These baked sweet potato donuts are soft, fluffy, and super moist. They have warm notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, and are topped with a sweet coating of brown sugar glaze. Four sweet potato donuts on a light blue plate.

Why this recipe is so great:

  • Made by hand – The whole process is completely made by hand. Everything from mashing the sweet potatoes to preparing the batter and making the glaze is quickly and easily done by hand.
  • Baked not fried – These baked donuts only take 15 minutes in the oven so there is no hassle or danger with deep frying. Plus, it’s a lot fewer calories, so win-win!
  • Looks like a donut, tastes like a cake – These sweet potato donuts are extremely soft and moist like a cake. If you’ve never tasted any kind of sweet potato cake before, it’s very similar to carrot cake or spice cake. However, what’s unique about these donuts is that even though they taste like cake, the texture is not as tender and they’re slightly chewy so you still feel like you’re eating a donut.

Glazed sweet potato donuts on a cooling rack.

How to make sweet potato donuts:

(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)

  1. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, mashed sweet potatoes, milk, and vanilla extract.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.
  4. Divide the batter into 2 greased donut pans. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

a picture collage of how to make baked sweet potato donuts

How to cook sweet potatoes:

It’s best to steam or cook them in the microwave for this recipe. It’s much faster and uses less energy. You’ll need about 2 small sweet potatoes to make 1 cup. You can also use canned sweet potato puree if you prefer.

Microwave method – Wash and pat dry the sweet potatoes. Prick all over with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and heat for 3 minutes. Carefully flip over the potatoes and heat for another 2 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Let cool, cut in half, and scoop out the flesh.

Stovetop method – Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1″ sections. Place in a saucepan with a steamer filled with 1 inch of water, or if you don’t have a steamer, you can place the sweet potatoes directly in the saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes until tender. Let cool and mash.

A stack of sweet potato donuts with a bite taken out of the top one.

Enjoy these sweet potato donuts with your favorite cup of coffee or tea for a sweet morning or afternoon treat!

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Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.

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Sweet Potato Donuts

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Lily Ernst
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12
  • Category: dessert, breakfast
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

These baked sweet potato donuts are soft, fluffy, and super moist. They have warm notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, and are topped with a sweet coating of brown sugar glaze.

Ingredients

Donut

  • 1 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup (200g) lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup plain mashed sweet potatoes
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze

  • 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup (50g) lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
  • 1 cup (125g) powdered sugar
  • 2 oz white baking chocolate or 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease 2 donut pans.
  2. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, mashed sweet potatoes, milk, and vanilla extract.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.
  5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans or use a piping bag to fill the pans and fill to the rim.
  6. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Flip the donuts over onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. Once the donuts are cooled, prepare the glaze.
  7. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
  8. Quickly dip each donut and place it back on the cooling rack to set. If the glaze starts to cool down and become too thick, warm it back up on the stove at low heat.
  9. Drizzle with some melted chocolate or sprinkle with some chopped nuts if desired.

Notes

The donuts are best consumed the day of. They will keep for one day in a loosely covered container at room temperature but will start to get soggy.

Recipe adapted from Illona’s Passion.