Cinnamon Sugar Buttermilk Donuts are fluffy and soft cake donuts that are so good you'll be making them over and over again! They're delicious, easy to make, and even more fun to eat!
Love Donuts?! Try my Dalgona Coffee Brioche Donuts with Buttercream Filling and Blood Orange Sour Cream Donuts with Citrus Glaze!
Cinnamon Sugar Buttermilk donuts are a cake donut recipe. Admittedly, I prefer cake donuts over yeasted donuts. Why? They're easier to make and they stay fresh and light a lot longer than the yeasted donuts. With this recipe, you'll be happy to know that it doesn't require anything fancy. You don't need a stand mixer, you don't need to use yeast, and most importantly, it doesn't require any ingredient that's difficult to find!
I wanted to add a glaze to these donuts. But they didn't need it. I realized that they were delicious by themselves. They spoke for themselves. These donuts are a whole vibe and I really want to share this recipe with you so that you can experience this!
Cinnamon Sugar Buttermilk Donuts
They're fluffy, but still dense. Soft but still have a slight crunchy outer shell. These donuts are everything you'd want in a cake donut. Or any donut. In addition, they're sweet, but not too sweet. I mean, honestly, just give these a try. You won't regret it. What I love about these is that they are easy to make. Is this the fastest recipe? No, but it isn't too long either. Plus, the wait is well worth the result. These little beauties are so delicious!
low temp is king when deep frying
So, another admission of mine. I suck at deep frying (but I'm getting better). I made donuts (recipe here) for my blog last year around this time (foreshadowing, haha) and it took quite a few tries to get the oil to the correct temperature. SO many recipes state that you should have you oil around 350 degrees F to 380 degrees F. That simply doesn't work for me. I don't know what I'm doing incorrectly, but I've found that low and slow is KING when deep frying. These donuts are of no exception.
I test fried my first donut at 380 degrees F. Burnt it to a crisp. It was burnt out the outside and then undercooked on the inside. So, I tossed it. I lowered my oil temperature to 350 degrees F. It wasn't burnt, but still a little on the crispier side. lol The third time, I lowered my temperature to around 320 degrees and cooked it longer. The results were utter perfection. That crispy outer shell, fluffy center, beautifully buttermilk flavor! I was so happy.
how do you make cinnamon sugar buttermilk donuts?
It's pretty simple but there a couple of things I want to break down so that you don't make the same mistakes I made when developing this recipe. If you're anything like me and hate wasting ingredients, keep reading so that you don't have to make multiple trips to the supermarket. lol
So, you start by mixing together wet ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in the other. Just like a cake. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon. Be sure not to overmix. As soon as the flour is fully incorporated, stop mixing.
Once all ingredients are combined and dough is smooth with no dry spots of flour, cover with plastic wrap and let dough sit in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to an hour and 30 minutes. Add flour to a work surface and roll the dough out. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough until it's about ½ inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or a biscuit dough cutter (you can choose whatever size you like, I used a 3 inch round cookie cutter). Then I cut a hole in the center of the cut dough. I used the bottom of a piping tip. I find that these are the perfect size. However, again, you can use whatever you like!
dunk them in cinnamon sugar
Once the dough is cut, add them to a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Begin heating oil to 320 degrees F in a deep pot. Oil should be around 2 inches deep in the pot. When dough is finished in the fridge, fry the donuts, about 2-3 at a time depending on your pot. Make sure as to not overcrowd your pot. Fry dough for about 6-8 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes. Once the donuts are a beautiful golden brown color, set them on a cooling rack. Let them cool for a few minutes and then dunk them in cinnamon sugar (or sprinkle on top). Then you're done! Be sure to let them cool before eating them. The donuts are still cooking when you remove them from the oil so be sure to let them cool to complete the process!
While you're enjoying this recipe, make these Vanilla Chai Donuts next! Also try these Baked Mimosa Donuts too!
have we connected on socials yet?
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Renia Butler says
I made this recipe allergen-free by making vegan buttermilk and substituting GF Flour. They were so tasty and the sweet dusting of cinnamon and sugar hit the spot!
Britney Chamberlain says
I'm so glad that you were able to tailor this recipe to fit your dietary needs!! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Lilly says
These donuts are so tasty! I've been enjoying them for dessert!
Britney Chamberlain says
Aww Thanks so much! I'm so happy that you like them, enjoy! 🙂
Marta says
I love how informative and helpful the post is. My buttermilk donuts were a success and that hint of nutmeg in the batter really made it.
Marsha Eileen says
These donuts have the perfect amount of sweetness and I just love the cinnamon sugar combo that goes on top! My favorite part is that it doesn’t require a stand mixer and really is easy to make! Thanks for the great recipe!
Britney Chamberlain says
Hi Marsha! Thanks for much for your feedback on this recipe, I'm so happy that you enjoyed it!
Robin says
I adore doughnuts but need to avoid yeast as I recently found out I'm allergic to it. These are the perfect solution for me!
Chenée Lewis says
These were amazing! They reminded me of my favorite buttermilk old-fashioned donuts from a a great donut shop here in Chicago, except these were even better!
Chef Mireille says
nothing hits the spot more then freshly made donuts. While I usually make yeast raised donuts wanted to try something new. These were so good and will definitely be adding these to my donut repertoire.
Britney Chamberlain says
Thanks so much for your feedback Chef! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
Jazz says
Absolutely delicious and SO fun to make!
Sydelle says
Is there a way to make this gluten free? Looks like an incredible recipe so if you have any suggestions let me know!
Britney Chamberlain says
Hi Sydelle! I haven't tried making this recipe with gluten free flour so I can't say. I'm sorry about that!