Maine Potato Doughnuts with Cranberry Glaze
Tender, old-fashioned potato doughnuts pair perfectly with a sweet cranberry glaze.
By Yankee Magazine|Aug 25 2025|
Maine Potato Doughnuts with Cranberry Glaze
Photo Credit: Clare Barboza/styling by Gretchen RudeLong a northern Maine staple, potatoes add lightness and tenderness to these classic potato doughnuts. For best results, use dry, baked or microwaved potatoes and run them through a ricer for a fluffy texture.
This Maine Potato Doughnuts with Cranberry Glaze recipe from Amy Traverso first appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of Yankee.
Yield:
A dozen each of doughnuts and doughnut holes.
For the doughnuts
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup lightly packed mashed russet or Yukon Gold potatoes (leftover potatoes with salt and pepper are fine)
¼ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2–2¼ cups all-purpose flour (280–315 grams), plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Vegetable oil or vegetable shortening, for frying
Instructions
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a standing or handheld mixer until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until glossy and pale yellow.
Add the potatoes and buttermilk and beat until smooth. Add the 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg and beat just until evenly combined. The dough should now be fairly easy to handle, but still a bit sticky. If not, add a bit more flour.
Generously dust your counter with flour. Turn the dough out onto the counter and flip to coat with flour.
With your hands, gently press the dough out to a ½-inch thickness and cut into doughnuts and doughnut holes using a doughnut cutter or two biscuit cutters (a large and a small). Gather the scraps and press out again to use up all the dough.
Fill a Dutch oven with oil or shortening to a depth of 2½ inches. Set over medium heat and bring the temperature to 375°F (check with a thermometer). Working in small batches, cook the doughnuts and holes in the oil, turning once, until puffed and nut brown, 2 to 4 minutes per side. As you fry, you may need to reduce or increase the heat to maintain a steady temperature.
Transfer the cooked doughnuts to paper towels to drain and cool to room temperature.
For the glaze
Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
5–6 tablespoons cranberry juice
Instructions
Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar and cranberry juice to make the glaze. Start with 5 tablespoons of juice, then add more as needed so that the glaze is thick enough to coat but not too sticky. Dip the tops of the doughnuts and doughnut holes in the glaze, then set aside to dry.
