The Best Buttermilk Donuts - A Fried Donut Recipe

This easy recipe for buttermilk donuts is made with real buttermilk. This makes the donut dough super tender and flavorful.

This is a fluffy buttermilk donut recipe for fried donuts, but they're light and tender.

The acidity in the buttermilk in this recipe gives a real tenderness to the dough and adds a touch of tanginess that pairs well with the sweetness of the cinnamon-sugar coating. This recipe is best made over a period of two days, so the dough can proof overnight in the refrigerator for optimal flavor. 

Do you call them donuts or doughnuts? Either way, this post will show you how to make soft buttermilk doughnuts from scratch!

The Buttermilk Donut Dough Ingredients

The donut dough consists of buttermilk, sugar, flour, butter, egg, yeast, salt, and vanilla. It's a very simple dough in terms of ingredients. The main flavor comes from the frying of the donuts and the cinnamon sugar coating at the end. 

The Buttermilk

This fluffy donut recipe is made better with real buttermilk. Buttermilk is the tangy, low-fat liquid left behind after churning butter. It is rich in cultures and taste and adds tenderness to baked goods.

Store bought buttermilk works well, or you can churn butter and make your own buttermilk.

Buttermilk substitutions

If you have no buttermilk, it can be substituted with regular whole milk. They will still be delicious but it won't be quite as tender at the end.

The Flour

For this recipe, all-purpose flour is used, one with a protein level of around 10-11% (dependant on the brand of flour.) This protein content is enough to develop the gluten but not too much that the donut becomes chewy.

The Yeast

The yeast used in this donut recipe is instant yeast. It is fast-acting and usually pretty full proof when it comes to viability.

If you are wanting to use active dried yeast, test and proof the yeast first by warming the buttermilk (to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C) and mixing in the yeast along with the sugar. When the buttermilk gets heated it will appear curdled but that's not a problem. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes until foamy before continuing the recipe.

The Donut Dough

It makes a thick dough, that starts off slightly sticky. It's easiest when made using a bench mixer with a dough hook, but it can be made by hand too.

Mixing the Donut Dough by Hand or by Mixer

Mix it together until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. This takes around 8-10 minutes of mixing with the bench mixer.

If doing this by hand it will be around 12-15 minutes worth of kneading. Take your time kneading until the dough is smooth and strong.

Proofing the Donut Dough

This step is best done in the refrigerator so the rising is slowed down and the flavor has time to develop. 

Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with an upside-down plate or a lid and place it in the refrigerator for anywhere between 4 and 24 hours. The longer it's left, the more flavor in the donuts

Once the dough is removed from the refrigerator it should be puffed up and doubled in size.

Shaping the Donuts

These donuts are shaped like a traditional ring shape. You can buy special donut cutters, or use a large mason jar band and a really small jar lid or band for the middle hole.

On a lightly floured bench, tip out the dough and roll it into a ½ inch/ 1.3cm thick square. Cut out the donut shapes. Place the cut donut rings and the donut holes on parchment paper-lined trays.

Any leftover dough can be rolled out and cut again.

Donut Rising Time

Leave the donuts to rise once more, but not for too long. The more they rise, the lighter they'll be but it also means it will be harder to remove them when it comes time to fry them. It's about finding a happy medium.

They can be left for around 35-45 minutes until they have puffed a bit. This is dependent on room temperature though - the warmer your room, the faster they'll rise.

Frying and Coating the Buttermilk Donuts

When the donuts have risen, pour the frying oil into a deep fryer or a deep pot and heat it to 375°F / 190°C.

If you're not using a deep fryer (which usually comes with a thermometer) you'll need a candy thermometer for this. One that can handle reading a high temperature.

Place the sugar and cinnamon for the topping in a bowl and set it aside. 

Fry the donut only 2-3 at a time depending on the size of your pot. Don't add too many at a time because they will lower the oil temperature. If it drops too much your donuts. won't fry well and will absorb too much oil. Fry them for around 45 seconds on each side. It will be less for the smaller donut holes. 

Ensure the oil in the pot stays hot, but don't let it surpass 375°F / 190°C or the donuts will burn before they have a chance to cook in the middle. 

After frying, use a slotted spoon to remove the donuts from the oil, let them drip for a few seconds then place them while hot, into the sugar bowl. Use tongs or two forks to flip the donuts in the sugar to coat them on all sides. Place the cinnamon sugar donuts on a rack, then repeat the process with the remaining donuts.

Enjoying and Storing Donuts

For ultimate fluffy buttermilk donuts, they are best enjoyed on the day they are fried but they can be stored once cooled in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Have you made these? Tag me and let me know!

Interested in more sweet recipes? Try these blueberry pie bars or make some of these delicious homemade Belgian waffles.

If you are looking for some other recipe inspiration, then you could try this simple feijoa shortcake or perhaps this spiced plum crumble cake.