Healthy Sourdough Discard Carrot Cake Muffins (Vegan)

If you are looking for something healthier, delicious and easy to make using your leftover sourdough discard, then you should give this sourdough carrot muffin recipe a try! They have the most fluffy and light texture and such a perfect spiced, sweet and tangy balance in flavor. Plus, they pack a generous amount of shredded carrots for a nice boost in nutrition! This recipe also is vegan, egg-free and dairy-free.

One of the best ways to help you eat more veggies is to include some in your favorite dessert recipe!

And these healthy sourdough discard carrot muffins are a breeze to make and burst with amazing flavor, you won't even be able to know there is a generous amount of carrots in the batter. Even your kids won't see a thing!

They are made using simple ingredients you probably already have in the pantry, plus some of your sourdough discard or active sourdough starter to make them fluffy and so full of flavor.

We love all the aromas from the warm spices and the perfectly balanced tangy vs sweet flavor. Plus, we cannot get enough of the sweet cinnamon crumble, don't skip it!

And aside from adding lots of bonus nutrition, the shredded carrots make the muffins moist and naturally sweeter. These sourdough carrot muffins are going to be a hit!

They make for great everyday muffins for breakfast, dessert or snacking, but also such a yummy treat for Easter, Mother's Day or during the fall.

Let me know if you give them a try! ❤️

Why you will love this recipe

• Quick and easy recipe
• Uses sourdough discard to help reduce waste!
• Healthier recipe
• Amazing tangy and sweet flavor bursting with spices
• Fluffy and light cake texture that melts in your mouth
• Perfect as an easy breakfast you can meal prep ahead, but also great for snacking and dessert
• Fully vegan, egg-free and dairy-free

What you will need

(more details in the recipe card down below)

• Flour: you will need all-purpose flour (unbleached) to make this recipe. Avoid bread flour so you have a light and fluffy muffin texture.
• Sourdough starter discard: you will need a 100% hydration sourdough starter. Both active sourdough starter and sourdough discard will work for this recipe. Note that the older your starter is, the more sour the flavor will be.
• Brown sugar: I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar is fine too. Brown sugar adds more deep flavor to the muffins compared to white sugar.
• Milk: I used oat milk from Oatly, but any kind of milk will work.
• Apple cider vinegar: it is mixed with the milk to create a mixture similar to buttermilk, which helps fluff the muffins.
• Leavening agents: you will need both baking powder and baking soda for making this recipe.
• Ground flax: this is a no-egg muffin recipe, so adding some ground flax helps the mixture hold well together. You will need to make a flax egg (simply flax + water), which will give you a gel mixture similar to beaten eggs.
• Coconut oil: just a small amount to add moisture without making these muffins too heavy. Butter or vegan butter will work too!
• Spices: this is quite versatile, but I used a mix of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger.
• Carrot: you will need 1 ½ cups of shredded carrots, which is about 3-4 carrots.

How to make vegan sourdough discard carrot muffins

(full detailed recipe down below in the recipe card)

Get ready

Preheat the oven to 350º and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

In a small bowl, add the ground flax seeds and add 6 tablespoons of water. Stir/whisk until combined and let it sit for about 5-7 minutes. A loose gel will form (similar to beaten eggs).

In a second separate small bowl: add the milk and the apple cider vinegar, stir and let sit for 5 minutes. It might slightly curdle, this is fine and normal.

Also, melt the coconut oil using the microwave until liquid and use a box grater to grate your carrots until you get 1 ½ cups.

Combine the wet ingredients

In a large bowl, add the sourdough discard or starter, flax egg mixture, milk-vinegar mixture, melted coconut oil and brown sugar. Use a large whisk to stir until uniform. The starter is a little slimy and needs to be fully incorporated, which can take a minute of stirring.

Then, add the grated carrots and stir. 

Add the dry

Right over the bowl with the wet mixture, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon) and salt.

Stir to combine until the batter has no dry pockets of flour visible, but try not to overmix.

Make the cinnamon crumble

In a medium bowl add the crumble ingredients (flour, solid coconut oil, spices, brown sugar and salt) and use a fork to stir and crush the oil within the dry ingredients. This can take a minute. You can also use your fingers, but only briefly as they will make the oil melt (you are trying to create tiny chunks of oil within the mixture).

Bake

Divide the batter in the prepared muffin pan (I like using an ice cream scoop to do this) and then, top them with the cinnamon crumble.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean (make sure not to overcook them!).

Once done, let them rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then unmold and transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Helpful tips

• I recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients (which I expect you to have if baking sourdough bread). If you cannot use a scale, then use the spoon and level method to avoid adding too much flour and end up with dry muffins!
• When combining the muffin ingredients, it is important not to overmix the batter or you can end up with tough and heavier muffins. If you are worried about overmixing the batter, then you can combine the dry flour mixture apart in a separate bowl, then transfer them to the bowl of wet ingredients. This will likely limit how much mixing you have to do once you add the flour to the wet ingredients.
• You can aim for a different flavor profile by choosing a different kind of sourdough starter: a freshly discarded starter will give a lighter flavor that's less sour than an older discard (such as the one that has been staying in the fridge for a few days).
• I recommend using the smaller setting on your cheese grater to have finer threads of carrots. It simply gives a more pleasant texture to the muffins.
• Make sure to check on the box of your baking powder and baking soda: they lose their magic leavening power after a while! If you don't bake often, then you might need to replace them before you go through the whole container.

Serving suggestions

These make for a delicious treat when slightly heated up and topped with a dash of butter (we like the vegan butter from Earth Balance). 

For breakfast, you can choose to top it off with jam, plus serve with a side of vanilla yogurt and fresh fruit.

And for a delicious dessert, then pair with vanilla ice cream!

I love mine as an afternoon treat with a cup of coffee or tea.

Variations

There are many ways you can customize this recipe and add more to it. Here are a few additions to try:

• Walnuts: perfect if you like more texture in your muffins and a little extra crunch, plus walnuts would add some valuable omega-3 healthy fats as well.
• Chopped dates: great if you are looking for a sweeter muffin recipe without adding more refined sugar.
• Raisins: would pair well with the carrots and spices.
• Shredded coconut: you can add some in the muffin batter and also in the crumb mixture.
• Vanilla: to add an extra boost of flavor, then feel free to include 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the wet ingredient mixture.
• Orange zest: to add more zesty flavor! You could also swap the apple cider vinegar for freshly squeezed orange juice.
• Chocolate chips: if you are looking for a special treat, then a handful of chocolate chips is the way to go!

Storage tips

I recommend keeping the muffins at room temperature for up to 2 days. Keep them covered so they don't dry out. After this, transfer to the fridge for another 3-4 days. 

You can eat them straight from the fridge, but we like to slightly warm them up (10-15 seconds, no more) using the microwave before enjoying.

For longer storage, then freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

FAQs

Can I use whole wheat flour to make them?

Whole wheat flour absorbs moisture differently compared to all-purpose flour, so I would not recommend swapping more than 50% of the amount of flour for whole wheat flour. For example, you could use 90g. all-purpose flour + 90g. whole wheat flour for making the muffins. If you find the batter a little too thick, then feel free to add additional milk (1-3 tablespoons).

Can I make them oil-free?

Although I haven't tried it yet, you can usually swap the oil for unsweetened apple sauce or mashed banana in most baking recipes. In that case, expect a muffin that's less fluffy and potentially more dense, but that should be great for a healthier breakfast option.

More sourdough discard dessert recipes to try!

• Sourdough discard brownies
• Sourdough peanut butter cookies
• Blueberry sourdough bread
• Sourdough discard apple muffins

I hope you enjoyed these sourdough carrot muffins! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below. Your feedback is so helpful!

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