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.
Thank you for posting this recipe! This is my I don’t need to look at other donut recipes, recipe. I’ve made these dozens of times, both with just as following the recipe as written and with adding in additional toppings/flavors, and they all taste great – no modifications required. In addition to making them as written, I’ve added things such as eggnog instead of milk, pumpkin spice, almond extract, cranberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, and more. I often make them on Sunday mornings, as it’s nice to have an easy breakfast before church. My 5 kids don’t mind when I don’t use the glaze, but I do for fun occasions. I make a double batch and it used to work for two breakfasts when I paired it with other food, but now it mostly lasts one breakfast. Now I’m off to go and try it with hot chocolate mix and apple cider mix added in with the dry ingredients. Thank you again for this delicious recipe!
I made this recipe and it turned out perfectly! I used applesauce in place of the egg and water instead of milk for my egg- and dairy-free child, and they still came out great. Thank you for sharing such a fantastic recipe!
Really love these donuts! They are the first sourdough donuts I’ve made and now I’d love to make chocolate sourdough donuts. Do you have a suggestion for converting this recipe to make chocolate donuts? I’m thinking about 1/2 C cocoa powder and maybe increasing the milk by a couple tablespoons…
Can’t wait to try your donut recipe! It simply will not NOT print?
I just started my sourdough journey (all thanks to Lisa) and these donuts are a great use for discard. They are delicious!
I have been following Lisa and her recipes for about three years now. This recipe, is the one I find myself going back to over and over again. Although there are many that I’ve tried and love, I would have to say that this one is probably our family favorite. It is quick and easy and always so yummy! I get requests for it all of the time. I have added things to the dough, different extracts, spices, apples, chopped nuts, coconut and the list goes on! Also, I have played around with topping. However, the original recipe is the best, easiest and the one I keep reaching for. Thank you for sharing with us!
I made these today with a mini muffin pan so I’d have donut holes and they came out great! Thanks for the recipe!
These are AMAZING! I don’t have a donut pan so I used mini muffin pans. It made 36 exactly!! Best Birthday Breakfast Cupcakes ever says the new 4 year old!!
Have you done flavor variations? Like a cinnamon sugar or chocolate chip?
Rather- do you have a suggested ratio for dry add ins and wet add ins? I love everything I’ve made of yours!
I am not a fan of donuts, BUT THESE! Oh my… DELICIOUS!! I make them, keep a few and give them to my providers when I have a doctor appointment, they always look forward to my visits because they know their getting a treat! These are definitely their favorite! absolutely delicious I am making a double batch right now!