These sourdough discard muffins are full of zucchini and carrot and warmly spiced with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. They are melt in your mouth tender and finished with an optional apple cider glaze that steals your heart. They come together in one bowl with no mixer required, and a batch of 24 means your freezer is stocked for weeks. (Or that you are very well fed depending on your self control.)
New to sourdough? Start Here! How To Feed Sourdough Starter Beginners Guide Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe for Beginners (Artisan Loaf)
Picture this: your child is begging and begging for a tasty treat — one that has three full cups of vegetables in every batch. That is exactly what is happening at my house.
My kids know full well what’s in these muffins and beg for them on the reg. I’m not going to claim these are health food in any way, shape, or form. But they land as a genuinely delicious treat that happens to be packed with vegetables, and everybody wants one anyway. I’m calling that the mom win of the year and taking the rest of the summer off.
If you’ve got a garden zucchini situation happening — or just a jar of discard that needs to be used — this is your recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Discard Muffin Recipe
These aren’t your average zucchini muffins. Here’s what makes them worth making:
One bowl, no mixer. Everything comes together with a wooden spoon and a large bowl. Easy cleanup, no drama.
A full cup of sourdough discard. 260 grams of unfed discard goes straight from the fridge into the batter. No feeding, no waiting, no waste.
Three cups of vegetables. That’s 150g of grated carrot and 185g of grated zucchini in a single batch. Nobody will care, and everybody will ask for seconds.
Freezer friendly. A batch of 24 is the whole point. Make them once, eat them for weeks. They thaw beautifully and taste just as good as day one. (Though my family struggles to have enough left over for the freezer…)
That optional glaze though… You can absolutely skip it. But the apple cider glaze takes about two minutes and makes these look like you put in a lot more effort than you did. And that little hint of apple on top is just the Chef’s kiss!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Nothing unusual lives in this recipe, which is part of why it’s so easy to pull together on a weekday. A few notes on what matters most:
Sourdough discard: Use unfed discard straight from the fridge. It does not need to be room temperature, and it does not need to be bubbly. But if you happen to want to use fed and bubbly that will work fine! This is why we weigh it to measure – flexibility in when it was last fed!
Salted butter: Melted before it goes in. Butter gives you so much more flavor than an oil! Everything is better with butter, amIright?
Both carrots and zucchini: They each bring something different. Zucchini adds moisture and tenderness. Carrot adds a little sweetness and holds its texture through baking. Together they make a muffin that’s deeply flavorful without tasting “veggie.” I think it is such a step up from basic zucchini muffins!
Pumpkin pie spice: I’m loving the Trader Joe’s pps that has a tiny bit of cardamom and lemon peal but any version you like works fine or you can make your own pps like my homesteading friend Victoria does.
All-purpose flour: Just 140 grams — this recipe is intentionally low on flour. The vegetables carry the structure, and the discard adds body. Trust it.
Apple cider for the glaze: The cider version has a subtle, warm flavor that pairs beautifully with the spices. Milk with a drop of vanilla is a perfectly good substitute if that’s what you have.
How to Grate and Prep Your Vegetables
This is the only step that takes any real effort, and even then we’re talking five minutes.
The food processor is your best friend here. I reach for my Cuisinart food processor every single time I make these. The shredding disc grates both vegetables in under two minutes and makes the whole project feel effortless. I gave away my box grater because I use this machine for everything!
A box grater works great too. If you don’t have a food processor by all means use a box grater! Don’t use the tiny holes — you want shreds, not mush. The handle makes it comfortable to use and this OXO box grater features a nice catch box!
The zucchini squeeze: After you measure out 185g of zucchini, grab a handful at a time and squeeze firmly over the sink. You’re aiming to release about 10–11g of liquid total — just one good firm squeeze per handful. You don’t need to wring it bone dry. Just enough to keep your muffins tender rather than soggy.
Skip the squeeze on the carrots. Carrots don’t hold excess moisture the way zucchini does. Grate them and go.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Muffins With Veggies
Step 1: Preheat to 425°F and prep your tins. Yes, 425°F — hotter than you might expect for muffins. This is intentional and important. More on that in the next section.
Step 2: Grate and prep your vegetables as described above. Get this done before you start the batter so everything is ready to go.
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter until combined. Add the eggs, sourdough discard, and vanilla and stir until the discard is fully incorporated and the batter looks smooth and glossy. The discard can take an extra moment to come together — just keep stirring.
Step 4: Stir in the vegetables. Stir in the grated carrot and squeezed zucchini until evenly distributed. The batter will be chunky and thick. That is exactly right.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients. Pour the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt directly over the wet ingredients. Stir gently until just combined. A few small streaks of flour are completely fine. Do not overmix — this is the step that makes or breaks the texture. Overmixed muffins bake up tough instead of tender.
Step 6: Fill and bake. Fill each liner with about 4 tablespoons of batter. A size 16 cookie scoop makes this fast and keeps them uniform. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then drop to 375°F and bake another 11–12 minutes.
The Two-Temperature Baking Trick
If you’ve never baked muffins this way, this tip alone is worth bookmarking the post.
Starting at 425°F creates an immediate burst of heat that causes the outside of the muffin to set quickly while the inside is still rising. That’s what gives bakery muffins their dramatic dome — the top springs up before the edges can hold it back.
Now, full disclosure: these particular muffins don’t dome dramatically. Three cups of vegetables is a lot of weight, and the batter is dense with good stuff. What you get instead is a beautifully set top with a tender crumb all the way through — no gummy center, no sunken middle. The high heat start makes that happen reliably every time.
Dropping to 375°F after 5 minutes finishes the bake gently so the inside cooks through without the outside getting dry or overbaked. It’s a two-temperature method that works on almost any muffin recipe and it’s worth adding to your regular rotation.
Make It Zucchini Bread Instead
Same batter, different pan — and this is a genuinely great option if you’re dealing with a garden zucchini the size of a baseball bat.
Grease two 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pans and divide the batter evenly, about 700g per pan. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then drop to 375°F and continue baking 35–40 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan until you can handle it, then turn out onto a rack.
These loaves are wonderful for gifting. Wrap them in parchment and tie with a ribbon and you have a summer hostess gift that beats a bottle of wine every time.
How to Store and Freeze Sourdough Discard Muffins
At room temperature: These muffins keep well at room temperature for 2–3 days in an airtight container. The glaze holds up fine.
In the refrigerator: Up to a week. Warm briefly before eating if you like — 15 seconds in the microwave brings them right back.
In the freezer: This is really the move with a batch of 24. Cool completely, skip the glaze, and freeze in a zip bag. They keep beautifully for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. Glaze after thawing if you are in the mood.
The Chemistry Corner: Why Both Leaveners?
This recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder, and it’s not an accident.
Baking soda reacts with the acidity in the sourdough discard. That reaction neutralizes the sour flavor so your muffins don’t taste like vinegar, and it creates an immediate burst of bubbles for lift.
Baking powder is double-acting, meaning it fires twice — once when it hits the wet ingredients, and again when it hits the heat of the oven. That second burst of lift is what this recipe really depends on. With three cups of vegetables weighing down the batter, you need every bit of help you can get to keep the center from being dense or gummy.
Together they do a job that neither one could do alone. Now you know!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use active, fed starter instead of discard? Yes! Fed and bubbly starter works perfectly here. The flavor will be a touch milder and the muffins may rise a little more enthusiastically, which is a lovely problem to have.
Why aren’t my muffins domed? These muffins are not going to give you a dramatic bakery dome and that’s completely normal. Three cups of vegetables make a heavy, dense batter — the two-temperature baking method does a great job of giving you a set top and well baked muffin, but physics always wins. If your muffins are sunken, the most common culprit is overmixed batter. Stir until just combined and stop there.
Can I add nuts or raisins? Absolutely. Chopped walnuts or pecans are wonderful here — about ½ cup stirred in with the vegetables. Golden raisins or regular raisins are another great addition. Both play nicely with the warm spices. When I add raisins to a recipe I like to microwave them with a tablespoon of apple juice or water or spiced rum for a minute to plump them up. This helps make sure they don’t take moisture OUT of our baking as they expand. Basically you are making them soak up whatever moisture they want to ahead of time!
Do I have to use both carrots and zucchini? You could go all zucchini or all carrot, but the combination is genuinely better. Zucchini adds moisture and tenderness; carrot adds a little sweetness and texture. Together they balance each other beautifully.
Can I reduce the sugar? You can reduce it by up to ¼ cup without significantly affecting the texture. Sugar is a wet ingredient in baking so be careful here. When you use less sugar in a recipe you are actively choosing to change the chemistry of your bake.
My discard smells pretty sour — is it still okay to use? As long as there’s no pink or orange discoloration and no fuzzy mold, sour-smelling discard is perfectly fine to bake with. The baking soda will generally neutralize the acidity and the spices will more than handle any tang that remains.
More Of My “Less Common” Muffin Recipes
- Mini Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins (naturally GF and high protein without adding powder)
- Healthy Oatmeal Muffins – a 80s classic I was raised on! SO melt in your mouth good!
Find more excellent Sourdough Discard recipes here!
Sourdough Discard Zucchini Carrot Muffins
Ingredients
To Make The Muffins
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cups salted butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- 260 grams sourdough discard unfed from fridge
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 150 grams grated carrot about 1½ cups lightly packed
- 185 grams grated zucchini lightly squeezed (about 1½ cups lightly packed)
- 140 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
To Make The Glaze (Optional)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider or juice
Instructions
To Bake The Muffins
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line two 12-count muffin tins with paper liners or grease well.
- Grate the vegetables: Using a food processor or box grater, grate the carrots and zucchini. Measure out 150 grams grated carrot (about 1½ cups lightly packed) of carrot and 185 grams grated zucchini, lightly squeezed (about 1½ cups lightly packed) of zucchini. To squeeze the zucchini, gather handful at a time and squeeze firmly over the sink until about 10–11g of liquid releases. You don't need to wring it bone dry — just one good squeeze. This keeps your muffins tender rather than soggy.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together 1.5 cups granulated sugar and 1 cup melted butter with a wooden spoon until combined. Add 2 large eggs, 260 grams sourdough discard, and 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, stirring until the discard is fully incorporated and the mixture looks smooth and glossy.
- Fold in the vegetables: Stir in the grated carrots and squeezed zucchini until evenly distributed. The batter will be chunky and thick — that's exactly right.
- Add the dry ingredients: Pour 140 grams all-purpose flour, 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt directly over the wet ingredients. Stir gently until just combined — a few small streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix, or the muffins will bake up tough instead of tender.
- Fill the tins: Fill each muffin liner about ¾ full, roughly 4 tablespoons of batter per cup. A size 16 cookie scoop makes portioning fast and keeps them uniform.
- Bake — high heat start: Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Do not open the oven door.
- Reduce heat and finish baking: Without removing the muffins, drop the oven temperature to 375°F. Continue baking for 11–12 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They're delicious warm or at room temperature. If you plan to glaze the muffins let them cool to room temp before glazing or glaze will "melt" into the muffins.
To Make The Glaze (Optional)
- Whisk together 1 ½ cups powdered sugar and 3 Tablespoons apple cider or juice until smooth. The glaze should be pourable but not watery. Drizzle off a fork over fully cooled muffins. (Skip the glaze entirely if you're freezing a batch — glaze after thawing instead.)
Helpful Recipe Notes
Your Rating Matters
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Nutrition Estimate
A Note on Nutrition
Nutritional info is an imperfect estimate. Please take it with a grain of salt.
New to sourdough? Start Here! How To Feed Sourdough Starter Beginners Guide Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe for Beginners (Artisan Loaf)
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