Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins (2024)

A sourdough banana nut muffin recipe, chock full of nuts, ripe bananas and of course, sourdough discard!

You'll love how tender and moist these muffins are with the addition of a little sour cream. Perfect to make ahead and freeze for busy mornings!

I think I could eat these muffins every single day. They're not too sweet or too heavy, and the sourdough discard gives them that tangy flavor I crave!

If you've been throwing your sourdough starter discard away after feedings, STOP! Save that liquid gold!

It's perfect for adding that sourdough flavor to recipes just like this one. Even though we are not fermenting the batter.

This recipe for sourdough banana nut muffins is based off my sourdough banana bread recipe, with the addition of walnuts. (So if you want to make a loaf of bread instead of muffins, check it out!)

This recipe makes 12 large muffins that you can eat right away or freeze for later!

Step by step instructions

This recipe couldn't be easier to make, so let's dive straight into the details!

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
2. Remove the bananas from their peels and use a fork to mash them in a separate bowl until they are smooth.
3. In a large mixing bowl, use a spatula to cream the butter and sugar. Add the rest of the wet ingredients, including the mashed banana.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir in the walnuts until just incorporated. (Make sure to reserve some walnuts for the top!)

5. Divide the batter into a 12 count, paper lined muffin tin and sprinkle the top of each muffin with chopped walnuts. You can also sprinkle a little extra brown sugar if you have a sweet tooth like me!

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Tips for success

When using baking powder and baking soda as leavening agents, it's always best to whisk them into the flour before combining them with the wet ingredients. It ensures that they are evenly distributed throughout the batter and that they are not activated until right before you bake.

I also recommend checking the expiration date on your baking soda and baking powder. These are ingredients that lose their strength over time and cause baking failures!

Don't over-mix the batter once you've added the flour. Over-mixing at this phase can cause the muffins to be tough. So stir in the dry ingredients until "just" combined!

Don't have a kitchen scale to measure flour?

Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.

Because flour is measured by weight in these recipes, if the flour is scooped straight out of the bag with the measuring cup, there will be more flour than is called for in the recipe.

If you're craving banana nut muffins but you don't have overripe bananas on-hand, you can make your own! Place the bananas, in the peel, on a baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 30-40 minutes. You want them to turn a dark color. Let cool before using.

I recommend using "aged" sourdough discard for this recipe. I like to collect my discard in a separate jar in my fridge. I keep adding to it when I feed my starter. After about 2 weeks, the discard has a really strong flavor, which is what really makes this recipe so special!

I tested this recipe with white sugar, light brown sugar and dark brown sugar. At the end of the day, I preferred the flavor of the dark brown sugar. With that being said, any of the these sugars works well. I have not tested with any sugar substitutes.

Add-ins like walnuts and/or chocolate chips make these muffins even more tasty!

I used an ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin.

If you don't have muffin tin liners, grease the tin liberally before adding batter.

How to store and freeze

Store your cooled banana nut muffins, at room temperature, in an air-tight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. Let the muffins cool completely so that condensation does not build up inside of the container!

These muffins will stay good for up to 4 days on the counter if properly stored.

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can pop one in the microwave for 30 seconds to quickly reheat, but make sure you don't cook too long. It will become tough and rubbery!

If you'd like to freeze the muffins, wrap them individually with foil and place them in a freezer bag. Make sure you get all of the air out before sealing the bag in order to help prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw, take as many as you'd like out the night before, or at least a few hours before, and let them thaw on your counter.

Reheat the muffins in the microwave for 30 seconds or in an oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through.

We hope you love this sourdough banana nut muffins recipe as much as our family does. Leave us a message in the comment section below!

Other recipes you may want to try:

• Double Chocolate Sourdough Muffins
• Sourdough Morning Glory Muffins
• Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Sourdough Zucchini Bread

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