Sourdough Donuts

Homemade deep-fried chocolate-glazed sourdough donuts with light sweet, sour, vanilla, and chocolate flavors and soft texture.

The secret to getting the best sourdough donuts is to give the sourdough starter enough time to work its magic on the dough. The enriched dough with butter and vanilla is deep-fried in hot oil and glazed with creamy chocolate frosting – these sweet treats are a definite crowd-pleaser at any gathering.

Don’t let the sourdough thing intimidate you. It is just like making any other dough, you mix the ingredients, pop it into the refrigerator overnight, then shape it and fry it.

Glazing is optional and easy to customize and here you are, with your homemade donuts that taste better than any you can buy (and are also much cheaper!)

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• There is nothing like homemade donuts and they are well worth the wait.
• Faster than most sourdough recipes as it doesn’t require days of proofing and rising, only 5 hours or overnight.
• The perfect way to use your sourdough starter. If you have a lot of the starter, try these sourdough pretzels.
• Much quicker recipe as I’m using a sourdough discard starter that takes less time to proof and rise.
• Easy to customize the flavors: you can use different extracts to flavor the dough and glazes (from vanilla to lemon or strawberry!)
• Very yummy snacks or a breakfast idea. Great on the go too.

Ingredients Notes

Dough

• Flour mixture: all-purpose flour + baking powder + baking soda + salt. Basic flour mix for baking.
• Whole Milk. The fats from the milk add a lot to the texture and flavors of the donuts. For a richer taste, you can use buttermilk (store-bought or homemade).
• Granulated sugar
• Sourdough discard starter. Sourdough discard is the less active portion of the starter you didn’t feed and separated from the starter before you fed it. You can also use active homemade (use any of your favorite sourdough recipes or my starter recipe) starter or store-bought one. If using a non-discard starter make sure you use a ripe starter that was fed regularly and hasn’t gone bad or died and allocate more time for proofing.
• Unsalted butter to make ultra-rich buttery donuts.
• Egg. I use whole eggs and find them to give the best results, but there are variations when you can use just egg yolks.
• Vanilla extract
• Frying oil (Avocado, canola oil, refined coconut oil, or any other vegetable oil with a high smoke point). Not to worry, fried sourdough donuts do not feel greasy and do not taste oily.

Chocolate Glaze

• Confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar
• Cocoa powder
• Milk, again, whole milk is the best option for rich flavor.
• Vanilla extract

Kitchen Equipment

• Mixing bowl ( a few) or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment
• Optional, silicone mat to work with the dough
• 3” doughnut cutter
• Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Plate lined with paper towels
• Dutch oven, heavy-bottomed pot, or deep skillet, if you don’t own a deep fryer.
• Optional, candy thermometer
• Slotted spoon
• Saucepan (to pre-melt the butter)

How To Make Sourdough Donuts

1: Make Sourdough

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Whisk the milk, sugar, sourdough starter, melted butter, egg, and vanilla in another bowl. Do not add hot melted butter to avoid killing the wild yeast in the starter. Let the mixture cool a bit before introducing the starter.
3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined – don’t overmix. If working with a mixer bowl and electric mixer, it will take about 10 minutes on low.
4. Make sure that at the end of the mixing process, the dough passes the windowpane test – you should be able to stretch it with wet hands till it is thin and light can pass through it.

2: Let The Dough Bulk Ferment

1. Place the dough mixture in an oiled bowl. 
2. Cover the bowl with the dough and let the dough ferment in the fridge for 4 hours. For the best results and better digestion, leave it in the fridge overnight.

3: Divide The Dough

1. The next day, turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. If you are not confident working with flour use a silicone mat to cover your workspace or work on a lightly floured surface only, to make sure you don’t add too much flour to the dough (it will make it denser).
2. Press and stretch the dough until it is 1/2’’ thick.
3. Use a 3” doughnut cutter to cut the dough. You can also use a cookie cutter or a glass and then cut the centers out separately. If you don’t have a cutter, shape the dough pieces with your hands and use a bottle cup to cut out the centers.
4. Transfer the cut dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, then let the dough rest and rise for 45 minutes in a warm place (final proof).
5. You can keep the dough warm on the counter (room temperature should be around 73F), in the oven with the light on, or in the microwave with doors slightly open.
6. If you have time you can let the dough proof overnight.

4: Fry

1. Fill a deep skillet or Dutch oven with oil for frying – approx 1” deep. 
2. Heat over medium-high heat. The oil temperature should be around 360-375F.
3. When the oil is hot, carefully add each donut, one by one, to the oil, frying on each side for approx 30 seconds until golden brown. The frying temperature defines how fast your donuts will be ready so you should try with one first.
4. Do not overcrowd the pan while frying.
5. Once each donut is fried, immediately remove it and place it on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
6. Let the donuts cool on the cooling rack before decorating.

5: Glaze

1. Combine the confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla in a bowl. 
2. Whisk in enough milk to reach a dippable consistency.
3. Dip the top half of each donut into the chocolate glaze and then place the donut onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or a wire rack to allow the glaze to set before serving.

Storage

These sourdough donuts are best eaten the same day.

Store glazed sourdough donuts in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can lay paper towels at the bottom of the container to collect the excess oil and keep them fresh.

Reheat in the microwave and serve with a cup of warm milk.

Substitutions & Variations

• Different glazes. Vanilla is one of the popular choices. You can also skip the glaze and simply coat the donuts with some cinnamon sugar or sprinkles once they are deep-fried.
• Filled donuts aka Bomboloni. Jams, preserves, vanilla pastry cream, and chocolate are some of the common fillings. It is not that difficult to fill a donut with a piping bag (make a whole with a small knife) but it will add some ingredients and prep time to the whole recipe. And in this case, you don’t have to make a hole in the center.
• Healthier version. You can air fry these donuts to use less oil or bake them (won’t be as fluffy) at 350F for 15 minutes.

Popular Questions

What Is The Difference Between Sourdough Donuts And Regular Donuts?

Sourdough donuts use fermented dough that is made with sourdough starter packed with bacteria that consume wheat, while regular donuts don’t use sourdough starter at all.

Is Sourdough Good For Donuts?

Yes! Sourdough makes healthier donuts that are easier on your stomach and digest better. Sourdough donuts also have a signature fluffy and light texture and a little sourness in the taste.

How Do You Keep Sourdough Donuts Fresh?

Sourdough doughnuts will stay fresh in a sealed container if you place a paper towel in it. But they only will be fresh for a couple of days.

If you love this donut recipe, you’re going to love these other donut ideas, too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Sourdough Recipes

Sourdough Starter

Sourdough English Muffins

Soft Sourdough Pretzels

Sourdough Bread Recipe

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