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!
If I wanted to leave out the apples, does anything in the recipe change? I love your blueberry recipe, so want to try the cinnamon.
Yes, you can leave out the apples! The muffins may be slightly less moist since the apples add a little moisture, but no other changes should be necessary.
Just made these for the second time, however this time I added a bag of Heath Bits o’Brickle. Oh My Goodness!!! These are great muffins to begin with but the addition of that toffee flavor makes them incredible! So happy I found your recipe!
Oh my! Adding some Health Bits sounds incredible! I’m going to have to try this myself. So thrilled you love this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
This is the first time finding your website, that I can recall.
I baked these muffins today to use up my discard. Delicious muffins! Thank you, McKenna!
I didn’t use any topping on these but would be yummy with it. I filled them to the top of the muffin paper and baked at a preheated oven at 425 F for 9 minutes. They rose above the rim a 1/4 in or so then I lowered the oven to 350 F for another 10 minutes. I checked and had to bake another 5 minutes till clean toothpick.
Keeping this recipe in my collection of sourdough discard recipes.
Thank you so much for trying one my recipes! This one truly is a keeper and I’m thrilled to hear that you loved it just as much. Thank you for taking the time to share and I hope you find some delicious recipes to try as well.
After trying several recipes, these are amazing in flavor, texture and level of sweetness! All my guinea pigs agree! I don’t need another one!
Thank you so much for sharing, Ronda! So glad it is loved by everyone and your search is over!
The muffins have great flavor and were a home favourite immediately but they were flat. Kept thinking what I did wrong and haven’t figured it out yet. Made them twice with the same results and second time paid more attention to quantities and process but no luck.
I’m so glad to hear these muffins were a flavor hit in your home! If they turned out flat both times, one common culprit is expired baking powder and/or baking soda—it loses its lift faster than we realize. Another thing to check is oven temperature; if it runs a little cool, muffins won’t dome as much. I’d recommend testing with fresh baking powder and baking soda (and maybe an oven thermometer if you have one handy). I think you’ll see a big difference next time!
Thank you for the reply! I have not tried them again but the baking soda and baking powder are not expired and are within the dates and I know they work because I use them frequently for other recipes and they rise them. As for the temperature, it’s the highest I use when baking. My oven has ranges rather than a specific temp. I’m truly at a loss with this recipe. I’ll report back when I try them again. Thanks!
UPDATE: I finally got them to rise properly. I made the mistake in my previous comment that I already was using the higher temperature in my oven but that was because I updated my notes BEFORE I tried that setting. I did everything as per your recipe only I used a higher temperature and they rose beautifully. I even made them in my mini loaves pan and they worked there too. I was so happy because they were so pretty now. Now I can make them with confidence that they’ll turn out great every time. Thank you for the recipe!
I was wondering if these can be long fermented overnight? I like to make the muffin batter and bake them off in the morning before work. Gonna try it and hope it works.
Certainly! I do this all the time with my sourdough blueberry muffins and they bake up beautifully. I hope you enjoy them!
I made these muffins today but with gluten free flour and two flax eggs. They turned out great. However, the crumble didn’t quite turn out the same as your picture. I will make them without the crumble next time. Although, to be fair, I had to use vegan butter and GF flour. So, that likely was the reason for the difference. All in all, still a great recipe for the sour dough discard. Thank you!
I’m so glad you gave these a try—and I love hearing your gluten-free and egg-free adjustments worked well! You’re absolutely right—the vegan butter and GF flour can definitely change the texture of the crumble, but I’m thrilled to hear the muffins still turned out great overall. Thank you for sharing your experience—it’s super helpful for others looking to make similar swaps!
What d we do we the other half of flour? It doesn’t say when to add it back in.
Hi Shang! 1 3/4 cups of the flour is added to the flour mixture, while the remaining 2 teaspoons is added to the apples. Coating the apples with flour helps them to not sink in the batter. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Absolutely PERFECT muffins! 😭🥰I haven’t made muffins in a while because I haven found a go to, but this is a hit! I mixed up the batter and let it ferment for about 4 hours and then scooped them into the muffin pan and baked. They turned out beautifully and I will certainly made again! Writing down on a card to go in my recipe box
So thrilled to hear that you loved these muffins, Dana! I couldn’t agree more. They are so simple to make, but delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Can you use melted butter instead of oil? Thanks 😊
Ok these were so good! I added a cup of discard instead of half a cup and a little extra cinnamon. Delicious!! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jody!
These muffins were dangerously delicious!! So soft and fluffy on the inside with a perfectly crisp, crumble top. They tasted like apple pie in muffin form. I can’t wait to make them again! I did run into a little confusion with the divided ingredients, since it doesn’t specify what quantity to use in the instructions. Other than that, the recipe is perfect! Thank you so much for sharing.
This is the first recipe I have tried for my discard and it is AMAZING!! Thank you! Made exactly as written and it’s perfect. My family loves them and I have shared with my friends who are now making and loving them. Several times now I have gotten the comment ‘These are the best muffins I have ever tasted’.
My heart! So thrilled to hear that everyone enjoyed them!
Love this recipe, did change up a little used buttermilk and a can of apple pie filling, just add it and after batter then crumble. Delicious for breakfast and dessert with ice cream and a warm Carmel sauce.
Hi Brenda! This sounds fabulous. Thank you for sharing!
Beginner friendly and absolutely delicious! What a great way to use up my sourdough starter. Mom was happy and so were kiddos! Thank you!
Love these! I’m always looking for new ways to use up my discard. (I really hate waste)
Replaced the eggs with 1/4c applesauce, 1 flax egg, and added 1/2t more baking soda to and used homemade walnut milk to make it a plant based recipe.
They came out fantastic – thank you so much for this recipe!
I’m so glad you and yours enjoyed them! I too am always looking for ways to use up my discard. Thank you for sharing your plant-based substitutions!
I made these and did not follow the instructions perfectly but they still turned out amazing. I just mixed all the dry and all the wet and then combined with a spoon. I also added cardamom and about a half cup of crushed walnuts. And I accidentally cooked for 5 extra minutes ha.
So a very forgiving recipe for careless bakers like me!