This Banana Sourdough Muffins recipe combines classic banana bread flavor with sourdough starter in an easy, moist, and fluffy muffin.
This is a great way to make use of any leftover sourdough starter, or if you’re just looking for a way to incorporate sourdough into your muffins.
I have made dozens and dozens of banana bread recipes and learned all the tips and tricks to creating the right banana sweet bread depending on your taste preferences. To get all the details check out my detailed Guide To Making Banana Bread, which can be used to guide you as you make banana muffins as well.
Banana bread is so versatile that it can be made into muffins or made in a square baker in this Banana Bread Without a Loaf Pan. Add raisins and cinnamon for a Banana Raisin Bread, or top it with a Banana Bread Glaze, or make a Banana Bread with Streusel Topping. It pairs really well with sourdough for a subtle tang that adds complexity of flavor, as well as lending the benefits of sourdough to your muffins.
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🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sourdough Starter: This recipe uses sourdough starter, creating a subtle tang, and is a great way to use any extra sourdough starter that you might have.
Light and Fluffy: I designed the recipe for these muffins to be super light and fluffy, rather than dense and heavy.
Lots of Bananas: This recipe calls for 4 medium bananas. It is full of banana flavor.
⏱️ Prepping Your Sourdough Starter
You can either prep sourdough starter specifically for this recipe (instructions below) or use sourdough discard that you already have on hand.
- Prep Ahead (fed): To prep the starter for sourdough muffins, combine 38 grams sourdough starter, 38 grams water, and 38 grams all-purpose flour the night before you plan to make the muffins (or roughly 12 hours, or until it is light, bubbly and “active”). Leave the starter out on the counter overnight. The active starter can now be used for the muffins.
- Discard (unfed): Use 113g (½ cup) sourdough discard from maintaining your sourdough starter.
🛒 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Banana Sourdough Muffins.
- Butter: Softened to a cool room temperature. If you haven't softened your butter ahead of time, microwave it in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl at 20% power for 30 seconds. Turn it over and add 30 seconds as needed until softened.
- Sugar: This recipe calls for ½ cup granulated sugar. Because the bananas are already sweet I find that ½ cup is more than enough added sugar. However, if you like sweeter baked goods feel free to add an additional ¼ cup of sugar.
- Bananas: Use 4 medium-sized bananas that are between ripe and overripe. However, they should not be so brown that they are soft and mushy. They should be yellow, with a few brown spots, but not brown all over. See my Banana Bread Guide for more details.
- Eggs: Use large eggs, pasture-raised if possible.
- Vanilla Extract: Feel free to omit this if you do not have it. Vanilla extract can be expensive, but if you bake somewhat regularly consider buying a large bottle from Costco, which may be more economical.
- Baking Soda: For leavening.
- Salt: To balance and bring out flavor.
- Sourdough Starter: Prep ½ cup sourdough starter ahead intended for this recipe or use sourdough discard as you are maintaining your starter.
- Flour: Use all-purpose, unbleached flour.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make Banana Sourdough Muffins
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Banana Sourdough Muffins.
*Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Prep. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Step 1. In a large mixing bowl cream the softened butter and sugar.
Tip: The butter should be softened to a cool room temperature. If you haven't softened the butter in advance, you can soften it in the microwave. Add the butter to a large microwave-safe mixing bowl. Microwave at 20% power for 30 seconds. Flip the butter over and at 20% power add 30 more seconds.
Step 2. Mash the bananas. You can do this by hand, but if you have a hand mixer there's an easier way.
Add the bananas to a 4-cup measuring pitcher and beat on low speed with a hand mixer to mash the bananas. Take a spoon and scrape down the sides, then check to make sure that the total volume is 1¾ cups. If it is slightly less, that is okay, but it may require a couple minutes less baking time.
Step 3. Add the mashed bananas to the mixing bowl and combine.
Step 4. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and combine.
Step 5. Add the sourdough starter, salt, and baking soda and combine.
Step 6. Add the flour. Use a large spoon to mix the flour in by hand until just combined.
Tip: Over-stirring the batter can develop gluten which you want to avoid (unlike with bread or pizza) as this can create a tougher, denser muffin.
Step 7. Prep a muffin tin by lining alternating muffin cups with muffin papers to bake only six muffins at a time. This helps to create taller fluffier muffins by improving air circulation. However, if you don't have the time to bake two separate rounds, it is totally fine to bake the muffins all at once.
Add the muffins to the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 350℉.
Bake for 17-18 minutes or until the tops of the muffins start to turn a golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Repeat with the remaining muffins. Don't forget to turn the oven down to 350℉ each time you add a new tray of muffins to the oven.
Tip: Preheating the oven to 425°F and then immediately dropping the temperature to 350℉ creates a high heat blast. Baking soda reacts to heat, and this high heat blast creates a strong activation which creates a taller, fluffier muffin.
🪄 Additional Tips and Tricks
- Sweeter Bananas: Overripe bananas are not actually sweeter than ripe bananas. See my Guide to Baking Banana Bread including a link to the scientific paper that demonstrates how sugar changes as bananas ripen.
- Banana Flavor: Overripe bananas do have a more intense banana flavor than ripe bananas. However, if the bananas are very overripe that banana flavor can be overpowering.
- Brown Sugar: Using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar has no significant impact on the taste of the banana bread or muffins.
- Overmixing: Using a spoon to mix in the flour helps to prevent overmixing which can lead to tougher muffins.
- Oven Temperature: Every oven is different and your oven might run hot or not so hot (you can check this with an oven thermometer), so your baking time might vary.
❄️ How to Store and Freeze
- To Store: Place the muffins in airtight container, gallon or quart-sized bags, or wrap them in plastic. The muffins can be stored on the counter for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Place the muffins in gallon or quart-sized bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Banana Sourdough Muffins are excellent for freezing. To bring to room temperature let the muffins sit out on the counter or in the fridge overnight until thawed. Or microwave at 20% power for 30 seconds at a time until thawed.
✏️ Banana Sourdough Muffin FAQs
Use 4½ bananas (instead of 4) and increase the flour to 1½ cups (rather than 1¼ cups). Otherwise, follow the recipe as written.
Yes, feel free to add chocolate chips or nuts to your liking.
Don't overmix the batter after adding the flour, set the temperature high at 425°F then reduce it to 350°F when baking the muffins, bake half the muffins at a time alternating muffin cups. These three tips help to ensure taller, fluffier muffins.
For More Banana Recipes, You May Love These
If you tried this Banana Sourdough Muffin Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Banana Sourdough Muffins
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 medium bananas, 1¾ cups mashed bananas ripe or overripe
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sourdough starter 113 grams
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- With a mixer cream the butter and sugar.
- In a 4-cup glass measuring pitcher add the 4 medium-sized bananas broken roughly in half. Beat on low speed until fully mashed. Check that the total quantity of mashed bananas is roughly 1¾ cups. Add the mashed bananas to the creamed butter and sugar and combine.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and combine. Add the baking soda, salt, and sourdough starter and combine.
- Add the flour and use a large spoon to mix it in by hand, until just combined.
- For extra tall muffins, fill every other muffin cup of a muffin tray. Add the muffin tray to the oven and reduce the temperature immediately to 350°F.
- Bake for 17-18 minutes at 350℉.
Notes
- Softened Butter: The butter should be softened to a cool room temperature. If you haven't softened the butter in advance, you can soften it in the microwave. Add the butter to a large microwave-safe mixing bowl. Microwave at 20% power for 30 seconds. Flip the butter over and at 20% power add 30 more seconds.
- Sweeter Bananas: Overripe bananas are not actually sweeter than ripe bananas. See my Guide to Baking Banana Bread with a link to the scientific paper that demonstrates how sugar changes as bananas ripen.
- Banana Flavor: Overripe bananas do have a more intense banana flavor than ripe bananas. However, if the bananas are very overripe that banana flavor can be overpowering.
- Brown Sugar: Using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar has no significant impact on the taste of the banana bread or muffins.
- Overmixing: Using a spoon to mix in the flour helps to prevent overmixing which can lead to tougher muffins. Over-stirring the batter can develop gluten which you want to avoid (unlike with bread or pizza) as this can create a tougher, denser muffin
- Oven Temperature: Every oven is different and your oven might run hot or not hot (you can check this with an oven thermometer), so your baking time might vary.
- High Heat Blast: Preheating the oven to 425°F and then immediately dropping the temperature to 350℉ creates a high heat blast. Baking soda reacts to heat, and this high heat blast creates a strong activation which creates a taller, fluffier muffin.
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