Warm from the oven and rich with autumn spices, these golden-brown sourdough pumpkin muffins are everything you want on a crisp fall afternoon. Made with the addition of whole wheat flour and naturally fermented with sourdough starter, they offer a nourishing twist on classic pumpkin bread.

sourdough pumpkin muffins on a white serving plate

These muffins are one of my favorite treats to make in the fall. They are so much quicker to bake than pumpkin bread and they fill my whole house with the delicious aroma of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. They freeze really well too, so I often make a double batch and freeze half of them flat in ziplock bags.

Tips for making this recipe:

Instead of using coconut oil in the batter, feel free to use melted butter if you prefer.
Pumpkin spice mix can be used instead of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Once I even used 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon without the other spices and the result was still lovely (cinnamon goes really well with pumpkin).
If you prefer, use sourdough discard instead of the active starter and skip the fermenting step.
If you would like to make sourdough pumpkin bread instead of muffins, pour the batter into a greased and lined loaf pan. Your baking time will be about 50 minutes.
Try adding 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the batter for pumpkin nut muffins.
If you prefer not to use white flour, use all whole wheat instead.

Ingredients

a cup of sourdough starter a bowl of spices a cup of water a bowl of pumpkin puree a saucepan of melted coconut oil a bowl of brown sugar a bowl of whisked eggs a bowl of flour

1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs, whisked well
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup active sourdough starter
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon unrefined salt
1/8 cup coconut oil or butter, for greasing the muffin pan

metal bowl with sugar pumpkin puree oil and eggs

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, eggs, oil and pumpkin puree.

a bowl of pumpkin puree eggs and sugar with a dollop of sourdough starter in the middle and a wooden spoon

Stir in the sourdough starter (I used my whole wheat starter, but you can use any that you have).

a metal bowl with pumpkin puree oil eggs white flour whole wheat flour pumpkin spices and a wooden spoon

Add the white flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and water.

metal bowl with sourdough pumpkin muffin batter and a wooden spoon

Mix it all together until smooth.

white bowl with sourdough pumpkin muffin batter

Now cover the batter with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm for 6-8 hours to ferment. If you are not ready to bake when the fermenting time is up, store the batter in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

muffin pan and a white bowl with sourdough pumpkin muffin batter

When the batter is done fermenting, preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Sprinkle baking soda, baking powder and salt onto your batter and stir it in briefly. Don’t overmix. Fill greased or lined muffin cups 2/3 full with the batter.

I had enough batter for 18 regular sized muffins.

Bake for about 10 minutes until risen and golden. Remove from the pan and let them cool on a cookie rack.

Enjoy! I love to eat them straight from the oven with a hot cup of ginger and turmeric tea.

Be sure to check out my other muffin recipes:

Sourdough Gingerbread Muffins

Sourdough Oatmeal Muffins

Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

Golden, moist, slightly sweet, and smelling deliciously of pumpkin spice, these muffins are a perfect treat on a cool autumn afternoon.

Serving Size 18 muffins

Equipment

muffin pan

Ingredients

1½ cups brown sugar
2 eggs, whisked
½ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup active sourdough starter
1 cup white flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ cup water
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp unrefined salt
⅛ cup coconut oil or butter, for greasing the muffin pan

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs and pumpkin puree.
Mix in the sourdough starter.
Add the white flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and water. Mix until smooth.
Cover the batter with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm for 6-8 hours. If you are not ready to bake straight away, store the fermented batter in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
When the fermenting time is up, preheat your oven to 180C/350F.
Uncover the batter and sprinkle baking soda, baking powder and salt on top. Mix it in until combined. Don't overmix.
Grease or line your muffin cups and fill 2/3 full with the batter.
Bake the muffins for about 10 minutes until risen and golden. Remove from the muffin pan and let them cool on a cookie rack.

Notes

Instead of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg you could use 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix.
If you have sourdough discard that needs using up, you could use it instead of active starter and skip the fermenting step.
These muffins will keep at room temperature for 2 days. Let them cool completely before you place them in a container. They also freeze well.