Easy Zucchini Sourdough Discard Muffins

By Amanda Paa – Updated May 28, 2022
4.91 from 10 votes
Use your sourdough discard to make these flavorful zucchini muffins! They're soft and tender with the perfect crumb. The zucchini makes them moist, and vanilla plus cinnamon adds warm flavor.
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Leftover Sourdough Starter Muffins

This recipe wears a superman/woman kind of cape that saves ingredients from spoiling…….

Like the speckled bananas sitting on the counter, currently collecting fruit flies. The zucchini spilling out of your summer garden, day after day.

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And the sourdough starter discard you just really want to find a good use for, when you’re not baking my Everyday Sourdough Bread.

Together, these three make one heck of a soft and fluffy muffin that tastes like it was fully planned.

Easy Sourdough Discard Zucchini Muffins (made with spelt flour)

Baking with Sourdough Discard

With sourdough baking, discarding some of your starter before you feed it each time can feel wasteful.

But you don’t have to throw it out! The great thing about sourdough discard is that it can be used in other recipes even after sitting in your refrigerator for 10 days.

I save mine in a separate jar in the refrigerator, and let it accumulate to make something delicious like 5 Ingredient Sourdough Discard Biscuits. They are super tall, and super flaky. I can’t recommend enough!

Sourdough Discard Muffin Ingredients

I’ve been experimenting with spelt flour, an ancient grain that’s especially high in protein, a bit more as well, and I really love its slightly sweet, nutty flavor composition.

I used it as the flour base in this recipe, with just a touch of oat flour and cornstarch to lighten the crumb. For texture and richness, walnuts were the answer. They’re also a tried and true flavor match to banana and cinnamon!

Leftover Sourdough Starter Zucchini Muffins
Leftover Sourdough Starter Zucchini Muffins

This recipe make exactly a dozen muffins, and keep well on the counter for three days. They freeze well too. Just wait for them to cool, wrap individually in tin foil, then put in a freezer ziploc bag.

How Long Does Sourdough Discard Last?

You can keep sourdough discard in your refrigerator for up to 10 days. The discard will be more sour the longer it stays in the fridge. So for something like this granola where I don’t want the sourness to come through, I use discard that is less than 6 days old.

Your discard might accumulate a little liquid on the top while it’s in the fridge, which is called hooch, simply meaning alcohol that is the byproduct of fermentation. You can simple pour the liquid off into garbage, and scrape the very top off, and use the rest as discard.

Leftover Sourdough Starter Zucchini Muffins

More Sourdough Discard Recipes:

Leftover Sourdough Starter Zucchini Muffins

Easy Sourdough Discard Zucchini Muffins

Use sourdough discard to make these soft and delicious zucchini muffins! They're full of whole grains, using spelt and oat flours, and have a nutty crunch from chopped walnuts.
4.91 from 10 votes
Prep Time :15 minutes
Cook Time :20 minutes
Total Time :35 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins
Author: Amanda Paa

SCALE:

Ingredients

  • 145 grams spelt flour
  • 25 grams oat flour
  • 20 grams corn starch
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
  • 1/3 cup sourdough discard (unfed starter)
  • 2 medium bananas (240 grams), mashed
  • 1 medium zucchini 262 grams, grated and excess water squeezed out with towels (the weight is taken before the zucchini has been grated and squeezed)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup walnuts finely chopped

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together spelt flour, oat flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, sugar, sourdough starter, bananas, zucchini, egg, olive oil, and vanilla. 
  • Pour wet ingredients into dry, then gently stir to combine, until no flour streaks remain. Fold in walnuts. 
  • Liberally grease muffin holes or fill with paper lines. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle with demerara (coarse) sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out with a few crumbs but batter is not wet. Let cool for one hour before eating. 



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August 13, 2018

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33 comments

  1. Meghan

    Hello, If I sub AP for the spelt flour, should I omit the corn starch?

    • Amanda Paa

      Hello! Do omit the corn starch. It softens the proteins in the flour too create a soft muffin texture.

      • Meghan Cole

        So use AP flour, oat flour, and cornstarch?

        • Amanda Paa

          correct!

  2. Mommato3

    Would another Gluten Free flour work instead of spelt? like almond flour?

  3. Kate

    5 stars
    Used all purpose flour and they came out great. light and fluffy and lightly sweetend.

    • Amanda Paa

      Love to hear that it worked well with AP flour!

  4. Teresa

    5 stars
    This recipe is wonderful I use whole wheat flour ( didn’t have spelt) add butternut squash 1/3 cup ( no corn starch) coconut oil, the rest the same,it was amazing 💕💕💕love it

    • Amanda Paa

      Fabulous! So glad you enjoyed these discard muffins.

  5. Heather Dobbin

    I have all the ingredients except for cane sugar. Can I substitute coconut or regular sugar?

    • Amanda Paa

      You could substitute regular sugar!

  6. Peggy

    how do I convert grams of flour, etc to cups or Tablespoons, teaspoons?

    • Amanda Paa

      hi Peggy! you’ll want to weigh the ingredients by grams to ensure the recipe turns out as tested. cups are volume, which is different than measuring by weight.

  7. Susan

    I don’t have spelt flour can you make another suggestion on the flour?
    Thank you
    Susan

    • Amanda Paa

      all purpose flour should also work great!

      • Susan

        Thank you

  8. Maria

    Good morning,
    Thanks for your kind replay.
    I would like to find a recipe for making savory muffins using sourdough
    I always find sweet recipes.
    Thanks again
    Maria

  9. Maria

    Hello Amanda,
    Can I replace fruit with vegetables?
    I’d like some savory muffins.
    Thanks
    Maria

    • Amanda Paa

      hello Maria! i haven’t tested these with a substitute for the bananas.

  10. mercmakesfood

    Hi Amanda! I don’t have spelt flour, can I use einkorn instead?

    • Amanda Paa

      yes, that should work fine! einkorn and spelt have similar gluten content.

      • mercmakesfood

        Thanks! It worked perfectly, and I’m on my second batch already :)

  11. Dawn C

    Love love love these!! Flavor is scrumptious and really happy with natural ingredients. Not too sweet – el perfecto!! Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing.

    • Amanda Paa

      So glad you liked the discard muffins, Dawn!

  12. Cari Roth

    Would this work with other summer squashes? I love the idea of using discard and zucchini, two things in abundance right now!

    • Amanda Paa

      Yes, you can use any type of summer squash!

  13. Jamie

    These are lovely! I used King Arthur Whole Wheat instead of spelt flour, and quick oats instead of oat flour, and added a pinch of nutmeg to enhance the spice. I also toasted the walnuts before I added them to the batter. They came out moist and delicious, with the perfect amount of sweetness.

    • amandapaa

      I’m so glad you liked the recipe! I can’t wait to try a raspberry version of them this summer.

  14. Lukpla Gerbert

    I love your muffin liners! Are these DIY liners? While waiting for your answer, I am cutting my parchment papers.

  15. Katie W.

    Whoa! These are delicious. I was sure they would be (got my starter from you!), but they are so fluffy and the perfect texture. Yum!!

    • amandapaa

      Yay! I’m so glad you liked the recipe! These are some of my favorite muffins. Can’t wait to make them again soon.

  16. Alanna Taylor-Tobin

    These are so gorgeous Amanda! I always hated throwing away starter when I was in sourdough mode – this is a genius way to use some of it up. The walnuts must add the perfect crunch! Also enamored with your muffin cup action!