Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

Soft, tender, moist, and fluffy - these Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins are the perfect fall treat made with sourdough discard or active starter! This easy one-bowl muffin recipe comes together in minutes and can be baked right away or stashed in the refrigerator to bake fresh the next morning. And you can thank me later, but this recipe uses the whole can of pumpkin! So you don't have to figure out what to do with the leftovers.

Recipe Background and Details

Well it's officially fall and I really needed to add something with pumpkin to my collection of sourdough discard recipes! This recipe was inspired by my love of the fall season and my love of muffins. Pumpkin and warm spices just make my heart skip a beat and I hope you love this recipe a much as I do. Be sure to take a look at my Any-Flavor Sourdough Discard Muffin for a blank slate muffin recipe you can add your favorite flavors to. And for more pumpkin recipes, give my Spiced Pumpkin Scones and Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars a try!

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make these easy sourdough pumpkin muffins. See the recipe card for full instructions and amounts.

• pumpkin puree: one standard can which is usually 15 ounces.
• sourdough starter: this recipe is written for unfed starter but you can use active and you will just have a fluffier muffin.
• brown sugar: white granulated can be used as well.
• oil or melted butter: the butter tastes the best, but I love the convenience of oil. Both work well.
• eggs: I have not tried this with egg substitutes but I imagine they would work well.
• vanilla extract
• all purpose flour: I often swap out a bit of the ap flour for some whole wheat and it works nicely. I would not go 100% whole wheat or you'll have a very dense muffin.
• baking powder and baking soda: for some lift and tenderness. These leaveners interact with the sourdough starter and create a fluffy, tender, moist crumb.
• pumpkin pie spice: or apple pie spice, chai spice, or simply cinnamon.
• salt: I test all of my recipes with Diamond Crystal Kosher salt.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

As with all of my muffin recipes, this is just a quick bowl and a whisk kind of batter. Use a light hand when mixing so you don't end up with a dense muffin. See all of my Muffin Making Tips below.

1. Step 1: Combine wet ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.

2. Step 2: Add dry ingredients to wet mixture.

3. Step 3: Stir gently until all ingredients are combined but do not overmix.

4. Step 4: Scoop into muffin pans and bake.

Optional Topping Ideas

These muffins don't need anything, but if you want to dress them up, here are some ideas.

• The easiest way to dress up a muffin is simply to sprinkle on some sugar - either brown, white, demerara, or cinnamon sugar - before baking.
• A few pumpkin seeds on top would be cute and very appropriate.
• A crumble or streusel is always a good idea. Use the crumble from my Mulberry Crumble Muffins recipe or the streusel from my Blueberry Streusel Muffins recipe.

Make Ahead and Storage

Make this batter the night before and store covered in the refrigerator. Scoop and bake the next morning. *If you are using active starter, you will get some fermentation benefits from this cold ferment.

Store baked and cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

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Soft, tender, moist, and fluffy - these Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins are the perfect fall treat made with sourdough discard or active starter! This easy one-bowl muffin recipe comes together in minutes and can be baked right away or stashed in the refrigerator to bake fresh the next morning. And you can thank me later, but this recipe uses the whole can of pumpkin! So you don't have to figure out what to do with the leftovers.

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients

wet ingredients:

15 ounces (425 grams) pumpkin puree

1 cup (240 grams) sourdough discard *see notes if using active

½ cup (about 120 grams) neutral oil or melted butter*

¾ (150 grams) or up to 1 cup (180 grams) brown sugar*

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

dry ingredients:

2 ¼ cups (270 grams) all purpose flour

2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

optional topping:

a few tablespoons of sugar or cinnamon sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line 24 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with baking spray.
2. Add all wet ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Divide batter evenly between 24 lined or greased muffin cups. Top with cinnamon sugar, streusel, or crumble if desired.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.
6. Cool in pan for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

Notes

I prefer a less-sweet muffin so I use ¾ cup sugar and sometimes even ½ cup. If you like a sweeter muffin, use the full cup.

You can use active starter or discard for this recipe. If you use active, you will get a fluffier muffin. When weighing the starter, active weighs less so be sure to measure accordingly. 1 cup of discard is about 240 grams while one cup of active, bubbly starter weighs about 160-170 grams.

Different oils/fats have different weights. Be sure to check the gram conversion of the fat you are using.

Make this batter the night before and store covered in the refrigerator. Scoop and bake the next morning. *If you are using active starter, you will get some fermentation benefits from this cold ferment.

Store baked and cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: breakfast, breads, muffins
• Method: baking, sourdough
• Cuisine: American