Sour Cream Baked Doughnuts

By Yossy Arefi

Published June 27, 2025

Sour Cream Baked Doughnuts
Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(86)
Comments
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You’re a mere 25 minutes away from freshly baked sour cream doughnuts when you make them at home. The vanilla and nutmeg in the batter make them taste like your favorite store-bought cake doughnuts, but you can actually enjoy these fresh doughnuts warm, when you make them in your kitchen. Melted butter gives them a rich flavor, and sour cream ensures that the crumb is tender and moist. Enjoy them plain, or with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. Because these doughnuts taste best the same day they are baked, this recipe only makes a half dozen, but if you’re feeding a bigger crowd, you can simply double the recipe to make a full dozen, baking the doughnuts in two batches.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 doughnuts
  • 4tablespoons/65 grams unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
  • ½cup/115 grams sour cream
  • 6tablespoons/75 grams granulated sugar
  • 1large egg
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • ¾teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾cup/95 grams all-purpose flour
  • Powdered sugar (optional), for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

240 calories; 14 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 222 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 6-cavity doughnut pan.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, combine the melted butter with the sour cream, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla and nutmeg. Whisk until smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Whisk in the salt, baking powder and baking soda. Fold in the flour with a flexible spatula.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the batter to a large pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch tip (or use a large resealable plastic bag) and snip a ½-inch hole off one corner. Pipe the batter evenly among the 6 cavities of the doughnut pan. (Doughnut-pan capacities vary, so be sure to fill each cavity no more than halfway to ensure the doughnuts have holes once baked.)

  5. Step 5

    Bake the doughnuts until puffed and light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 9 to 11 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and dust heavily with powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy warm.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
86 user ratings
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Comments

Homer Simpson

Can I use a bundt pan and just make one giant doughnut?

Lizz

I did not have a donut pan, so in a pinch I used a muffin pan. They turned out delicious! 11 mins wasn't enough time, but about 13-15 was about right for the muffin tin.

Su

You probably could, but this is really just a sour cream cake dressed up as donuts, and you'll many good sour cream bundt cake recipes that have been tested to ensure that they bake evenly in a bundt pan. (King Arthur Baking has a particularly good one...)

Susan

I made these as written, they are way too salty. There is also too much leavening; you can taste it! The amount of baking time needs to be increased to at least 15 minutes so the outside is a bit crunchy. I will be making major modifications to this recipe when/if I try it again.

k

Not too sweet, 15 mins in a muffin pan with a little bit of water in empty muffin cups

rk

will using margarine and tofuti (fake non dairy sour cream) work ok, or will the taste be altered?

BakingBlerd

It will alter taste, texture, and rise, but could work well. Baking is a science and changing the chemistry of the ingredients will change how the ingredients interact with each other and end result. Taste largely depends on how close the (unsalted!) margarine and Tofutti sour cream taste to the authentic dairy ingredients. Texture and rise depend chemistry (same fat %, type, salt, pH, consistency, etc.). May take some experimenting (and brand changes) to get close enough, but doable.

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