Old-Fashioned Potato Donut Recipe

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If you’re looking for a simple, old-fashioned treat, look no further than this potato donut recipe.

This is a fairly basic and easy recipe. It does need to chill in the fridge for a bit, and there is frying involved, but all-in-all it’s nothing complex or fancy and yet the results are truly something special.

Mashed Potatoes

There’s nothing fancy here – super basic pantry ingredients come together for something special. The only that might not be readily available is mashed potatoes.

You only need 1/3 cup of here – so you can easily boil as small potato and mash. Let it cool to room temperature prior to adding to the batter.

Leftover mashed potatoes might work but the extra butter, milk, and seasoning could pose a problem. If you go that route, be ready to add more flour to get a good consistency of dough.

Chill Time

The dough must chill for at least 2 hours prior to rolling and frying. You could let it sit in the fridge longer, however.

Do not skip this chilling – the dough will likely fall apart in the oil if you do.

Make the dough before bed and fry the doughnuts in the morning for breakfast or brunch.

Donut Size

I used an old-fashioned donut cutter that was my grandmas! It’s about 2 3/4 inches in diameter.

Using that size and re-rolling the dough after cutting, I was left with 12 donuts. If use a larger or smaller cutter, you’ll get fewer or more donuts.

You could also fry the holes instead of re-rolling that dough, if desired. There’s no right or wrong, simply what you prefer and feel like doing on any given day.

Pan to Fry

I simply use a cast iron Dutch oven to fry the doughnuts. A regular cast iron skillet would likely work as well.

The wider your pan, the more doughnuts you can fry at once. It’s unlikely that you can fry all 12 in one sitting as it would cool the oil to much and crowd it all. Fry 3 to 4 at a time depending on the pan width.

Oil for Frying

You’ll want something with a high smoke point for frying. Peanut oil leaves a slight peanut taste but works great if that doesn’t bother you. Regular vegetable oil is fine as well.

I used lard. Admittedly this isn’t the first choice for many folks but it works for us and I always have it on hand.

Topping Choices

You could, of course, serve the donuts plain but toppings are fun.

A simple roll in powdered sugar while still warm works perfectly.

Cinnamon sugar (or any spices mixed with granulated sugar) also works great when the donuts are still a bit warm.

Let the donuts cool slightly and dip them in your favorite icing glaze. Chocolate, vanilla, maple, etc.

You could roll the donuts in chopped nuts after frosting too. Sprinkles on the glaze are fun for kids.

Your imagination and preferences are the only topping limitations.

How to Serve

These donuts are truly the best within a few hours of frying. Serve with breakfast or brunch alongside your favorite drinks.

They could easily be a fun dessert too.

There’s no reason to get too fancy here – they’re doughnuts, they’re meant to be simple and delicous.

How to Store

As mentioned, above, these are best eaten the same day as fried. If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container. They will still be edible in a couple of days but they lose a lot texture in my opinion.

The recipe makes only 12 doughnuts – you could double to make more if you’re feeding a large crowd but for smaller gatherings or households I wouldn’t advise making enough for leftovers.