Donuts Made From Potatoes Are The Ultimate Unexpected Mash-Up

Potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables out there. For instance, you can make tasty recipes like buttery mashed potatoes or enjoy them as crispy potato chips. Another fun recipe that you can make with potatoes is donuts — potato donuts. Although this might sound unconventional, these donuts are quite tasty.

Potato donuts are made using mashed potatoes as well as flour. The result is an even lighter and fluffier donut — and you don't have to spend ages kneading the flour into your dough! Plus, they're incredibly moist.

Although they sound like they'd be a savory dish, potato donuts are actually sweet. Plus, you can add glaze, powdered sugar, or frosting to them to help bring out the sweetness even more. If you're still not sold on the idea of potato donuts, here's what else you need to know about these unique donuts, including how to make a batch yourself!

Potato donuts have been around for a long time, even if they sound like something that was whipped up on TikTok as a unique trend. In fact, these donuts date back to the 1700s!

Back in the day, the Pennsylvania Dutch (who were actually from Germany) used to make donuts using potatoes. Typically, they'd enjoy these on Fat Tuesday, the day before the Christian church celebrates the fasting season of Lent. The idea was to get rid of unhealthy foods around the house and have one last day of treats before the long period of fasting began.

Years later, in the 1940s, this donut recipe was published in "Yankee Magazine." Not long after, a business called Spudnuts opened, selling these potato donuts and ultimately bringing them to fame throughout the United States. While Spudnuts may have made these donuts famous, you can now find them at a number of different shops and farmer's markets sprinkled across the U.S.

Making potato donuts might sound complex, but they're a bit easier to make than regular ones. If you want to make some at home, you'll first need to whip up a batch of mashed potatoes. Once you've got mashed potatoes on hand, combine 3 eggs, 2 cups of sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, ⅓ cup of melted butter, and 1 ½ cups of potatoes in a bowl. Set this aside, and in another bowl, mix 6 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, and 2 teaspoons of nutmeg.

Then, slowly add the dry ingredients and 1 cup of buttermilk to your potato mix, stirring the entire time. When the ingredients have formed a dough, place it in the refrigerator and let it rest overnight. When you're ready to make the donuts, turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles.

Next, heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 F. Drop the donuts into the hot oil one by one, careful not to overfill your cooking vessel. Allow the donuts to cook until golden brown on the bottom, then flip them over. Once the donuts are golden, remove them from the oil and let them drain. Finally, dust them with powdered sugar and enjoy!