredients and 12 minutes to prep! Recipe includes a how-to video.
Sourdough Discard Brownies
Decadently rich and fudgy with glossy, shiny, and oh-so-slightly-crackly surfaces, these sourdough brownies are my new favorite brownies. I know we have some tough contenders including my reigning champion brownies from scratch or my nutella brownies, but these take the cake (brownie?).
Of course the fact that they are fudgy and SUPER chocolatey helps, but the complexity from the sourdough adds such… interesting and wonderful flavor undertones. It’s a subtle taste–not at all sour–but you’ll pick up on it, and it’s divine! It’s also a wonderful way to use up excess sourdough starter you’d otherwise toss, so win-win.
This recipe is incredibly simple. It uses only 10 ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to prepare before baking. Unlike my small batch brownies, you will need two bowls here, but it’s worth the extra dish. We’ll use that second bowl to whip the eggs and sugar together to get those nice, shiny brownie tops 😍.
Why try my recipe:
- Flavorful: using 3 types of chocolate, a healthy splash of vanilla, and sourdough means these brownies have incredible flavor.
- Fast: ready in less than 45 minutes!
- Reduces food waste: repurposes that discard instead of tossing it.
What You Need
Look at that, only 10 ingredients (9 if you leave out chocolate chips — don’t do that though). I told you this recipe was simple! Here are a few worth noting before we start:
- Chocolate bar. You can use either a semisweet chocolate or 60% cacao chocolate bar in this recipe. We’ll chop this up and melt it with the butter to get it nice and warm for our cocoa powder (this will help bloom the cocoa and intensify its flavor!). Chocolate chips would work instead in a pinch, but I prefer the results with a baking bar here.
- Cocoa powder. I like using Dutch process cocoa in this recipe, but natural will work too. Remember, you can’t always substitute natural cocoa for Dutch process, but in this recipe it is safe to do.
- Sourdough discard. Have some discard leftover from feeding from your sourdough starter? Perfect! My recipe makes use of the discard instead of just discarding it.
- Eggs. It’s best if your eggs are at room temperature; this will allow them to incorporate more easily and help you create those crackly brownie tops. If you forget to set yours out ahead of time, you can use my trick for bringing eggs to room temperature quickly.
- Chocolate chips. You can always make your sourdough brownies without chocolate chips, but I don’t see the harm in adding just a little more chocolate 😉
SAM’S TIP: Vigorously whisking the eggs and sugar creates those shiny, crackly, meringue-esque tops that everyone dreams about (or is that just me?!). It also helps give the brownies a bit of lift and keeps them from being too dense.
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 Brownies
- Melt together the chopped chocolate and butter in 25-second intervals in the microwave. Anytime you’re melting chocolate, you don’t want to heat it for too long at once or it could seize, meaning you need to start over.
- Immediately stir in the cocoa powder until well incorporated. Adding the cocoa powder to the warm chocolate and butter helps bloom it, developing the chocolate flavor.
- Add the eggs and sugar to a separate bowl and whisk vigorously for about 2-3 minutes, until lightened and increased in volume.
- Add the sourdough discard and vanilla to the egg mixture and stir until mixed in.
No Mixer? No problem. Just use a whisk to vigorously whisk the eggs and sugar together by hand until well combined. Even if you don’t mix as much as I do, you’ll still have wonderful, tasty sourdough brownies.
- Drizzle in the chocolate mixture and stir well. I usually use a spatula for this step and don’t use my electric mixer anymore.
- Stir in the flour and salt until the batter is cohesive and smooth.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, if you decide to use them.
- Spread the batter into a parchment lined pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Let cool completely before cutting.
SAM’S TIP: When checking your sourdough brownies for doneness with a toothpick, make sure you don’t accidentally hit a chocolate chip. If you do, the toothpick will come out chocolatey and can be mistaken for wet/raw batter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! These sourdough brownies will still be tasty without the chocolate chips. Simply leave them out; no other changes needed.
LOTS of things! So far I’ve shared recipes for sourdough discard crackers, pancakes, and chocolate chip cookies (my new favorite cookies!). I’m still coming up with more recipes, so if there’s something specific you’d like to see, let me know in the comments!
You could, but I find that Dutch process cocoa is best for this recipe. It provides the most chocolatey flavor and adds a depth that pairs nicely with the sourdough.
I’ve got another sourdough discard recipe coming soon…can you guess what it is? Hint: you’ll need some very ripe bananas to make it 🙃
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 Brownies
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter
- 4 oz (113 g) 60% or semisweet chocolate bar chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup (50 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) sourdough discard
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (83 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (130 g) semisweet chocolate chips optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and arrange a rack to the center of the oven. Line a 9×9” square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine butter and chopped chocolate in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl and heat in the microwave in 25-second intervals, stirring well in between, until butter and chocolate are melted and mixture is smooth (alternatively you may melt on the stovetop over a double boiler).10 Tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter, 4 oz (113 g) 60% or semisweet chocolate bar
- Immediately add cocoa powder and stir well.½ cup (50 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar and eggs. Use a whisk to beat vigorously for about 2-3 minutes (or use an electric mixer on high speed for 1 minute).1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs
- Add sourdough discard and vanilla extract and stir well.½ cup (110 g) sourdough discard, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Drizzle melted chocolate mixture into egg mixture and stir until well-combined.
- Add flour and salt and stir until completely combined and batter is uniform.⅔ cup (83 g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt
- Stir in chocolate chips, if using.¾ cup (130 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Spread evenly into prepared baking sheet and bake in center rack of oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist fudgy crumbs (or clean).
- Allow brownies to cool in pan before cutting and serving.
Notes
Cocoa powder
May substitute natural cocoa powder, but Dutch process works best with this recipe for best flavor.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Chava
Thanks for this amazing recipe! I needed to discard some of my starter, and this was such a good way to use it up. I have made this recipe twice, once in a dairy-free version where I substituted butter for margarine. They both came out absolutely delicious, and filled my house with a heavenly aroma. This recipe is going straight into my family’s recipe collection!
Sam
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it so much, Chava! 🙂
Dana
I need to double this recipe. do I need to make any adjustments (besides doubling all ingredients)?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Dana! You’ll need a bigger pan and likely a different bake time, but other than that you should be fine. 😊
Sheila
I look forward to making the brownies. Is it possible to add some zucchini to the recipe. Trying to sneak in veggies whenever possible.
Congratulations to your adorable new addition.
Sam
Hi Sheila! Zucchini adds extra moisture so without having tried it I can’t say for sure what would need to be done here. 🙁
Lisa
I made these this weekend and they were a huge hit. They are so fudgy. Another amazing recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Lisa! 🙂
Lorrie
wonderfully delicious brownies! I made these today very moist and yummy.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lorrie! 🙂
Erica
Hi Sam! These brownies are delicious! A winner and I will be making them again. I followed your directions and beat the sugar and eggs on hi with an electric mixer for over a minute, 1:25 to be exact (yes, I timed it as I really wanted the crackly top). The top of my brownies did not come out shiny and crackly, they were dry looking like cake. Any advice? Should I beat them longer? The eggs were out at room temperature for about 1 hour before I started. Thank you!
Sam
Hi Erica! There is a potential the brownie mix could be over-beaten and make them cakey, but I’m not sure that happened here. Is it possible they were slightly over-baked?
Erica
Hi Sam! Thanks for the reply. They were moist in the middle, just like your photo. I just didn’t get the flaky brownie top. Going to make them again and see if I can get the flaky top. 🙂
Angie
Are they supposed to be a very fudgy/gooey consistency? I baked for 30 minutes, checked with toothpick and added another 5 minutes. There is a large crack about an inch from all sides. Are they underbaked? The edge I ate tasted great.
Sam
Hi Angie! These are a very fudgy brownie and they are supposed to be nice and crackly on the top. Did they look anything like the photos? You can always check out the video right above the recipe for more help with what they are supposed to look like/ things to do.
Katelin Davis
Hi, I want to make single serve brownies with this recipe. Once batter is prepped is there anyway to save for maybe a day or two in the fridge then bake the rest?
Sam
Hi Katelin! While I personally haven’t tried saving it. I think it would be fine. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Amber
These are by far the best brownies I’ve ever made! They are fudgy and delicious. I’m new to sourdough and I’ve just started baking with my discard. The recipe was really easy to follow and they turned out perfect. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Amber! Sourdough is so versatile. I think you are really going to enjoy using it. 🙂
Carol
Updated evaluation: These are THE BEST BROWNIES I HAVE EVER HAD!!! There’s no taste of sourdough, the texture is perfectly moist and chewy (definitely not underbaked), and I love the surprise of extra chocolate chips in the batter. ❣️❣️❣️
Sam
Wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for your review, Carol!
Ghrantt
I am currently baking these for the first time. just excited so I wanted to comment pre tasting. I added walnuts because I just love brownies with walnuts. thank you for the recipe. a giant chunk of these and cold milk await before bedtime.
Sam
I hope you love them, Ghrantt! 🙂
Ghrantt
they were fantastic! currently making the chocolate chip sourdough cookies.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Carol
These are OUTSTANDING!!! So chocolatey and yummy! I think I may have underbaked them a bit (about half of the batter was not cracked, but I was afraid of overbaking, and thought that it would finish baking as it cooled. (It didn’t.) But it didn’t seem to matter! it was delicious.
And, yes, please give us more sourdough discard recipes!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Carol! 🙂
Gabi Comptdaer
This brownie was definitely not for us. It tasted a lot like the sourdough starter, and the crust crumbled and had an odd taste to it.
Sam
Hi Gabi! I’m so sorry to hear this! Did you make any substitutions? Did they stay in the oven too long to become crumbly? They shouldn’t taste a lot like a starter. 🙁
Munch
Hi,
These are the only way i will ever make brownies now. I made these with some sourdough discard, I wanted to use up. My measurements for chocolate and butter weren’t exact. This turned out so good. I can’t taste the sourdough discard taste at all. And I got the crinkly top. I had to bake for a bit more than 30 mins, that could be my oven ! Thanks for sharing my amazing recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you enjoyed them! 🥰
Cara
Hey Sam! Once again a winner! My whole family loves them! I was wondering if these can be frozen & how would I go about doing that if they can. Also, how long will they last at room temperature, in the fridge, & in the freezer?
Sam
Hi Cara! These can be frozen for several months. You will want to wrap them tightly like you would any other item you freeze. They will be good at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 5 days. 🙂
Jeff Winett
Until this recipe, I would bemoan the fact that I am a brownie-a-holic. I’ve tried too many iterations that end up never being made again, and admittedly thrown out. This recipe makes all efforts worth it. Once again, Sam’s roadmap of gram weights has taken me on an outrageous/success filled journey. My sole deviation was baking the Sourdough Brownies in an 8 inch square pan, versus 9 inch, and my baking time was followed accordingly. I just happen to dig a thicker/taller brownie. I do not know if I will ever be able to tell if there was sourdough starter, and for me that is the point. It absolutely does “something”, and that is all I need to know. No over-thinking here….this is just the most fantastic confection I have enjoyed in ages and ages. So fudgy…so intensely chocolatey, and the consistency of the brownie was just wonderful. Thank you Sam, so very much for sharing this recipe…..I am hooked for life.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jeff! A thicker brownie isn’t a bad thing at all if you ask me. 🙂
Melody
What is sour dough discard for your brownie recipe? Can you make it or buy it to add to recipe? Thanks
Sam
Hi Melody! I actually have a recipe to make your own sourdough starter that will create discard. You can do lots of different things with a sourdough starter. You may be able to buy it in a grocery store, but I have never personally found it. 🙂