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Homemade Donuts

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a close up shot of Homemade Glazed Donuts stacked on top of each other
Skip the coffee-shop and whip up a batch of these sweet homemade donuts the next time you are craving a treat.
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Table of Contents
  1. Homemade Glazed Donuts Ingredients
  2. How to Make This Homemade Donuts Recipe
  3. How To Serve
  4. Storage
  5. More Recipes You’ll Love
  6. JUMP TO RECIPE

These soft homemade donuts are easy to make and soooo tasty. A sweet glaze coats these delightful baked donuts, making them an irresistible treat to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee.

a close up shot of Homemade Glazed Donuts stacked on top of each other

Homemade Glazed Donuts Ingredients

Homemade Glazed Donuts raw ingredients that are labeled
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PRO TIP:

Make sure you are using instant yeast rather than active dry yeast for this recipe. 

With this easy-to-follow recipe, you can make your own delicious glazed donuts from scratch with simple ingredients.

For our donut recipe, you’ll need:

For the Donuts

  • 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (not active dry yeast)
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2½-3 cups all-purpose flour
  • Vegetable oil for frying

For the Classic Vanilla Glaze 

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon butter extract (optional)

PRO TIP:

The butter extract in the glaze is optional. It gives it a butter flavor and is a nice addition – if you have it on hand.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

Toppings: To make these simple homemade donuts even fancier, while the glaze is still warm, you could add sprinkles, toasted coconut, finely chopped pecans or walnuts, toffee pieces, or a little bit of cinnamon sugar.

Glaze: How about a different twist on the simple glaze? Add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the glaze for a sweet surprise.

How to Make This Homemade Donuts Recipe

Whether you’re an experienced baker or just starting out, this recipe for classic glazed donuts is easy enough for anyone to make.

Here’s how you make our recipe for homemade donuts:

STEP ONE: In the large bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast and warm water. Let the yeast mixture stand for 10 minutes.

Add sugar, salt, unsalted butter, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Attach the dough hook attachment and mix on a low speed to combine.

ingredients mixed together to make dough

STEP TWO: Add 2½ cups flour, half a cup at a time, while the stand mixer is on low speed. Knead on low until the dough starts to form.

If the dough is still very sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

The dough should be somewhat tacky but not sticky.

STEP THREE: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap.

Make sure to place the bowl in a draft-free, warm place in your kitchen. Allow dough to rise for 2 hours.

dough in a bowl wrapped in plastic

STEP FOUR: Gently press in the middle of the dough to deflate. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

The chilling time is important for these donuts. The butter needs a chance to solidify in the fridge, which makes the dough much less sticky than when it went in the fridge.

Chilling the donut dough also allows the donuts to keep their shape so much better, and gets them nice and fluffy.

dough in a bowl and dough wrapped

STEP FIVE: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about ½-inch thick with a rolling pin. Use a round biscuit cutter or large round cookie cutter, to cut circles out of the dough.

Use a smaller round cutter or something about 1 inch across that is round to cut out the donut’s center (donut holes).

Place the cut-out donuts and donut holes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Lightly cover with plastic wrap, and then drape a clean, dry towel over the top and allow to rest for 1 hour.

PRO TIP:

It is important not to let the donut dough rise longer than an hour. As the dough sits, the yeast flavor will become stronger, and you’ll be able to taste it more in the finished donuts.

donut dough cut in a baking tray

STEP SIX: In a large Dutch oven filled with 2 to 3 inches of oil over medium heat, bring the oil temperature up to 350°F. Use a thermometer to test the temperature.

Having the oil temperature hotter than 350°F will cook the donuts too quickly, and the inside will still be doughy.

Carefully place the donuts into the hot oil and allow them to cook on each side until golden brown. Work in batches, so you don’t overcrowd the pot.

donuts in hot oil in a cooking pot

STEP SEVEN: Carefully remove the cooked donuts with a slotted spoon and place them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and a wire rack.

Repeat the steps until all of the donuts have been cooked.

cooked donuts on a cooling rack and baking sheet

For the Glaze

STEP ONE: In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and butter extract. Use a whisk to combine until no lumps remain.

Carefully lower each slightly cooled donut (one at a time) into the glaze. Gently flip the donut to coat the other side.

Return the donuts to the cooling rack and allow the glaze to set, about 10 minutes.

donut combined with the glaze ingredients

How To Serve

These delightful donuts will have you hooked from the first bite.

Serve them along with a pumpkin spice latte, iced mocha, iced caramel macchiato for a sweet breakfast treat or afternoon snack.

Add a little bit of variety to your donut menu with our other donut recipes, including our apple donuts and baked sour cream donuts.

Storage

ON THE COUNTER: Donuts are best enjoyed the same day. You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature to enjoy later in the day. 

IN THE FRIDGE: Homemade baked glazed donuts can also be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

IN THE FREEZER: We don’t recommend that you store these donuts in the freezer.

Homemade Glazed Donuts stacked on top each other

This homemade donut recipe is addictive and much better than any coffee-shop donut you can get.

Soft, airy, and sweet, these treats are the perfect addition to any breakfast, brunch, or afternoon snack.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What can I use if I don’t have a round donut or cookie cutter?

The donuts in this easy recipe can also be cut out using the mouth of a glass plus the wider end of a piping tip to cut the inner donut hole.

How do I store these glazed donuts?

This easy donut recipe is best enjoyed fresh, but if you have a few leftover, you can keep them on the counter for a day or in the fridge for up to two days.

Can I freeze baked donuts?

We don’t recommend freezing these baked donuts as the soft, fluffy texture will change.

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a close up shot of Homemade Glazed Donuts stacked on top of each other

Homemade Donuts

5 from 1 vote
Skip the coffee-shop and whip up a batch of these sweet homemade donuts the next time you are craving a treat.
Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 40 minutes
Servings 14

Ingredients
  

  • teaspoons instant yeast, not active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon butter extract, optional

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add yeast and warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add sugar, salt, unsalted butter, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed to combine.
  • Add 2½ cups flour, half a cup at a time while the stand mixer is on low speed. Knead on low until the dough starts to form. If the dough is still very sticky add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be somewhat tacky, but not sticky.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Make sure to place the bowl in a draft free, warm spot in your kitchen. Allow to rise for 2 hours.
  • Gently press in the middle of the dough to deflate. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about ½ inch thick. Use a round donut cutter or large round cookie cutter to cut circles out of the dough. Use a smaller round cutter or something about 1 inch across that is round to cut out the center of the donut (donut holes). Place the cut-out donuts and donut holes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly cover with plastic wrap, and then drape a clean dry towel over the top and allow to rest for 1 hour (no more than 1 hour or the dough will start to get too yeasty).
  • In a large Dutch oven filled with 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil over medium heat, bring the temperature of the oil up to 350°F. Use a thermometer to test the temperature. Having the temperature hotter than 350°F will cook the donuts too quickly and the inside will still be doughy. Carefully place the donuts into the hot oil and allow to cook on each side until golden brown. Work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot.
  • Carefully remove the cooked donuts and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and a cooling rack. Repeat steps until all of the donuts have been cooked.

Glaze

  • In a separate mixing bowl combine powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and butter extract. Use a whisk to combine until no lumps remain. Carefully lower each slightly cooled donut (one at a time) into the glaze. Gently flip the donut to coat the other side. Return the donuts back to the cooling rack and allow the glaze to set, about 10 minutes.

Notes

  • Make sure you are using instant yeast rather than active dry yeast for this recipe.
  • The butter extract in the glaze is optional. It just gives it a butter flavor and is a nice addition if you have it on hand.
  • The chilling time is important for these donuts. The butter needs a chance to solidify in the fridge which makes the dough much less sticky than when it went in the fridge. Chilling the donut dough also allows the donuts to keep their shape so much better, and gets them nice and fluffy.
  • It is important not to let the donut dough rise longer than an hour. As the dough sits, the yeast flavor will become stronger, and you’ll be able to taste it more in the finished donuts.

Nutrition

Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 144IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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  1. Yolanda says

    5 stars
    These were incredibly delicious! My daughter didn’t care much for the butter extract in the icing but loved the doughnut texture and flavor! These are absolutely worth every minute! Thank you for sharing

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