How much potassium is in a doughnut? A Nutritional Breakdown

October 10, 2025 •

3 min read

According to USDA data, a single, medium-sized cake-type plain doughnut contains roughly 60 mg of potassium, a surprisingly small amount given its popularity as a snack. This amount is minimal compared to the recommended daily intake and is far from a significant source of the vital mineral. The nutritional profile of a doughnut, including exactly how much potassium is in a doughnut, is often skewed towards other less-beneficial components, which is important to consider for a balanced diet.

Quick Summary

The potassium content of a doughnut is relatively low, typically ranging from 30 to over 100 mg depending on its size and type, such as plain, glazed, or chocolate-frosted. This amount is insignificant for daily nutritional requirements, and doughnuts are instead high in fat, sugar, and calories. Comparing doughnuts to potassium-rich foods highlights the difference in their nutritional value and helps inform healthier dietary choices.

Key Points

Low Potassium Source: A single medium doughnut typically contains around 60 mg of potassium, a negligible amount toward your daily needs.
Nutritional Profile: Doughnuts are primarily high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats, providing minimal nutritional value beyond calories.
Potassium Varies by Type: The exact potassium content can range based on the doughnut's size and whether it's plain, frosted, or filled.
Poor Dietary Choice for Minerals: Relying on doughnuts for potassium is an inefficient strategy, as healthier, whole foods contain significantly more of the mineral.
Prioritize Nutrient-Dense Foods: For a balanced diet, focus on foods like bananas, potatoes, and other fresh produce to meet potassium requirements, and treat doughnuts as an infrequent indulgence.
Consider the Overall Impact: The minimal potassium content is overshadowed by the high levels of sugar and fat, which can negatively impact health with regular consumption.

Understanding Potassium and Doughnut Nutrition

Potassium is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in maintaining fluid balance, muscle contractions, and nerve signals. While many associate this mineral with foods like bananas and sweet potatoes, it’s also present in smaller quantities in a vast range of other foods, including baked goods. When examining how much potassium is in a doughnut, it's clear this sweet treat is not a notable contributor to your daily potassium needs. Its nutritional profile is defined by ingredients like refined flour, sugar, and fat, rather than significant mineral content.

The Potassium Content in a Standard Doughnut

The potassium level in a doughnut can vary based on its specific type and size. For instance, a medium, plain cake-type doughnut contains approximately 60 mg of potassium, which is a very small fraction of the daily recommended intake for adults. More elaborate doughnuts, such as a large, chocolate-frosted cake-type doughnut, might contain slightly more, around 112 mg, due to additional ingredients. Even with the inclusion of extra components like chocolate, which has some potassium, the overall contribution remains negligible in the grand scheme of a balanced diet.

Comparing Doughnut Potassium with Healthier Sources

To put the potassium content of a doughnut into perspective, let's compare it to some well-known potassium powerhouses. A single medium banana, for example, packs around 422 mg of potassium, dwarfing the amount found in any standard doughnut. Similarly, a baked potato with skin can contain over 900 mg of the mineral, and a cup of spinach holds more than 800 mg. This comparison underscores that relying on processed treats for mineral intake is an inefficient and unhealthy strategy.

The Bigger Nutritional Picture: Beyond Potassium

Focusing on how much potassium is in a doughnut can be misleading if you don't consider the full nutritional profile. Doughnuts are typically high in added sugars, saturated and trans fats, and refined carbohydrates, all of which offer very little in the way of beneficial nutrients. These ingredients contribute to high calorie counts without providing the vitamins, minerals, and fiber your body needs. The minimal potassium is a byproduct of the yeast, flour, and other base ingredients, not a dietary feature to seek out.

The Health Implications of Doughnut Consumption

Regular consumption of foods like doughnuts, which are low in essential nutrients and high in empty calories, can have negative health consequences. It can contribute to weight gain, increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, and impact heart health due to high sugar and saturated fat content. While an occasional treat won’t derail your diet, relying on them for any form of nutritional benefit is a mistake. The key to a balanced diet is prioritizing nutrient-dense foods, which are rich in vitamins and minerals like potassium, over options with minimal nutritional value.

Making Smarter Dietary Choices

Instead of reaching for a doughnut, opt for snacks that provide substantial nutritional benefits. You can satisfy a sweet tooth with options that are rich in potassium and other healthy nutrients, such as a handful of dried apricots, a small banana, or a yogurt parfait with berries. These alternatives offer more satiety and a far superior nutritional profile. For those who crave the occasional doughnut, pairing it with a nutrient-rich meal or snack can help balance out the nutritional deficit. The goal is to view such items as a treat rather than a food group that contributes meaningfully to your health.

Comparison Table: Doughnut vs. Potassium-Rich Foods


Food Item	Serving Size	Potassium Content	Other Key Nutrients
Doughnut (Plain Cake)	1 medium doughnut (~60g)	~60 mg	High sugar, high saturated fat
Doughnut (Chocolate Frosted)	1 large doughnut (~80g)	~112 mg	Very high sugar, high saturated fat
Banana	1 medium banana	422 mg	Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Fiber
Baked Potato with Skin	1 medium potato	926 mg	Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Fiber
Dried Apricots	1/2 cup	1101 mg	Vitamin A, Fiber

Conclusion

While an isolated answer to "how much potassium is in a doughnut?" might indicate a small amount of the mineral, it fails to capture the bigger dietary context. Doughnuts are primarily a source of calories from sugar and unhealthy fats. For optimal health and to meet your daily potassium requirements, it is far more effective to consume whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes. An occasional doughnut can be part of a balanced diet, but it should never be considered a source of significant nutritional value. Your focus should remain on consuming a variety of nutrient-dense foods to ensure your body gets the vitamins and minerals it needs to function properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, a large chocolate-frosted doughnut typically contains a little more potassium than a plain cake doughnut. This is due to the small amount of potassium present in cocoa, but the overall amount is still not significant for daily intake.

Many foods are far better sources of potassium, including bananas, sweet potatoes, spinach, and dried apricots. For example, one medium banana provides significantly more potassium than an entire doughnut.

While it contains a trace amount of potassium, a doughnut is not a beneficial source of this mineral. The minimal potassium is outweighed by the unhealthy content of sugar, refined carbs, and fat.

To find specific nutritional information, you can check the manufacturer's website or use online nutrition calculators, which often have databases from USDA food composition information. For doughnuts from smaller bakeries, it may be more difficult to determine exact content.

Doughnuts contain potassium because it is naturally present in the ingredients used to make them, such as flour and yeast, although in very small quantities. It's not added for fortification.

For most people, the potassium level in a doughnut is too low to be a concern, either positively or negatively. It's the high sugar, fat, and calorie content that should be the primary consideration for dietary impact.

Yes, fillings can slightly change the potassium content depending on the ingredients. A jelly or cream filling might add or subtract a few milligrams, but the overall contribution to your daily needs would still be negligible.