Baked Sourdough Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
These sourdough discard doughnuts are light, fluffy, and topped with a simple chocolate glaze. These cake doughnuts are a great way to use up your extra sourdough discard and are such a simple breakfast or afternoon treat!

Do you know what’s better than a regular cake doughnut? Sourdough cake doughnuts! They are so simple to whip together. All you need are a couple of mixing bowls, a doughnut pan, and a spatula, and you’ll be on your way to the fluffiest, yummiest doughnuts.
There is *no* frying in this recipe. These doughnuts are baked in the oven, making things nice and simple. You don’t need an active sourdough starter for this recipe as we will be using the sourdough discard instead (though you certainly can use an active sourdough starter, it’s just not necessary).
Looking for more sourdough discard recipes? Check these out:
- Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes
- Sourdough Cake Pops
- Sourdough Pop Tarts with Strawberry Jam Filling
- Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes
- Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Cookies
- Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients for Sourdough Doughnuts

- All-Purpose Flour – I prefer King Arthur brand, but any flour will do!
- Baking Powder – This is a leavening agent that helps the doughnuts rise since we are not using active sourdough starter.
- Baking Soda – This is another leavening agent to assist the baking powder.
- Salt – Just a little here as I use salted butter in all my baking and cooking. If you’re using unsalted butter, you’ll add a pinch extra of salt.
- Melted Butter – As stated above, I use salted butter.
- Brown Sugar – I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar works great as well. Brown sugar adds a softer, more tender doughnut than granulated sugar.
- Vanilla Extract – Because we always use vanilla extract in our baked goods, right?!
- Eggs – Room temperature eggs are ideal.
- Whole Milk – Whole milk is preferred here but any dairy milk works in a pinch! I recommend keeping the milk out a bit ahead of time and allowing it to get to room temperature.
- Sourdough Discard – This is the leftover inactive sourdough starter or discard. Alternatively, you may use an active sourdough starter if you’d prefer. Try to keep the discard at room temperature.
For the Chocolate Glaze:
- Chocolate Chips – You can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips here.
- Heavy Cream – This helps thicken the glaze and assists in melting the chocolate chips when they heat up.
- Powdered Sugar – Adds that classic sweetness to the glaze.
- Sprinkles – Because they are fun and add that classic doughnut look that we all love!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease two doughnut pans or spray them with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar until combined.
Add the vanilla extract and eggs, whisking until smooth.
Stir in the sourdough discard and milk until fully incorporated.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing gently until just combined.
Be careful not to overmix to keep the doughnuts light and fluffy.

Transfer the batter into a piping bag or use a spoon to fill the wells of the prepared doughnut pans about three-quarters full.

Bake the doughnuts in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Let the doughnuts cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt chocolate chips and cream in the microwave in 20-second increments; whisk until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar. Dip the cooled doughnuts in the glaze and let them set on a wire rack.

Tips for Making the Best Sourdough Cake Doughnuts
- Room temperature ingredients! If you want the best cake, whether in actual cake form or doughnut form, room temperature eggs, milk, and sourdough discard will provide the fluffiest, lightest crumb.
- Avoid overmixing! I don’t use an electric hand mixer when combining the ingredients for this doughnut batter because I want to make sure I don’t overmix it. Overmixing can result in a dense cake. Just use a spatula or whisk (the whisk can be tricky towards the end when mixing all the batter, just a heads up!).
- Play around with the frosting. You don’t have to use chocolate glaze. You could also make a vanilla frosting with 2 cups of powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth and dip the doughnuts in the vanilla glaze. Allow to set before enjoying!
Storage
Store the doughnuts in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. They’re best enjoyed the same day or the day after baking.

Baked Sourdough Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
Equipment
- 2 doughnut pans
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard room temperature
Chocolate Glaze
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips semi-sweet or dark chocolate depending on preference
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two doughnut pans and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In a separate larger mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla extract, eggs, milk, and sourdough discard.
- Pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Combine until just mixed, being mindful not to overmix the batter.
- Fill a piping bag or gallon-sized bag with the corner cut off with the batter and fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Let the doughnuts cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Glaze: Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring well after each interval, until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy. Once combined, whisk in the powdered sugar until the glaze reaches a thick, smooth consistency.
- Dip cooled doughnuts in glaze, add the sprinkles, then allow to set on a wire rack before enjoying.
These sourdough doughnuts are such a hit in my house! I hope you love them just as much. If you make them, please let me know what you think! Leaving a review or comment makes such a difference to me!