These easy sourdough chocolate chip muffins are one of the BEST ways to use your sourdough discard. It makes for light, moist and vanilla-flavored muffins that burst with chocolate. Perfect for snacking or dessert, plus these muffins are completely vegan, egg-free and dairy-free!
These chocolate chip sourdough muffins make for such a lovely way to use your extra sourdough discard.
Chocolate + sourdough are such a GREAT match! Some of my favorite ways to combine these flavors are by making these vegan sourdough brownies and this dark chocolate sourdough loaf. Or, these amazing chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, they are absolutely addictive! There is something so unique and hard to resist by combining tangy sourdough with sweet dark chocolate.
And this recipe is so easy to whip up together and ultra versatile! You can use active sourdough starter to make it, but usually, I'll make these yummy vegan muffins when I have some unfed starter in extra that I won't use for making sourdough bread.
Just like these sourdough corn muffins where coarse corn meal is used, adding sourdough starter to a simple muffin batter adds a whole lot of extra deep tangy flavor, plus it helps puff the muffins to a light, moist and melt-in-your-mouth texture. In this case, the batter also is flavored with vanilla and dark chocolate for a bonus yummy factor. They are unbelievably soft and moist, you will want to make these again and again!
Let me know if you give them a try! ❤️
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Easy and quick sourdough recipe
- Great way to use your extra sourdough discard
- Amazing light yet moist texture
- Perfectly sweet and packed with dark chocolate chips
- Vegan, egg-free and dairy-free
🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)
- Sourdough starter: both active sourdough starter and unfed starter work in this recipe. Just keep in mind that the older your discard is (or how long it has not been fed for), the more sour the muffins will be.
- Flour: I used the unbleached all-purpose white flour from King Arthur. Do not use bread flour (higher in protein) or your muffins might end up too tough or dense.
- Oat milk: I used full-fat oat milk from Oatly. It is super creamy, thicker and rich in flavor, my favorite plant-based milk for baking!
- Vegan butter: The vegan butter from Earth Balance works well for baking recipes. You can swap for any brand of margarine as well. I haven't used vegetable oil or coconut oil, but I think it would work as well.
- Leavening agents: even though there is some sourdough starter in this recipe, you will still need some leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) since the starter is unfed and used for flavor only (probably not active enough to rise the muffins).
- Sugar: any granulated sugar will work in this recipe (I used cane sugar).
- Chocolate chips: I love the mini dark chocolate chips from the brand Enjoy Life. Mini chocolate chips are best for these muffins so you have some in each bite!
⭐️ Full ingredient list below in the recipe card!
📝 Variations
- Chocolate chips: swap the dark chocolate chips for peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips for a fun change!
- Nuts: if you would like more texture and healthy fats, then add a handful of chopped walnuts to the batter.
- Spices: there are two whole teaspoons of vanilla extract in the batter recipe, which adds a ton of amazing flavor. But if you prefer, you can add or swap for ground cinnamon or pumpkin spice mix, especially in the fall!
🍽How to make them
⭐️ Detailed recipe down below in the recipe card!
Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Make the batter
In a large bowl, add the sourdough discard, vegan butter and sugar. Use electric beaters to whip the ingredients until combined and lighter.
Then, add the oat milk, vanilla extract and combine.
Over the wet ingredients, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a spatula or large spoon to stir until uniform, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Bake
Divide the batter between the 12 prepared muffin tins, then bake for 18-20 minutes.
Let the muffins cool down for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then unmold and transfer over a cooling rack to finish up cooling down.
💡Baking tips
- Make a one-bowl recipe: as seen in the video, pile up the dry ingredients over the wet ones, then try to roughly mix the flour + leavening agent together before incorporating them into the wet ingredients underneath.
- Do not overmix! This is because stirring more than you need can cause the gluten from the flour to develop, making muffins tough and/or dense.
- Also do not overbake the muffins! All ovens are different, meaning that you will need to watch them while they bake and use the toothpick trick to ensure they are done just perfectly. Mine took 18 minutes, but yours could take 19-20 minutes to be done properly.
❗️Storage
Once cooled down, I recommend keeping the muffins in an airtight container so they don't dry out. Keep them at room temperature for up to 48 hours, then transfer them to the fridge for longer storage (up to 4-5 days).
You can also freeze the muffins for up to 3 months! Let them thaw at ambient temperature for a few hours before enjoying or use the microwave to speed up the thawing process.
❓ FAQs
I haven't tried it yet, but you might be able to swap the vegan butter for apple sauce if you are looking at making an oil-free recipe. This usually makes for muffins that are a little denser and less fluffy, but it usually works. Let me know in the comments if you give it a try! For an easy oil-free and healthy dessert, try these kidney bean brownies!
For this 12 muffins recipe, you should be able to make 30-36 mini muffins. If doing so, then bake them for about 10 minutes, then check if needed to bake a little longer, maybe up to 12-13 minutes.
I haven't tried it, but this gluten-free all-purpose flour from Bob's Red Mills works well in most baking recipes!
🌱More vegan sourdough discard baking recipes
I hope you enjoyed these sourdough chocolate chip muffins! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Muffins (Vegan)
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 175 g sourdough starter (¾ cup) 100% hydration
- 50 g vegan butter softened
- 150 g cane sugar (¾ cup) other granulated sugar works too
- 150 g oat milk or your favorite plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 180 g all-purpose flour (1½ cup)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 140 g chocolate chips (¾ cup) I used the mini chocolate chips from Enjoy Life
Instructions
- Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners and pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sourodugh discard, vegan butter and sugar. Use electric beaters to whip and combine the ingredients. Then, add the oat milk and vanilla and keep stirring until uniform.
- Over the wet ingredients, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use a spatula or large spoon to combine until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter between the 12 prepared muffin tins, and bake for 18-20 minutes. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean!
Video
Notes
- Make a one-bowl recipe: as seen in the video, pile up the dry ingredients over the wet ones, then try to roughly mix the flour + leavening agent together before incorporating them into the wet ingredients underneath.
- Do not overmix! This is because stirring more than you need can cause the gluten from the flour to develop, making muffins tough and/or dense.
- Also do not overbake the muffins! All ovens are different, meaning that you will need to watch them while they bake and use the toothpick trick to ensure they are done just perfectly. Mine took 18 minutes, but yours could take 19-20 minutes to be done properly.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
Anonymous says
These are absolutely delicious!
jessica says
Great! Glad you liked them! 😊
Lauren says
These are so good! Came here for this recipe because I wanted to make chocolate muffins with my discard, but I am out of eggs and other recipes I looked at called for eggs. I used unsalted butter and whole milk, and I used your tips for making mini muffins. They turned out so good! Writing this one down on a recipe card so I don’t lose it! Thank you!
jessica says
Hi Lauren, so glad you liked them, thanks for your comment! 😊
Shania says
Just as a comment made before mine, I was brought to this recipe as I had some sourdough discard I’d already mixed with milk and flour for muffins - and then realized the store closed an hour ago and I have no eggs.
Just as that comment did, I made using unsalted butter and non-fat milk. No hate on vegans, I was just already in the process.
Followed the rest of the recipe pretty much to a tea but used blueberries instead of chocolate chips.
Absolutely fantastic, no complaints. Honestly contemplating ever using eggs in muffins again
jessica says
Hi Shania! Thanks so much for your comment, so glad this recipe worked out! 😊
Brenda C says
My granddaughter has an egg allergy so over the past 4 years I have tried a lot of vegan recipes and these muffins are definitely a make again recipe!! Of course, when cooking with a four year old (especially on her half birthday) we had to add some sprinkles and top with purple sugar! Thank you for the great recipe!!
jessica says
Hi Brenda! So glad you and your granddaughter loved them! Thanks for your comment 😊