Sourdough brownies are chocolatey and fudgy, with a signature sourdough kick. Whip them up in an afternoon or long ferment them overnight!
Every day I receive countless messages about sourdough. From making and caring for starters, to more recipes for using up the abundance of starter from all that feeding and discarding.
I take that back – there is no discarding in our house. We will always find a way to use our starter (like these discard recipes). I’m not the type to waste perfectly good food.
On a recent podcast episode, we go into this a little more as we discuss how to be a naturally frugal person.
One frugal tip is not to waste food, but also make simple dishes. So, instead of throwing away your starter, use it to make crepes, pizza crust, flat bread, and so much more (find more ideas here).
While these sourdough dishes may be simple, they are really good.
There is nothing like a fudgy sourdough brownie. And topped with some homemade ice cream…seriously delicious.
We’re talking high up on the list with cookies or cake. It’s a tough call.
Why you will love this recipe:
Delicious: Classic sweet and fudgy brownies with the slight tang from sourdough. There is really no beating the flavor.
Healthier: It can also be made with whole grain flour. Long ferment it to help break down the phytic acid, reduce the gluten content, and make the nutrients more bioavailable. If you want to use unrefined sugar, swap out the sugar for coconut sugar.
Fudgy: As every good brownie should be… they are incredibly fudgy on the inside with that classic crackle top.
Tips
- My sourdough starter is at 100% hydration, meaning I feed it with equal parts flour and water.
- Make sure your eggs are room temperature. If you forgot to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you can bring them up to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Allow the brownies to cool totally before cutting. Once they are completely cooled, the flavor will have developed, and the brownies will hold together.
- Long ferment the dough overnight to add more delicious tang from the fermentation of the grains.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Sourdough Brownies Ingredients:
Butter – Unsalted. You want to be able to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips – This gives it a nice balance without making the brownies too sweet.
Vanilla – Store-bought or homemade.
Flour – Whole grain, spelt, or all-purpose will work
Sugar – Could also substitute with coconut sugar if desired.
Cocoa powder
Salt
Eggs
Sourdough discard – This is sourdough starter that hasn’t been fed. You could also use active starter, but it won’t have as much of that sourdough tang.
Tools you may need:
Measuring cups and spoons
Saucepan
Silicone spatula
How To Make Sourdough Brownies
Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a 9×9 pan by lining with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan over low/medium heat, melt butter.
Take off heat and add chocolate chips and vanilla.
Stir until all melted together.
In a medium or large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
Pour chocolate butter mixture into the dry ingredients.
Add in eggs and sourdough discard.
Stir well until there are no clumps.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 40 minutes in prepared 9 X9 pan or until a toothpick comes out clean and the middle is set.
Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. This will help it set up and also develop the flavors.
Storage:
Store in an air-tight container for up to two or three days. You can also store them in the refrigerator for three to five days, or freeze for up to three months.
FAQ
Can you make these sourdough brownies long fermented?
Yes. Combine the flour, sourdough starter, sugar, and half a cup of melted butter the night before. Cover and leave overnight up to 24 hours. The next day, add the rest of the ingredients.
What can I do with a lot of sourdough starter?
There are so many recipes you can make with sourdough starter or discard. Brownies, crepes, dutch baby pancakes, waffles, the easiest pizza crust ever, sourdough crackers, and more. You can find those recipes here.
How do I make my brownies more fudgy?
Fudgy brownies have more fat in them than flour, while cake like brownies have more flour than fat.
Can I freeze fresh baked brownies?
It is best to wait until they have completely cooled before freezing. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and then place in a freezer safe zip-lock bag and try to remove as much as as possible. This can be done as a slab or cut into pieces. Freeze up to 3 months.
To thaw, simply place the brownies on a plate and place them at room temperature until thawed.
How do you make a sourdough starter?
You can find the directions and all the tips and tricks to make your own sourdough starter here.
Find More Delicious Sourdough Dessert Recipes:
- Sourdough Cream Cheese Cobbler
- Banana Bread
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Sourdough Chocolate Rolls
- Blueberry Cobbler
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars!
Sourdough Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter, 8 tablespoons
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a 9×9 pan by lining with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan over low/medium heat, melt butter. Take off heat and add chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until all melted together.
- In a medium or large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Pour chocolate butter mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Add in eggs and sourdough discard.
- Stir well until there are no clumps.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake 40 minutes in prepared 9 X9 pan or until a toothpick comes out clean and the middle is set.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. This will help it set up and also develop the flavors.
Notes
- Make sure your eggs are room temperature. If you forgot to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you can bring them up to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Allow the brownies to cool totally before cutting. Once they are completely cooled, the flavor will have developed, and the brownies will hold together.
- Long ferment the dough overnight to add more delicious tang from the fermentation of the grains.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Lisa , first THANK you for helping me become successful in creating an active starter!!! I now always have starter to work with and have been able to share with friends. I have incorporated sour dough into my recipes and am enjoying it. BUT these sourdough brownies are amazing. They are thick and a tittle chewy and the fudge flavor is big. I am going to make another batch. 👍
I honestly wasn’t expecting to love these brownies but I do! They came out so light and chocolatey that it was love at first bite. I was looking for recipes to use up my discarded sourdough starter, what a pleasant surprise. Thank you!
How wonderful! Happy you enjoyed them so much.
Thank you for the amazing recipe! I love your sourdough recipes.
So happy you enjoy them!
Hi. I was wondering why you have been changing some of your “healthier” recipes to adding more sugar. I noticed you also changed the banana bread recipe ro using sugar. Im so glad i printed the original. I was delicious and better in my opinion with the maple syrup. Just curious though why the changes. It was something i liked about your website.
It would be helpful if you gave weight measurements either along with, or in place of your volume measures. A cup (or fraction of) of any flour is the most inefficient way of measure. I have a tendency to bypass recipes with only volume measures. Thanks for reading my rant.
Very true, I’ve been trying to add more weight measurements to my recipes, especially breads. I do have a post on measurement conversions that work for my recipes.
Thank you for ALL your sourdough recipes!!!
So glad you enjoy them!
I love this brownie, I made this twice already. The problem I had (which I totally forgot to adjust) it became cake’y. I think because of too much flour, mind that there’s flour in the sourdough discard/starter. So next time I make this, again, I will adjust the flour measurement to maybe just 1/3c….still a delicious treat…thank you, Lisa for all your wonderful recipes.
Let me know how that works for you! Glad you enjoy the recipe.
What happened to the recipe with the tahini?
I updated the recipe. Here is the original: 1⁄2 cup flour- whole grain, spelt, or all purpose
1⁄2 tsp sea salt
1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2⁄3 cup chocolate chips
1 and 1/4 cup melted butter
8 ounces semi sweet baker’s chocolate
2 large eggs plus one yolk (room temperature)
1 cup coconut sugar
1⁄4 cup maple syrup
1⁄2 cup sourdough starter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tbsp coffee
Tahini Swirl (optional)
6 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp maple syrup
Pinch of salt
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a 9×13 pan by lining with parchment paper.
Stir together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter and baker’s chocolate together. After it has melted, place it on the side to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together. Once combined, stir in maple syrup, sourdough starter, vanilla extract, coffee, and add in the melted butter (slightly cooled) and chocolate.
Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients; stir until no dry clumps remain, then gently stir in chocolate chips.
Pour brownie batter into the prepared 9×13 pan.
(Optional) In a small bowl, stir together tahini, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt.
Drop six equally-placed dollops of the tahini mixture on the brownie batter, and use a chopstick or thin utensil to create a beautiful swirl pattern.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the middle is set.
Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. This will help it set up and also develop the flavors.
Who doesn’t love brownies? And adding sourdough is brilliant. Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for so many great sourdough recipes, Lisa!
These are amazing! I didn’t have time for the swirl so I just sprinkled a few chocolate chips on top. And I left out the 2/3 cup of chips mixed in because I was too lazy to go downstairs to get more. I tried the long ferment but only from 9am to 3pm because that’s what time allowed. I didn’t notice any change in the mixture, it was just a pretty thick blob the whole time but it mixed in well. I will definitely make these again but try to follow the exact recipe next time. We love all things sourdough and I haven’t met a recipe yet that I don’t like from this blog. Thanks for all the sourdough recipes!