Tulo

Sour Cream Donut Recipe

A stack of old-fashioned sour cream donuts with cracked golden exteriors, one dipped halfway in white vanilla glaze, cooling on a wire rack.
Photo by Anh Nguyen on Pexels

Sour cream adds fat and acidity to the dough, which keeps the crumb tender while the acid reacts with the leaveners to create the signature craggy, cracked surface that fries up extra crisp. Chilling the dough before cutting keeps the donuts from spreading or absorbing too much oil.

Prep
40 min
Cook
20 min
Total
2 hr
Servings
12

Ingredients

Servings12
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 cups vegetable oil, for frying
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, for glaze
  • 3 tablespoons milk, for glaze

Nutrition per serving

Calories
896
Protein
5g
Carbs
56g
Fat
74g

Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.

Need different units or a different yield? Try our Conversion Calculator →

Instructions

  1. 1Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
  2. 2In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter and egg yolks until smooth, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla.
  3. 3Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until a shaggy, sticky dough forms; it will look rough and slightly crumbly, not smooth like bread dough.
  4. 4Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, pat into a rough disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to roll.
  5. 5On a well-floured surface, roll the chilled dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut donuts with a 3-inch donut cutter, re-rolling scraps once.
  6. 6Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 325°F (163°C). Fry donuts 2-3 at a time, 2-3 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and cracked on the surface.
  7. 7Lift the donuts out with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack set over paper towels. Let the oil return to 325°F between batches.
  8. 8Whisk the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth to make the glaze, adding more milk a teaspoon at a time if it's too thick to dip into.
  9. 9Dip the still-warm donuts halfway into the glaze and set back on the rack, glaze-side up, until set, about 10 minutes.

Tips & variations

  • A dough this wet is hard to handle warm; the chilling step isn't optional, skipping it makes the dough impossible to cut cleanly and prone to soaking up oil.
  • Use a thermometer clipped to the pot rather than guessing; temperature swings more than 20°F either way change the texture noticeably.
  • Fry the donut holes too. They cook faster, about 1 minute per side, and make a good test batch to check your oil temperature.
  • For a cinnamon-sugar version, skip the glaze and toss the warm donuts in a mix of granulated sugar and cinnamon instead.

Storage & reheating

Glazed sour cream donuts are best the day they're made, once the crust softens they don't crisp back up. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refresh briefly in a 300°F oven for 3-4 minutes to warm through before serving.

Tips from the Tulo kitchen

  • Weighing the flour instead of scooping it keeps the dough from turning too dry and crumbly to roll.
  • Letting the cut donuts sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before frying helps them fry more evenly instead of staying pale in the center.

FAQ

Why do sour cream donuts crack on top?

The dough is drier and thicker than yeast-donut dough, so when it hits hot oil the outside sets and expands faster than the interior can keep up, splitting the crust into the characteristic craggy pattern.

Can I bake these instead of frying?

Baking changes the texture significantly since the dough relies on oil for its crisp, cracked crust; a baked version will come out closer to a cake donut with a soft, smooth surface rather than the classic old-fashioned crunch.

Why is my dough too sticky to roll?

This dough is meant to be quite soft; if it's unmanageable, chill it longer rather than adding much extra flour, which will make the finished donuts dense and dry.

What oil is best for frying donuts?

A neutral oil with a high smoke point, like vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, works best since it won't add flavor and can hold steady at 325°F without breaking down.