This recipe for Sweet Potato Doughnut Holes has been a long time coming. Over three years! In 2015, when I was in Washington, D.C. to attend the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine Food For Life instructor training, my friend Kat and I went to dinner one night at Smoke & Barrel, a barbecue restaurant with some good vegan options. For dessert, we shared an order of Sweet Potato Donuts – without the praline pecan honey butter, they are vegan. I have not stopped thinking about those donuts since then. Well, I finally decided to recreate them at home. Now I can have Sweet Potato Doughnut Holes any time I want them, and so can you! Sweet Potato Doughnut Holes are a great treat any time of the year, but with the cinnamon and nutmeg, they seem particularly well suited to the fall. They could even work as a dessert for Thanksgiving.

This recipe is the first time I have fried something in oil since getting an air fryer. I love my air fryer, but for the Sweet Potato Doughnut Holes, I wanted to go traditional and deep fry them.

Note: I used canned sweet potato to make these, but if you want to cook your own sweet potato and mash it, go right ahead.

Batter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sweet potato purée
1/3 cup soy milk (or any other plant milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpea or any white bean)
1/4 cup melted vegan butter
Vegetable oil for frying

Topping
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and nutmeg.

2. In a large mixing bowl add the sweet potato purée, soy milk, vanilla extract, and aquafaba. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix well so there is no dry flour left. The mixture will be very stiff and dry. Pour in the melted butter and mix well.

3. Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a large pot to 325°F. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, carefully drop scoops of batter into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pot – 4 at a time fit well in a 3 quart pot. Cook for 5 minutes, flipping occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnut holes to a paper towel line plate to drain. Repeat until all the dough is used.

4. While one batch of doughnuts is frying, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. After the doughnuts have drained for a few seconds on the paper towel, roll them in the cinnamon-sugar and transfer to a serving plate. Repeat until all the doughnuts are coated in cinnamon-sugar.

Yield about 24 doughnut holes