Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
There is nothing better than getting up early on a Saturday morning, sitting down at the table and enjoying a hot cup of coffee and a warm, homemade sourdough blueberry muffins. Especially if it’s made with fresh blueberries. The flavor of fresh blueberries can’t be beat. Adding any ‘in season’ fresh berry to a muffin batter is a favorite here on Turnips 2 Tangerines. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries, it’s all good!


Wake Up
The smell of sourdough blueberry muffins baking in the oven will certainly wake the sleepy heads in your family. They’ll come running to the table. This recipe is another wonderful recipe from the cookbook: “Simply Sourdough ~The Alaska Way~ by Kathy Doogan. This recipe uses a sourdough starter to make blueberry muffins. After all, who doesn’t like Blueberry Muffins? For this recipe we used a jumbo muffin tin pan to make these delicious muffins, which has about one cup capacity, per opening.
Make Your Own
Want to make your own sourdough starter and begin making your own sourdough goodies? For more information check out our other posts on sourdough: Sourdough Coffee Cake and a Start, Rye Sourdough Bread, Sourdough Starters, and Sourdough Love. Another super sourdough website to visit is Breadtopia

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen*
Equipment
- jumbo muffin pan
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together starter, oil, water, egg, brown sugar and lemon zest.
- Stir together flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
- Stir into sourdough mixture, just until combined, do not over mix. Gently fold in blueberries.
- Spoon batter into greased jumbo size muffin tin pan* Fill cups about 2/3 full.
- Bake at 375º for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 6 jumbo muffins.
Recipe Note:
*If using frozen berries, do not thaw before folding in. Muffins can be made in a regular muffin tin also*
Sourdough Battered Fried Frog Legs Looking for a new and different way to use your sourdough starter? This recipe for sourdough battered fried frog legs should fit the bill. My hubby loves frog legs but me on the other hand, I’m not a fan:( Sorry all you frog leg eating lovers out there.



Health Note: Dairy foods such as nonfat milk and low-fat yogurt often contain bone-building nutrients like vitamin D and calcium. Be sure to read labels and compare to get the best bone benefits in every bite~
87 Comments on “Sourdough Blueberry Muffins”
I am going to use frozen blueberries. do I thaw them out first? or just add them frozen
Hi Debra, that’s a personal preference really…some will say to thaw them out, others will say frozen. Personally, thaw them slightly. Still frozen but not frozen solid. Lynn
This is the best sourdough blueberry muffin recipe out there. I also use it for coffee cake with a crumble topping.
I would think you could refrigerate the dough and add the blueberries right before baking?
Hi Andrea,
Yes, I would think so. I have not ever did that but definitely add the blueberries right before baking or they will become mushy. You might want to add a few extra minutes to the baking time also. Lynn
Hi! I love these muffins but we’re trying to do long fermenting to see if it helps my daughter out. Is there a way to change this recipe to make it long fermented?
Hi,
I’m not familiar with the the term long fermented so I can’t answer that question for you, sorry. You could go to the website Sourdough Home https://www.sourdoughhome.com Lynn
Yes , you mix the flour, half the sugar, salt, sourdough starter, water, and cinnamon the night before you want to eat. Mix the eggs, baking soda, other 1/2 of sugar, and blueberries right before cooking. It might take a little extra mixing to get it all incorporated, but it does ferment the flour. You might want to mix the baking soda with 1tsp of water to help it dissolve before adding.
Your absolutely correct Debbie!
Delicious muffins!! Will shorten the baking time a little next time, the bottoms were a little dry at 30 minutes.
Will definitely make again
Hello,
Thanks so much for stopping by and I’m glad you liked the muffins. So many different factors are involved when making recipes, everything from where we live to the type of pan etc. It’s amazing recipes turn out at all!! Have a great week and stop back again:) Lynn
Hello—have you ever tried using frozen or dried cherries/almond flavoring ? excited to try this—have cherries in hand 🙂 thanks!
Hello,
I’m not sure about frozen cherries, you might have to adjust the liquid. I’ve never used frozen cherries but I use dried cherries all the time, preferring them over dried cranberries, Lynn
Hi, love your recipe and thanks for sharing it. This has become my go to blueberry muffin recipe. Butt… my peculiar habit of seeking constant improvement make me want to put something on top to get that crusty sugaryish muffin top, any suggestions?
Try this: 2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1/4 cup raw sugar or light brown sugar. Mix all ingredients together. Right before baking, spoon one tablespoon topping over each muffin. Bake per usual! Hope this is what you’re looking for! Lynn
Thanks, I will give it a go in the morning.
Went, topping was a success, thanks. https://imgur.com/gallery/bvvJe36
Super!!
Let me know how it goes..
I have made this recipe 3 times now. My husband loves the muffins and they don’t raise his blood sugar levels (because of the blueberries). I have made them once with coconut oil, once with 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and once with no changes to the original recipe. Every batch has been wonderful!
Thank you!
Im so happy to hear you like the muffins! I too have to watch my sugar intake. Sourdough Blueberry Muffins are by far me favorite muffin. Lynn
Hi! This recipe looks great.. I’m gonna try it,. Can I just ask you how much is in grams one cup of sourdough starter? I don’t have measuring cups at home.. I usually use a scale .
Thank you!
There are 226 grams in an 8 ounce cup
Thank you Janice! I wasn’t aware of that:) Lynn
I have seen 227g and 240g also. My own weight to measurement test is so dependent on my eyesight that I am afraid to share it, but I usually opt for 240g max, 227 min.
I am new to the sourdough world and am so happy to have a mature starter. I made these muffins today and they are wonderful. The only thing I changed was to add a little fresh lemon juice to add to the lemony flavor. They are perfect. Thanks for a great recipe.
Sourdough discard or feed starter?
*fed
All of the sourdough recipes on T2T use a fed sourdough starter unless the recipe states differently. Have a great day !! Lynn
Hi. I have a bit of a random question. Still new to sourdough (thank you Covid ♀️) and am wondering if you could help me know what exactly it means to use a “fed” starter? I’m sure you don’t use your entire starter but I’m currently only understanding how to make recipes using the discard. Wanting to make your muffins tomorrow so I guess I’ll figure it out! Thank you!
“Fed” means fresh flour and water have been added in the last 8-12hrs or so, so the starter is “active and bubbly.” Always save 1/4c of your starter to make more.
Yes ma’am. Some potatoes refer to the starter as “fed” others say “active” I prefer the term active:)
Some PEOPLE not POTATOES:)
Thank you so much for this recipe! I used fresh ground einkorn flour, so I reduced the water to 1/2 cup. I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, and one flax egg instead of the chicken egg (ie. 1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water – let sit for 10 min.). I also used 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup avocado oil instead of 1/2 cup oil. I baked for 35 minutes and they are light, fluffy, sweet and absolutely delicious!!
Hello, Making your muffins now! Cant wait to try them! Can you tell me, Do these muffins freeze well?
Hi Julie,
Yes, they do. Freeze them in a ziplock baggie and when you thaw them out, leave the baggie open. Lynn
I’d love to replace the water with whole milk. Has anyone had success?
Hello Gina,
I personally have never made these muffins with milk but I have used milk and almond milk in other muffin recipes. If you do try the muffins with milk, let me know how they turned out:) Lynn
Thought they were a little heavy. Was wondering if I could up the baking soda to one tsp? How long after you fed your starter did you make the muffins??
Pat, I don’t know if upping the b ad king soda would do the trick or not. Most muffins are heavy due to adding to much flour, over working the dough or in this case the sourdough starter. I always let my starter to become good and active before making any recipe. Sorry to hear that the muffins didn’t turn out:( Lynn
Has anyone tried this recipe with a flax egg instead of a real egg?
Hi Angie,
Thanks for dropping by. I’ve never heard of flax egg but I’m curious about this new to me item. As of late I’ve been putting milled or ground flax seed in just about everything I eat, so if you try this recipe with flax egg, please let me know:) Lynn
I just made them them with a mix of ground chia and flax egg. They are delicious! I usually grind up my chia and flax seeds and then store them in a container in the freezer. To make a flax egg or in my case a chia/flax egg you mix 1 tbsp of ground chia and/or flax seeds and 4 tbsp of water and then let it sit for about 10 minutes. You will want to do this first so you can be measuring everything else while it thickens.
I will say that adding frozen berries made my batter thick and hard to stir for that reason I think I overworked it making it dense. It still is delicious, especially with a bit of almond butter spread on top!
Glad you liked them:) Have a great week. Lynn
I just did it with over ripe banana instead of egg and it worked really well!
I made once as regular size muffins and am now trying them as mini muffins for a ladies get together. I used a high grade lemon essential oil instead of the lemon zest. Very good. Thanks for the recipe. I am sharing it at the party.
Hi Sherry,
I am so glad you liked the recipe. Its one of our favorites:) I never thought to made these into mini-muffins! My grandkids love anything “mini” I’ll need to make mini muffins for them on their next visit. Lynn
Oh so I made these and followed the steps exactly but they came out not sweet at all, could 1/2 cup of brown sugar really be enough? Maybe the sugar amount should be 1.5 cups?
Hello Lucy,
You can certainly add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter muffin. Generally when using fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries) I like a less sweet muffin but it’s really a personal preference. Thanks for stopping:) Lynn
These turned out amazing, I made them into regular size muffins, as I don’t have a large muffin tin, I cooked them for 20 mins and they where so good. I am new to sourdough recipes but I will be making these again.
Hi Lyanne,
I’m so glad you liked the muffins. That recipe is one of our most popular recipe on T2T. I’m relatively new to sourdough myself, but if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I stated with scones and muffins, which always seem to turn out! Lynn
Thanks for this recipe by the way!!!
Thank you for stopping by my online “kitchen” Lynn
1 cup sourdough starter is pretty random. How about an exact weight?
Hello Richard, Yes, it is but I have never made any sourdough recipe using weight measurements. If you do, let me know:) I’ll look into it tho.. Lynn
I used 2 cups of starter, omitted the water and lemon zest and used 1 c of rye flour I wanted to use up (instead of 2 ap). Tangy and delicious!
Hi Julia,
Thanks for stopping by. This is one of my favorite recipes. I’m glad to hear you liked the muffins. I’ll bet the rye flour added texture and a nice flavor to the muffins:) Lynn
Can I replace the vegetable oil for a healthier oil in this recipe? If so, what type would you suggest? They look so delicious
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for stopping by! You could replace the oil with applesauce or sunflower oil or any of the “healthier” oils on the market such as canola.
Have a good week. Lynn
Hi! Looking forward to trying this recipe out. At what stage is your starter when measuring 1cup? I e only ever used weights when measuring starter. Active or inactive?
Thanks!
Liz
Hi Liz,
Use an active starter. I keep my starter at the consistency of a pancake batter.
Hope your enjoy your muffins:) Lynn
Great recipe. I used whole wheat sourdough starter, used all bran instead of flour, I didn’t have zest so I used a bit of lemon juice and it turned out amazing! Even the kids love it.
Hi Laura,
Sourdough Blueberry Muffins is one of our favorites and most popular recipe on Turnips 2 Tangerines.
Thanks for stopping by,
Lynn
Thank you for a winner! I have made these muffins several times and they are melt in your mouth delicious! Probably the best blueberry muffin recipe I have ever made. Now that it’s fall, I would love to modify this recipe to turn it into a sourdough pumpkin muffin. How would you go about doing this? Thank you!
Hi,
Thanks so much for stopping by Turnips 2 Tangerines.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. It’s one of my favorites also. As for adding pumpkin, I personally think it would be best to use a recipe specifically for pumpkin and sourdough muffins. This recipe could become too wet, therefore the muffins becoming to dense. I will try to post a pumpkin sourdough muffin recipe within the next few weeks:) Thanks again, Lynn
We picked fresh blueberries every summer as a child, my mother would make blueberry sourdough muffins. Haven't had these in decades, can't wait to get a jar of started going and whip up a batch for the grand kids. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I was wondering why you don't add the flour in to the starter the night before so it can sour. I thought the purpose of a good sourdough was for the starter to eat up the phytic acid in the flour as well as some of the sugars. Would that work for the recipe?
I think what you are referring to is a "biga" which is used mostly in Italian cooking. A "biga" adds light air holes to baked good, like you would find in ciabatta bread, therefore that won't work in this recipe. The sourdough starter used in this recipe is made by "feeding" the starter with water and flour after you discard half of the starter first. This process is done depends on how often you use your starter. This is what produces the "sour" Thanks for stopping by, Lynn
I added everything except for the oil, baking soda, and salt, and let it sit in my refrigerator overnight to ferment. In the morning, I mixed the remaining ingredients and baked them. They turned out perfectly fine. I am borderline diabetic and have been told the longer fermentation times will help keep my sugars more stable? Not sure if that is totally true. You can’t believe everything you read on the internet 🙂 I do know the long ferment works on this recipe though!
Thanks for this recipe by the way!!!
Hi Erica,
Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m so glad you like the recipe, as it’s one of my favorites and is one of our most popular recipes. I recently found out that I’m borderline diabetic, so I’ll be doing some research on it. My doctor told me that drinking apple cider vinegar, three times a day will help lower blood sugars?!? We’ll see:) Lynn
Fantastic! I made standard sized muffins and they came out with a wonderful texture and and flavor. I will be making these again!
Thanks for stopping by ans sharing.
This is a wonderful recipe.
One I reach for time and time again~
Lynn
I used 3/4c chunky jam instead of the berries I didn't have on hand, and reduced the water about 1/4c to make up for the wetness. My muffins cam out fluffy with little chunks of fruit and strong fruit flavor throughout. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for a great recipe using leftover starter! It turned out perfect, delicious and the house smells heavenly! I substituted 1 C of gluten free pancake mix for a cup of all purpose flour. (I usually have pamelas, but used King Arthur today)
Hi Wendy~
Thanks so much for stopping by!
So glad to hear you liked the recipe,
it's a favorite of ours!!
These muffins look delicious. I would have never thought to use sourdough starter. Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
Thanks for stopping Cindy~ They were awesome:)
The third ingredient is water, sorry:(
Hi Cindy~ I have to admit these muffins are a "new" favorite:) Thanks for stopping by~
Sourdough muffins – a new one to me – bet they taste delicious – my favourite muffin is blueberry, cream cheese and white chocolate – not good for me so I don't do it often. Cheers from Carole's Chatter
Hi Carole~ If you have never tried sourdough muffins, you need to give them a try~ Thanks for stopping by and blueberry, cream cheese and white chocolate sounds wonderful to me:)
Beautiful pictures, Lynn.
These muffins are jam-packed with blueberries. ..my favorite fruit! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Michelle~ I added an extra 1/2 cup of blueberries to the recipe:) They are my favorite too~
Oh Lynn these look wonderful & I LOVE blueberries !
I love sourdough & never thought of using that starter for making muffins! And your lake pictures are amazing!!! – Watching a sunrise on trees – stunningly beautiful!
Thank you for networking with us on the CLIMB!
Angie
godsgrowinggarden.com
Hi Angie~ Thanks so much for your king comments:) These muffins are beyond delicious~ Have a wonderful week~