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Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts are crispy on the outside, and soft and pillowy on the inside. Not to mention they're completely coated with an irresistible cinnamon and sugar mixture which is sure to have you doing the happy donut dance!
I originally shared this recipe in 2014. I've recently updated this post with additional information, including a recipe card complete with nutritional information, but the recipe itself has remained unchanged.
**Please Note - Theprintable recipe cardwith detailed instructions, complete ingredient measurements, and nutritional informationfor making Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts is available at the end of this post.OR you can hit the "jump to recipe" button (found above) to be taken directly to the recipe.
The ingredient list:
- mashed sweet potatoes (leftovers work great for this recipe)
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- freshly grated nutmeg
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- shortening
- eggs
- milk
- pure vanilla extract
- light-colored oil for frying (I use peanut oil, but canola or vegetable oil is fine)
The gift of homemade donuts:
There is nothing as heartwarming and comforting as the gift of a homemade donut! If you're lucky enough to be the recipient of one (or a dozen), then you know what I'm talking about.
If you have someone you love with all your heart, make them a batch of Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts. No words needed. Feel the love!
The step-by-step photo instructions:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In another large bowl, blend together the shortening, brown sugar, milk, mashed sweet potato, vanilla, and eggs.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, beating just until a soft dough is formed.
- Turn the dough out on a counter and sprinkle with enough flour so the dough is still soft but not too sticky.
- Roll the dough to an approximate ½" thickness.
- Use a round cutter to cut out donuts (rerolling the scraps is recommended to make 24 donuts).
- Use your thumb and press a hole in the center of each, stretching if needed.
- Bring approximately 3" of oil to a temperature of 375-degrees, and carefully add the donuts (2 or 3 at a time) to the hot oil.
- Fry the donuts on both sides until golden brown and puffed.
- Carefully remove the fried donuts from the oil using a large slotted spoon and immediately toss the hot donuts in cinnamon sugar.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Can sweet potato donuts be frozen?
These Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts freeze wonderfully well, so even though this recipe makes approximately 2 dozen, you don't have to eat them all at one time...unless of course, you have family and friends that will help you devour them within moments of placing them on a plate.
How do sweet potato donuts taste?
Once these Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts take a swim in the hot frying oil and become golden brown, they then take a dip in a cinnamon sugar bath which coats each donut with just the right amount of spicy sweetness. Ohhhh! Ahhhh!
If you're a little skeptical of how Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts will taste, don't be. You're going to absolutely love them! While they're a wonderful autumnal treat, they can be made and eaten any time of the year.
Watch out apple cider donuts! These Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts will give you a run for your money!
Aging and taste bud changes:
We brought my father-in-law a dozen of these Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts. As he's aged (he's 94 and under hospice care), his taste buds for sugary sweet treats have increased tremendously.
Even though he's mostly on a pureed diet (don't worry, I brought him plenty of pureed foods, too) I knew he'd be able to enjoy and appreciate these soft, sweet, cake-like treats.
Did you know that as we age our taste buds more acutely recognize sweet foods as opposed to any other type offood? We learned this fact from his day nurse, and I find it fascinating. Who knew? You can read more about how our sense of taste changesin this article from Bon Appetite.
Additional breakfast sweets you'll also enjoy:
- Sweet Streusel Strawberry Crescent Muffins
- Blueberry Lemon Scones with Lemon Icing
- Homemade Sticky Caramel Sweet Rolls
- Flaky Blueberry Cheese Danish
Below is the printable recipe card along with the exact ingredient measurements and nutritional information for making today's Sweet Potato Donuts with Cinnamon and Sugar.
When you make this recipe (and I hope that you will), I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to come back and give it a star rating along with a comment on why you rated as you did. Google appreciates ratings on recipes and, in turn, will show my recipes to more people. Thank you!!
Printable Recipe Card
Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts with Cinnamon and Sugar
Renee Goerger
Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts are crispy on the outside, and soft and pillowy on the inside. Not to mention they're completely coated with an irresistible cinnamon and sugar mixture which is sure to have you doing the happy donut dance!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Breakfast, brunch, Snack
Cuisine American, donuts, fried
Servings 24 donuts
Calories 204 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough;
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ cup shortening, I used butter flavor
- 1 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups prepared mashed sweet potatoes
- ½ cup milk
- 4-6 cups peanut oil, canola or vegetable may be substituted
For the cinnamon & sugar topping;
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
To make the donuts;
In a large, high sided pot, heat the oil to 375-degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl cream together the shortening and brown sugar. Add in the eggs, vanilla, mashed potatoes, and milk. Blend until fully incorporated.
Add the flour mixture, ⅓'d at a time and on low speed into the creamed shortening mixture until all the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is soft and pliable.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
*Note - if the dough seems too sticky, knead in a little extra flour. You're looking for a soft dough but not an extremely sticky dough.
Roll the dough out to anapproximately, uniformly ½" thickness.
Use a 3" round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter that has been dipped in flour and cut out as many circles as you can. Set them aside on a lightly floured surface.
*Note - You can re-roll the scraps and continue cutting circles from the remaining dough.
Use your thumb to poke holes into the center of the circles (more flour on your hands may be needed) and gently stretch the donuts into shape.
Use a large slotted spoon or spider strainer and carefully place about 4-5 donuts in the hot oil to fry about 3-4 minutes on each side or until deeply golden brown.*Note - if the oil is too hot, the donuts will brown quickly and still be raw in the middle. Try and keep your oil temperature as constant as possible to avoid this. Or, if it's not hot enough, the oil will saturate the dough making your donuts greasy.
Carefully removed the cooked donuts from the oil (using the strainer) and place them into a bowl with the cinnamon sugar. Toss to coat.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
These donuts freeze well for up to 3 weeks if wrapped well with parchment paper or wax paper in betweeneach donut.
*Tip - to check if your oil is up to temperature without a thermometer, dip the handle of a wooden spoon in the hot oil, and if small bubbles form (think champagne bubbles), you're good to go.
Tools and equipment:
measuring spoons, measuring cups, stand mixer or hand mixer, whisk, large slotted spoon, rolling pin, baking sheets (optional), large high sided pot (for frying), 2 large bowls, 1 medium bowl, nutmeg grater (optional), 3" round cookie (or biscuit) cutter, thermometer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 204kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 77mgPotassium: 117mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 1600IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1.1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's donut recipe as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you!
The pleasures of induction cooktop cooking:
What I love about the induction cooktop method of frying is that the oil temperature stays constant, no matter how many batches of Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts, French fries, or fritters you're making.
The induction cooktop is also portable, so as long as you have an outlet to plug into, you're good to go. One thing you will need to be aware of is that not all cookware is induction cooktop compatible. In order for cookware to be induction cooktop compatible, it must be made of magnetic-based metal, such as cast iron or magnetic stainless steel.
Once you have the proper cookware for induction cooktop cooking (which you may already have in your cabinets), you're ready to fry up these incredibly delicious Mashed Sweet Potato Donuts in a matter of minutes.
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Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
