Sourdough Banana Muffins Cinnamon (Printable version)

Moist, tender banana muffins enhanced by sourdough and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping.

# What You Need:

→ Muffins

01 - 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
02 - 1/2 cup sourdough discard, unfed
03 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
05 - 1/4 cup vegetable oil
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
09 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
10 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Cinnamon Streusel

13 - 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
14 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
15 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
17 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with nonstick spray.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, sourdough discard, sugar, melted butter, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.
04 - Gently fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet mixture, stirring just until no dry spots remain. Do not overmix the batter.
05 - Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each approximately 3/4 full.
06 - In a small bowl, combine light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, melted butter, and a pinch of salt, mixing until the texture becomes crumbly.
07 - Sprinkle the cinnamon streusel topping evenly over each muffin, distributing it across all 12 cups.
08 - Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
09 - Allow muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sourdough discard brings a barely-there tang that makes these muffins taste more sophisticated than they have any right to.
  • That cinnamon streusel stays crunchy even after a day or two, which means these actually hold up better than regular muffins.
  • You're finally using up something you've been guilt-composting, and the muffins reward that thriftiness with genuine deliciousness.
02 -
  • Don't use watery sourdough discard or your muffins will be dense and gummy—stick to the thick, slightly bubbly kind from midway down your jar.
  • The moment you see no white flour streaks, stop folding; I learned this the hard way by overmixing and ending up with tough, hockey-puck muffins that tasted fine but had zero tender crumb.
03 -
  • Weigh your ingredients if you have a scale—it removes guesswork and ensures your muffins turn out identically every time, especially important with flour which can compact unpredictably.
  • The secret to that perfectly tender crumb is using both melted butter and vegetable oil together; neither one alone creates quite the same moisture-to-structure balance.
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