Moist Sourdough Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

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Fall baking is in FULL swing over here.

And these Pumpkin Streusel Sourdough Muffins might just be my favorite thing to come out of the oven yet. After plenty of testing, I landed on a recipe that uses almost a whole can of pumpkin for extra moisture, plus a touch of almond flour that makes the crumb especially tender.

Topped with a buttery, nutty streusel, these tall and handsome pumpkin muffins feel bakery-level fancy, but are actually really easy to make. The sourdough discard brings something special too! It deepens the pumpkin and cinnamon flavors, just like in my maple butter glazed Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread (YUM), and keeps the muffins incredibly soft – the kind that stay good for days.

No time consuming steps either; just simple ingredients coming together into a muffin that’s anything but ordinary.

And let’s talk about one of the biggest reasons these muffins turn out so good: oil instead of butter.

I tested them with butter, but oil wins by a mile—it keeps the crumb impossibly moist and fluffy. It’s the hill I’ll happily die on when it comes to muffins, because the difference is that noticeable. I also noticed that the deep, cozy pumpkin and warm spices were able to shine through with the neutral oil, whereas butter overshadowed them a bit. Once you taste these, I think you’ll agree.

My 3 Secrets to Tall and Fluffy Muffins:

1. I’ve found that resting the batter while the oven preheats allows the flours to absorb some of the moisture, giving the structure needed to result in tall, domed muffins. I do this for my kid favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Sourdough Muffins and super moist Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins as well.
2. Rather than filling each muffin tin, I leave one open muffin cup in between as you see in the photo above. This gives the muffins room to expand and achieve beautiful round tops, along with better air circulation for even baking.
3. Fill the muffin cups liberally. Most people are used to making cupcakes, where you only fill the cups partially full. With muffins, you want to fill the cup almost all the way, mounding at the lip of the tin.
4. Use tulip muffin liners. They help them rise tall and give them a total bakery feel!

What role does sourdough discard play in muffins?

Sourdough discard doesn’t make these muffins tangy or sour. The acidity actually makes the main flavors here, pumpkin and cinnamon, pop! Think of it as a similar affect to adding lemon juice when you’re cooking. The acidity of the sourdough discard also makes them fluffy and soft because it weakens the gluten in flour.  It has the same effect in my kid favorite Sourdough Discard Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and my cinnamon laced Sourdough Donut Apple Cake.

Long-Ferment Option

The other things I love about this recipe is that you can put the batter in the fridge and let it rest for up to 16 hours. This allows for a longer ferment without any change in the end result.

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Moist Sourdough Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

These soft and tender pumpkin streusel muffins are bakery level amazing but really easy to make! Almost a whole can of pumpkin and sourdough discard makes them super moist, while the warm spices make the flavors pop. The buttery, nutty streusel makes for an absolutely unforgettable muffin top, and adds just the right amount of crunchy texture.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time :15 minutes minutes

Cook Time :20 minutes minutes

Yield: 10 to 12 muffins

Author: Amanda Paa

Ingredients

• 320 grams pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 125 grams sourdough discard, at room temperature
• 100 grams neutral oil – like sunflower grapeseed, or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 110 grams granulated sugar
• 105 grams brown sugar
• 185 grams all-purpose flour
• 50 grams blanched almond flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt

Streusel

• 40 grams finely chopped raw walnuts or pecans
• 60 grams all purpose flour
• 30 grams granulated sugar
• 30 grams brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 42 grams 3 tablespoons butter, melted

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Equipment

• Muffin Pan
• Tulip muffin liners

Instructions 

• To a large bowl, add pumpkin, eggs, and sourdough discard. Whisk until combined. Then add oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and sugars. Whisk until combined.
• To a large bowl, add flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt. Whisk to combine.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture in. Stir with a spatula until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Set aside and cover loosely with a towel.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (We are leaving the batter sit on the counter during this time to let the wet ingredients absorb the dry, which helps the muffins rise higher.) While this is happening, make the streusel by whisking together all ingredients except butter. Then add the melted butter and stir to combine, gently squeezing with hand to know that it sticks into crumbles. Set aside.
• When oven has preheated, grease muffin tin and place a muffin liner in every other muffin hole. Use a cookie scoop to fill each cup until just short of the lip. Divide an even amount of streusel over the top of each muffin.
• Place muffin tin in the oven and turn it down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 21 to 22 muffins, until toothpick comes out with moist but not wet crumbs. Let cool on a wire rack.

Notes

If you’d like to long ferment the batter, it works great. Simply mix up the batter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 16 hours.

*Do not decrease the sugar in this recipe. When recipe testing, this was the necessary amount to give them the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor – they are not too sweet. Trust me.