Scrumptious sourdough discard banana bread is the perfect example of a comfort food classic. The secret to the incredibly sweet, and silky soft, with just the right amount of banana flavor, is in the overripe bananas. If they’re not limp and brown they’re not ready for your sourdough banana bread recipe!

Table of Contents
- What is Sourdough Discard?
- How to Make Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
- Tips for the Best Banana Bread
- Vegan Sourdough Discard Banana Bread Recipe
- More Sourdough Discard Recipes
- What to Serve With Sourdough Banana Bread?
- The Best Loaf Pan for Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
- Delicious Sourdough discard banana bread
- Sourdough Discard Banana Bread Recipe – FAQs

Sourdough Discard Banana Bread Recipe
This delightful banana bread recipe is a great way to use your sourdough discard, especially if you’re nurturing an active sourdough starter because there’s a lot more to discard! This recipe effectively assures minimal waste and helps clear some space in your refrigerator.
- Total Time: 22 minute
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar for 5 minutes until you’re left with a light and fluffy mixture.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, mashed bananas, and sourdough discard.
- Gradually fold in the dry ingredients until well incorporated.
- This is your chance to include any additional add-ins you want i.e., pecans, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
- Pour the banana bread dough into a greased loaf pan. You could line your loaf pan with parchment paper instead.
- Bake your banana bread for 50-60 minutes. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Category: dessert
Keywords: Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
What is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough discard is a portion of unfed sourdough starter that is often “discarded” or kept in a separate jar and refrigerated. This discard can be used in a variety of scrumptious sourdough discard recipes, producing wonderful, flavorful treats that’ll have your taste buds tingling!
How to Make Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
This delightful banana bread recipe is a great way to use your sourdough discard, especially if you’re nurturing an active sourdough starter because there’s a lot more to discard! This recipe effectively assures minimal waste and helps clear some space in your refrigerator.
Try this delectable sourdough discard banana loaf today:
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar for five minutes until you’re left with a light and fluffy mixture.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, mashed bananas, and sourdough discard.
- Gradually fold in the dry ingredients until well incorporated.
- This is your chance to include any additional add-ins you want i.e., pecans, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
- Pour the banana bread dough into a greased loaf pan. You could line your loaf pan with parchment paper instead.
- Bake your banana bread for 50-60 minutes. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Tips for the Best Banana Bread
This sourdough banana bread is super simple. However, there are a few tweaks you can make to an already incredible recipe, to ensure a perfectly flavorful loaf!
- Make sure you’re using overripe bananas. These dark brown bananas will help sweeten the banana bread thanks to their incredibly squishy interior. If you happen to have a good bunch of overripe bananas, simply pop them into the freezer until you’re ready for your next banana treat!
- Once you’ve added your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, try not to overmix your batter as this can produce tough bread.
- If you find that the tops of your loaves are browning too quickly, then cover your banana bread with a sheet of foil. This will enable the bread to continue cooking without burning the top of your loaf.
Optional Add-Ins
There’s no doubt that this sourdough banana bread is delicious as is. But, there are a couple of additional inclusions that can transform an already delicious banana bread into something phenomenal!
Here are some ideas for you to consider:
- Roasted and chopped nuts: Lightly toast your choice of chopped nuts in a heated pan before adding them to the rest of your ingredients. You can add up to 150g of chopped walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts.
- Chocolate: Chocolate coupled with banana makes the perfect treat. Add up to 100g of chocolate chips or your favorite chocolate chopped.

Vegan Sourdough Discard Banana Bread Recipe
If you’re looking for the vegan-friendly version of this decadent sourdough banana bread recipe, then you’ve stumbled upon the right article. You can quite easily substitute any of the ingredients listed above for plant-based or vegan ingredients.
Alternatively, you can follow the recipe below:
Ingredients
- 3 small bananas/2 medium bananas (ripe and mashed)
- 250g sourdough starter discard
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 100g brown sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 4g baking powder
- 3g baking soda
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mash your bananas using a potato masher or a fork, until you’re left with a thick banana paste.
- Stir in the discard, vegetable oil, and brown sugar. Mix the banana mixture well.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda followed by a pinch of salt. Mix until you have achieved a light and fluffy cake batter.
- Grease a loaf pan with oil or vegan butter. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 60 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer the loaf onto a wire rack. Cool and enjoy your incredible banana bread.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Deliciously tangy sourdough loaves smothered in ripe bananas are the gift that keeps on giving.
If you’re looking for a satisfying end to an eventful week with a good bake, then check out these delicious and satiating sourdough discard recipes:
- Cranberry walnut sourdough bread
- Chocolate sourdough bread
- Sourdough baked donuts
- Sourdough pumpkin muffins
- Sourdough doughnuts
What to Serve With Sourdough Banana Bread?
Much like any ordinary bread, sourdough banana bread can be toasted, buttered, and devoured with a mug of hot cocoa. But if you’re feeling a little creative and want to explore a variety of flavorful options, to create the ultimate breakfast treat, then stick around, because some of these might delight your taste buds.
- Peanut butter
- Fried bananas and vanilla ice cream
- Chocolate spread
Peanut Butter
Spreads and bread are almost always best friends. And when it comes to peanut butter, there’s no exception. A thick spread of nut butter, on some toasted banana bread makes the perfect breakfast-treat.
But don’t let this stop you from indulging in some peanut butter banana bread for dessert!

Fried Bananas and Vanilla Ice Cream
There’s no such thing as too much banana!
These delicious pan-fried bananas topped with vanilla ice cream make the perfect accompaniment to sourdough banana bread. Serve these for dessert at a gathering, and you’ll certainly impress your guests!
You won’t need very ripe bananas for this, although it’d help if they weren’t green. Peel your bananas then cut them in half and slice them so that they split down the middle. You should have 4 quarters of a banana sliced and ready to jump in the pan.
Grab a non-stick frying pan, and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or a tablespoon of butter to it. Once the oil has heated well, carefully place your banana quarts into the pan. Fry them on each side until they’re a lovely golden brown.
Serve these glistening bananas on top of some warm sourdough banana bread, and a scoop of ice cream, for a scrumptious treat.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Spread
Chocolate and hazelnut spread is probably one of the safest options to go for. I love spreading chocolate on just about anything. From plain crackers to crispy sourdough bread, it goes with just about anything! So why not spread some of this delicious chocolatey goodness on your banana bread for the ultimate comforting treat?

The Best Loaf Pan for Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
Moist banana bread loaves like this one are best baked in a 9×5-inch loaf pan. I find that it helps bake a nice proportioned loaf, without the risk of spilling over the edges.
You can fill your loaf pan to the top with banana bread dough, and it won’t overflow while baking. Instead, you’ll find that the dough poofs up wonderfully while baking producing an effortless dome, that is especially appealing once baked and ready to eat!
Delicious Sourdough discard banana bread
Your sourdough discard can create incredible sourdough treats, From sourdough banana bread to scrumptious sourdough breakfast recipes! Why not try one today?
Sourdough Discard Banana Bread Recipe – FAQs
What Do You Eat Banana Bread With?
Banana bread pairs well with almost anything. Spread some Nutella on a slice of banana read, and you’ll immediately want another slice! Additional sides may include peanut butter, crushed nuts, yogurt, and jam.
How Ripe Should Bananas Be For Banana Bread?
The best bananas for banana bread shouldn’t be yellow. You’ll need the darkest of bananas for this recipe.
Can I Freeze Overripe Bananas?
Freezing bananas is an efficient way to preserve overripe bananas. Rather than disposing of them, because they’re too soft to eat, simply place them in the freezer for recipes like these!
Why is My Sourdough Bread Lumpy?
Your sourdough bread may be lumpy due to a lack of kneading. When you don’t knead the dough enough, bits of flour form clumps in the dough,