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Who doesn’t like sweet, fluffy dough fried to a warm crisp exterior and a pillowy interior? Donuts are a delicious way to start any day — and you don’t have to even leave the house to enjoy them. (Score!) Making donuts at home is way easier than you think.
“Learning how to make donuts at home was a game-changer for my daughters,” says California-based mom-of-two Jeanine Seto. “They love to make their own icing and decorate them!”
Is it donut or doughnut?
But first things first — what is the correct term? You’ve probably seen both spellings of the circular confection — so which one is actually correct? If we’re being technical and going by the dictionary, the correct spelling is doughnut. The shortened donut entered our vernacular around the late 19th century but really picked up speed in the late 20th century. (We can thank Dunkin’ Donuts for that.) These days, most non-U.S. writers use doughnut. Even in the U.S., donut is used less than half the time. So I guess doughnut takes the cake this round.
Just read on to see delicious homemade doughnut — or donut — recipes, decoration ideas, and more.
Best homemade donut recipes
Intro to donuts and making them at home
Making donuts at home may seem intimidating at first if you have never dealt with yeast, proofing or frying before. Don’t fret! Once you take the homemade donut plunge, you’ll wish you’ve been doing this all along. In fact, you probably have everything you need already at home.
For starters, there are different types of donuts—fritters, crullers, malasadas. To keep things simple, we’re going to keep it to yeast donuts and cake donuts. The former are lighter and the latter are denser and as you can guess, cake-like. While both are delicious, baking with yeast is a different process because you’ll need plenty of time to properly proof the dough. Yeast donuts are made from enriched dough, which is plain flour that has been enriched with milk, eggs, sugar and butter so the yeast has more to nosh on and the dough is more elastic and holds more bubbles (which causes the fluffy texture).
“A cake doughnut is much more tender,” Alex Talbot, donut aficionado and owner of Curiosity Doughnuts in Stockton, New Jersey, told Bon Appetit. “whereas a yeast doughnut has more chew.”
You can also choose to deep fry, bake or even air fry your donut creations. If you do go with deep frying, keep an eye on the outside and pull them out when the donuts hit a deep brown color. The steam will escape the donuts as they cool and soften. At this point, you can decorate or fill your donuts however you want!
Ready to have your own donut and eat it too? We gathered the best six donut recipes, regardless if you’re gluten-free or just adverse to baking with yeast!
1. Yeast donut recipe
This easy donut recipe uses yeast to create a fluffy soft treat.
2. Yeast-free donut recipe
For a basic donut without yeast, try out this donut recipe.
3. Sugar-free donut recipe
Watching your sugar intake? No problem. This sugar-free donut recipe uses Splenda instead.
4. Gluten-free donut recipe
No gluten, no problem. Yeast and gluten-free flour transform into a delicious donut in this gluten-free donut recipe.
5. Dairy-free donut recipe
Alternative milk and butter are staples in this dairy-free donut recipe.
6. Baked donut recipe
Don’t want to deal with hot oil? Follow this baked donut recipe for easy-peasy donuts.
Supplies and ingredients for donuts
Below are the ingredients and supplies you need:
- White vinegar
- Milk
- Shortening or butter
- White sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Flavorless oil, like canola, for deep frying
- Powdered sugar
- Mixing bowls
- A deep skillet
- Paper towels
- A donut cutter
For yeast donuts, you’ll also need:
- Fast-action dried yeast
- Thermometer
Next level: Donut decorations and more
Now it’s time for the fun part. As much as we love a plain donut dusted with sugar, we’re also fans of fancier jam-filled donuts, sprinkles and more.
Filled donuts
To properly pipe jam or custard into a donut, push the nozzle of the piping bag into the donut, making sure to go past the middle. Squeeze the bag and as the jam fills the donut, it’ll push the nozzle back out.
Glazed donuts
Glaze is made of (dairy or non-dairy) milk or water, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Add cocoa powder for a chocolate twist or coffee powder for a kick. When making your glaze, use a big bowl that’s also wide so it’s easy for your donuts to be evenly coated. Another tip: warm donuts hold glaze better! Dip your donuts into the glaze and add sprinkles, toasted coconut flakes, cereal or lemon zest. Let cool.
Cream cheese whipped cream donuts
Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and whipped cream together for a thick, indulgent topping. We like to add crushed oreos or fruit compote.
How to store
Homemade donuts are best the day of, but you can store them for a day. After that, they tend to get stale and no one likes a stale donut. Let the donuts cool completely before putting them in an airtight food container. Donuts with a dairy-based cream filling should go in the fridge but most can be left out. If a donut has already hit stale, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and you’re good to go.
