Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins Recipe (Discard)
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My Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins Recipe is an easy sourdough discard recipe (you don’t need an active sourdough starter), made with fresh apples, brown sugar, warm cinnamon, and a buttery crumb topping. I love these apple cinnamon sourdough muffins as a delicious breakfast or a cozy snack after apple picking, and I make my Sourdough Blueberry Muffins when I want another fruit-filled option.
I use a crisp apple, such as Pink Lady or Granny Smith, for tender sourdough apple muffins with a bright apple flavor in every bite. For another favorite fall muffin, I make my Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.
Quick Look: Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 17 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Servings: 16 muffins
- Calories: ~228 kcal per muffin (based on nutritional panel)
- Cook Method: Baked
- Flavor Profile: Tender and warmly spiced with juicy apple pieces, warm cinnamon, and a buttery cinnamon crumble topping. A delightful fall twist on a classic muffin!
- Difficulty: Easy — Simple to mix and ready in just over 30 minutes!
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Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins Discard Recipe
- Warm fall flavor: I combine fresh apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and melted butter for a sweet apple muffin recipe with a tender crumb and a golden, cinnamon-spiced topping. For another bakery-style muffin with brown sugar flavor, I make my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins.
- An approachable sourdough discard bake: I use basic ingredients, including all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, whole milk, and sourdough discard, so this is a delicious recipe to keep in my collection of sourdough recipes.
- Make-ahead friendly: I can bake a batch for a delicious, healthy breakfast, store leftovers in an airtight container, or freeze the cooled muffins for up to two months.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Flour – I used sifted all-purpose flour for this easy recipe.
- Leaveners – Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh and active, otherwise the cupcakes won’t rise properly.
- Salt – Any unrefined salt will do, but my favorite is Redmond’s unrefined salt for some extra minerals!
- Ground Cinnamon – Brings some warmth to these sourdough apple muffins.
- Sugars – I used a combination of white and light brown sugar for a more caramel-y flavor.
- Oil – Select your favorite neutral oil, like vegetable, corn, or canola, or coconut oil.
- Milk – I used whole milk, but this can be substituted 1:1 for non-dairy options.
- Large Eggs
- Unfed Sourdough Starter – I prefer using sourdough discard rather than active starter that is no older than a week for sweet recipes like these Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Muffins.
- Vanilla – Use pure vanilla extract, rather than imitation vanilla, for the best flavor!
- Apples – Selecting a crisp apple, like Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp will give you the best texture and flavor.
Crumb Topping
- Flour – All-purpose flour will work just fine.
- White sugar – You can substitute this with more light or dark brown sugar for a more caramel-y flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon – Cause why not more cinnamon?
- Butter – Melting the butter will give you the perfect crumb consistency.
How to Make Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Tip: To help prevent the cupcake liners from sticking to the cupcakes, spray the liners lightly with nonstick spray before adding the batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f and line a muffin pan with muffin papers.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and ground cinnamon. Pour the melted butter slowly over the flour mixture, while slowly mixing. Mix until most of the mixture is crumbly. Be careful not to overmix, otherwise, it will become dough. Place in the fridge to chill, until the muffin batter is ready.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set to the side.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the sugars and oil until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula when needed. Add the sourdough discard, milk, and vanilla extract, and mix. It may start to curdle, but that’s okay! Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low until the dry ingredients are just combined.
- Peel and dice the apples. In a small bowl, add the apples, 2 tsps flour, and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and mix. This coating helps the apples from sinking to the bottom of the muffin. Carefully fold the apples into the muffin batter.
- Divide the cupcake batter evenly into 14 lined muffin pan and fill 3/4 of the way full. Top with a portion of the crumble topping. Bake the Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins for 17-18 minutes. The muffins are done when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven. Keep the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- Use a crisp apple: I reach for Granny Smith apples or Pink Lady apples when I want defined apple pieces and a little tartness. For another fruit-filled muffin with a tender crumb, I make my Sourdough Blueberry Muffins.
- Prep the muffin pan well: I lightly coat muffin papers with nonstick spray before adding the muffin batter, which helps prevent sticking. I take the same extra step for my Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.
- Cool before storing: I move the muffins to a wire rack to cool before placing them in an airtight container or the freezer. I follow the same make-ahead mindset with my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins.
How to Store
Store leftover Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins in an airtight container
These also freeze beautifully! Once cooled, place the sourdough muffins in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Remove from the freezer and bring back to room temperature on the counter be fore enjoying.
Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins FAQs
Certainly. I can refrigerate the muffin batter overnight and bake the muffins the next morning. I use that same make-ahead approach with my Sourdough Blueberry Muffins, and they bake up beautifully.
I have not personally tested this recipe with canned fried apples, but I think I could experiment with them. I would drain them very well and chop them into small pieces before measuring, because they contain more moisture and sugar than fresh apples, which may make the muffins a little sweeter and softer.
I choose a crisp, tart apple for the best flavor and texture. Granny Smith apples, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, and Fuji apples are all great options. If I want another fall sourdough discard muffin after apple picking, I make my Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.
I store leftover muffins in an airtight container. For longer storage, I let them cool completely, place them in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze them for up to two months. I use the same freeze-ahead strategy for my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins.
If you tried this Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Muffins Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- 251 grams all-purpose flour, divided 1 3/4 cups + 2 teaspoons
- 6 grams baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 3 grams baking soda 1/2 teaspoon
- 3 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon
- 5 grams ground cinnamon, divided 2 1/2 teaspoons
- 100 grams white sugar 1/2 cup
- 110 grams light brown sugar 1/2 cup
- 100 grams neutral oil 1/2 cup
- 100 grams eggs, room temperature about 2 large eggs
- 120 grams sourdough discard 1/2 cup
- 60 grams milk 1/4 cup
- 6 grams vanilla extract 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 2 cups peeled and diced apples about 2 medium apples
Crumble Topping (optional)
- 35 grams all-purpose flour 1/4 cup
- 50 grams white sugar 1/4 cup
- 1 gram ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon
- 42 grams unsalted butter, melted 3 Tablespoons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with muffin papers. Tip: To help prevent the cupcake liners from sticking to the muffins, spray the liners lightly with nonstick spray before adding the batter.
Crumb Topping
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and ground cinnamon. Pour the melted butter slowly over the flour mixture, while slowly mixing. Mix until most of the mixture is crumbly. Be careful not to overmix, otherwise, it will become dough. Place in the fridge to chill, until the muffin batter is ready.35 grams all-purpose flour, 50 grams white sugar, 1 gram ground cinnamon, 42 grams unsalted butter, melted
Dry Ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk 245 grams (1 3/4 cups) flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 4 grams (2 teaspoons) cinnamon. Set to the side.251 grams all-purpose flour, divided, 6 grams baking powder, 3 grams baking soda, 3 grams salt, 5 grams ground cinnamon, divided
Wet Ingredients
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the sugars and oil until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula when needed.100 grams white sugar, 110 grams light brown sugar, 100 grams neutral oil, 100 grams eggs, room temperature
- Add the sourdough discard, milk, and vanilla extract, and mix. It may start to curdle, but that's okay!60 grams milk, 120 grams sourdough discard, 6 grams vanilla extract
Combine
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low until the dry ingredients are just combined.
- Peel and dice the apples. In a small bowl, add the apples, 6 grams (2 teaspoons) flour, and 1 gram (1/2 teaspoon) of cinnamon, and mix. This coating helps the apples from sinking to the bottom of the muffin.2 cups peeled and diced apples
- Carefully fold the apples into the muffin batter.
Bake
- Divide the muffin batter evenly into 16 lined muffin pan and fill 3/4 of the way full. Top with a portion of the crumble topping.
- Bake the Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins for 17-18 minutes. The muffins are done when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven. Keep the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Delicious! A great start to my fall baking! My family and neighbors loved them. Thanks for the recipe!
I love hearing that your family and neighbors enjoyed them too. Thank you so much for trying the recipe and taking the time to leave a review!
i made these and got some great feedback. I subbed out the oil for butter with a dash of olive oil. thank you 🙏🏻⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’m so thrilled to hear that! Thank you for trying the recipe and taking the time to leave such a kind review!
I made a 1:1 substitution of the sugars to maple sugar, kept everything else the same and they turned out wonderful! Your recipes have always turned out perfectly:)
I’m so glad the maple sugar worked so well and that the muffins turned out beautifully. And thank you for the incredibly kind words about my recipes. It means so much to hear that they’ve been so reliable for you!
Can I substitute the apples with a can of fried apples of the same amount?
I haven’t personally tested these with canned fried apples, but I think you could experiment with them. I’d recommend draining them really well and chopping them into small pieces before measuring, since they’ll contain more moisture and sugar than fresh apples. The muffins may turn out a little sweeter and softer as a result. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how they turn out!