Sourdough Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
These sourdough donuts are fluffy with a crunchy crust. They’re made with no commercial yeast or fancy donut equipment. Grab your sourdough starter and a cast-iron skillet and you’re ready to make sourdough donuts!
Related: Sourdough Monkey Bread Recipe
Related: Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
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Table Of Contents
- free sourdough muffin ebook
- How to Make Sourdough Donuts
- sourdough donut storage instructions
- sourdough donut Tips
- Sourdough donut Serving Suggestions
- Sourdough donut topping options
- shop this post
- more sweet sourdough recipes
- Pin it for later – sourdough donuts
- print the sourdough donut recipe
- Sourdough Donuts
- sourdough donut storage instructions
- sourdough donut Tips
- Sourdough donut Serving Suggestions
- About Me
free sourdough muffin ebook
How to Make Sourdough Donuts
My sourdough donut recipe calls for a good amount of cinnamon (or pumpkin spice) so the flavor really stands out. The star of the show for these sourdough donuts is the texture – crunchy crust and soft on the inside.
Sourdough donut Ingredients
The dough is long-fermented and made with a sourdough starter and no commercial yeast. With a little help from baking powder and soda, these sourdough donuts are big and fluffy!
Doughnuts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp spice of choice (cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice or a combination)
- 3/4 cup milk (or raw milk kefir)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup sourodugh starter
- 2 tbs unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frying
- 6 tbs coconut oil
Cinnamon sugar coating
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
Sourodugh donut dough
- In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients until combined (be sure not to overmix or these can become dense).
- Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic and let the sourdough donut dough ferment on the counter for 2 hours then transfer to the fridge.
- Leave the dough in the fridge overnight (or until you want to fry your donuts – minimum 4 hours).
Shaping sourdough donuts
- Remove the dough from the fridge and lightly dust your counter with flour.
- Remove your ball of dough from the bowl and flatten out onto the counter.
- Divide your dough into equal pieces. This recipe makes 8-10 donuts depending on size.
- Take a piece of your divided dough and roll it into a ball.
- Then using your thumb to make a hole in the center and forefinger to guide and spin the donut, shape the dough into donuts.
- Do this for each piece of dough.
Frying and coating sourdough donuts
- Once all your donuts have been shaped, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and combine cinnamon and sugar coating on a plate.
- Set the cinnamon sugar plate and a clean plate next to your cast iron skillet. You’ll want this nearby!
- Add a liberal amount of coconut oil to your skillet. I call for about 6 tbs, but you want it to be about 1 inch deep.
- Once the oil is completely preheated, place your donuts into the oil and watch them sizzle!
- After about a minute, drop the heat to low and let them cook on that side until a crust has formed on the bottom. This should take about 3 minutes.
- Flip your donuts and let cook on the other side until a crust has formed. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
- Once the other side has cooked, do a quick flip again to add oil to the other side and place the donuts in the cinnamon sugar. Flip the donuts around to coat all sides. Then transfer coated donuts to a clean plate.
- Do this process for your next batch.
- If your donuts are still gooey on the inside just place them in a 350 degree F oven for 5-10 minutes after coating with cinnamon sugar and they will be completely baked on the inside but crunchy on the outside.
sourdough donut storage instructions
- Place the sourdough donuts in an airtight container and leave at room temperature for up to 3 days. The taste and texture quickly decline so eat up!
Freezing sourdough donuts
- Your donuts can be frozen too, without the coating, for up to three months.
- To defrost, simply remove the donuts from the freezer and leave at room temp for a couple hours. Or you can defrost by heating in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
- To coat the sourdough donuts after they’ve been defrosted, dip them in melted butter or coconut oil then in your coating.
sourdough donut Tips
- These donuts have a tendency to still be gooey in the middle if you don’t have the temperature in your skillet just right. If this happens, just pop them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 5-10 minutes.
- The dough for these sourdough donuts is quite sticky so you won’t want to skip the fridge ferment. This will make the dough easy to shape the next day.
- Shaping donuts doesn’t require fancy donut cutters, but if you have them, feel free to use them!
- If cutting out the donuts instead of shaping them how I instruct, you’ll want to let them rise for another hour after being cut so they can fluff up.
- If shaping your donuts how I instruct (just using hands) you’ll need floured hands because the dough is sticky. Only use as much flour as necessary or your donuts may turn too dense.
Sourdough donut Serving Suggestions
- Party appetizer – These sourdough donuts are great as an appetizer to bring to a party. Just use this same recipe to make mini donuts!
- Breakfast – Serve your sourdough donuts for breakfast with a side of eggs and bacon. Or with a smoothie!
- Dessert – Serve your donuts as dessert with some ice cream.
Sourdough donut topping options
Here are some fun options to top or coat your donuts with!
- Flaked coconut
- Chocoloate drizzle
- Cinnamon sugar
- Glaze
- Cream cheese
- Creme fraiche
- Whipped cream with straberries
- Maple glaze
- Maple bacon
- Sprinkles
- Powdered sugar
shop this post
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- Large glass or ceramic bowls
more sweet sourdough recipes
Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Lemon and Lavender Sourdough Discard Muffins
Pin it for later – sourdough donuts
Related: Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
Related: Sourdough Babka with Chocolate Filling
print the sourdough donut recipe
Sourdough Donuts
These sourdough donuts are fluffy with a crunchy crust. They're made with no commercial yeast or fancy donut equipment.
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet
- Glass bowls
Ingredients
Sourdough donut dough
- 2 cups flour all-purpose
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frying
- 6 tbs coconut oil
Cinnamon sugar coating
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Sourdough donut dough
- In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients until combined (be sure not to overmix or these can become dense).
- Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic and let the sourdough donut dough ferment on the counter for 2 hours then transfer to the fridge.
- Leave the dough in the fridge overnight (or until you want to fry your donuts – minimum 4 hours).
Shaping sourdough donuts
- Remove the dough from the fridge and lightly dust your counter with flour.
- Remove your ball of dough from the bowl and flatten out onto the counter.
- Divide your dough into equal pieces. This recipe makes 8-10 donuts depending on size.
- Take a piece of your divided dough and roll it into a ball.
- Then using your thumb to make a hole in the center and forefinger to guide and spin the donut, shape the dough into donuts.
- Do this for each piece of dough.
Frying and coating sourdough donuts
- Once all your donuts have been shaped, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and combine cinnamon and sugar coating on a plate.
- Set the cinnamon sugar plate and a clean plate next to your cast iron skillet. You'll want this nearby!
- Add a liberal amount of coconut oil to your skillet. I call for about 6 tbs, but you want it to be about 1 inch deep.
- Once the oil is completely preheated, place your donuts into the oil and watch them sizzle!
- After about a minute, drop the heat to low and let them cook on that side until a crust has formed on the bottom. This should take about 3 minutes.
- Flip your donuts and let cook on the other side until a crust has formed. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
- Once the other side has cooked, do a quick flip again to add oil to the other side and place the dounuts in the cinnamon sugar. Flip the donuts around to coat all sides. Then transfer coated donuts to a clean plate.
- Do this process for your next batch.
- If your donuts are still gooey on the inside just place them in a 350 degree F oven for 5-10 minutes after coating with cinnamon sugar and they will be completely baked on the inside but crunchy on the outside.
Notes
sourdough donut storage instructions
- Place the sourdough donuts in an airtight container and leave at room temperature for up to 3 days. The taste and texture quickly decline so eat up!
Freezing sourdough donuts
- Your donuts can be frozen too, without the coating, for up to three months.
- To defrost, simply remove the donuts from the freezer and leave at room temp for a couple hours. Or you can defrost by heating in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
- To coat the sourdough donuts after they’ve been defrosted, dip them in melted butter or coconut oil then in your coating.
sourdough donut Tips
- These donuts have a tendency to still be gooey in the middle if you don’t have the temperature in your skillet just right. If this happens, just pop them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 5-10 minutes.
- The dough for these sourdough donuts is quite sticky so you won’t want to skip the fridge ferment. This will make the dough easy to shape the next day.
- Shaping donuts doesn’t require fancy donut cutters, but if you have them, feel free to use them!
- If cutting out the donuts instead of shaping them how I instruct, you’ll want to let them rise for another hour after being cut so they can fluff up.
- If shaping your donuts how I instruct (just using hands) you’ll need floured hands because the dough is sticky. Only use as much flour as necessary or your donuts may turn too dense.
Sourdough donut Serving Suggestions
- Party appetizer – These sourdough donuts are great as an appetizer to bring to a party. Just use this same recipe to make mini donuts!
- Breakfast – Serve your sourdough donuts for breakfast with a side of eggs and bacon. Or with a smoothie!
- Dessert – Serve your donuts as dessert with some ice cream.
About Me
Thanks for stopping by! Let me know if you have any questions about this recipe!