at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

These sourdough pumpkin muffins are made with sourdough discard for a nourishing and delicious breakfast in the fall and winter months! This recipe creates ultra fluffy and soft muffins with an amazing pumpkin spice flavor. I love adding chocolate chips to these muffins but they’re also great without them for a more simple pumpkin muffin. Add these muffins to your absolute-make list this fall because this recipe is a winner for the whole family! Enjoy!
Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins
These sourdough pumpkin muffins are made with simple ingredients and they’re also dairy free, nut free, soy free and can be made refined sugar free depending on the cocolate chips used.

More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
One can never have too many healthy breakfast recipes for the rotation! Here are some great ones you can check out!
- Sourdough Lemon Blueberry Muffins (Dairy Free).
- Healthy Oatmeal Bake Breakfast (Gluten Free + Dairy Free).
- Blueberry Crispy Tart (Gluten Free + Dairy Free).
- Veggie Egg Casserole with Hashbrowns (Vegetarian + Gluten Free).
Common Questions:
Are Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins Healthy?
Of course, the answer depends on your definition of healthy. These sourdough muffins use only simple ingredients and much less sugar than most store bought muffins contain. They also have some added probiotics and enzymes from the sourdough discard.
Are Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins Good?
These sourdough pumpkin muffins are extremely good! The sourdough discard doesn’t make these muffins sour but it does deepen the flavor slightly and create an amazingly fluffy muffin.
Are Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins Made with Discard?
This recipe for sourdough pumpkin muffins is made with sourdough discard. Discard is sourdough starter that has been fed, become active and bubbly, then gone back down in size. Because much of the starter has to be “discarded” before feeding the rest again, it can be good to find recipes that use this “discard” instead of throwing it in the trash!

Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients:
Pumpkin puree: Make sure the only ingredient is pumpkin! Do NOT use pumpkin pie filling as it will completely change the recipe.
Cane sugar: If you prefer to use unrefined sugars, feel free to replace this with more coconut sugar.
Coconut sugar: An unrefined sugar with a slight maple-like flavor.
Coconut oil: You’ll melt this oil and let it sit at room temperature to cool off. If you add it to the other ingredients when hot, it can solidify and create clumps.
Sourdough discard: This is sourdough starter that has been become bubbly after being fed and then gone back down in size. I used 100% hydration starter in this recipe.
Eggs: A binder for this recipe that helps the muffis cook all the way through.
Vanilla extract: I always use pure vanilla extract and it adds a little more depth to the flavor of these muffins.
All-purpose flour: Only use unbleached flour when working with sourdough.
Baking soda: A rising agent that works with the sourdough discard to create a tall and fluffy muffin.
Sea salt: This brings out the other flavors.
Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves: We make our own mixture of spices instead of using a pre-made pumpkin pie spice.
Chocolate chips: This is optional and feel free to add in anything else you’d like (nuts, chocolate chunks).

Tips and Tricks for Sourdough Muffins
- In this recipe we change the temperature 5 minutes into baking the muffins. Baking at a higher temperature can encourage taller rising for the muffins then we turn it down to ensure they don’t burn.
- If you constantly have sourdough starter going to waste, make sure to use it in recipes that call for discard! Any “discard” that you have before feeding your starter can be transfered to a airtight jar and kept in the fridge for a week before using. Then you always have some ready when you’re about to make a recipe.
- I love to use muffin cup liners to help with an easy cleanup. If I don’t have any on hand I make my own with a couple sheets of parchment paper. Cut 4 inch by 4 inch squares then use a small cup to press each one into your muffin tin cups.
- Always store leftovers in an airtight container to keep them from drying out. These muffins freeze very well for 3-4 months. Simply, defrost at room temperature before you’re ready to eat them.

Equipment for Muffins
- I use stainless steel muffin pans to avoid the nonstick coatings. You can find them here!
- If you’re looking for unbleached muffin liners, here are some great ones.
- I have this set of glass mixing bowls and I love the sturdy glass and the different sizes. Perfect for so many baking projects!
Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins Recipe:
Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (or sub more coconut sugar)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 2 eggs (room temp)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (unbleached)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup chocolate chips (dairy free if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Farhenheit (you'll turn it down part-way through baking).
- Line 12 muffins cups with liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to beat pumpkin puree, cane sugar, coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, sourdough discard, eggs and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, stir together your flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
- Add your dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir until almost fully combined.
- Add in your chocolate chips and finish mixing until all the flour has been incorporated.
- Divide the batter among twelve muffin cups and place your muffin tin in the oven.
- Bake at 400 for 5 minutes then turn the oven temp down to 350 and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

More Healthy Muffins Recipes
Here are some more great muffins recipes to check out!
- Carrot Cake Muffins (Gluten Free + Dairy Free).
- Chocolate Banana Muffins (Gluten Free + Dairy Free).
Thank You for Visiting
This post is a recipe for sourdough pumpkin muffins. Please leave a comment below if you make these muffins and tell everyone how you like them! Also, feel free to take a look at my other recipes around my site! Thank you for visiting and supporting my blog with each interaction. Hope you have an amazing day!