Baked Sweet Potato Doughnuts

These easy baked 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.

Yeah, you read that right: sweet potato doughnuts.

Wait, wait, wait, I see some of you moving your mouse towards the back button, but I'm going to need you to stop right there. Sweet potatoes seem to be one of those things that people either absolutely love or loathe. And not that long ago I was firmly in the latter category (Sweet potato marshmallow bake at Thanksgiving? Yeah, I think I'll pass).

I couldn't understand the draw to sweet potato fries or anything that involved a casserole dish and a sweet potato. My best friend, on the other hand, was comfortably sitting on the other side of that fence. I'm pretty sure she'd happily try anything with sweet potato in the title!

But it all changed for me when she took me out to an amazing little bakery where she, of course, purchased a sweet potato doughnut. I'd be lying if I said there was no nose crinkling in disgust on my part, but after a little prodding, she finally convinced me to try a bite (the delicious smell wafting over the table from that doughnut didn't hurt either).

Although that experience didn't completely change my attitude towards sweet potatoes (I'll still pass on the fries and the casseroles), I'm going to have to eat a little humble pie and say that sweet potato, in moderation, is delicious! So even if you're skeptical of sweet potatoes, I encourage you, no wait, I dare you to give these baked doughnuts a try!

Prefer to watch the process?

How to make sweet potato doughnuts

First, make the sweet potato puree if you don't plan to buy it

Before we dive right into making these doughnuts, I'd like to take a second to talk about making sweet potato puree, just in case you can't buy it locally or prefer to make it from scratch.

To make the puree, prick some holes in your sweet potatoes with a fork (this keeps them from exploding in your oven) and bake them at 350F for 1-2 hours, depending on the size.

You know they're done when they feel soft (I usually test this with a fork). Be sure to put something under your sweet potatoes while they bake as they do have a tendency to leak sweet potato juice all over the place.

Once they're cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. It should practically fall off. Break them up a little, and then use a blender to make them into puree. If you want to make sure you have a nice, smooth puree, you can strain your puree through a sieve afterwards.

I found 3 small sweet potatoes made about 1- 1.5 cups puree. Sweet potato puree can be made several days in advance, and stores very well in the refrigerator.

Second, make the doughnuts

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and baking powder) until they're well mixed.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (melted butter, egg, milk, sweet potato puree, and vanilla extract). Make sure the wet mixture is lump-free before proceeding.

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.

Third, turn out the doughnuts and coat them with sugar.

Let your doughnuts cool for about 5 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack. Be sure to turn them out before they cool completely, otherwise they'll be really hard to get out of the pan.

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.

Tips for making sweet potato doughnuts

Never made these 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).
• 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. 

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

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If you liked this, you might also like...

• Pumpkin spice latte doughnuts
• Sweet potato cake
• Sweet potato cinnamon rolls

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.