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These sourdough blueberry muffins get their tender crumb and depth of flavor from discard, thanks to its natural acidity and moisture. The cinnamon streusel seals the deal. They are golden, crunchy, and just what you want in a bakery-style muffin.

A stack of sourdough blueberry muffins.
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Here’s Why This Sourdough Blueberry Muffin Recipe Works

Smart use of discard: Sourdough starter adds a gentle tang and depth of flavor without overshadowing the sweetness.

Tender crumb, thanks to discard: The natural acidity in sourdough discard keeps the muffins soft and tender without making them taste sour.

Streusel topping = easy crunch: A quick cinnamon-sugar mix bakes into a crisp, golden topping. No extra steps required, just like my sourdough banana muffins.

No sinking berries: A thick, structured batter keeps blueberries evenly distributed from top to bottom.

A partially eaten blueberry muffin surrounded by more muffins.

If you’ve got more discard to use up, try our sourdough banana bread, it’s just as easy and packed with flavor.

Recipe Tips

Start hot for a big rise: A high initial oven temp helps create that classic domed top, but don’t forget to lower it after the first few minutes.

Room temp ingredients = better texture: Cold butter or eggs can cause the batter to curdle or bake unevenly. Let everything warm up before mixing.

Mix gently: Once the flour goes in, fold just until combined. A few lumps are fine, overmixing makes muffins tough.

Optional overnight rest: For more flavor and a slightly tangier crumb, refrigerate the batter for up to 12 hours before baking.

Flour your berries (sometimes): If your blueberries are oversized or frozen, a light dusting of flour can help keep them from sinking.

Freshly baked blueberry sourdough muffins in a muffin tin.

Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins

I’ve made a lot of blueberry muffins over the years, but these top the charts. The texture is soft and rich, the flavor has that subtle tang, and the streusel gives just enough crunch and sweetness to the top.

And the best part? You’re using up discard without even trying. I’m telling you, next time you’ve got extra discard hanging around, skip the pancakes and make these.

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Close-up of blueberry muffins, one halved to show moist, juicy interior.
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 29 minutes
5 from 1 vote

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

By Dahn Boquist
These sourdough blueberry muffins are soft, tender, and bursting with juicy blueberries. They are easy to make, and the addition of sourdough gives them an added depth of flavor that can’t be beat! These muffins make for a delicious breakfast or snack any time of day!

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: 12 muffins
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Ingredients 

Streusel topping

  • ½ cup brown sugar, 105 grams
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 120 grams
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Muffin Batter

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened; 113 grams
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 grams
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup sourdough discard, 113 grams
  • ¼ cup sour cream, 60 grams
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 210 grams
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425° (you will turn the temp down after the muffins bake for 5 minutes). Place 12 to 15 cupcake liners into muffin pans.

Streusel topping

  • Combine the streusel-topping ingredients in a bowl and blend with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Set aside.
    Mixing a crumble topping in a bowl.

Muffin Batter

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer, mix on medium-high speed until the mixture turns a pale yellow, about 4 to 5 minutes.
    Add the eggs one at a time, blending each egg in and scraping the bowl down after each addition.
    Cracking eggs into a mixing bowl.
  • Add the sourdough discard, sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla, and mix well.
    Adding sourdough discard to a mixing bowl.
  • Place a sifter over the bowl and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients directly into the wet mixture, then use a spatula to gently fold just until no dry streaks remain.
    Sifting flour into muffin batter.
  • Fold in the blueberries by hand, being careful not to overmix. The batter will be thick.
    Folding blueberries into muffin batter.
  • Scoop the batter into the muffin pans (I used an ice-cream scooper) and top each muffin with the streusel topping.
    Bake for 5 minutes then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in the middle of the muffin and it comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
    Scooping blueberry sourdough muffin batter into muffin tins.

Notes

Make-ahead option: You can mix the batter up to 8–12 hours in advance and refrigerate it for a longer fermentation, which develops more flavor.
Use room temperature ingredients: Cold eggs or butter can cause the batter to mix unevenly. If your eggs are straight from the fridge, place them in warm water for about 5 minutes to bring them to room temperature quickly.
Sour cream substitutes: Full-fat sour cream gives the most tender texture, but Greek yogurt can be used as a substitute if needed.
Adjusting sweetness: For a less sweet muffin, you can reduce the sugar to ¾ cup without affecting the texture. 
Mixing tip: When adding the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, use a wide spatula to gently fold everything together. Avoid overmixing, it’s fine if a few lumps remain.
Preventing sunken berries: This batter is thick enough to keep most blueberries suspended. However, if you’re using very large or frozen berries, toss them lightly in flour before folding them in. This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 248kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Sodium: 320mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 25g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Sourdough blueberry muffin with a stack of muffins in the background.

More Muffin Recipes

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These are perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch.

About Dahn Boquist

Dahn Boquist is a retired nurse turned recipe developer, home cook, and baker with years of hands-on experience creating and testing from-scratch recipes. She specializes in whole-food cooking with creative twists on classic dishes. When she’s not in the kitchen, she enjoys sharing meals with family, exploring the Pacific Northwest, and spending time with her grandchildren.

Read More About Me

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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2 Comments

  1. angiesrecipes says:

    They are excellent with tender and fluffy crumb.

    Reply
    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      Yes, they really are tender. Thanks Angie

      Reply