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Cream cheese glaze dripping down the sides of a homemade pumpkin muffin
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Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

These easy sourdough discard pumpkin muffins are warmly spiced, wonderfully tender, and even better with a sweet & tangy honey cream cheese glaze.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bread, easy, muffins, pumpkin, quick bread
Servings: 12 muffins
Author: Karie Kirkpatrick

Equipment

  • Muffin tin & paper liners

Ingredients

Sourdough pumpkin muffins

  • 1 15-oz can pumpkin purée (or 1 ½ cups homemade pumpkin purée)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup neutral vegetable oil I like avocado oil
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup sourdough discard
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Honey cream cheese glaze

  • 4 ounces cream cheese soft, room temperature
  • 2 ounces (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter soft, room temperature
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

  • Prep: Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
  • Whisk together wet ingredients: In a large bowl, mix 15 oz/ 1 ½ cups pumpkin purée with 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup oil, 2 eggs, ½ cup sourdough discard, and 1 tsp vanilla until thoroughly combined.
  • Whisk dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 cups/240 grams flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ¾ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ½ tsp nutmeg, ⅛ tsp cloves, and 1 tsp salt.
  • Fold everything together gently: Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients, then fold it all together very gently with a spatula until mostly combined. Use a light hand and avoid over-mixing. A lightly lumpy batter is fine here.
  • Bake: Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling tins all the way to the top. You should use all the batter for 12 muffins.
    Bake for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350° F (leave the muffins in the whole time), and bake an additional 13-17 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and spring back when touched.
    Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
  • Make glaze: While muffins are cooling, beat 4 oz cream cheese until completely smooth and free of lumps. Add 2 oz soft butter, beating until well mixed and smooth. Then add ¼ cup honey and 1 ½ tsp vanilla, blending until creamy and silky.
    Spoon or drizzle glaze onto cooled muffins and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe can be made with store-bought or homemade pumpkin purée. It's also delicious with butternut squash purée.