Last updated on November 20th, 2025.
A little bit of Russet potato goes a long way and gives these Potato Donuts a fluffy and soft texture with a crispy crust.
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I first made this recipe to celebrate Chanukah, this holiday’s tradition is to eat fried food. But let’s face it, none of us really need a holiday to enjoy a fluffy soft, warm, and sweet donut! Am I right?
I have to be honest and say that I was nervous and full of doubts before making this recipe. It seemed very simple and a bit to easy to be that good. But trust me when I say it is all of the above and even more so you end up with amazing homemade fluffy sweet donuts!
For the donuts fans, I’ve got a Brioche doughnuts recipe, Boston Cream Donuts, Bavarian Cream Donuts, French crullers (chouxnut), and a Sfej Morrocan donuts recipe.
This recipe is inspired by the BarveTart cookbook. I adapted the flavors and technique to create my version.
What Ingredients are in this Potato Donuts Recipe:
- All-purpose flour. Please make sure it is un bleached, and if you want, you can also use bread flour, or a combination of bread flour and all purpose flour.
- Instant Yeast. You can also use active dry, but you will need to mix them with 1 teaspoon of the sugar and the milk. Then set it aside to for about 20 minutes until you have a foam on top.
- Salt
- Sugar
- Mashed cooked potato, you can use any type you like, I like russet because it is the most starchy. (yes you can use sweet potato)
- Egg. At room temperature.
- Milk. Lukewarm (about 95°F), this is the best way to “wake up” the yeast and start activating them. Make sure the milk is not too hot (over 110°F) or it will kill the yeast.
- Melted Butter
How to make and shape the donuts:
This recipe has three steps.
Step one, making the dough:
Firstly, mix dry ingredients (flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and nutmeg) together.
Secondly add the remaining of the ingredients and mix using a stand mixer or your hand until you have a smooth dough.
The dough should be smooth, pleasant to touch of your hand, and might be slightly sticky. If it is, do not add more flour, set it a side to rest. During the rest time, the flour will absorb the access moisture.
Lastly, spray the dough with some oil spray and cover with plastic paper to allow the first rise.
Step Two, shaping the dough:
Once the dough has risen, divide it into 16 equal parts and roll each piece into a ball. Now, gently press the ball and lift it with your hands.
Using your thumb at the top of the dough and finger at the bottom press the dough in the center until your fingers meet then gently stretch it into 3″ circle.
Step three, frying the dough:
You can use coconut oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil. Use a deep and wide pan and a candy thermometer to make sure the oil is at the right temperature (360F).
The donuts require about 90 seconds and I like to flip it few times until I get the color I like.
Fry test 1 donuts to make sure the oil is at the right temperature before frying a full batch.
Now Let’s Talk About This Yeast Raised Potato Donuts Recipe:
- Feel free to skip the nutmeg.
- The recipe specifies 90 minutes of rising time. However, I like to allow the dough to rest and rise for about 3-4 hours. You can also make it the night before, place in the refrigerator and allow to get to room temperature the next day.
- To help the ingredients mix properly firstly use the paddle attachment. When all the ingredients have come together into shaggy mash change into the dough hook.
- Sometimes, when you pick up the donuts to put in the oil, you might deflate it, or mess its shape. To avoid it, after shaping, place it on a 2″x2″ parchment paper for the second rise. When it is time to fry, simply hold the ends of the parchment paper and gently dump in the oil. If the donuts hold on to the parchment paper, do not worry about it. It will get loose a few seconds into frying.
- It is very important to keep the right oil temperature, I highly recommend using a candy thermometer while frying.
- Always test one donut and make sure it is well cooked before frying the full batch.
- You can fry the donuts without the hole and fill it with your choice of filling. (you will need to increase the frying time by 20-30 second)
HAPPY BAKING!!!
Potato Donuts
Ingredients
- 1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter (56 g / 2 oz)
- 3 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour (360g)
- 2 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
- 1/4 Cup Sugar (50 g / 2 oz)
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Cup (100g) Mashed Russet Potato
- 3/4 Cup (180ml) Lukewarm Milk
- 1 Large Egg at room temperature
- 6-8 Cups frying oil
- 1 Cup Sugar in a medium wide bowl, for dusting
Instructions
- Melt the butter, set aside and allow to cool from hot to warm. (should not be over 110F)
- In a bowl of a standing mixer, sift the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, and stir to combine.
- Add the milk, melted butter, cooked potato and egg then mix using the dough hook until the dough is smooth.
- Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with plastic bag and allow to rest until double in size. About 90 minutes.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and dived it into 16 small pieces (about 40g each).
- Roll each piece into a small ball then flatten it. Using your thumb and forefinger gently pinch it in the center to create the hole and stretch it into 3" round.
- Place aside for the second rise about 75-90 minutes.
- Place the oil in a large cooking pan and warm it over the stove, medium-high heat until it reaches 350F.
- Gently dump the donuts and fry for about 90 seconds, turning sides half way throug
- Remove from oil and place in the bowl of sugar, cover the donut with sugar.
Can I make this with a different type of potato as long as its the same quantity?
I never tried using a different type of potato but I feel comfortable there is no issue! Let me know how it turns out!
This was an easy tasty recipe. Enjoyed them after dinner with coffee. A sweet treat. We loved them and they were super easy to make with ingredients on hand! Eat them hot!
what’s the quantity of the yeast to be added
1 1/2 tsp, the full recipe is at the bottom of the post.
do you have to warm the milk because of the yeast or is it just the butter
This is now my only doughnut recipe. So good! The flavor is perfect. It looks like it will be cakey, but it is not. It’s got a nice chew. The potato makes for a doughnut that keeps it’s texture without drying out for a few days.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Keila!