These oven baked donuts are ultra soft, fluffy, and moist! They are so fun for breakfast, brunch, and dessert. These donuts take less than 40 minutes and come out better than your local bakery. They are totally customizable and great for any occasion!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These baked donuts are quick and easy to make.
- This is a simple recipe that can be whipped up in no time.
- They are healthier than fried donuts.
- The donuts are moist and fluffy, with a slightly crispy exterior.
- They are versatile. You can customize the recipe to your liking by adding different flavors of glaze or toppings.
- They are perfect for any occasion!
- Baked donuts are a great dessert for potlucks, parties, or simply a weeknight treat.
- I love making these for a birthday breakfast!
- Check out these Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts for another fun recipe.
Ingredients & Substitutes
These are the ingredients and substitutions for baked donuts. Scroll down to the bottom for the full recipe.
Use all-purpose flour for these donuts. I have also tested them using gluten-free flour with great success! I suggest using King Arthur Flour or Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour. You can also use cake flour to make them lighter in texture.
Granulated sugar adds the sweetness.
Baking powder helps these donuts rise while baking.
Add in a little salt to balance out the sweetness.
Milk helps thin out the donut batter.
Eggs make the donuts light and airy. I do not recommend using vegan eggs or another egg replacement.
Use unsalted melted butter. This adds moisture and a cozy buttery flavor.
Vanilla extract adds a delicious homemade flavor.
For the glaze, use powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Add in slightly more powdered sugar to thicken it. Add in slightly more milk to thin it out.
Lastly, feel free to add sprinkles, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or nuts on top!
Taste & Texture
These baked donuts are moist and fluffy, with a slightly crispy exterior.
The glaze is sweet, creamy, and slightly tangy.
When you bite into a baked donut, the flavors and textures come together perfectly for a delicious and satisfying treat!
How to Make
Step 1
First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Step 4
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Step 5
Spoon the batter into a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity about 2/3 full.
Step 6
Bake the donuts for 11-14 minutes, or until they are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 7
Remove the donuts from the oven and let them cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 8
For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth and well combined. Add more milk if needed to achieve your desired consistency.
Step 9
If desired, add food coloring to the glaze for different colored donuts. Dip the cooled donuts into the glaze, allowing any excess to drip off.
Step 10
If desired, add sprinkles or other toppings to the glazed donuts.
Step 11
Let the glaze set for a few minutes before serving.
Step 12
Lastly, enjoy the freshly baked and glazed donuts!
Expert Tips for Success
Here are a few expert tips and tricks for making the best baked donuts.
Use room temperature ingredients. This will help the batter come together more easily.
Do not overmix the donut batter. Overmixing will make the donuts tough.
Bake the donuts until they are golden brown. Be careful to not overbake.
Let the donuts cool completely before glazing them. This will help prevent the glaze from melting.
Add more milk or more powdered sugar to reach the desired consistency.
Flavor Variations & Add-Ins
You can easily customize this baked donut recipe to your liking by adding different flavors of glaze or toppings. Here are a few ideas.
- Vanilla glaze
- Chocolate glaze
- Strawberry glaze
- Maple glaze
- Sprinkles
- Chocolate chips
- Nuts
- Fruit
- Apple cider
How to Serve & Store
Baked donuts are best served fresh.
Serve with a glass of milk, coffee, tea, or smoothie.
For a full brunch spread, serve with eggs, bacon, quiche, and fresh fruit.
This donut cake is so fun too!
However, these donuts can also be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, you can make these donuts ahead of time and freeze them. Just let them cool completely before freezing them. When you’re ready to serve them, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and then glaze them.
To prevent the glaze from melting, let the donuts cool completely before glazing them. You can also refrigerate the donuts for a few minutes before glazing them.
You can decorate these donuts with a variety of different toppings, such as sprinkles, chocolate chips, or nuts. You can also pipe the glaze into different shapes, such as flowers or hearts.
No, baked donuts do not taste the same as fried donuts. The cooking method affects the texture, flavor, and appearance of the donuts.
Yes, baked donuts are generally healthier than fried donuts. Fried donuts are cooked in hot oil, which adds a lot of fat and calories to the final product. Baked donuts, on the other hand, are cooked in an oven, which uses less fat.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
The main difference between cake donuts and yeast donuts is the leavening agent used. Cake donuts are leavened with baking powder or baking soda, while yeast donuts are leavened with yeast. This difference in leavening agent gives the donuts their distinct textures and flavors.
Equipment Needed
Donut Pan: This is my favorite donut pan!
You May Also Enjoy
If you enjoy this baked donut recipe, please leave a rating and review! You can find more great recipes on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Check out these Breakfast Recipes for more delicious recipes!
Baked Donuts
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring, sprinkles, or other toppings (optional)
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar followed by the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity about 2/3 full.
- Bake the donuts for 11 to 14 minutes, or until they are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.Bake until the donuts have sprung up.
- Remove the donuts from the oven and let them cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth and well combined. Add more milk if needed to achieve your desired consistency.
- If desired, add food coloring to the glaze for different colored donuts. Dip the cooled donuts into the glaze, allowing any excess to drip off.
- If desired, add sprinkles or other toppings to the glazed donuts.
- Let the glaze set for a few minutes before serving.
- Finally, enjoy the freshly baked and glazed donuts!
Notes
- Do not overmix the donut batter. Mix until just combined.
- Use a piping bag or Ziplock bag to add the batter to the donut pan.
- Original Recipe: The original recipe had 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tablespoons butter and no additional flavorings. I have adjusted it to taste. You can decrease the butter and the sugar to the original amounts but then the glaze becomes an integral part of the sweetness and flavor.
- Allow the donuts to cool completely before adding the glaze. Chef Note: I glazed mine while still warm to get a thinner coating that would set.
- If the glaze is too thick, add slightly more milk. If the glaze is too thin, add slightly more powdered sugar.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
I don’t have a donut pan. Can I make in a muffin pan
Hi Dawn! Yes! You can absolutely make these in a muffin pan. They’ll just be more like donut cakes than classic rings. Without the center tube, they won’t bake exactly like a ring donut, but that’s fine here because this is a cake-style donut, so it doesn’t rely on heat from the inner ring. Fill muffin wells about ? full and bake at 350°F; start checking around 14–18 minutes (estimate), until a toothpick comes out clean. Happy baking! ~gvd team
Making today?. Can I sub 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup milk for the milk
Hi Dawn! Yes, that swap should work. You can replace the ¾ cup milk with ½ cup sour cream + ¼ cup milk. It will make the donuts a bit richer and more tender, but still bake up soft. Happy baking! ~gvd team
We love these donuts.
Hi Barbara! I’m so happy to hear you love them, thanks for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe! ~gvd team
hi. i wanna make these but it has cinnamon for the batter. do I haaaave to put that in it, bc I don’t want cinnamon donuts
Hi Joy! You can skip it, the cinnamon is optional and just adds a subtle warm note—it’s not essential to the structure. Happy baking! ~gvd team
These were a wonderful way to break in my donut pans I thrifted months ago. My only complaint was that they were a little sweet, but seeing that the original recipe called for less sugar, I think I would try again another time with the original ratio ? I also had leftover granny Smith apples that I chopped up small and tossed with cinnamon and brown sugar that I added into the batter and it was lovely. My kids thoroughly enjoyed them.
Hi Mrs. Dowler! I’m so glad these got to break in your new donut pans, and I love the Granny Smith add-in idea — that sounds delicious. If you’d like them a little less sweet next time, you can absolutely go closer to the original version. You can always keep the glaze lighter or skip it for a more breakfast-y donut, too. So happy your kids enjoyed them! ~gvd team
My 6 y/o son and I made these yesterday, we are obsessed! Super simple ingredients, I did not expect them to be so easy, he basically did the entire recipe! Can’t wait to make these all sorts of other ways, pumpkin is up next and dreaming of apple pie donuts soon. The glaze was a little unimpressive however, so we will play with it and see how we can make it a little thicker without being too sweet.
Hi Coco! This makes my day, I love hearing that your 6-year-old got to take the lead! These really are such a fun “first baking” recipe. Pumpkin and apple pie versions sound amazing for fall. If you’d like a thicker glaze next time, try adding a little more powdered sugar until it’s just right! Can’t wait to hear how your next flavor combo turns out! ~gvd team
I’m hoping it will turn out
Hi Marie! Let us know how it goes once you’ve tried them, we’re rooting for a perfect batch! ~gvd team
the recipe was great! Just wanted to let people know that for the glaze, to make it chocolate, add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the recipe.
Hi Isla! Glad you thought the recipe was great and thanks for sharing your glaze tip, who doesn’t love some chocolate! ~gvd team
Good recipe, but this webpage is a spectacular web design fail because its using half my RAM.
Hi there! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, and I appreciate your feedback on the site performance. I’ll share this with our tech team so we can look into ways to make the page load smoother. Thanks for taking the time to let us know! ~gvd team
If I use salted butter can I eliminate the 1/2 tsp of salt?
Thanks
Terry
Hi Terry! You can either eliminate the added salt or reduce it to just a pinch, depending on your preference. Happy baking! ~gvd team
I am an anti-baker 🙂 but felt inspired to make a large batch for my daughters reception. They were a great success! People loved them and am so grateful you shared this fool-proof recipe. I followed it exactly as it was written and they were perfect. Thank you for helping make it a great day!
Hi Kate! This made me smile so big, thank you for sharing this! And honestly, you might be an anti-baker, but you nailed it. We’re so honored they were part of such a special day. Wishing you and your daughter all the best! ~gvd team