Poly-${gamma}$-glutamic acid (PGA) was added to doughnut formulations to reduce oil uptake during deep-fat frying. At a frying time of 4 min, oil uptake in control doughnuts reached about 0.7 g/g of dough, while that of doughnuts with PGA was about 0.2 g/g of dough. The extent of oil reduction increased by 5-fold when the concentration of PGA was increased from 0.25 to 1 g/100 g of dough. In scanning electron micrographs, a PGA doughnut showed a less void and denser matrix with improved integrity. Significantly (p<0.05) higher sensory scores for appearance, taste, and overall acceptability were given to the PGA doughnut (1 g/100 g dough). PGA has great potential to be used as a healthy functional oil-reducing agent in deep-fat fried products.