This homemade sourdough pumpkin donut recipe, fried in healthy beef tallow are perfect for the fall season. Filled with homemade pumpkin pudding and rolled in sweet cinnamon sugar, these pumpkin donuts are hard to resist and may become one of your favorites during the pumpkin season.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Delicious – there’s nothing quite like the comforting flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon and sugar in the fall of the year, and these donuts bring together the best of all of these flavors.
Healthy – made with long fermented sourdough and fried in beef tallow, these will be the healthiest donuts you’ll ever eat
Simple and easy – just mix up the dough and the pudding the night before, and you can easily have fresh donuts for breakfast the next morning.

Ingredients

Milk – I use raw whole milk from my Jersey cows, but you can use whatever kind of milk you have. If you are dairy-free, you can use non-dairy milk or even water. The milk does help the dough to be extra soft, but it’s not 100% necessary.
Sweetener – I usually use regular sugar, but you could use cane sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or even honey. If you use honey or maple syrup, you may have to add a little bit more flour so the dough comes together and isn’t too sticky. Mix the dough for 10 minutes, though, before adding any extra flour, as the dough will become a lot less sticky just from mixing.
Sourdough Starter – active sourdough starter or sourdough discard works fine.
Butter – I use my own homemade butter, but you can use whatever kind of butter you have. Even melted coconut oil or beef tallow would work fine too. The butter, eggs and milk in this dough make it an enriched dough which makes a tender and fluffy homemade donut.
Eggs – Farm fresh eggs are always best, and give a nice protein content to the dough.
Salt – Redmond real salt from Azure Standard is my favorite, but use whatever salt you have.
Vanilla Extract – You can make your own homemade vanilla extract really simply. I keep it stored in my homestead pantry so I always have it on hand.
Flour – All purpose flour makes the most light and fluffy donuts. You can also make these with whole grain flour, but they won’t be quite as fluffy and tender. I purchase most of my flour from Azure Standard and keep it stored in bulk in my pantry. Use the code NEW15 at this link to get 15% off your first order of $100 or more through Azure Standard.
Pumpkin – I like to bake a homegrown sugar pie pumpkin from our garden at least once a week during fall and winter, and then make something with it like these pumpkin donuts or my maple pumpkin pie. You can also use store-bought pumpkin puree.
Cinnamon – for mixing up a combination of cinnamon and sugar.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here

Tools

Stand mixer.- You can mix these donuts by hand, but it takes a lot of kneading to get the dough really smooth, so I usually use my Bosch mixer and just mix up the dough while I’m cleaning up supper dishes in the evening. This makes the donuts fast and easy to make as I just roll them out when they’re done mixing, and let them rise until morning.
Measuring cups and spoons
Rolling pin
Biscuit cutter or donut cutters (a wide-mouth jar will also work for cutting out the donuts)
Four Baking Sheets– Two for laying the donuts on to rise overnight, and two for covering them up to seal in the moisture while still allowing the donuts to rise.
Parchment paper
Baking racks (for draining the donuts after frying)
Metal tongs
Dutch oven or deep heavy bottom pot
Digital thermometer
Medium sized bowls for glazing
Cake decorator or piping bag for filling the donuts.

Favorite Sourdough Recipes:

How to Make The Best Homemade Pumpkin Donuts

Donut Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined, and then add the dry ingredients.

Turn mixer onto medium speed and allow it to mix for at least 10 minutes. You want the gluten in the dough to be developed enough that you can pull the dough up and get it thin enough to see through it without it tearing. This is sometimes called the windowpane test. (See video below)

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until it is ½” thick.

Using biscuit cutters, a donut cutter, or a wide-mouth jar lid and a juice lid, cut out donuts. You can cut them all into donut holes using the juice lid if you prefer. If you want to make any jam or cream filled donuts, you’ll want to cut them out without any holes in them.

Lay the donuts in a single layer on two parchment-lined baking sheets as you cut them out. You will need to re-roll your dough at least once to get them all cut out and use up all your dough.

Cover the cookie sheets with the other two cookie sheets to help seal in the moisture. This will allow the donuts to rise and proof overnight, without them drying out.

Allow to rise at room temperature overnight or 8-12 hours.

Pumpkin Cream Filling

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and 2 cups milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Meanwhile, add 2 cups of milk and 4 eggs to a bowl and stir well. When the mixture in the pan is thick, add a little bit of the thickened mixture to the milk/egg mixture in the bowl. Stir well, and then pour milk/egg mixture into the thickened milk/sugar mixture in the pan.

Want to save this post?

Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes and homesteading tips from us every week!

Continue stirring until thick.

Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir well.

Chill overnight.

Frying The Donuts

In the morning, heat 3-4” of beef tallow or oil in a 6-quart dutch oven or similar-sized heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Heat until the oil is close to 375 degrees. Keep in mind that your oil will cool off once you add the first round of donuts, so it’s best if the oil is on the hotter side.

Meanwhile, mix 1 cup of sugar and 2 tsp. of cinnamon together in a bowl. We will use this for coating the outsides of the pumpkin donuts.

Carefully drop 3-4 donuts in the hot tallow or oil. There should be enough oil in the pot that they donuts do not reach the bottom. These are deep fat fried donuts, so the oil has to be deep enough that they will float. Let them fry on one side just until that side starts to turn a golden brown. This usually takes about a minute.

Using metal tongs or a slotted spoon, flip the donuts over and fry on the other side just until brown. Don’t fry them too long or they will get extra crispy and not be quite as good.

Remove the donuts from the tallow and place on a baking rack that is on a baking sheet. Allow the oil to drip off while frying the rest of the donuts.

As soon as the donuts are cool enough to handle, but still warm, dip them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Check the oil temperature between each batch of donuts making sure it doesn’t drop below 350 degrees or go above 375 degrees. Adjust heat as necessary.

Continue frying until all donuts are done (see video). The excess oil can be saved for frying other things or for use in cooking.

Fill Donuts

Using a cake decorator or a piping bag, fill donuts with pumpkin cream filling.

Enjoy with a tall glass of milk, or a fun drink to celebrate the time of year, like a pumpkin spice latte.

Store the leftover pumpkin doughnuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days (I bet they’ll never last that long).

Tips

To gain all of the health benefits from making these with long-fermented sourdough, be sure to allow the donuts to bulk ferment at room temperature overnight. This will ensure that most of the phytic acid and gluten in the flour are consumed by the sourdough starter, making these much easier to digest especially if you are gluten intolerant.
I recommend mixing these homemade donuts in a stand mixer (Bosch mixers are my favorite because they last forever). I always just add the ingredients to the mixer, and turn it on and let it mix for at least 10 minutes. Sometimes it will seem to be too wet of a dough in the beginning, but by the end of the 10 minutes of mixing, the gluten has developed and the dough comes together beautifully.
It is perfectly safe to add the eggs to this dough and still allow the dough to bulk ferment at room temperature overnight because the good active bacteria in the sourdough starter will prevent any bad bacteria from forming on the eggs.
You can make these with either active sourdough starter or cold sourdough discard. The donuts may not appear to rise much overnight if you use discard, but they will still puff up beautifully when you put them in the hot oil.
Be sure your oil or tallow stays between 350 and 375 degrees during the entire time you’re frying the donuts. If the oil falls under 350 degrees, the donuts can get greasy, and if it’s hotter than 375 degrees the donuts can get too crispy too quickly. I use a simple thermometer and adjust the temperature of my pot as needed (see video below).
Be sure the cover the donuts with another baking sheet turned upside down when allowing to rise overnight. This locks in the moisture and allows them to rise without drying out.

FAQ

Anytime you add a fermented element like sourdough to a recipe, it becomes more nutritious because it contains live probiotics and good bacteria that help with gut health and digestion. Gluten and phytic acid are naturally present in wheat, and are usually what is to blame for people not being able to digest gluten well. When the grain is fermented through the sourdough process, the gluten and phytic acid are broken down, making it easier to digest. A lot of people that struggle with gluten intolerance (not people with celiac), can digest food made with sourdough without any issue, especially if the recipe is allowed to sit out for a few hours and “long ferment”.

In addition, phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that blocks absorption of the nutrients found in wheat. During the sourdough fermentation process, the phytic acid gets broken down and the nutrients are more bio-available to the body. This is why baking with sourdough is so important for our health.

Be sure to watch our full tutorial on how to make your own sourdough starter here.

Sourdough donuts are so simple and easy to make, healthier than donuts you buy from the store, and long fermented so they are easier for your body to digest. Sourdough donuts are soft and fluffy and have the most amazing texture, combined with a sweet and tangy flavor that you’re gonna love.

Yes, sourdough is good for donuts. A lot of people think sourdough is only for bread, but it’s for SO much more. Sourdough gives a fermented element to anything you put it in, which makes it easier for your body to digest. That doesn’t necessarily mean that everything with sourdough in it will taste sour however. If you add some sweetener to the dough, it will not taste sour, and the sourdough will simple act as the levainer to raise the end product.

Sourdough donuts are made with a natural wild yeast that is all around us, instead of commercial yeast or baking powder purchased from the grocery store. Sourdough is the leavener that raises the donuts and gives them their soft and fluffy texture.

Yes, dough made with sourdough is better for you than normal dough providing you let it sit at least overnight to ferment. This long fermentation period allows the sourdough to break down the harmful phytic acid and gluten found in raw flour.

Baked donuts can be healthier than fried donuts, depending on how much sugar is in the cake donut recipe. The problem with most fried donuts is the type of oil that they are fried in, because obviously you end up ingesting some of the oil. Most donuts are fried in seed oils or vegetable oil, both of which have been proven to be very unhealthy. I always fry my donuts in beef tallow that I render myself and that comes from our own beef cattle that we raise on our own homestead. If you’re unfamiliar with beef tallow, it is the fat from beef cattle that you render down into clean oil. It is very similar to the fat on your own skin actually, and can be used not only for cooking but for skin care products and candle making. So donuts fried in beef tallow are actually much healthier for you than donuts fried in seed oils.

More Recipes Like This

The Best Homemade Sourdough Donuts (Video)

partially frosted caramel apple cinnamon rolls up close

Easy Caramel Apple Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls With Caramel Icing

Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls With Pumpkin Frosting

Homemade Sourdough Pumpkin Donuts

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Rise Time 8

Total Time 8 35

Serving Size people

Want to save this post?

Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes and homesteading tips from us every week!

Equipment

1 Stand mixer You can mix these donuts by hand, but it takes a lot of kneading to get the dough really smooth, so I usually use my Bosch mixer and just mix up the dough while I’m cleaning up supper dishes in the evening. This makes the donuts fast and easy to make as I just roll them out when they’re done mixing, and let them rise until morning.
1 measuring cups and spoons
1 Rolling Pin
1 Biscuit cutters or donut cutters (a wide-mouth jar will also work for cutting out the donuts)
1 Four Baking Sheets Two for laying the donuts on to rise overnight, and two for covering them up to seal in the moisture while still allowing the donuts to rise.
1 parchment paper
1 Wire rack (for draining the donuts after frying)
1 Metal tongs
1 Dutch oven or deep heavy bottom pot
1 Digital thermometer
1 Medium sized bowls for glazing
1 Cake decorator or piping bag for filling the donuts.

Ingredients

2 cups 2 cups warm milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sourdough starter
2 eggs
7-8 cups flour

Pumpkin Cream Filling

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 cups milk
4 eggs
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined, and then add the dry ingredients.
Turn mixer onto medium speed and allow it to mix for at least 10 minutes. You want the gluten in the dough to be developed enough that you can pull the dough up and get it thin enough to see through it without it tearing. This is sometimes called the windowpane test. (See video below)
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until it is ½” thick.
Using biscuit cutters, a donut cutter, or a wide-mouth jar lid and a juice lid, cut out donuts. You can cut them all into donut holes using the juice lid if you prefer. If you want to make any jam or cream filled donuts, you’ll want to cut them out without any holes in them.
Lay the donuts in a single layer on two parchment-lined baking sheets as you cut them out. You will need to re-roll your dough at least once to get them all cut out and use up all your dough.
Cover the cookie sheets with the other two cookie sheets to help seal in the moisture. This will allow the donuts to rise and proof overnight, without them drying out.
Allow to rise at room temperature overnight or 8-12 hours.

Pumpkin Cream Filling

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and 2 cups milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Meanwhile, add 2 cups of milk and 4 eggs to a bowl and stir well. When the mixture in the pan is thick, add a little bit of the thickened mixture to the milk/egg mixture in the bowl. Stir well, and then pour milk/egg mixture into the thickened milk/sugar mixture in the pan.
Continue stirring until thick.
Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir well.
Chill overnight.

Frying The Donuts

In the morning, heat 3-4” of beef tallow or oil in a 6-quart dutch oven or similar-sized heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Heat until the oil is close to 375 degrees. Keep in mind that your oil will cool off once you add the first round of donuts, so it’s best if the oil is on the hotter side.
Meanwhile, mix 1 cup of sugar and 2 tsp. of cinnamon together in a bowl. We will use this for coating the outsides of the pumpkin donuts.
Carefully drop 3-4 donuts in the hot tallow or oil. There should be enough oil in the pot that they donuts do not reach the bottom. These are deep fat fried donuts, so the oil has to be deep enough that they will float. Let them fry on one side just until that side starts to turn a golden brown. This usually takes about a minute.
Using metal tongs or a slotted spoon, flip the donuts over and fry on the other side just until brown. Don’t fry them too long or they will get extra crispy and not be quite as good.
Remove the donuts from the tallow and place on a baking rack that is on a baking sheet. Allow the oil to drip off while frying the rest of the donuts.
As soon as the donuts are cool enough to handle, but still warm, dip them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Check the oil temperature between each batch of donuts making sure it doesn’t drop below 350 degrees or go above 375 degrees. Adjust heat as necessary.
Continue frying until all donuts are done (see video). The excess oil can be saved for frying other things or for use in cooking.
Using a cake decorator or a piping bag, fill donuts with pumpkin cream filling.
Enjoy with a tall glass of milk, or a fun drink to celebrate the time of year, like a pumpkin spice latte.
Store the leftover pumpkin doughnuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days (I bet they’ll never last that long).

Notes

To gain all of the health benefits from making these with long-fermented sourdough, be sure to allow the donuts to bulk ferment at room temperature overnight. This will ensure that most of the phytic acid and gluten in the flour are consumed by the sourdough starter, making these much easier to digest especially if you are gluten intolerant.

I recommend mixing these homemade donuts in a stand mixer (Bosch mixers are my favorite because they last forever). I always just add the ingredients to the mixer, and turn it on and let it mix for at least 10 minutes. Sometimes it will seem to be too wet of a dough in the beginning, but by the end of the 10 minutes of mixing, the gluten has developed and the dough comes together beautifully.

It is perfectly safe to add the eggs to this dough and still allow the dough to bulk ferment at room temperature overnight because the good active bacteria in the sourdough starter will prevent any bad bacteria from forming on the eggs.

You can make these with either active sourdough starter or cold sourdough discard. The donuts may not appear to rise much overnight if you use discard, but they will still puff up beautifully when you put them in the hot oil.

Be sure your oil or tallow stays between 350 and 375 degrees during the entire time you’re frying the donuts. If the oil falls under 350 degrees, the donuts can get greasy, and if it’s hotter than 375 degrees the donuts can get too crispy too quickly. I use a simple thermometer and adjust the temperature of my pot as needed (see video below).

You can make all donut holes using a small biscuit cutter or the top of a juice container, and that’s always a favorite with the kids.

Be sure the cover the donuts with another baking sheet turned upside down when allowing to rise overnight. This locks in the moisture and allows them to rise without drying out.

Homemade Sourdough Pumpkin Donuts

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Ingredients

Tools