Do you say donuts? Or doughnuts?
I say donuts, even though I’m pretty sure it’s not “correct.” It’s how I visualize the word in my head when I hear it. Blame Dunkin. Plus, it’s easier to type out. Hah.
These DONUTS are a fun twist on something you might find at your local donut chain. First, they are made with sweet potato, which I’m fairly certain you won’t find at most donut shops. Sweet potatoes = super food. Thus, sweet potato donuts = super food. Right? Just go with it.
Secondly, they are baked, which makes them even healthier.
I came up with this idea after receiving a donut baking pan from my sister for Christmas. She was nervous about giving it to me. She was unsure that I would find it useful. I assured her that I would put it to good use.
So, a few weeks ago, when I was a little overzealous with my baking of sweet potatoes (namely, for this dish) and had several perfectly good ones sitting in the fridge, I knew I wanted to do some sort of baked good with them. Sweet potato bread, muffins, and cake were the first things to pop into my head. And not that there’s anything wrong with any of those ideas, but they weren’t quite exciting enough for me.
Then. It hit me. Donuts! SWEET POTATO donuts! Tossed in cinnamon and sugar! Hell yes.
The result was heaven. They baked up perfectly moist and fluffy. They came out kind of like an old-fashioned cake donut that many people overlook when given a donut choice, but with a unique sweet potato flavor. The cinnamon-sugar really MADE them, though. If you attempt these, do not skimp on the coating. So good.
My husband isn’t the biggest fan of sweet potatoes (unless they are in fry form), and he walked into the kitchen as I was pulling the first batch out of the oven. He didn’t ask what was in them, so I didn’t tell him. And guess what? He devoured them.
When I told him later that they were chock-full of sweet potato, he acted betrayed. Hah. Men. He then said that he didn’t REALLY like them. An hour later, I caught him sneaking a few more out of the kitchen.
I win.
And so will you if you make these. They are a super food treat. I know, I know. Donuts don’t count as a super food. Just let me pretend for now. After all, between the two of us, the entire plate shown below was consumed. Yup.
No regrets!
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Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Potato Donuts
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 donuts 1x
Description
These Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Potato Donuts are moist and fluffy, spiced and sweet, and covered in an addicting cinnamon-sugar coating. Who knew sweet potatoes belonged in donuts?! Now we know.
Ingredients
For the Donuts:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup canned sweet potato puree
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup canola or grapeseed oil (any neutral oil will work)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Coating:
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Donuts:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and spray a donut pan with nonstick spray.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk together the sweet potato, sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to a resealable plastic bag (or piping bag) and cut off one corner. Squeeze the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each donut well about ¾ full. You can also spoon the batter into the pan – just ensure you smooth the batter very well to avoid broken donuts.
- Bake the donuts for 12-15 minutes or until the donuts are set and spring back slightly when lightly pressed. Cool the donuts in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooking rack to cool completely.
- I have a 6-well donut pan, so I repeated this process with the remaining batter until it was all baked. This recipe yields roughly 8 donuts.
For the Coating:
- Melt and cool the butter.
- In a bowl, whisk together the sugar and the cinnamon until completely combined.
- When the donuts are cool enough to handle, brush lightly with the melted butter and then turn them to coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Return to the rack and allow the excess to fall off. Repeat with all the donuts. Store donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: donuts
Keywords: sweet potato donuts, baked sweet potato donuts, cinnamon sugar sweet potato donuts, sweet potato doughnuts
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
Is the flour measurement correct? I tried this recipe and cooked them up in our mini donut maker. On the outside it looked like a donut, but when you bite in it’s like a pumpkin pie consistency. I’m thinking it needs more flour to be more cake-like.
Hmm, I’m sorry to hear they didn’t turn out for you. The flour measurement listed is what I used and they came out cakey for me. I wish I could be of more help!
Same for me. It came out with a pumpkin pie consistency instead of cakey. The taste is delicious though. I’m adding more flour to the second batch to see if they turn out better.
I made a double batch and they are phenomenal! I used self rising flour instead of AP b/c that’s what I had. They have rich flavor and a perfect moist and cake-like consistency. Thank you Molly!
★★★★★