Carrot Cake Sourdough Muffins

These carrot cake sourdough muffins are perfect for a healthy start to your day. Filled with pineapple, coconut, sourdough, and of course carrots, these muffins will satisfy your cravings for carrot cake while also fueling your body with the nutrients it needs.

I love finding new and exciting ways to use my sourdough discard. It always adds a fun twist to classic recipes and prevents me from having to throw any of my precious starter away.

These carrot cake sourdough muffins were inspired by my dad, who absolutely loves carrot cake. Whether you enjoy them for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert, they pack in all the flavors of carrot cake in a healthy and balanced way.

These muffins are naturally dairy-free, and you can easily make them vegan by using flax seed instead of egg. Or if you enjoy flax, you can just add some in for extra nutrients. 🙂 Feel free to add in nuts and raisins too if you like.

How do you use sourdough discard?

Sourdough discard is the starter that you normally get rid of every time you feed your starter. If you bake regularly with your starter, you might not need to discard because you’re using so much of your starter. However, if at the end of the week you have a cup of starter left, you should discard at least half of it (if not more) when you feed it.

While you can just through the discard away, it’s much more fun to bake with it! You can add it to nearly any baked recipe – muffins, cakes, cookies, brownies. It will give your baked goods a unique and tangy flavor impossible to achieve otherwise. You can find sourdough discard recipes from the blog here!

How do you keep muffins moist while baking them?

In this recipe, the melted coconut oil, sourdough starter, and pineapple all keep the sourdough muffins moist as they bake. The pineapple and carrots release a bit of water while baking, which keeps the muffins from getting too dry or dense.

Over-mixing and over-baking can also cause muffins to become dry, so make sure to mix the batter until only just combined. Bake until a tooth pick comes out clean, but not past that!

Can you freeze sourdough muffins?

Yes! Just put them in a zip-lock bag or other air tight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you need a quick, healthy breakfast or snack, simply defrost them and enjoy!

How to serve Carrot Cake Sourdough Muffins

Personally, I love to eat them warm right out of the oven. They also make an excellent snack for afternoon tea. If you want to make them into dessert, you can enjoy them with a scoop of ice cream.

Tips for making Carrot Cake Sourdough Muffins:

• If you need to make these muffins vegan, you can replace the 2 eggs with 2 tbsp flax seed and 4 tbsp water. Mix the flax and water together and let thicken for about 5 minutes before you add it to the batter.
• Feel free to add your favorite nuts to the muffins if you like. I’d recommend chopped walnuts or pecans.
• If you’re allergic to coconut, simply omit the dried coconut and use your favorite oil instead. If you can tolerate dairy, then melted butter would work well. You could also use canola oil or applesauce.
• For an easy breakfast on the go, you can freeze these muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat them for an easy and nutritious breakfast!
• While these muffins are perfect for a healthy breakfast or snack, they also make a delicious dessert. Serve them warm with ice cream for a true carrot cake experience!

Tools you will need:

All you need is a cookie scoop and a muffin tin!

Ingredients you will need:

To make these yummy carrot cake sourdough muffins, you just need a few basic baking supplies:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp maple syrup
• 8 oz crushed pineapple
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup dried coconut
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp baking soda

How to make Carrot Cake Sourdough Muffins:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a convection setting on your oven, I would definitely recommend using it so that your muffins bake evenly.

In a large bowl, melt the coconut oil. Next, stir in the maple syrup. Beat in two eggs and mix until well incorporated. Stir in the sourdough starter discard.

Drain the pineapple and add it into the batter. After this, pour in the dried coconut and mix well.

Grate the carrots and fold them into the batter mixture.

In a separate bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Next, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and stir until just incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix the batter so that your muffins don’t turn out dense and dry!

Spray a muffin tin with baking spray or grease with more coconut oil. Alternatively, you could also use cupcake liners if you wanted. Use a cookie scoop to divide the batter among the tins.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until your muffins are golden brown. For the best experience, enjoy them hot out of the oven!

Looking for more breakfast recipes?

If so, check out some other favorite recipes at the Kitchen Counter!

• Simple Sourdough Scones with Cinnamon
• Best Ever Sourdough Discard Biscuits
• Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins