Learn how to make irresistible sourdough donuts with the most amazingly soft, fluffy, texture – that are then dipped in a vanilla glaze. These donuts are soaked overnight and fried in coconut oil, giving them a delicious flavor.

fluffy sourdough donuts with a vanilla glaze drying on a wire rack over parchment paper on a quartz countertop

Iโ€™ve already confessed my love for fermented foods. We make Kefir and Sauerkraut on a regular basis, but there is usually one more ferment that hangs out on my countertop, happily collecting the yeasts of the air.

And that beloved ferment is called sourdough.

If you have been around here awhile, you may know that basically all bread products we make are sourdough. From cinnamon rolls, to flatbread, to English muffins and more.

We love this traditional way of fermenting grains to make them healthier and easier to digest. Plus, it just adds a depth a flavor that can’t be beaten.

It also makes breakfast simple since some of the prep work is done the night before.

Sourdough donuts are the perfect way to start a weekend morning, or really any morning. My kids absolutely devour them and I love that they contain freshly milled whole wheat and healthy fats.

You really can’t go wrong starting off the day with this tasty treat.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

glazed sourdough donuts drying on a wire rack over parchment paper.

What is sourdough?

Sourdough is a way to ferment grains so that the nutrients are more readily available for digestion. The ‘souring’ process helps to break down the anti-nutrient, called phytic acid, that is found in the bran of the whole grain.

The natural bacteria in sourdough helps to predigest the starches in the grains, and the resulting product usually has a lower glycemic index. Just like other fermented foods, sourdough is a gut-healing food, because it provides the body with beneficial bacteria.

Basically, if you’re going to eat grains, it is best if they are first soaked or fermented.

I learned how to make a sourdough starter on a website called GNOWFGLINS about 11 years ago, and my starter has been thriving ever since – it even becomes better with age. We use it to make pancakes, English muffins, bread, cake, brownies, and even doughnuts!

Sourdough is the way Ma Ingalls made bread. Those handy little packets of yeast that you find in the store today weren’t available back then.

She relied on the yeasts of the air to rise her baked goods. And if it’s good enough for Ma, it’s good enough for me.

UPDATE: You can make your own starter, if you’ve got that DIY spirit, using the directions from a post I wrote on how to make your own sourdough starter. You can also order it from a good company called Cultures For Health.

a bite out of a donut with a glaze on top of another donut

Tips for making sourdough donuts:

  • If you are sensitive to wheat, try fermenting the dough for up to 24 hours. This can really help make those grains easier to digest.
  • For this recipe, I dunked the donuts in a homemade glaze, but you could also top them with a cinnamon sugar topping.
  • You don’t need fancy equipment to cut out the donuts. I usually just find whatever objects we have on hand. A wide-mouth mason jar and a bottle cap for the holes will work perfectly fine.
  • Want to add some fun flavors to the glaze? Add a spoonful of your favorite jam to give it a fruity flavor.
  • Placing the dough in the refrigerator overnight is essential. This helps develop the flavors while slowing down the fermentation process so it doesn’t over ferment.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

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Sourdough Donuts Ingredients

sourdough donuts piled on a wire rack over parchment paper on a white quartz countertop. There are two donuts stacked on top of each other with a. bit taken out of the top donut

Dough

Milk – Preferably whole. The milk fat always lends itself to better texture.

Sugar – Organic unrefined.

Butter

Flour – I like to use all-purpose flour for this recipe. You could also use freshly milled whole grain. The texture will be a little different and not as fluffy.

Eggs

Sourdough starter – This should be fed and active sourdough starter that is nice and bubbly.

Salt

Oil For Frying – There are a few oils I would suggest using for frying donuts: tallow, lard, avocado oil, and coconut oil. These are healthy, unrefined oils with higher smoke points.

Glaze:

Butter

Powdered sugar

Vanilla

Milk – Preferably whole milk.

Tools you may need:

Stand mixer

Measuring cups and spoons

Cast iron skillet

Wire rack

Large bowl

Saucepan

glazed sourdough donuts stacked on a wire rack next to a white vintage stove with a copper pot on the stove

How To Make Sourdough Donuts:

Feed your sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the dough.

Warm the milk, sugar, and butter in saucepan over low to dissolve sugar.

Add mixture to a mixer with a dough hook.

Add 2 cups of flour to the mixer bowl. I like to do this to make sure the milk mixture has cooled down enough before adding my starter.

Add starter, eggs, the rest of the flour, and salt.

Knead on low until smooth and elastic. This took about 10 minutes for my dough to finally come together and pull away from the sides.

Cover with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for 5-6 hours.

Place dough in the fridge overnight.

woman wearing a baby is cutting out rolled donut dough on a white countertop

The next morning, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2″ thickness. Only use as much flour as needed, because if you add too much these tend to get dense and bready.

cut out sourdough donuts lay on parchment paper

Cut the donuts out. I usually use a cup or large biscuit cutter and a smaller bottle-type cap to cut the center, since we don’t have a doughnut cutter.

woman wearing a baby is covering sourdough donut dough with plastic wrap to rise.

Place donuts on a sheet; cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap for 1.5-2 hours depending on how warm the house is to rise.

adding donuts to a hot cast iron skillet with coconut oil

Add about 1/2 inch of coconut oil to a cast iron skillet. Heat the frying oil over medium heat until it sizzles when something is added.

frying sourdough donuts in a cast iron skillet with coconut oil

Fry 2-3 minutes, flip, and fry another 2-3 minutes on the other side until puffy. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan.

Place on a wire rack over parchment paper to cool a little before glazing.

sourdough donuts on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath with a pot of donut glaze to the left

Create The Glaze

In a sauce pan – I like to use a slightly larger one to make dipping easier – add butter, milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar over low heat.

Heat, stirring occasionally until everything has melted and come together.

Turn off heat and set aside until ready to dip.

If the glaze starts to crystallize or get too thick for dipping, you can place it back over low heat until it thins out a bit.

Dip the donuts in the glaze and set on wire rack to dry.

FAQ

close up picture of fluffy glazed sourdough donuts drying on a wire rack with parchment underneath

Why long-fermented donuts?

The longer the grains are fermented with the active sourdough starter, the more easily digestible they become and the more the phytic acid is broken down. Some people that are more sensitive to wheat or gluten can tolerate sourdough products where the grain has been fermented for 24 hours. These donuts can be fermented for 8-24 hours.

How do you store sourdough donuts?

If somehow you have a few leftover, you can store them in an airtight container (or bag), or wrap them in a napkin and place in a paper bag – fold over the top. I like to add a napkin to help absorb any extra oil and keep them fresh longer.

How do you eat leftover donuts?

I like to pop them in the oven for a few minutes just to warm them up without drying them out.

Check out my other sourdough recipes and posts

If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone with your delicious creation.

Sourdough Donuts

4.52 from 231 votes
Enjoy delicious and healthy whole grain sourdough donuts for breakfast or for dessert!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 14 hours
Total: 14 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 16 donuts
glazed sourdough donuts drying on a wire rack over parchment paper.
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Ingredients 

  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup active sourdough starter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Oil for frying like coconut, avocado, or lard

Glaze

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk

Instructions 

  • In a saucepan, warm milk, sugar and butter over low to dissolve the sugar and butter.
  • Add mixture to a mixer with a dough hook, and 2 cups of flour. I like to do this to make sure the milk mixture has cooled down enough before adding my starter.
  • Add starter, eggs, the rest of the flour, and salt. Knead on low until smooth and elastic. This took about 10 minutes for my dough to finally come together and pull away from the sides.
  • Cover with a plastic wrap or beeswax wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for 5-6 hours.
  • Place dough in the fridge overnight.
  • The next morning, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2โ€ณ thickness.
  • Cut the donuts out.
  • Place donuts on a sheet; cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap for 1.5-2 hours, depending on how warm the house is, to rise.
  • Add about 1/2 inch of oil to a cast iron skillet.
  • Heat the frying oil over medium heat until it sizzles when something is added.
  • Fry 2-3 minutes, flip, and fry another 2-3 minutes on the other side until puffy. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan.
  • Place on a wire rack over parchment paper to cool a little before glazing.

Make The Glaze

  • In a sauce pan – I like to use a slightly larger one to make dipping easier – add butter, milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar over low heat.
  • Heat, stirring occasionally until everything has melted and come together.
  • Turn off heat and set aside until ready to dip.
  • Dip the donuts in the glaze and set on wire rack to dry.

Notes

  • Placing the dough in the refrigerator is a must. This helps slow down the fermentation so the dough still develops that delicious tangy sourdough flavor without over fermenting.
  • For this recipe, I dunked the donuts in a homemade glaze, but you could also top them with a cinnamon sugar topping.
  • You donโ€™t need fancy equipment to cut out the donuts. I usually just find whatever objects we have on hand. A wide-mouth mason jar and a bottle cap for the holes will work perfectly fine.
  • Want to add some fun flavors to the glaze? Add a spoonful of your favorite jam to give it a fruity flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1donut | Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 208mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 241IU | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.52 from 231 votes (220 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




188 Comments

  1. Megan says:

    5 stars
    These came out amazing!!!

  2. Amy says:

    4 stars
    Made these but strawberry, this is my 1st time making donuts and the recipe is perfect and so easy to follow! I donโ€™t have proper donut cutting set, so I used a cup and the back of a pipping tip, and this worked but made smaller donuts as I ended up with 23! With only the one kid I will be freezing some, this was deff a trust the process for me though as I was worried they were going to stay flat, they didnโ€™t rise much after the 2 hours but this would be a fault In my starter as he is t the healthiest at the moment but Passed the float test, and that was good enough for me to give it ago, they still more then doubled in the fryer and came out big, so was really impressed (I donโ€™t fry things so this was new for me too) but over all really great!

  3. Anonymous says:

    Can you make these donut holes?

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      Sure!

  4. Vanessa says:

    5 stars
    Those were my first donuts ever and I can’t believe I nailed your recipe with soft wheat…I had to put in way more than 4 cups of flour and kneaded by hand until I felt it was the right consistency…they are the best…thank you so much. I also rocked your pizza dough with Italian soft wheat……up to now I have made 7 of your sourdough recipe after starting my starter and I will keep going. Once you go sourdough you never go back LOL. Bless you!

    1. Heather says:

      Oh my goodness I use soft wheat flour too! Would love to know how much flour you used! I think I used maybe another cup and a half! I don’t know many people who use soft wheat, but that’s the only wheat my husband and I can consume

  5. Cessa says:

    5 stars
    These turned out super yummy. My family gobbled them up.

  6. Jess says:

    Did it really only take 10 minutes? Mine’s been going for a good half hour and still looks almost soupy.

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      It can depend on the motor in your Kitchen Aid mixer. It may need to go for an additional ten minutes.

    2. Sara says:

      You may need to add more flour. That’s what I did.

  7. Tina says:

    I’ve tried this recipe twice and each time the donuts are dense and not light and fluffy like donuts should be. What am I doing wrong?

  8. Sarah says:

    3 stars
    These turned out yummy but the dough was incredibly sticky and hard to handle, Iโ€™m assuming because the recipe is by cups and not by weight. By the time I had cut out the donuts and re rolled the rest of the dough to make more a couple times the dough finally would almost hold shape because of having to flour the counter and top of the dough for rolling. A recipe in grams would be so nice but I couldnโ€™t find any which is so unusual for sourdough.

    1. Rachel Wilkinson says:

      When the dough feels too soupy I just add more flour til it looks and feels right.

  9. Kelly M says:

    I don’t have a stand up mixer so what would you suggest instead? Also, I have a mini donut maker I would like to use instead of frying them. These will be for my grandchildren who are under 2. Also don’t want to use all the sugar. Can it be reduced or maple syrup instead?

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      I would knead by hand if you don’t have a stand up mixer. You could use a mini donut maker. I also have a recipe that calls for baking the donuts. You may prefer those. Sugar can be reduced for maple syrup.

  10. Krista Fradette says:

    Can you reuse the coconut oil multi times?

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      I wouldn’t.

    2. Tina says:

      Yes You can reuse coconut oil multiple times.

      1. Katrina Svingen says:

        5 stars
        Iโ€™ve been making homemade donuts for Halloween for about a decade now and tried these with my sourdough starter instead of active yeast donuts and oh my goodness they turned out amazing!! Donโ€™t be afraid of the dough being a little sticky. They were the fluffiest Iโ€™ve ever made!