These easy baked sweet potato doughnuts are every bit as tasty as they are easy to make (spoiler alert: They only take 20-minute start to finish). Read all the way to the end for tips on filling that tricky doughnut pan and reviving stale doughnuts.
Unpopular opinion: Sweet potato is the superior flavor for fall baking.
Sure, pumpkin gets all the attention (not that I'd ever say no to pumpkin oatmeal cookies or buttermilk pumpkin waffles), but sweet potatoes are naturally sweeter and lend themselves oh-so-well to your favorite fall spice flavors.
And if ever there was a treat perfect to test your sweet potato chops on, it'd be these doughnuts - They're easy, quick, and use a minimal number of ingredients.
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Ingredients
Below are a few recommendations as well as helpful hints for key ingredients. For a full list of ingredients and measurements, check out the recipe card.
- Sweet potato: Canned puree works well for this recipe, but if it's not available, you can make your own by baking a couple of sweet potatoes 350F for 1-2 hours. Peel then puree in a blender.
- Eggs: Room-temperature eggs work best as they incorporate into the batter more evenly.
- Milk: I use whole milk as it's what we tend to have on hand, but 2% or even 1% would produce a similarly good cake. I would avoid skim milk.
- Unsalted butter: Adds a rich, buttery flavor and moisture to the doughnuts.
- Cinnamon and ginger: Add a warm, pumpkin spice-like flavor to these doughnuts.
Watch the process
How to make sweet potato doughnuts
Whisk together the dry ingredients and wet in another.
Pour your wet mixture into your dry, and whisk until a thick, lump-free batter forms.
Pour the batter into a well-greased doughnut pan, and bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes.
While still warm, turn the doughnuts out onto a cooling rack. Dip in sugar to garnish.
Expert tips
Never made baked doughnuts before? No worries! Here are some tricks and tips to help you make the perfect batch the first time around.
- Use a piping bag to pipe your doughnut batter into your doughnut pan. This is a lot easier and less messy than trying to pour from the bowl.
- Doughnuts are easiest to remove from the pan while they’re still warm. The sweet spot seems to be about 2 and 5 minutes after they come out of the oven. Simply turn the pan over and gently shake it until the doughnuts come out (hot pads are a good idea).
Storage
Baked doughnuts don’t keep well and tend to dry out faster than the fried variety. If you do end up with leftovers, the best way to store them is in a paper bag. Whatever you do, don’t refrigerate them or put them in plastic.
Stale doughnuts can be revived by microwaving them in 5-10 second increments until soft.
More sweet potato treats
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I regularly update these posts and feedback from wonderful readers like you help me improve them.
Recipe
Baked Sweet Potato Doughnuts
These easy sweet potato doughnuts are quick, easy and use a minimal number of ingredients.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the doughnuts:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup sweet potato puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the garnish:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and baking powder) until they're well mixed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together you wet ingredients (melted butter, egg, milk, sweet potato puree, and vanilla extract) until lump free.
- Pour your wet mixture into your dry mixture, and whisk until a thick, lump-free batter forms.
- Pour (or better yet, pipe) your doughnut batter into a well-greased doughnut pan, and bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the doughnuts comes out clean.
- Let your doughnuts cool for about 5 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack.
- Once the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, dip the side that baked down inside the pan (this is usually the moister of the two sides) into a little sugar to garnish.
Notes
- Use a piping bag to pipe your doughnut batter into your doughnut pan. This is a lot easier and less messy than trying to pour from the bowl.
- Doughnuts are easiest to remove from the pan while they’re still warm. The sweet spot seems to be about 2 and 5 minutes after they come out of the oven. Simply turn the pan over and gently shake it until the doughnuts come out (hot-pads are a good idea).
- Leftovers: Baked doughnuts don’t keep well and tend to dry out faster than the fried variety. If you end up with leftovers, the best way to store them is in a paper bag. Whatever you do, don’t refrigerate them or put them in plastic.
- Reviving stale doughnuts: If you wound up with leftovers and they’ve gotten stale, no worries! You can soften them back up by microwaving them in 5-10 second increments until soft.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 doughnut
- Calories: 136
- Sugar: 9.1g
- Sodium: 79mg
- Fat: 4.1g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3g
- Carbohydrates: 21.9g
- Fiber: .7g
- Protein: 2.9g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Keywords: sweet potato doughnuts, sweet potato donut recipe, easy sweet potato donuts, sweet potato cake donuts, baked sweet potato doughnuts
Update Notes: This post was originally published in September of 2014 but was republished with an updated format, photos and tips in November of 2020.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I have never tried a sweet potato doughnut before! They look and sound delicious!
The Simple, Sweet Life says
You should definitely give them a try! 🙂
Stephanie says
This looks delicious! I would love for you share it on my Tasty Tuesday recipe link up here! Everything gets pinned and I would love to have you!
The Simple, Sweet Life says
I'll definitely stop by and have a look! 🙂
Pure Grace Farms says
I fall on the side of love for sweet potatoes. No need to back off this page, your recipe looks awesome. I love that they are baked too! I've recently started co-hosting Foodie Fridays and would be honored if you would come by and share your fabulous recipe. The party starts Thursday 9 pm EST. Hope to see your there!
Shari
http://puregracefarms.com/
The Simple, Sweet Life says
Baked doughnuts are the best! Every bit as tasty and a little less guilt-inducing. 😉 I'll definitely stop by and check out your new link party! Thanks for the invitation! 🙂
Giovanna @ Love, Thyme and Honey says
I'm in the 'sweet potato lovers' team and soo want to try this recipe! The best part is that the doughnuts are baked! Yum yum!
The Simple, Sweet Life says
You should definitely try it and let me know what you think of it! 😀
ChocolaTess says
I could totally go for one...maybe two of these 🙂 yummy!
The Simple, Sweet Life says
I'd be lying if I said I stopped at two myself. 😉
Karly says
Totally irresistible! Thanks for linking up with What's Cookin' Wednesday!
The Simple, Sweet Life says
Thanks for hosting each week! 🙂
amanda says
Made these today and they are very yummy. Very soft and moist donuts. Will be making them again.
The Simple, Sweet Life says
I'm so glad you liked them! It's always great to get feedback on a recipe! 😀
mel says
I'm making these right now and the batter seems to be very thin... too thin to form donuts. I'm adding a lot more flour and crossing my fingers!
The Simple, Sweet Life says
Remember, these doughnuts require a doughnut pan, so the batter is thinner than it would be if you were frying them or making a yeast-based dough. 🙂
Betsy Ross says
It's been decades since Dad would treat us to sweet potato doughnuts for Easter morning breakfast. I plan to bake these in mini-muffin pan to share with my sisters.