Potato Donuts
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These homemade Potato Donuts are soft, fluffy yeast donuts made with mashed potatoes and coated in cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm. The potatoes may sound like an usual donut ingredient, but they’re the secret to an incredibly soft, tender dough!
The yeast dough gets two rises before the donuts are friend until beautifully golden brown. Toss them in cinnamon sugar straight out of the fryer and you have an old-fashioned homemade donut that’s hard to beat.
These take a little more time than a cake donut, but most of that time is just waiting for the dough to rise. One bite into that fluffy center and I’d say it’s time well spent!
Why You’ll Love This Potato Donut Recipe
- Soft and fluffy yeast donuts
- Mashed potatoes keep the dough tender
- Can be made with instant or homemade mashed potatoes
- Crispy outside and soft inside
- Perfect way to use leftover mashed potatoes
- Old-fashioned homemade donut recipe
What are Potato Donuts?
Potato donuts are exactly what they sound like. Donuts made with mashed potatoes added to the dough. Don’t worry though! You aren’t going to bite into one and think you’ve accidentally grabbed a side dish.
The potatoes mostly affect the texture rather than the flavor. They add moisture and starch to the yeast dough, helping create donuts that are exceptionally soft and tender.
Why Put Mashed Potatoes in Donuts?
That’s a great question! I know it sounds a little strange, but you have to trust me on this one.
Potatoes contain starch that holds onto moisture. Adding mashed potatoes to yeast dough helps create a softer crumb and keeps the inside of the donuts tender.
You get all of the benefits of the potatoes without a noticeable potato flavor.
It’s also a great way to use up a small amount of leftover mashed potatoes rather than letting them hang out in the back of the refrigerator until they’re eventually forgotten.
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
Active Dry Yeast – The yeast gives these donuts their light and air texture. Letting it sit in warm water with a little sugar before making the dough also gives you a chance to make sure the yeast is active. After about 10 minutes, the mixture should look foamy.
Warm Water – Aim for about 110 degrees F. Water that’s too hot can kill the yeast while water that’s too cool will slow down the activation process.
Shortening – Shortening adds fat without adding additional water to the dough, healping create a tender donut.
Mashed Potatoes – You can use homemade or instant mashed potatoes for this recipe. I’ve done both and know it works.
If you’re using leftover homemade mashed potatoes, plain potatoes work best. Avoid potatoes that have lots of garlic, cheese, herbs, or other strong flavors mixed into them.
All-Purpose Flour – The dough should be soft after kneading. Resist the tempation to keep adding flour until it no longer feels soft.
Canola Oil – Use a neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point for frying.
What Should Potato Donut Dough Feel Like?
This is one of the most important things to know before making the recipe.
The finished dough should be soft and slightly tacky but still manageable. It shouldn’t feel stiff like bread dough.
As you knead, the dough will become smoother and easier to handle. If it’s sticking badly to your hands or work surface, add only a small amount of flour at a time. I often will skip adding the flour and oil my hands instead.
How to Make Potato Donuts
Step 1: Proof the yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar until foamy.
Step 2: Heat the milk, shortening, remaining sugar, and salt until bubbles begin forming around the edgues of the saucepan. Let cool until lukewarm.
Step 3: Mix together the milk mixture, yeast, mashed potatoes, and eggs.
Step 4: Work in the flour and knead until you have a soft, smooth dough.
Step 5: Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Step 6: Roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a 3- or 4-inch donut cutter and place on greased baking sheet. Cover loosely and let rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Step 7: Heat the frying oil to 350 degrees F. Fry 1 to 2 donuts at a time until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer donuts to a wire rack to drian.
Step 8: While the donuts are still hot, toss them in cinnamon sugar uintil completely coated.
Tips for Best Results
- Make sure your yeast foams. This is letting the yeast “bloom” or “proof” showing that it is alive and active. If nothing happens, your yeast may be old or your water may have been hot or cold.
- Don’t add too much flour do the dough! The dough should be soft and tacky.
- Let the dough double, not just rise for a certain time. The rise times in the recipe are estimates. A warm kitchen may make the dough rise faster, while a chilly kitchen can make it take longer. Pay more attention to the size of the dough than the clock.
- Keep the oil at 350 degrees F. A thermometer makes frying much easier. If the oil is too cool, the donuts absorb more oil and become greasy. If it’s too hot, the outside browns before the center has time to cook.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Frying too many donuts at once causes the oil temperature to drop quickly. Stick to 1 or 2 at a time so the temperature stays consistent.
- Coat the donuts while they’re warm. Cinnamon sugar sticks best shortly after the donuts come out the fryer.
How do I know when the oil is ready?
For the most consistent results, use a candy or deep fry thermometer and keep the oil around 350 degrees F. Make sure the thermometer isn’t touching the bottom of the pan as well.
Check the temperature between batches too. Adding dough naturally lowers the temperature of the oil, so you may need to give it a minute to return to 350 degrees F before frying the next batch.
Maining the oil temperature makes a noticeeable difference in both the texture and color of the homemade donuts.
How to Store and Freeze
Potato donuts are best enjoyed fresh on the day they’re made.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that fried donuts will gradually lose some of their crisp exterior as they sit and will become firmer the longer they sit.
You can warm a leftover donut in the microwave for several seconds before serving to soften it again.
I don’t recommend freezing these fried donuts though.
This recipe was originally posted October 13, 2016 but has been updated with tips and new photos.
If you try this recipe, be sure to leave a rating below and also share it on Instagram, and tag me! You can also find me on Facebook and stay up to date on recipe releases by joining the Newsletter!
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Ingredients
Donuts
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 package
- 1/4 cup warm water, 110°F
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup mashed potatoes, instant or homemade
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 cups canola oil, for frying
Topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
Donuts
- In a small bowl, add yeast in the 1/4 cup warm water.
- Measure out the 1/4 cup of sugar. Remove 1 teaspoon of the sugar and add it to the yeast and warm water mixture and stir. Let the yeast mixture sit for 10 minutes until foamy. Set the remaining sugar aside.
- In a saucepan, add in the milk, shortening, the remaining sugar, and salt. Place over medium/high heat and let it come to almost a boil while stirring often. Once the milk starts to form bubbles on the outer edge, remove from the heat and let cool to luke warm.
- Add the milk mixture, yeast, mashed potatoes, and beaten eggs into a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed or whisk until combined.
- Add in the 5 cups of flour and beat on low speed with the hand mixer/stir with a danish whisk until most of the flour is incorporated. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a clean work surface and work in the rest of the flour. Knead the dough until smooth. It will be a soft dough.
- Place 1 tablespoon of oil into a bowl. Add the dough and roll it into the oil to coat it. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm area until doubled. It will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes but this can depend on the temperature of your warm area. The warmer the area, the quicker the dough rises.
- Lightly flour a clean surface and turn the dough out onto it. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with 3 or 4 inch donut cutter. A glass will work too.
- Place the cut out donuts onto two cookie sheets that have been greased with nonstick cooking spray. I normally lay a piece of parchment paper down onto the cookie sheets and then spray that with nonstick cooking spray but the parchment paper isn't necessary.
- Cover the donuts loosely with the plastic wrap and let them rise until doubled. This will take about 30 minutes.
- While the donuts are rising for the second time, add the 3 cups of oil into a large saucepan and let it heat to 350 degrees F.
- Once the donuts are doubled and the oil is up to temperature, add 1 to 2 donuts into the oil. Let the donuts fry for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Flip and let fry for another minute to two minutes until that side is golden brown.
- Remove from the oil and place on a wire rack to drain.
Topping
- Place the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a storage bag or paper bag. Toss the hot donuts in with the cinnamon and sugar until fully coated.
- Best enjoyed while they're fresh!
Notes
Nutrition Info
(Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.)
This is so clever! I never would have thought of trying this.
I’ve heard some people talk about this type of recipe in the past. Now I need to try it – thanks! 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty
These look so yummy! Pinning to save for later! I have never made doughnuts before.
-Jaclyn
These look so good! That cinnamon sugar though! <3
Can I count this as a vegetable for breakfast? 😉
Oh these look and sound great! Thanks for linking up to Merry Monday! Yummed & sharing on G+! Have a great week!
Kim
I love mashed potatoes so I rarely have any leftovers but this recipe looks so nice I will have to make an extra bowl next time.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as potato donuts! So darn cool! And honestly, I am swooning over that sugary topping 😉