If you’re looking for a great recipe to use up some of your sourdough discard, look no further! These vegan, sourdough banana muffins only need one bowl and a muffin pan to create a delicious snack.
Last year, I had quite a bit of sourdough discard stowed away in the back of my fridge, and while I have made biscuits, pancakes, and flatbread with it, I wanted to try something new! So, I found Lisa’s (the Viet Vegan) recipe for Sourdough Banana Bread, and made it a few times, and I think it’s a great foundation recipe.
Now, I like my bread a lil’ sweeter (but not too sweet!), and with a couple other additions, but still kept it nut-free to be more allergy-friendly, though you’re more than welcome to add some in! I’ve added a note in the Substitution + Tips area below, just for you. On top of the ingredient changes, I have made the recipe into muffins, which are great for sharing. Though I’ve made it as a loaf as well, in case you like that form better.
Substitutions + Tips
- Very Ripe Bananas – if you want the best flavor, and most added sweetness, make sure that your bananas are VERY ripe. I mean brown peels. Typically, I let bananas ripen on the counter, and once they’re dark I pop them in the freezer for later.
- Sourdough discard – the recipe works better if you let your discard get close to room temperature, if it has been in the fridge. Mine was fed with 1/2 whole wheat flour, so that changes the texture of the muffins slightly. This will vary from starter to starter!
- Dark brown sugar – I find this lends more depth of flavor than light or cane sugar. If you don’t have it on hand you can use cane sugar and add 2-3 teaspoons of molasses to the mixture.
- Olive oil – I love the richness this adds to the muffins, but you can also use sunflower, canola, or melted coconut oil in place of it, if need be.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour – normally I would offer a gluten-free option for this, but because 99% of the time sourdough starters are made with wheat flour, I don’t think it wise to suggest anything else!
- Nuts – as mentioned before, I kept nuts out of this recipe to keep it allergy-friendly. But, if you’re a fan, fold 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans into the muffin batter before scooping into the cupcake liners.
- Loaf – if you’d rather make this into a loaf, use a 9-inch loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and an inserted toothpick draws clean.
If you love banana bread but don’t have any sourdough discard, or just like the banana-nut combo, I highly recommend the recipes below!
- Pumpkin Banana Nut Muffins with Chocolate Chips
- Strawberry Banana Nut Oatmeal Cookies
- Pumpkin Banana Nut Bread
One-Bowl Sourdough Banana Muffins
If you're looking for a great recipe to use up some of your sourdough discard, look no further! These vegan, sourdough banana muffins only need one bowl and a muffin pan to create a delicious snack.
Ingredients
- 3 large, peeled, very ripe bananas (about 320 g)
- 1 cup (265 g) sourdough discard, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (125 g) dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (45 g) olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (160 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a cupcake pan with large liners.
- In a large mixing bowl place bananas; if they are not super-soft, mash them until mostly smooth. Next, add in sourdough discard, brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla extract, whisking until well-combined.
- Sprinkle flour over the wet mixture, add baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk together until there are no dry clumps. Scoop enough batter to reach nearly the top of each muffin liner (about 1/3 cup).
- Bake muffins for 25-28 minutes or until golden-brown on top, and an inserted toothpick draws clean. If you like a crustier muffin top, bake for 28-30 minutes. And that's it! Enjoy!
Notes
- Very Ripe Bananas - if you want the best flavor, and most added sweetness, make sure that your bananas are VERY ripe. I mean brown peels. Typically, I let bananas ripen on the counter, and once they're dark I pop them in the freezer for later.
- Sourdough discard – the recipe works better if you let your discard get close to room temperature, if it has been in the fridge. Mine was fed with 1/2 whole wheat flour, so that changes the texture of the muffins slightly. This will vary from starter to starter!
- Dark brown sugar - I find this lends more depth of flavor than light or cane sugar. If you don't have it on hand you can use cane sugar and add 2-3 teaspoons of molasses to the mixture.
- Olive oil - I love the richness this adds to the muffins, but you can also use sunflower, canola, or melted coconut oil in place of it, if need be.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour - normally I would offer a gluten-free option for this, but because 99% of the time sourdough starters are made with wheat flour, I don't think it wise to suggest anything else!
- Nuts - as mentioned before, I kept nuts out of this recipe to keep it allergy-friendly. But, if you're a fan, fold 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans into the muffin batter before scooping into the cupcake liners.
Glad to start off the year’s first post with muffins, as baking is still my favorite, right now. Hoping to have a delicious, dump-and-bake-style rice casserole recipe up for you next week! Sign up for my newsletter (below) so that you don’t miss it.
Maeghan
Tuesday 28th of March 2023
This was perfect for using up my discard. I swapped for coconut sugar and coconut oil, and used sprouted spelt and sorghum flours instead of all purpose. I halved the recipe because that's all the discard I had to use, but unfortunately I forgot to half the oil and they came out super oily (my bad) But they were very tasty and the texture was great so I will definitely be saving this recipe to make again.