These delicious sourdough strawberry muffins are easy to make, so full of fruity flavor and just perfectly sweetened. You will love their fluffy and moist texture and you can make them using active sourdough starter or sourdough discard. Plus, these muffins are completely egg-free, dairy-free and vegan!
A perfect way to use your extra sourdough discard in the summer is to make sourdough strawberry muffins! In the fall, we absolutely love making these apple sourdough muffins or these vegan chocolate chips muffins, but during summertime, we are all about berries: blueberry sourdough scones, sweet blueberry bread and now, these yummy muffins. Homemade baked goods are such an amazing way to make the most of the berry season!
In this recipe, not only will you avoid wasting your precious sourdough starter, but also, adding sourdough starter to homemade baked goods adds more depth of flavor and improves the texture of the muffins by keeping them moist and fluffy for longer.
If you make sourdough bread regularly, then you might not be left with extra sourdough starter at all. In that case, feel free to use an active starter to make these delicious sourdough muffins. But if you make bread once a week or even less often, then you probably have some sourdough starter to discard when you feed your main starter. In that case, you can simply use the discarded portion to make this amazing recipe! It's a win-win!
These sourdough strawberry muffins are fluffy, light, perfectly sweetened and studded with fresh strawberries. This is a one-bowl recipe that only takes a few minutes to come together.
Also, there are no eggs in this recipe and I used vegan butter (or vegetable margarine) to make them. I also swapped regular milk for oat milk, so this recipe is completely vegan, egg-free and dairy-free, which fits many diets.
Perfect healthy snack to enjoy in the afternoon with a cup of tea, but also healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast. You can also make a big batch and freeze them for later!
Let me know if you give this recipe a try! ❤️
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❤️ Why you should try this recipe
- Easy one-bowl quick recipe
- Amazing way to avoid wasting your starter!
- Delicious sweet and fruity flavor
- Fluffy, moist and light texture
- Makes for a wholesome snack, dessert or even breakfast to-go!
- Kid-friendly and freezer-friendly
- Fits many diets, such as vegan, egg-free and dairy-free
🗒 Ingredients you will need
- Sourdough starter (100% hydration): both active sourdough starter and unfed sourdough discard will work for making this recipe.
- Milk: I used oat milk from Oatly to make this recipe 100% vegan, but you can use any kind of milk you have or prefer.
- Flour: I used the unbleached all-purpose flour from the brand King Arthur. Avoid bread flour or your muffins risk being too tough or dense.
- Sugar: I like cane sugar for its mild molasse flavor it brings to baked goods, but you can also use granulated white sugar if that's what you have.
- Butter: I used the plant-based butter from the brand Earth's Balance, but margarine or regular butter is fine too.
- Leavening agents: you will need both baking powder and baking soda to make these muffins (remember: the sourdough will not rise the muffins in this recipe). Make sure to check on their expiration dates for the full leavening effect!
- Vanilla: these muffins have a wonderful vanilla flavor that pairs so well with the fresh strawberries. Although more expensive, pure vanilla extract will give you more depth in flavor compared to the imitation kind.
- Fresh strawberries: this recipe is amazing when the berries are in season for their bright flavor and peak sweetness.
- Salt
⭐️ more details down below in the recipe card!
🍴How to make sourdough strawberry muffins
⭐️ full recipe details down below in the recipe card!
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
Combine the wet ingredients
To a large mixing bowl, add the sourdough discard (or active starter), oat milk, sugar, butter and vanilla extract.
Use electric beaters to combine the ingredients until smooth.
Add the dry + strawberries
Right over the bowl with the wet ingredients, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Use a large spatula to stir until uniform. Avoid the electric beaters at this point so you don't overmix the ingredients.
Fold in the diced strawberries until uniformly distributed.
Bake
Divide the batter in between the 12 prepared muffin liners (they should be pretty full) and then, bake for 21-23 minutes.
You can double-check for doneness by poking a toothpick in the middle, it should come out clean.
Let the muffins cool down in the pan for about 10 minutes, then unmold and transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
💡Baking tips
- Since you are not relying on the sourdough discard for rising the muffins, you will need leavening agents in this muffin recipe. Make sure they are fresh and still active! Double-check the expiration dates, but also, you can verify that they are still active by adding a little baking powder and baking soda to a little vinegar. It should become very fizzy!
- Once you clean the strawberries, make sure you pat them dry nicely so you don't add extra moisture to the muffin batter. And small dices of fruit work best so you have a little bit of a fruity burst in each bite!
- Make sure not to overmix the batter. Stir until just combined and then stop. If overmixing, then you risk developing the gluten from the flour, which can result in a more tough and dense texture.
- Every oven is different, so cooking time will vary. My oven is pretty strong, so mine were done after 21 minutes, but you might need 1-2 minutes extra.
- Don't overbake the muffins! They will finish up cooking while cooling down.
🍽 Serving suggestions
These muffins make for the perfect healthy breakfast to grab and go or to enjoy slowly with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon. You can briefly warm them up in the microwave before enjoying (about 10 seconds), slice them in half and spread some butter or jam over.
They are so delicious that they can also be turned into cupcakes! Once they are completely cooled down, then try topping them with a thick frosting, such as this vegan vanilla frosting.
You can also fill them up with fruit jelly! To make them that way, simply fill the paper liners halfway up, then add a generous dollop of strawberry jam, then top with the rest of the batter.
And for a treat, serve them with vanilla ice cream!
📝 Variations
This is a versatile muffin recipe you can use as a base to add your own touch to them. Here are a few variation ideas you can try:
- Fruit: you can swap the fruit and use other berries, such as blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. A mix of berries would also be amazing!
- Flavoring ingredients: I think the match strawberries + vanilla is hard to beat, but if you prefer, you can flavor them with cinnamon, almond extract or lemon zest.
- Toppings: as seen in my sourdough carrot muffin recipe, you can add a crumble topping before baking the muffins or simply sprinkle extra cane sugar over.
❗️Storage tips
You can leave the muffins on the counter for up to 12-24 hours for cooling down and enjoying. Then, transfer to an air-tight container or sealable bag for longer storage. You can keep them in the fridge after the first 24-48 hours to help keep them fresh for longer (especially since they contain fruit).
These muffins are also freezer-friendly! Keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months and let them thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour before enjoying or speed up the process by using the microwave (10-15 seconds at a time).
❓ FAQs
Can I make them using frozen strawberries?
Yes, you can! They might have a slightly different flavor and texture, but that will work. Make sure to first let the fruit thaw, then drain the excess water or juice (don't throw it away, use the juice in smoothies or to flavor a homemade lemonade!).
How can I make this recipe gluten-free?
I haven't tried it yet, but yes you could use a 1:1 GF flour to make this recipe. Also, make sure to use a GF sourdough starter!
🧁 More vegan dessert recipes to use your sourdough discard
I hope you like this sourdough strawberry muffin recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Sourdough Strawberry Muffins (Vegan)
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 240 g sourdough starter 100% hydration, both active starter and discard work
- 225 g milk I used the oat milk from Oatly
- 50 g butter I used vegan butter from Earth Balance
- 225 g cane sugar regular granulated white sugar works too
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 270 g all-purpose flour unbleached
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 225 g fresh strawberries chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin pan with 12 muffin paper liners.
- Clean the strawberries and remove the stems. Make sure to pat dry the berries so you don't add extra moisture to the batter. Chop the fruit into small cubes. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sourdough starter/discard, milk, butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Use electric beaters to combine until smooth.
- Then, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt right over the bowl with the wet ingredients. Use a large spatula to stir until uniform (avoid overmixing). Then, fold in the strawberries.
- Divide the batter in between the prepared 12 paper liners (they should be pretty full), then bake for 21-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool down for about 10 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Storage tips: Once the muffins are completely cooled down, then transfer them to an airtight container or bag and keep them at room temperature for about 48 hours. For longer storage, transfer to the fridge (up to 4-5 days). You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour or use the microwave to speed up the process (about 10-15 seconds).
- Variations: feel free to swap the vanilla for cinnamon or almond extract. A little lemon zest would also add an amazing flavor. You can also use other berries!
- Make sure not to overmix the batter: stir until it looks uniform and then stop! Otherwise, you might end up with tough or dense muffins.
- All ovens are different! Mine were done after 21 minutes, but depending on your oven, it could take a few more minutes to bake yours (my oven is pretty strong).
- Avoid overcooking the muffins as they will keep cooking a little longer while cooling down.
- 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
Amazing recipe!! These are so good. I'll make more next time to freeze. Thanks!
jessica says
I'm so glad you liked them! Thanks so much for your feedback!