These easy baked sourdough donuts are a delicious cake donut with vanilla icing, the perfect special treat for a birthday or just a fun weekend. While this recipe is easy and quick, you can long-ferment the batter for more health benefits.
We love homemade donuts. Whether we make sourdough donuts with vanilla glaze, baked apple cider donuts, brioche donuts with vanilla custard filling, or these baked sourdough donuts, they are always an extra special treat that the whole family looks forward to.
These delicious donuts have the softest texture, are baked in the oven for a no-mess experience, and are drizzled with a simple glaze. Serve warm donuts alongside ground beef sausage and cottage cheese scrambled eggs for the most decadent weekend breakfast.
Key Takeaways: Baked Sourdough Donuts
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 12 donuts
- Cook Method: Baked in a donut pan in the oven.
- Flavor & Texture: These feature a soft, tender crumb with a lovely vanilla flavor.
- Difficulty: Easy. Whip these up in under an hour for a simple breakfast or treat.
- Why this Recipe? This recipe is simple to make and leaves you with the most craveable homemade treat.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Super fast – This recipe takes just a few minutes to mix and bake since we are using sourdough starter discard to make these donuts.
Delicious – These cake-like donuts are soft and chewy with a sweet vanilla glaze.
Special treat – My kids love these for birthdays, even over a sourdough vanilla cake.
Ingredients
Butter – You could also substitute butter with a neutral oil (coconut or avocado oil) for a dairy-free version.
Vanilla extract – Homemade vanilla extract is the perfect way to elevate any baked good.
Sourdough discard – This recipe is a great way to use up extra sourdough discard. If you only have an active sourdough starter, that will work as well. Learn how to make your own sourdough starter here.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Topping Ideas
- Use the easy vanilla glaze in the recipe card, or add some cocoa powder for a chocolate version.
- Add a pop of flavor with my simple orange icing glaze.
- Coat in a cinnamon-sugar mix – I recommend tossing them in the sugar when they are still warm so it sticks.
- A dusting of powdered sugar.
- For fall, use my caramel glaze from my apple cake with caramel glaze recipe.
- Plain – They do have a lovely sweetness about them without any extra frosting.
How To Make Sourdough Baked Donuts
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, grease your donut pan. Melt the butter and set aside. Stir together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, mix melted butter, egg, sourdough starter, and water.
Step 2: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Make sure you are scraping the sides of the bowl as you mix. Be careful not to overmix; you don’t want tough donuts.
Step 3: Scoop the batter into a piping bag or zip-lock bag and clip the corner about 1/4-1/2 inch wide. Squeeze the batter into each donut well. This should make 12 regular sized donuts.
Step 4: Place filled pans in the preheated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes. The top of the donuts will not get very golden, making you question if they are truly done, but they should be. If you gently press the donut, it should spring back a bit, and the bottoms will be golden. Be careful not to overbake.
Step 5: Pop donuts out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Start creating the glaze once the donuts have pretty much cooled. Otherwise, the glaze may start to harden and dunking will be challenging.
Step 6: In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk or cream.
Step 7: Gently place the donuts in the glaze on one side, pick up and place the unglazed side down on a cooling rack.
Step 8: Sprinkle some sprinkles on top if desired. Enjoy!
Long-Fermented Sourdough Baked Donuts
For sourdough discard recipes, I like to long-ferment the batter for more health benefits.
To long-ferment the sourdough donut batter, stir together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together melted butter, sourdough starter, and water. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
Cover with a tight lid or plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for 8-24 hours.
After fermentation, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer, then add baking powder and eggs. Mix on medium speed until completely combined.
Continue with steps 3 through 8.
Lisa’s Expert Tips
- To prevent dense donuts and get a nice and light texture, I suggest pouring the flour (or using a spoon to scoop) into the measuring cup and then leveling it off, rather than scooping the flour right out of the bag.
- Place the batter in a pastry bag or zip-lock bag to easily squeeze into a donut pan.
- Don’t have a donut pan? You can also use a muffin tin and add a small ball of aluminum foil in the middle.
- The tops of the donuts will not get very golden brown, making you question if they are truly done, but they probably are. If you gently press the donut, it should spring back a bit, and the bottoms will be golden. Be careful not to overbake.
- Don’t overfill the pan. There should be enough batter to perfectly fill a 12-donut pan.
Baked Sourdough Donuts FAQs
Yes! This baked version of my fried sourdough donuts cooks up in a donut pan. Baked donuts are much quicker, easier, and less messy than fried. For a fall version, try my baked apple cider donuts.
They are a naturally leavened (sourdough) donut that typically contains a cream or jelly filling.
Place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days. They can also be kept at room temperature for 1-2 days.
More Sweet Recipes from the Farmhouse
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Baked Sourdough Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 280 grams
- ¾ cup sugar, 144 grams
- ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 gram
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup butter, melted, 57 grams
- 1 ½ teaspoons homemade vanilla extract, or storebought, 8 grams
- ½ cup sourdough discard, 125 grams
- ¾ cup water or milk, 177 grams
- 1 large egg
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ tablespoons Milk or cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, grease your donut pan.
- Melt the butter and set aside.
- Stir together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix melted butter, egg, sourdough starter, and water.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Scoop the batter into a piping bag or zip-lock bag and clip the corner about 1/4-1/2 inch wide.
- Squeeze the batter into each donut well.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes.
- Pop donuts out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk or cream.
- Gently place the donuts in the glaze on one side, pick up and place the unglazed side down on a cooling rack.
- Sprinkle some sprinkles on top if desired.
Notes
- To prevent dense donuts and get a nice and light texture, I suggest pouring the flour (or using a spoon to scoop) into the measuring cup and then leveling it off. Rather than scooping the flour right out of the bag.
- Place the batter in a pastry bag or zip-lock bag to easily pour into a donut pan.
- Don’t have a donut pan? You can also use a muffin tin and add a small ball of aluminum foil in the middle.
- The tops of the donuts will not get very golden, making you question if they are truly done, but they probably are. If you gently press the donut it should spring back a bit and the bottoms will be golden.
- Be careful not to over bake.
- Don’t overfill the pan. There should be enough batter to perfectly fill 12 donuts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely delicious! My toddlers lobe these.
Made these with my 4 year old and they came out so good! we did half the glaze you had and then half chocolate and both were delicious! def going to be making them again.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi there, is there a reason why you don’t ferment the eggs with the dough for the long fermentation like other recipes? And why would it still require baking powder if left to rise with long fermentation? Thanks
If I wanted to make these chocolate cake donuts would you replace some of the flour for the coco or how much coco would you use
?
Replace 1/3 of the flour with cocoa.
Hi! For the long fermentation, do you use active starter or discard? and do you ferment it in a warm place or in the fridge?
I use active starter, but once it ferments on the counter then I let it long ferment in the fridge for a couple days.
These are quick, easy and delicious baked cake donut! My family loved them. I added some cocoa powder after I dipped the first batch in vanilla glaze and we had vanilla and chocolate glazed donuts. Don’t make my mistake – ingredients list vanilla in the batter but the instructions don’t so I missed it in the batter, but they still were tasty and delicious.
I baked these this morning while my son went to pick up his six kids.
What a wonderful surprise to have waiting for them when they arrive.
This was great
One of my favorite dessert recipes for sourdough discard! Super easy and fun to make. They get eaten almost straight out of the oven
How would you do a long fermentation?
A long fermentation takes place in the fridge, so you don’t risk over fermenting and losing the rise on your dough.
Hi Lisa – In reply to Andrea’s question about a long ferment, you stated that “A long fermentation takes place in the fridge, so you don’t risk over fermenting and losing the rise on your dough.” Yet your recipe says to “Cover with a tight lid or plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for 8-24 hours.” I’m confused; do you leave it in a warm place or put it in the fridge? Or maybe I don’t know the meaning of “long ferment” Also, what are we looking for so we know whether to ferment for 8 hours or 24? Please clear this up, as I would love to make these. Thanks!
Leave it in a warm place on the counter for the first fermentation. If you wish to ferment it longer for added benefits, you can put it in the fridge. It will slowly sour, but not over ferment in the fridge! Time depends on the temperature in your home. What may take 8 hours in the summer, could take up to 24 in the winter.
I’m preparing to make this recipe for a ladies fellowship get-together. I want to use the long ferment version. I have the following questions that I have not found answers to in the blog or comments:
* How to know when ready after the 8-24 hour ferment?
* If I’m going to refrigerate for later baking, do I refrigerate after 8-24 hour ferment?
* After refrigeration can batter be baked immediately, or should it come to room temp for best results?
Thank you!