Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Muffins (Printable)

Tangy muffins filled with juicy blueberries, fresh lemon zest, and a buttery crumb topping with sourdough flavor.

# What You'll Need:

→ Muffins

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup whole wheat flour
03 - 1 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
09 - 1 cup sourdough discard (unfed)
10 - 1/2 cup whole milk
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 - Zest of 1 large lemon
13 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
14 - 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

→ Crumb Topping

15 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
16 - 1/3 cup light brown sugar
17 - 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
18 - Pinch of salt
19 - Zest of 1/2 lemon

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease thoroughly.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, sourdough discard, milk, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined.
04 - Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
05 - Gently fold in the blueberries using a spatula or wooden spoon.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each approximately 3/4 full.
07 - In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cold butter, salt, and lemon zest. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
08 - Sprinkle crumb topping generously over each muffin.
09 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops are golden brown.
10 - Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sourdough discard creates this impossibly tender crumb that stays moist for days, making these muffins actually better the next morning.
  • That lemon and blueberry combo hits different when you add the tang of fermented flour, turning a simple breakfast into something worth talking about.
  • The crumb topping actually stays crispy instead of turning dense and soggy by day two, which honestly feels like a small victory.
02 -
  • Don't thaw frozen blueberries because they'll bleed into the batter and turn everything murky, a mistake I made on my second attempt and never repeated.
  • Overmixing is the enemy of tender muffins, so embrace the lumpy batter and stop mixing the second you don't see white flour streaks anymore.
  • If your sourdough discard is too thin and watery, let it sit out for a few hours to thicken up, or these will be denser than intended.
03 -
  • Keep your butter for the crumb topping in the freezer until the last possible moment, and use a box grater to grate it directly into your flour mixture for the crispiest topping texture.
  • If you don't have fresh blueberries, frozen ones work better than you'd expect, and you can even use a combination of both for extra berry moments throughout the muffin.
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