These Carrot Cake Donuts are for anyone who’s craving carrot cake but doesn’t want to stack and frost a layer cake! They require just 30 minutes of hands-on prep and are fried rather than baked to give them that signature crispy exterior that old fashioned donuts are known for.
The inside is dense and cake-like, yet incredibly moist and packed with the warming flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. And I obviously had to drizzle them with cream cheese icing, because duh!
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I Make These Donuts Every Spring for Easter!
I am not kidding when I say that these donuts remind me exactly of my favorite homemade carrot cake, minus the hours of work. These donuts come together in 1 HOUR! And that includes the 30 minutes’ chill time the dough needs before being cut out and fried.
And yes, we’re frying these carrot cake donuts rather than baking them. Baked donuts taste more like muffins to me, and when I’m craving old fashioned donuts I want the real thing. If you’ve never fried donuts before, don’t worry it’s SO easy! The donuts fry in just 2 inches of oil, so there’s minimal prep and cleanup required.
To inject these donuts with pure carrot cake flavor, I used plenty of warming spices, hand grated carrots (of course!), and one secret ingredient — molasses. The molasses deepens the carrot cake flavor, adds moisture, and makes the donuts more tender.
Add these fried carrot cake donuts to your Easter brunch menu and watch them disappear before your very eyes!
A Few Ingredient Notes …
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Grated carrot. Most grocery stores sell bagged shredded carrots in the produce section, but I recommend grating your own using a box grater. Pre-shredded carrots tend to be mealy and dry, while freshly grated are very tender and packed with moisture (which is what we want!).
- Sugar. I used both granulated and brown sugar to sweeten the donuts and add richness.
- Baking powder. Old fashioned donuts are supposed to be dense and almost cake-like, but they still need a fair bit of baking powder to give them some lift. Make sure your baking powder is still good, otherwise you’ll end up with carrot cake hockey pucks.
- Spices. Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves infuse the donuts with spiced carrot cake flavor. I also added a splash of good-quality vanilla.
- Sour cream. This is the essential ingredient that keeps the donuts super moist. Use full-fat sour cream for best results and bring it to room temperature before mixing into the dough (this ensures everything mixes together evenly).
- Molasses. Imparts SO much flavor and moisture. Don’t skip it!
- Frying oil. You’ll want a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point. I prefer frying my donuts in canola oil.
- Cream cheese. Buy a block of cream cheese and bring it to room temperature for easier mixing.
How to Make Carrot Cake Donuts at Home
- Make the donut dough, then chill. Making donut dough is almost identical to making cookie dough, believe it or not. I like to use my stand mixer to speed up this process, but you can mix everything by hand if needed. The dough needs to chill in the fridge before it can be rolled out and cut, as a heads up.
- Roll and cut the dough. Try to roll out the dough to about 1-inch thickness. I used a 3.5-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the donuts and a 1-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the donut holes. Return the donuts to the fridge before frying.
Jenny’s Tip: If you don’t own cookie cutters, try using a mason jar lid to cut out the donuts.
- Heat 2 inches of oil to 350ºF. A probe thermometer is key here! If the oil is too cold, the donuts will soak it up and become soggy.
- Score the donuts, then fry. I like to use a 2-inch cookie cutter to score the very tops of the donuts before frying them. This creates that shaggy, cracked appearance that old fashioned donuts are known for and it creates lots more crispy edges.
- Dunk them in cream cheese glaze. You’ll need to let the donuts cool slightly before glazing them, otherwise the glaze will slide right off. I like to sprinkle mine with toasted walnuts too, but you don’t have to!
Jenny’s Tips for Frying Your Own Donuts
Fry at the right temperature. When it comes to frying, maintaining temperature is everything. If the oil gets too hot, the donuts burn before they cook on the inside. If the oil is too cool, the donuts absorb all the oil and end up soggy. Use a probe thermometer to monitor the temperature (350ºF) while cooking and let the oil heat back up between frying batches of fritters.
Gently drop the dough into the oil. Do not drop the donuts in from up high unless you want blistering oil burns. I found it easiest to gently lower the donut into the oil by hand. Don’t be scared of getting close to the oil, you’re less likely to burn yourself by easing the dough in gently than by letting it splash in the oil.
Don’t over-fry. Just like any recipe, you can overcook these donuts. If you fry them for too long, you can dry them out. Fry about 2 minutes per side, just until the donuts are slightly browned.
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Homemade Donut Recipes to Try
- Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts
- Lemon Fritters
- Gingerbread Donuts
- Caramelized Apple Fritters
- Apple Cider Donuts
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Carrot Cake Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Donuts
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1/2 cup finely grated carrot, extra moisture squeezed out
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- canola oil, for frying
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine all the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
- In a small bowl whisk together the vanilla, eggs, sour cream, and molasses.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, add the grated carrot, and mix on low with the paddle attachment. Pour in the melted butter and mix until a soft cookie dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
- On a well floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1 inch thick. Using a floured 3 inch circle cutter, cut as many circles from the dough as possible and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Gather the scraps of dough up, bring them back together and repeat until all the dough has been used up. Using a 1 1/2-inch circle cutter, cut holes from the middle of each donut. Refrigerate donuts for 30 minutes.
Fry the Donuts
- Heat 2 inches of canola oil in a high sided pot to 350ºF. Using a 2-inch circle cutter, gently press the cutter into the donut around the middle ring just to score the top, do not press all the way through (just enough to leave a small imprint).
- Gently lower 2-3 donuts into the oil, scored side down, and fry for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Once all the donuts have been fried, fry the donut holes for 2 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to the wire rack.
Dip in Cream Cheese Glaze
- In a small bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar and beat together with a hand mixer. Add the vanilla and heavy cream and mix until the glaze is very smooth.
- When the donuts have cooled slightly, dip them into the glaze and return them to the wire rack. Coat the donut holes in glaze and allow them to dry. Sprinkle donuts and donut holes with toasted walnut bits.
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Rate & Review This Recipe
The recipe says make them 1 inch tall but there’s no way to get 12 donuts out of that amount of dough. Am I missing something?
Hi! If you find the dough is too thick, roll it out to 3/4 inch or so. After you cut the first batch out, you’ll gather the remaining dough up, roll it back out and continue to cut out donuts. Hope that helps!