These cakey sour cream glazed donuts are super soft and tender! The addition of sour cream gives you an ultra moist, tangy donut with a delicate crumb. The dough is super easy to whip up and made without yeast!
Every time I make donuts, I try to tell myself "No, you can't have 3 donuts in one sitting." So, to keep true to myself, I have 4.
I have zero self-control when it comes to donuts. I'm especially a sucker for sour cream glazed donuts! But I mean, who can say no to donuts? ESPECIALLY a fresh batch of homemade donuts?? And these are seriously the best fried donuts you could make at home!
what makes these the BEST sour cream donuts?
First, let's talk about texture! These donuts have a perfectly crisp and delicate exterior crust with a soft, moist, and tender center. They don't absorb much oil, so it especially helps the crust maintain that crisp and delicate quality. The texture is the perfect balance between cakey and sturdy.
Next up: the flavor. Sour cream makes everything butter, but it seriously takes donuts to the next level! It adds a hint of tanginess and freshness to an otherwise indulgent treat! Adding nutmeg into this donut dough also makes these donuts taste just like a bakery staple.
And finally, these donuts are SO easy to make! It's essentially just a bunch of mixing. There's no yeast in the dough, so that means we don't need to knead (try saying that 5 times) and it makes the whole process a lot quicker!
A few key ingredients help set this recipe apart from any plain old-fashioned donut:
- cornstarch: Helps absorb added moisture and makes the donuts less heavy. Swapping out a bit of all-purpose flour for cornstarch makes for an extra tender and cakey donut.
- baking powder + soda: A combination helps lift the donuts and creates beautiful air bubbles in the center. This, again, contributes to their unbelievably delicious texture!
- nutmeg: A tiny bit helps round out all the flavors and gives the donuts a bakery-style quality to them. It's subtle enough so it doesn't overpower the other delicate flavors, but it's strong enough to really make the donuts feel more special.
- egg yolk: An additional egg yolk helps add richness and also contributes to the tender texture!
how to make sour cream glazed donuts
1. Whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.
2. Whisk butter and sugar together. They won't quite combine smoothly, but the sugar should be fully moistened and crumbly.
3. Whisk egg, egg yolk, and vanilla into the butter sugar mix.
4. Whisk in sour cream to combine.
5. Add the dry ingredients in and mix until just combined. Take care not to overmix!
6. Roll and cut. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and flatten. This dough is delicate enough to just use your hands but feel free to use a rolling pin. Cut out donuts - you can use a specialty donut cutter, but I just like to use a round cookie cutter for the outside and the back of a piping tip for the center holes.
Arrange the cut donuts on a piece of parchment paper. Gather the dough scraps and re-roll and cut until you're out of dough. You should have about 10 to 12 donuts total.
If at any point the dough becomes difficult to roll and it keeps pulling in on itself, cover it and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes or until easy to roll again. This usually happens towards the end of the process because the gluten will start to get overworked the more you gather and re-roll the scraps, so letting the dough rest allows the gluten to relax, making the dough more rollable!
7. Frying time! Heat your oil in a pan with high sides - you need about 2 inches (or more) of oil to get a good fry on donuts, so pick a pan with at least 4 inch high sides to prevent splattering. Gently drop the donuts into the hot oil and fry until both sides are golden brown. Transfer onto a wire rack to drain and repeat until all of the donuts are cooked.
8. Whisk together glaze ingredients. Once the donuts are cool enough to easily handle, dip the face of each donut in the glaze and allow the excess to drip back into the bowl. You can serve them right away or let the donuts sit for about 10 to 20 minutes to allow the glaze to harden.
how to test if your oil is ready for frying
For frying your donuts, this recipe calls for preheating your oil to 375°F. If you don't have a thermometer to test the oil heat, not to worry! I made donuts for yeeeaaars without a thermometer. It can be a bit hit or miss without the thermometer at first. You just need to get into the hang of what signs to look out for to sort out if the oil is preheated.
To test if your oil is ready to add the donuts in, just drop a small ball of dough in the oil as it heats. Once the ball of dough floats to the top of the oil and it starts to bubble around the sides and brown, you should be good to add your donuts to the oil.
It's important to keep an eye on the oil so that the donuts constantly have some bubbling along the sides. You can usually tell if the oil is getting too hot or cold, so you may need to adjust your heat slightly throughout the cooking process.
As a general rule of thumb, the first side of your donuts should take about 2 to 3 minutes to cook. If your donuts start to brown in under a minute, the oil is too hot. If the donuts don't brown by the 3 minute mark, the oil is too cool.
Once you flip your donuts, the second side does usually cook quicker than the first side. So don't worry if it seems too quick!
tips
- measure flour accurately: This seems like a no-brainer, but flour is one of the most (if not THE most) easily mismeasured ingredients. Using a food scale to measure by weight is the best and most accurate way to measure flour. But if you prefer to measure with cups, make sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife or flat utensil - never scoop the flour using your measuring cup because you could end up packing in more weight worth of flour!
- use FULL-FAT sour cream: It'll make for a better flavor and texture.
- don't overwork the dough: One of the keys to an extra tender donut is to mix the dough as little as possible once the flour has been added in. Overmixing or kneading the dough will overwork the gluten, which ultimately leads to dense donuts. As soon as the flour disappears, stop mixing and turn the dough onto your work surface to roll and cut!
- fry in a pot with high sides: This will make frying a million times easier! Not only is it easier to flip the donuts (without fear of spillage), but it's also much safer in case the oil starts splattering.
- don't overcrowd the pot while frying: As you add donuts, your oil will naturally cool down slightly. It's important to fry in small batches of about 3 to 4 donuts (depending on the size of your pot). It'll help prevent having the oil get too cold (which can equal oily donuts). Small batches are also easier to control!
- glaze the donuts while warm, but not hot: Glazing donuts right off the heat is not only painful(!), but the glaze also tends to melt off for the most part. The best time to glaze is after the donuts have sat for about 10 minutes. They should feel warm but cool enough to easy handle by hand.
Other donut toppings:
To keep this donut recipe classic, I love to dip the fried donuts in a simple glaze using powdered sugar and water. But you can play around with the toppings!
Other options for dips and toppings include:
• Cinnamon sugar (¼ cup sugar to 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
• Chocolate ganache
• Glaze + sprinkles
• Glaze + chopped nuts
check out these other recipes!
• Baked Apple Donuts
• Baked Chocolate Glazed Donuts
• BEST Vanilla Cupcakes
• Brown Butter Brownies
• The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.
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Sour Cream Glazed Donuts
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 donuts
Description
These cakey sour cream glazed donuts are super soft and tender! The addition of sour cream gives you an ultra moist, tangy donut with a delicate crumb. The dough is super easy to whip up and made without yeast!
Ingredients
For the sour cream donuts:
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 & ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (135g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- Neutral flavored oil for deep frying (like vegetable, canola, peanut, etc.)
For the glaze:
- 2 cups (260g) powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- *Note: Before starting, it's important to measure the flour accurately to make sure the donuts do not come out dry and crumbly. If you can, it's best to measure by weight using a food scale.
If you prefer to use cups, use a spoon to lightly fluffy the flour in the bag then gently spoon it into your measuring cup until it reaches slightly past the top. Use a flat utensil like a butter knife to level off the top. Never scoop flour directly from the bag with the cup or this can pack in more weight worth of flour and dry out the donuts!
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground nutmeg. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together your sugar and butter. The mixture will be dry and crumbly but the sugar should be moistened with the butter.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the butter mixture and whisk to combine. Finally, whisk in the sour cream.
- Add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix everything together until it just starts to form into a sticky dough. Take care not to overwork the dough as it can make the donuts tough!
- Turn your donut dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your hands or a rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into about ¼ inch thick. Cut your donuts out using a floured 2 & ½ inch donut cutter.
- Transfer the cut donuts onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Gather any scraps of dough and re-roll and cut again. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up. You should have about 10 to 12 donuts.
- Fill a large pot with high sides with about 2 inches of neutral flavored oil. Set the pot over a stove burner set to medium heat. Preheat the oil to 375°F.
- Carefully add in your donuts to the hot oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Fry the donuts in batches until golden brown on each side (about 1 to 2 minutes per side). Transfer to a wire cooling rack or paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat the frying process with the remaining dough.
- For the glaze: In a medium sized bowl, combine your powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Whisk together until you get a smooth glaze. If the glaze is too thick, gradually add more water until you reach your desired consistency.
- Once the donuts have cooled enough to handle, dip the face of each donut in the glaze. Set on a wire rack to allow the excess glaze to drip off. You can serve these donuts right away or set aside for a few minutes to allow the glaze to set.
Notes
Storage instructions: Keep donuts stored in an airtight container (in a single layer so they don't stick). Donuts will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature, but they do taste best fresh!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Enjoy!
Angie says
Recipe worked great. Kind of grainy when hot (maybe from the cornstarch?) but nice and cakey/fluffy when cooled. Nutmeg amount was perfect. Very mild.
Jennifer Cody says
I do not have any cornstarch, but do have cake flour. If I use 2 1/4 of cake flour, will that eliminate the need for cornstarch?
Jennifer says
I meant to say 2 1/2 cups of cake flour.
Joy says
If I don’t have a donut cutter what else can I use?
Helene says
Can I by any chance bake these in a donut pan?? The batter recipe seems so much better then the “baked” recipes out there. Especially with cake flour. Thanks