These old fashioned Sour Cream Donuts have slightly crisp exteriors and are soft on the inside. They’re made without yeast and you don’t need any special equipment to make them.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
These glazed sour cream donuts are perfectly tender and moist. They are fried til golden and have the perfect crisp edges. They have the perfect hint of nutmeg and taste just like they’re fresh from your favorite bakery!
Sour cream gives these donuts their signature taste and texture. It adds a slightly tangy flavor and lots of moisture.
For more dessert recipes with sour cream, try my Sour Cream Cookies and my old fashioned rhubarb cake.
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- These glazed sour cream donuts are lightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- The donuts are fried to perfection. For another delicious fried donut recipe, try my Italian ricotta donuts.
- They are topped with a simple powdered sugar glaze that only takes a minute to mix up. The cracks in the doughnuts soak up the glaze!
- This Sour Cream Donuts recipe is made without yeast. This makes them faster to make!
Ingredients
- Butter: Use room temperature butter for the donuts and melted butter for the glaze.
- Sugar: We’re using a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Sour cream: Sour cream makes these donuts extra moist and rich. Use full fat, room temperature sour cream.
- Cake flour: I recommend bleached cake flour for the best texture.
- Baking powder: Baking powder helps the donuts puff up when they are fried.
- Nutmeg: Nutmeg gives sour cream donuts a distinct and slightly spiced flavor. It’s not overpowering, but you’ll definitely taste it.
- Cooking oil-Use vegetable or canola oil for frying.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap in all purpose flour in place of cake flour.
- Use additional equal parts granulated sugar instead of brown sugar.
- Dust donuts with powdered sugar instead of dunking them in the glaze.
Instructions
Step 1 (Picture 1 above)– In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until combined. Add the vanilla and egg yolks. Turn the mixer to low and add the sour cream.
Step 2 (Picture 2 above)– Use a spatula and stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
Step 3 (Picture 3 above)– Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Step 4 (Picture 4 above)– Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness.
Step 5 (Picture 5 above)– Cut out as many donuts as possible (reroll out dough as needed). Place donuts on a baking tray. Place tray in the fridge to chill donuts for 15 minutes.
Step 6 (Picture 6 above)– To make the glaze, stir together powdered sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Add hot water by the tablespoon until you get the consistency you like.
Step 7 (Picture 7 above)– Heat 3 inches of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the edge and heat to 345-360 F. Fry 3 donuts at a time for a little over a minute on each side. Donut holes will take less than a minute to fry.
Step 8 (Picture 8 above)– Allow donuts to cool 5 minutes then dip donuts in the glaze.
Expert Tips
- Use a donut cutter or a round biscuit or cookie cutter. Dip donut cutter in a small bowl of flour to prevent sticking.
- While donuts chill, gather the tools you need for frying. Line a plate, cutting board or baking tray with paper towels. Take out a spider strainer and/or tongs.
- Use tongs or a spider strainer to place donuts in the oil. Be careful putting the donuts in hot oil, flipping them and removing them.
- Glaze the donuts while they’re still warm.
Recipe FAQs
Sour cream makes donuts moist and gives them a soft, tender texture.
No. This recipe is meant for the donuts to be fried. I don’t recommend baking them. For a delicious baked donut recipe, try my chocolate frosted cake donut.
Fried donuts are best enjoyed while still warm right after they are made. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
More Recipes You Will Love
Did you try this recipe or any other recipe on my website? Please leave a 🌟 star rating and 📝 comment below.
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Sour Cream Donuts
Ingredients
Sour Cream Donuts
- 3 tablespoons (35 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 2 (2) egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla
- 1/2 cup (115 g) sour cream
- 2 1/4 cups (281.25 g) cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (1 1/2 teaspoons) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon (1 teaspoon) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon) nutmeg ground or 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/4 of a whole nutmeg pod)
- 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
Powdered Sugar Glaze
- 1 3/4 cups (210 g) powdered sugar sifted
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter melted
- 3/4 teaspoon (3/4 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons (29.57 ml) hot water
Instructions
Sour Cream Doughnuts
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light, fluffy and pale, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then add vanilla. Mix just until combined.
- Turn the mixer to low and add sour cream. Mix until fully incorporated — don’t overmix.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Dough should be slightly sticky but manageable.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps with rolling and frying. While the dough chills, mix the glaze so it’s ready when the donuts are freshly fried. Cover it lightly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming until you’re ready to dip the donuts.
- Turn chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface. Fold dough over itself once or twice to smooth. Roll dough to ½ inch thickness.
- Dip donut cutter in flour and cut out donuts and holes by placing the donut cutter on the dough. Press all the way down, cutting the outer circle and the center hole at the same time. Lift the cutter straight up. The donut and the hole should come out cleanly.If the donut sticks, gently use a small spatula or knife to loosen it. Reroll out dough if needed. Place donuts on a parchment lined baking tray and place tray in the fridge to chill donuts for at least 15 minutes.
- Reroll scraps as needed. Place donuts on a parchment-lined tray and chill in fridge at least 15 minutes before frying.
- While donuts chill, gather what you need for frying. Line a plate with paper towels. Take out a spider strainer and/or tongs.
- Fill a Dutch oven with 3 inches of oil. Attach a candy thermometer to the side. Make sure the thermometer doesn't touch the bottom. Heat oil over medium to medium low heat to 345-360℉.
- Use tongs to carefully place 3 donuts in the hot oil. Fry for 1 to 1½ minutes per side until donuts are golden brown. Donut holes will take up to 1 minute to fry. Remove with tongs or spider strainer and place donuts on paper-towel lined plate or a wire rack.
- Adjust heat to maintain 345–360°F and fry remaining donuts.
- Let donuts cool 5 minutes until donuts are warm, not hot. This helps the glaze stick without sliding off completely.
- Allow donuts to cool for 5 minutes then dip warm donuts in the glaze (crack side down). Let excess glaze drip, then place on a cooling rack to set slightly. (If the glaze has hardened a bit, just pop it in the microwave for about ten seconds then stir to smooth it out). Place donuts on a cooling rack to allow the glaze to slight slightly. Enjoy while still warm or once cooled!
Powdered Sugar Glaze
- In a medium sized, microwave safe bowl, whisk to combine the powdered sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Add the hot water a tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you desire.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Leave a Reply