Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

Bring the comfort of home into your kitchen with this sourdough discard banana bread recipe. Perfectly moist, decadent sourdough discard banana bread is the perfect way to use up your sourdough discard.

Use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter for this banana bread recipe – either will make the texture incredibly silky smooth.

Related: Sourdough Discard Muffins

Related: Brioche French Toast Casserole

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What is Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

Sourdough discard banana bread combines inactive (meaning, not fed) sourdough starter, overripe bananas, rich brown sugar, and some other ingredients to make a delicious quick bread recipe.

Equipment You’ll Need

Other than the basics, you’ll need the below equipment to make this sourdough discard banana bread recipe.

9×5 inch loaf pan – no smaller or it will overflow. If you only have smaller loaf pans be sure to divide the batter.

Stand mixer, hand mixer, or big bowl and whisk – I highly recommend an electric mixer for this recipe.

Recipe Highlights

• Use discard or active starter
• Best texture banana bread
• Incredible rich and caramelly flavor
• Quick bread recipe
• Tons of ways to eat sourdough discard banana bread
• Use up sourdough discard
• Use up overripe bananas

How to Make Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

This banana bread recipe is deliciously rich and caramelly and will be your new go-to banana bread recipe. I adapted the process for this recipe from The Clever Carrot and will probably never use a different method!

Banana Bread Ingredients and Substitutions

• Overripe bananas – can be frozen and defrosted. See notes below on how to ripen underripe bananas quickly.
• Brown sugar – can be light or dark
• Vanilla bean paste – vanilla extract works fine too, but the paste makes everything SO much better.
• Sourdough discard – you can use discard straight from the fridge or active starter for this recipe.
• Coconut oil – another neutral flavored oil would work too.
• Chocolate chips – Any great banana bread recipe has chocolate chips, right?
• Eggs, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, milk, all-purpose flour – all the necessary baking ingredients.

Step by Step Instructions (with photos)

• Add the bananas, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until combined.

• Add the eggs and the sourdough starter and blend until combined.

• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

• Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture mixing between additions until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

• Add the milk and oil and mix until just combined – but no longer.

• Add the chocolate chips and fold into the batter. 

• Pour the batter into the greased pan.

• Bake for about 60 minutes at 360F until a toothpick comes out clean.

• Cool on a wire cooling rack.

How to Store Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

Your sourdough discard banana bread will save for later beautifully, making it perfect to make ahead and use for breakfasts or snacks throughout the week. Did you know you can even freeze banana bread?

Room temperature

Once cooled, wrap your loaf in plastic wrap tightly and let sit at room temperature for 3-5 days.

Frozen

To freeze, allow banana bread to cool completely. Wrap either the slices, whole, or half loaf tightly in plastic wrap first, then place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Let sit at room temperature until thawed and heat slices in the microwave until warmed (about 30 seconds).

In a Pinch Ideas

• Ripe bananas – If you don’t have overripe bananas read the section below on how to quickly ripen bananas.
• Mixing – if you must (I don’t recommend) shave time off the making of this recipe, simply mix the wet ingredients together, then the dry ingredients, then mix together as you would any other banana bread recipe.

Sourdough Discard Banana Bread Tips

Make this sourdough discard banana bread loaf even better by following the tips below to give you the perfect loaf.

• Specific mixing order – don’t skip the mixing order – this is why the banana bread is so perfectly textured.
• Banana bread muffins – want to make these into muffins instead? Simply place the batter into muffin tins and bake for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Foil tent – place a foil tent overtop the banana bread during the last 20-30 minutes or so of baking so that it doesn’t get too brown on top but the center of the loaf still bakes through.

How to Quickly Ripen Bananas

Paper bag

Time: 1-3 days

If you have a few days before making this recipe, just take the underripe bananas and place them in a paper bag, and set them on top of the fridge, or somewhere warm. Check every day to see if brown spots have formed (a sign of being baking ripe).

Bake

Time: 30-60 minutes

Preheat your oven to 300F and prep a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your bananas (peel on) on the baking sheet and heat in the oven checking every 15 minutes. Bake until the peels are completely black.

Microwave

Time: 2-3 minutes

Poke holes in the peel of the bananas, then place on a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30-second increments until they’re very soft.

How to Serve Sourdough Discard Banana Bread

Serve sourdough discard banana bread for breakfast, snack, or dessert. Get creative with how you serve it using the ideas below.

Nut butter with sliced bananas or strawberries

Yogurt with sliced fruit on top

Butter and honey drizzle

Honey butter

Apple butter

Mascarpone and honey drizzle

Make french toast (don’t soak in egg wash too long)

Sliced hard-boiled eggs with avocado

Sourdough Discard Banana Bread Optional Add-Ins

Although I think this recipe is best left untouched, you could add some of the below ingredients to the batter either with or instead of the chocolate chips.

• Nuts – chopped pecans or walnuts work best
• Blueberries/raspberries, blackberries – fresh or frozen
• Shredded coconut
• Spices – warm spices like cinnamon, pumpkin spice, clove, allspice, and nutmeg are all great in banana bread.
• Cocoa or cacao powder – make a double chocolate loaf by mixing cocoa or cacao powder in with the dry ingredients.
• Orange zest – shave some orange zest into the batter as well as on top the loaf prior to baking to give yourself an orange banana bread loaf.
• Dried fruit – mix in some raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, apricots, etc. into the batter.
• Pumpkin – add canned pumpkin puree for an autumnal loaf.
• Zucchini – zucchini banana bread is delicious!
• Pineapple – a unique twist on a classic.

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• Stand mixer
• 9×5 inch loaf pan

More Sweet Sourdough Recipes

Double Chocolate Sourdough Babka

Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Sourdough Discard Muffins

Sourdough Monkey Bread

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