Have you ever had a fresh and hot homemade Sugar Donut? They are super delicious and very easy to make. So easy that you don’t even need a mixer! So go ahead and make this easy donut recipe and enjoy a sweet treat at home.
When some people think about Sugar Donuts, they usually have memories of their grandmas making them at home for them. Or the smell of freshly fried donuts.
In my house, we didn’t make donuts, but we very often went to the bakery. There, we can get delicious donuts along with Puerto Rican guava pastries and cheese pastries.
But if you are a Puerto Rican who lived on the island, then you’ll have the same memory I have. I remember a small van that went around selling pastries, including sugar donuts!
Now I get the joy of making homemade donuts along with my family, and is so much fun! Especially if we have family or friends over to share it with.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- A simple recipe made with basic ingredients that you can get at any supermarket.
- A recipe that is done by hand, no need for a mixer!
- The perfect recipe to make for family or as a dessert for a big crowd.
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour, sugar, yeast, milk, eggs, and butter – This is a recipe that is made with the typical donut base ingredients. The all-purpose flour, the sugar for sweetness, and the yeast as a leavening agent. The milk, eggs, and butter add flavor and fat.
- Baking powder- Now, I know it’s not typical to add baking powder to a yeast donut, only to cake donuts. But trust me, adding a little bit makes a difference.
- Salt– This is almost always a must when making a sweet recipe.
- Vanilla- The vanilla adds a nice touch of sweetness.
How to Make Homemade Sugar Donuts
- Photo 1: Add the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, milk, eggs, baking powder, and vanilla to a large bowl. Mix until everything comes together into a ball.
- Photo 2: Flour your counter, pour everything onto your counter, and knead for 15 minutes or until your dough is smooth.
- Photo 3: Lightly grease a bowl, add the dough, and cover with plastic film. Let this rise for 1 hour.
- Photo 4: Take your dough and place it on your counter. With your hands, flatten the dough. Dust your rolling pin with some flour and roll your dough until it is about ½ inch thick. Dust your donut cutter and cut all the donuts. Take scraps, roll the dough, and repeat until you finish cutting.
- Photo 5: Place the donuts on small pieces of parchment paper for better handling. Place them on a tray and cover with plastic. Let them rise for 45 minutes in a warm place.
- Photo 6: In a large pan, add 3-4 cups of oil, depending on how big your pan is. There should be enough oil so the donuts don’t touch the bottom of the pan. Set your heat to medium high and fry the donuts for 1 minute per side. Set them on a wire rack.
- Photo 7: In a large plate or bowl, add 1 cup of sugar and cover all of your donuts on both sides.
- Photo 8: Fry the donut holes for 1 minute while stirring. Coat with sugar.
Recipe Tips
- When baking, I always suggest that it is best if you weigh your ingredients for accuracy.
- You can make churro donuts by adding 2 tablespoons of cinnamon to your sugar coating.
- You can freeze these donuts after shaping. Put them in a tray and cover them very well. Then all you have to do is proof and fry.
More Desserts To Try
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Sugar Donuts
Nothing better than a soft sweet Sugar Donut! The perfect dessert that adults and kids love.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (7g)
- ¼ cup sugar (58g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
- 2 large eggs
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (98g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (4g)
- 4 cups all purpose flour (560g) + 2TB for kneading
- 1 cup sugar to coat donuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, yeast, vanilla, milk, eggs, and butter. Mix everything until most of the ingredients come together into a lump.
- Transfer the dough to a floured flat surface (*I used 2 tablespoons of flour) and knead for 15 minutes. Shape into a ball. *If using a stand mixer, add the extra 2 tablespoons of flour, mix until everything comes together into a smooth dough. Transfer the dough into a greased large bowl, cover with a plastic film, and let it rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
- Transfer your dough to a flat surface, and with your hands, press down on the dough to remove all the air and form a rectangular shape. Then, with a rolling pin, stretch your dough to about 12×16. The dough should be about ½ inch thick.
- Take a donut cutter, lightly flour it, and cut out the donuts. Place each donut on a small square of parchment paper (this is for better handling). Take the scraps of dough and reuse them until you make all the donuts. Place the donuts on a tray, along with the donut holes. Cover with plastic wrap, and let them proof for 45 minutes.
- In a large pan, add about 3 cups of oil over medium high heat. *The oil temperature should be about 350°F. Fry the donuts for 1 minute per side. Do not over crowd your pan and work quickly because the donuts brown fast.
- Remove your donuts and set them on a tray with a baking rack to drain any excess oil. Add all the donut holes to the oil and fry for 1 minute while constantly stirring to make sure they fry evenly. Set them in a baking rack.
- Add 1 cup of sugar in a bowl, put the donuts in, and cover both sides with sugar. Do the same with the donut holes. Buen provecho!
Recipe Notes
- Rising. I like to let my dough rise in the oven off, but with the light on or in the microwave.
- Overnight rise. You can rise the donuts overnight. They will rise only a little bit. Before frying, let them get to room temperature and rise a little more. They should have doubled in size. Then fry as directed.
- Stuffed donuts. You can use this same recipe to make stuffed donuts.
- Storing. Store the leftovers in a bowl with a lid or in the microwave. These will last at room temperature for 2 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 282IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg
*The nutrition information is automatically calculated, so this is only an approximation.
Tried this Recipe? Leave A Comment Below!
Leslie says
Yay! Thank you for this recipe! My husband loves sugar donuts and I’m going to surprise him.