Sourdough pumpkin muffins make a cozy autumn treat. Lightly sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with pumpkin pie spice, these muffins combine all the best flavors of fall! Enjoy them with some cider for a comforting breakfast or snack.

At this point, my family know that if I’m baking something, there is a 90% chance it will involve sourdough starter. If you have discard starter, you just can’t throw it away after all the hard work you put into taking care of your sourdough! Thankfully, sourdough discard makes a great addition to most baked treats, especially muffins like these.

If you love pumpkin pie but don’t want to go to all the trouble of making the crust, blind baking it, making the filling, etc, you should try making these muffins! They have all the flavors of a classic pumpkin pie but require fewer ingredients and take less time and effort. Plus, you can enjoy them for breakfast or a snack which is not exactly recommended with pie. 🙂 (no judgment if you like pie for breakfast though!) And of course, they use sourdough starter, which just makes everything better. What’s not to love?

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 pumpkin all keep the sourdough muffins moist as they bake. The pumpkin releases 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!

Tips for making Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

If you like, you can add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the oat topping for extra texture and flavor!
If you love chocolate, you can also try adding 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter. Chocolate makes everything better.
You can store these muffins in an air-tight container for up to 3 days or 5 days in the fridge. Honestly though, they will taste best fresh out of the oven, just saying. 🙂
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 breakfast!
While these muffins are perfect for a healthy breakfast or snack, they also make a delicious dessert. Serve them warm with vanilla ice cream for a fun fall treat.

Tools you will need

To make these pumpkin muffins, you’ll need two mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a spatula, and a muffin tin. You can also use a cookie scoop to distribute the batter if you like!

Ingredients you will need

2 cups flour – All-purpose flour works best here. You can also do a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat though if you like.
1/2 cup sourdough starter – Can be active or discard starter.
1/2 cup melted coconut oil – If you prefer, you can also use melted butter here too.
1/2 cup pumpkin – Did you know Trader Joe’s has organic canned pumpkin? Definitely worth checking out 🙂
3/4 cup maple syrup + 1 tbsp – You could also use honey here, but maple syrup goes so well with pumpkin!
2 eggs – If you think ahead, leave them out to room temperature before baking with them.
2 tsp baking soda – This makes the muffins rise, so you don’t need to worry about the sourdough being active
1/2 cup oats – Quick or old-fashioned oats will both work for this.
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice – Feel free to add more or less to your taste!
1 tsp vanilla – Can’t forget this!
1/2 tsp salt – Kosher salt works well here.

How to make Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and use the convection setting on your oven if you have it!

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then add in the sourdough starter, maple syrup, pumpkin, melted coconut oil, and vanilla. Make sure to stir the batter well so that you don’t have any clumps of sourdough starter.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated. Make sure not to over mix the batter!

Grease a muffin tin with coconut oil or baking spray. Use a spatula or a cookie scoop to distribute the batter evenly into the tin.

Combine the oats with 1 tbsp of maple syrup to make the topping. Sprinkle it over the top of the muffins.

Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the tops are golden brown.

Looking for more muffin recipes?

If so, make sure to head over to the Kitchen Counter. Here are a few more ideas you might enjoy:

Carrot Cake Muffins

Sourdough English Muffins

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, let me know in the comments section below! You can also tag me on instagram @oldfashionedinspiration with a picture of your creation.