Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins (with Cream Cheese or without!)
These Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins are soft, moist, and filled with cozy fall flavor. Made with pumpkin puree, warm spices, and sourdough starter, they’re swirled with a rich cream cheese filling for the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Servings: 24 muffins
Calories: 185kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin puree 456g
- 1 cup sourdough starter 227g unfed/discard
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour 284g
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened, 226g
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
- Make the Cream Cheese Mixture: In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
- Make Muffin Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sourdough starter, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla.In another bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.Fold dry mixture into wet until just combined.
- For plain muffins: Fill liners ⅔ full. For cream cheese filling: Spoon 1 tablespoon batter, then 1 tablespoon filling, then cover with more batter (¾ full).For cream cheese swirl: Fill liners ⅔ with batter, top with 1 tablespoon filling, and swirl gently with a toothpick.
- Bake: Bake for 18–22 minutes, until muffins spring back lightly when touched. A toothpick in the muffin (not cream cheese) should come out clean.
- Cool & Enjoy: Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack. The swirl sets as they cool.
Video
Notes
- Don’t overmix: Stir the batter until just combined to keep muffins tender.
- Cream cheese swirl: For the prettiest swirl, drag a toothpick in gentle figure-8 motions across the top.
- Room temperature ingredients: Let eggs, cream cheese, and starter sit out before mixing for a smoother batter.
- Pumpkin puree: Use canned 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Homemade puree works too but may need straining if watery.
- Sourdough starter: Discard or unfed starter works best. Active starter will also work but may give a tangier flavor.
- Storage: Store muffins in the fridge (because of the cream cheese) in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze cooled muffins individually wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or warm in the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 163mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 3350IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg