If you have a sourdough starter, you’re just a few easy steps away from enjoying these incredible sourdough donuts! They’re light and airy with an amazing depth of flavor. You can eat them plain, drizzle on a smooth glaze, or coat them in your favorite sweet topping (nuts, cinnamon, sugar, etc.)! We cannot get enough of these sourdough donuts, and guarantee you will feel the same.

A chocolate covered sourdough donut on a cooling rack.

how to use sourdough starter

In case you couldn’t tell, we have an affinity for sourdough starter recipes. And chances are, if you’re reading this, you might as well! (So be sure to also check out our overnight sourdough pancakes, our sourdough pizza dough recipe, and of course our easy sourdough bread.) These are just a few different ways you can use sourdough starter. Recently, many of you have shared with us on Instagram what you’ve been making with your starter. And we’ve been thrilled to see!

If you’re new to the fascinating world of possibilities that a sourdough starter brings to your life, you can check out our post on how to make a wild yeast sourdough starter. It’s simple science at it’s best!

how to make donuts

These sourdough donuts are just one of many ways you can use a sourdough starter. It’s a great sourdough starter recipe that lets you make the most of your starter.

Our sourdough donuts recipe also includes three glaze options: maple glaze, raspberry glaze, and chocolate glaze. Each are sweet, rich, and simple to make! Take your pick or make all three for a fun sourdough donut assortment (FYI it’s THE guaranteed way to become the new office favorite 😉 ).

One of the things I appreciate about this recipe is that it works with all-purpose flour. That’s the flour I happen to have on-hand and I can’t seem to find any specialty flours these days.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make sourdough donuts:

milk
active sourdough starter
egg
vanilla extract
all-purpose flour
sugar
salt
butter
peanut or vegetable oil

And for the glazes:

maple glaze: butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla,
chocolate glaze: powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, milk, vanilla
raspberry glaze: fresh raspberries, powdered sugar, lemon juice

the donut-making process

These sourdough donuts are prepared the traditional, deep-fried way. They’re quite simple to make but as with any light and airy bread recipe, they do require some time to proof, so don’t forget to account for that! Here’s a summary but be sure to check out the full recipe card at the bottom of the page for all of the details:

Make the dough: Warm up the milk slightly. In a bowl, stir together the starter, milk, egg and vanilla. Add the flour, sugar, and salt, stirring until the flour blends in.
Knead: Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead in the butter. Knead the dough until it’s smooth, about 8-12 minutes (or use an electric mixer with a dough hook).
First proof: Place the dough into an oiled bowl and pour some more oil on top of the dough ball. Loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap for proofing. How long does it take to proof donuts? We let them sit at room temperature for 3-6 hours or until it has doubled in size. You can also proof them in the refrigerator but they’ll take much longer to proof, about 12-24 hours. Keep in mind, this is the first rise.
Cut: Once the dough has proofed, knock the air out of it and dump the dough onto a floured work surface. Roll it out until it’s about 1/2-inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out circles, then your smaller cookie cutter to cut out the centers of each circle.
Second proof: Arrange the donuts on a baking sheet and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours) until they are slightly puffed up.
Fry: Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Once it’s hot, place 2-3 donuts into the pot, frying each side for 2-3 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let them cool on a cooling rack while you fry the rest of the batch.
Glaze: Make the glaze (or glazes) of your choice! Dip the donuts into the glaze and place them on a wire rack to dry.

why these are the best

These sourdough donuts have an incredible flavor, an airy texture, and are just divine! Plus, you don’t have to worry about hunting for a specialty flour, just use regular ole all-purpose flour.

Dunk those donuts in a sweet glaze and it’s on-par with your favorite donut shop– we’d argue, it’s better. There’s nothing like the taste of sourdough, and our sourdough donuts combine two of our favorite things into one tasty treat.

? More Sourdough Recipes

There are so many wonderful things to do with sourdough discard! Every time you refresh your starter, instead of throwing away the leftover unfed starter, you can put it to use in all kinds of delicious sourdough recipes.

Sourdough Pizza Dough – A Recipe for Beginners
Overnight Sourdough Pancakes
Einkorn Sourdough Bread
Overnight Sourdough Waffles
17 Tantalizing Sourdough Recipes

More Recipes You Will Love

Our Einkorn Sourdough Bread is made with one of our favorite ancient grains: einkorn! It amplifies the flavor and health benefits of sourdough bread. You will love this rustic sourdough loaf!

Overnight Sourdough Waffles are just what your Sunday morning calls for! Airy on the inside and crispy on the outside, they are pure waffle perfection.

This Quick Barley Bread is made without any yeast and has a nutty, earthy flavor with a large crumb similar to cornbread. It’s rich and complex and makes for delicious toast.

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Sourdough Donuts

These light and airy donuts are made with a sourdough starter that gives them a depth of flavor that just can't be beat. Eat them plain or cover them with a sweet chocolate, raspberry, or maple glaze.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 6

Additional Time: 12

Total Time: 1 18

Servings: to 30 donuts

Calories: 432kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

1 cup milk (236 grams)
1 cup active sourdough starter 240 grams
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4-¼ to 4-¾ cups All Purpose flour 510 to 570 grams
½ cup sugar 100 grams
1 teaspoon salt 6 grams
6 tablespoons butter softened (85 grams)

To deep fry the donuts:

6 cups peanut or vegetable oil

Maple glaze

5 tablespoons butter melted
¾ cup powdered sugar
¾ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 to 5 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Raspberry glaze

6 to 8 ounces fresh raspberries
1 to 1-½ cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Warm the milk up slightly. It should be just a little warmer than body temperature or between 100°F and 120°F.
Add starter, warm milk, egg and vanilla to a bowl. Stir well.
Add the flour, sugar and salt. Stir until the flour is blended in.
Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead in the butter.
Continue to knead the dough until it is smooth. It will take about 8 to 12 minutes. You can use an electric mixer with the dough hook if you would like. When the dough is well-kneaded, it will be smooth and will not tear easily.
Place the dough into an oiled bowl and coat the top of the dough ball with some more oil. Loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 3 to 6 hours until it is doubled in size. (optionally, you can let it sit in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours for a longer fermentation).
Knock the air out of the dough and dump it out onto a floured work surface.
Roll the dough out until it is about ½ inch thick.
Use a 4 inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles. Use a smaller cookie cutter, about 1-½ inches to cut the centers out of each circle.
Arrange the donuts onto a greased baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Spray the tops of the donuts with cooking spray so they don’t dry out and cover them loosely with plastic wrap.
Let the donuts sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours until they are slightly puffed up.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. The oil should be 360°F to 370°F.
When the oil is hot gently place 2 to 3 donuts into the pot. Fry on each side for 2 to 3 minutes until they are golden brown.
Place the donuts on a cooling rack while you fry the rest of them.

To glaze the donuts:

Make one or all of the glazes below. Dip the donuts into the glaze and place on a wire rack to dry.

For the maple glaze:

Combine all the ingredients for the maple glaze and set aside to thicken. As the melted butter cools, the glaze will get thick. If you want a thicker glaze, add a bit more powdered sugar.

For the chocolate glaze:

Combine all the ingredients for the chocolate glaze and stir until there are no lumps.
For a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar and for a thinner glaze, add more milk.

For the raspberry glaze:

Puree the raspberries in a blender then strain through a strainer to remove the seeds.
Combine the raspberry puree with the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Stir until smooth.
For a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar. For a thinner glaze, add a few drops of lemon juice or water.