Baked sweet potato donuts are soft, tender, and made with warm spices for cozy fall flavor. They’re the perfect way to turn leftover mashed sweet potatoes into a tasty treat the whole family will love.
If you’ve ever found yourself with extra mashed sweet potatoes, this baked sweet potato donut recipe is the sweetest solution. This donut recipe takes leftover sweet potatoes and turn them into something deliciously fantastic.
These baked donuts are light and soft – like sweet potato spice cake. They’re topped with a brown butter maple glaze that is just plain amazing. One note – you’ll want to use plain mashed sweet potatoes.
So, plan to make a little extra or set some aside when you make sweet potato casserole.
“The best sweet potato donut recipe ever! I’ve made this so many times for my family and it’s always so moist soft and delicious!!” – Sheia
How to make baked sweet potato donuts
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 Grease 2 6-well doughnut pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2: Stir together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Step 3: Whisk together brown sugar, butter, oil, buttermilk, egg, egg yolk, sweet potatoes, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.
Step 4: Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until no streaks of flour remain. I recommend stirring by hand to avoid overmixing the batter.
Step 5: Spoon mixture into prepared doughnut pans. They will be full.
Step 6: Bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 10-15 minutes.
Step 7: Remove doughnuts from pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Step 8: Once the donuts have cooled, prepare the glaze. It’s important to let the donuts cool completely so that the glaze doesn’t melt off.
Step 9: To make the glaze, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat, and whisk in brown sugar, cream, and maple syrup. Return pan to low heat and cook until bubbly, about 30 seconds.
Step 10: Remove from heat, and whisk in powdered sugar, vanilla, and maple flavor until smooth.
Step 11: Dip tops of cooled donuts into glaze, and return to cooling rack.
Step 12: Sprinkle with pecans, if using. Let glaze set up before serving, about 10-15 minutes.
Recipe Tips!
- Ingredient temperature: If your sweet potatoes are cool or cold, warm them to room temperature before using. Using cold sweet potatoes, eggs, and buttermilk will make your butter solidify.
Storage
Store the unfrosted donuts in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for 2-3 days.
For frosted donuts, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 4 days.
More sweet potato recipes!
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Baked Sweet Potato Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Donuts
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
- 1 cup plain mashed sweet potatoes at room temperature or slightly warmed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Browned Butter Glaze
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon maple flavor or extract optional
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 Grease 2 6-well doughnut pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Stir together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Whisk together brown sugar, butter, oil, buttermilk, egg, egg yolk, sweet potatoes, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.1 cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup salted butter, ¼ cup vegetable oil, ⅓ cup buttermilk, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 cup plain mashed sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Spoon mixture into prepared doughnut pans. They will be full.
- Bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove doughnuts from pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Once the donuts have cooled, prepare the glaze.
- To make the glaze, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes.¼ cup salted butter
- Remove from heat, and whisk in brown sugar, cream, and maple syrup. Return pan to low heat and cook until bubbly, about 30 seconds.½ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons milk or cream, 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
- Remove from heat, and whisk in powdered sugar, vanilla, and maple flavor until smooth.1 ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon maple flavor or extract
- Dip tops of cooled donuts into glaze, and return to cooling rack.
- Sprinkle with pecans, if using.½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
- Let glaze set up before serving, about 10-15 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Slightly adapted from Allrecipes.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Maya says
I made these as a thanksgiving treat and have already shared the recipe with 3 other people. It is SO good.
Didn’t have all the ingredients, so I made a few swaps like yogurt for buttermilk. Still good. Still delicious!!
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Sheia says
The best sweet potato donut recipe ever! I’ve made this so many times for my family and it’s always so moist soft and delicious!!
Kate says
Thank you so much!
Gloria says
Can you freeze these? Looking for something else to do other then mashed for baby girl that I can make ahead and grab.
Kate says
You can freeze the donuts. I haven’t tried freezing the glaze to say for certain how that will thaw.
Laurra says
Came out delicious
I actually made the quick bread and use the maple glaze as well. The sweet potato i had were leftover from thanksgiving,
A mix of traditional marshmallow one and the mashed with pecans and brown sugar. I mashed it all together and followed the recipe from there. My mixture was still to moist, probably should have added more flour but i already did put more than it asked and didn’t want to risk being to bland. In the end it came out more like bread pudding . Still a hit and the glaze made the awesome finishing .
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that you liked it!
Shannon says
I had some leftover sweet potatoes and decided to try this recipe. They were great!!! Definitely will make extra sweet potatoes for these donuts again.
Karen says
Just made these with leftover baked sweet potatoes. They are awesome! I followed the recipe exactly. Wonderfully light and moist donut. My family loved them. I will make these again.
Kate says
Thank you!
Linda says
Just made these using leftover sweet potato casserole. Slight adjustments to make batter, but basically went with yours. Wonderful! Thanks for the recipe.
Kate says
Thank you!
Kris says
Absolutely STUPENDOUS!!!!! Thank you!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked them!
Caroline says
Delicious! I love all of the fall flavors!
Kate says
Thank you!
LeAnne Tieken says
Made these this weekend! They are fantastic! But wondering why my glaze is brown colored, and your photo has white glaze. The glaze is delicious, but the white glaze would probably be more appealing. What steps did I do wrong?
Kat@Home.Made.Interest says
Donuts are my weakness so I know these were amazing!
Kate says
Me too! =) Thanks!!