Use your sourdough discard to make these simple sourdough discard blueberry muffins! These have the BEST blueberry flavor (thanks to using dried blueberries), and the thick batter bakes into a tender but hearty muffin.
The sourdough discard here will act as an acid to activate the baking soda for bakery-style domed muffins, and it adds just a slight tang to the finished muffins for muffins that aren't too sweet. (It's no secret that I think sourdough discard makes the best muffins - see these pumpkin sourdough muffins and these apple sourdough muffins.)
Quick Look: Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins
- Recipe Name: Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins
- Ready In: 1 hour
- Serves: 12 muffins
- Calories: 242 calories per muffin
- Main Ingredients: Sourdough discard, dried blueberries OR frozen wild blueberries, butter, vanilla.
- Dietary Info: Meal-prep friendly, freezer-friendly.
- Why You'll Love It: So simple to make, and they have the best taste and texture! The blueberry flavor is nice and intense thanks to the dried blueberries, and they have bakery-style domed tops. You can make the batter ahead and let it rest in the fridge overnight for fresh-baked muffins in the morning.
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Obviously I love blueberry with sourdough as in these blueberry sourdough scones, and this lemon-blueberry sourdough bread), so of course it was only a matter of time before I ventured into blueberry muffin territory.
And let me tell you that these muffins have been a long time coming. I have made a batch of blueberry muffins every day for the last week and a half. That’s ten different batches - 120 muffins total - until I landed on a recipe I was really happy with.
Special thanks to my family and my eldest in particular whose muffin consumption never wavered in the face of an intimidating supply. Every single muffin got eaten within 24 hours, except for one ill fated batch (which ended up with a disgusting amount of baking soda in it due to some chaotic note taking on my part).
But it was all worth it, because these are the best blueberry muffins I've ever had!
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins
- Why You'll Love These Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Easy Substitutions + Variations
- How To Make Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins (Step-By-Step)
- Expert Tips
- Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffin FAQ’s
- Storage + Make Ahead
- More Sourdough Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
- Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins
Why You'll Love These Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
- Simple ingredients - This recipe transforms simple ingredients (that you likely already have!) into the best muffins.
- The BEST blueberry flavor - Ditch fresh blueberries for dried blueberries OR frozen wild blueberries. They will give you intense blueberry flavor!
- Bakery-style domes - Get an impressive rise and perfectly rounded tops for muffins that are bakery worthy.
- Tender muffins with crisp tops - These muffins have the best texture!
- Amazing flavor from the discard - Sourdough discard is so good in sweet baked goods. It tones down the sweetness and gives them such a complex flavor.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Sourdough discard: Not only does the sourdough discard in these muffins give them an amazingly complex flavor, the lactic acid in it also reacts with the baking soda for a hefty rise and beautiful domes. The sourdough discard acts like buttermilk here, just like in these sourdough biscuits. Your discard should be pourable for this recipe - if it’s too thick, your muffins will be dry.
- Baking powder AND baking soda: Use both leaveners for the best rise and texture. Baking powder gives these muffins a high rise and since it’s double acting, you can rest your batter overnight before baking. Baking soda reacts with the acidic sourdough discard for even more rise, plus helps the muffin tops to brown perfectly.
- Dried blueberries: Dried blueberries make the BEST blueberry muffins! Fresh blueberries tend to sink to the bottom of muffins, can make them soggy, and if you think about it, blueberries are mostly water, and that water adds no amazing blueberry flavor to your baked goods. Dried blueberries take care of all of those problems! All the flavor, none of the sogginess.
(See recipe card for quantities)
Easy Substitutions + Variations
- Use oil instead of butter: Any neutral oil will work here. You want it in liquid form for these, so if you're using something that's solid at room temperature (like coconut oil), be sure to melt it before adding to the batter.
- Use frozen wild blueberries: My second favorite blueberry in muffins! Wild blueberries have amazing flavor and are so small, they won't create soggy pockets in your muffins. If you use frozen wild blueberries, use 1 ½ cups and add them to the batter right before baking.
- Use fresh blueberries: Fresh blueberries totally work here! Since the batter is so thick, I find they don’t sink to the bottom like they do in some recipes. Use a full dry pint (about 2 cups), washed and picked over.
- Add a topping: For more crunch, you can add a sprinkle of turbinado sugar to your muffins before baking, or find my favorite crumble topping for muffins in this sourdough discard pumpkin muffin recipe.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins (Step-By-Step)
- Step 1: Beat the eggs and sugar together until fluffy and pale in color (ribbon stage).
- Step 2: Add the butter, discard, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix to combine.
- Step 3: Fold in the flour until just a few dry spots remain (don't overmix!).
- Step 4: Fold in the blueberries. Let your dough rest while you preheat the oven and line the muffin tin. (You can also rest in the fridge overnight!)
- Step 5: Divide batter between muffin cups. (I highly recommend a cookie scoop for this!)
- Step 6: Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees, then 14-16 minutes more at 350 degrees, until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Expert Tips
- The easiest way to divide the batter between the muffin cups is to use a cookie scoop.
- Always smell your sourdough discard before using to make sure it smells like something you want to eat! You want the discard to be liquid for this recipe, but keep in mind that if it’s very sour, it will affect the flavor of your muffins. I typically use starter that’s been unfed at room temperature for 1-2 days.
- Use dried blueberries or frozen wild blueberries for the best flavor! Fresh blueberries are mostly water.
- Don’t open your oven until you’re ready to do the poke test. It’s tempting to peek at the muffins when you reduce the oven temperature, but resist the urge! You don’t want heat to escape at this stage.
- If you don’t want the hassle of changing the oven temperature, bake these at 375 degrees for 17-20 minutes.
- Rest your batter for the most tender muffins. I recommend a rest of at least 15 minutes, but you can even leave this batter overnight in the fridge and bake these next day.
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffin FAQ’s
Dried blueberries will give you the best flavor and texture in blueberry muffins. Frozen wild blueberries also work great and pack a lot of flavor. I prefer not to use fresh blueberries because they’re typically not super flavorful, and I find they tend to add too much extra moisture.
Both oil and butter work great in this recipe! Butter will give the muffins better flavor, while oil will yield more tender muffins that stay moist longer. I tend to prefer butter, but you can’t go wrong with either!
Yes! Resting muffin batter will allow the flour to fully hydrate, for ultra-tender muffins. I recommend resting your batter for at least 15 minutes before baking, but you can even refrigerate the batter overnight and bake the next day!
In addition to adding really amazing sourdough flavor to muffins, sourdough discard also adds lactic acid to the muffin batter, which works to tenderize it and react with the baking soda to give you the best rise!
Frozen blueberries work great in muffins. Mix them in right before baking (after your batter has rested), and do not thaw them beforehand. If you’re using wild blueberries (which are very small), I have not found frozen blueberries to affect the baking time. If you’re using regular frozen blueberries, you may need to add a couple minutes.
Storage + Make Ahead
- Room temperature: Once completely cooled, muffins can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep in mind the crisp tops won’t keep when they’re stored.
- Freezer: You can freeze blueberry muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
- Make ahead: Want to bake them later? You can make this batter ahead of time and let it rest in the fridge overnight for fresh baked muffins in the morning. And if you want more breakfast treats that can be made ahead, try this sourdough monkey bread and these sourdough donuts.
More Sourdough Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
Did you make this recipe?
I would love to hear how it went! Be sure to leave a comment and review down below 🙂
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour, spooned + leveled
- 1 cup dried blueberries (see note)
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, until sugar begins to dissolve and thick ribbons form. Mixture should be pale in color.Add the melted butter, discard, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed to combine. Fold in the flour with a spatula. When the flour is evenly dispersed but not fully incorporated, add the blueberries and fold to incorporate. Set the batter aside to rest for at least 15 minutes on the counter, or overnight in the fridge. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease very well.Divide batter between prepared muffin cups. Bake 5 minutes at 425 degrees, then drop the oven temperature to 350 and continue baking 14-16 minutes more, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.Let the baked muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Cool for at least 15 minutes before eating (the hardest part of making muffins!).
Notes
- Dried blueberries will give you the best, most intense blueberry flavor without making your muffins soggy or sinking to the bottom like fresh blueberries tend to do. They are my favorite type of blueberries to use in muffins.
- You can also use frozen blueberries here. I suggest wild blueberries, which are smaller and have more intense flavor than regular blueberries. If you're using frozen wild blueberries, use 1 ½ cups and fold them in after the batter has rested, right before dividing the batter between muffin cups.
- If you want to use fresh blueberries, use a full dry pint (about 2 cups).
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