Homemade Donuts Recipe

Featured comments

From Mags: "OMG!!!! first try absolutely amazing. Totally delicious. Thank you for sharing. Had to use instant yeast but worked perfectly" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From Cynthia: "These by far are the best donuts I have ever made. I've tried other recipes but ended up with dense not good donuts. I will make these again" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From Rachel: "I make these almost everyday 🙂 I'm a baker and have eaten and made so many donuts! This recipe is the best because its light, not greasy and blows everyone away. Other bakeries go for brioche, but they are so much denser and more bread like! These are soft and memorable! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ingredients you'll need

Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.

1. Milk - The amount of milk is key. During frying, the moisture turns into steam, creating hollow pockets as the moisture tries to escape. I like to use full fat whole milk for it's richness.
2. Butter - Butter is fat and water. When it's heated, the water turns into steam., which then lifts the dough and helps in creating a light and airy texture.
3. Yeast - Make sure that the yeast is fresh. Yeast is a living organism and is best stored in the freezer.
4. Eggs -It's crucial to have the eggs at room temperature. Cold eggs will hinder the yeast's ability to activate.
5. All purpose flour - It provides structure and texture in the homemade donuts recipe. It has 10 to 11 percent protein when compared to 12 to 14 percent protein in bread flour. Lesser protein all purpose flour minimizes gluten formation and thus creating super tender yeast doughnuts.
6. Nutmeg - Do not buy pre ground nutmeg. Buy whole nutmegs and grate fresh for this homemade donuts recipe.
7. Oil - I like to use neutral oils, such as vegetable oil, canola oil or sunflower oil, because it has a high smoke point. Peanut oil will also work great! If you use an oil with a low smoke point, the oil will burn as the fat breaks down, imparting an unpleasant taste.

Glaze Variations

1. Chocolate - Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder along with confectioners sugar.
2. Sprinkle - Stir in fine colored sprinkles into the glaze.
3. Maple - Replace vanilla extract with maple flavoring.
4. Flavorings - Use orange zest, bourbon or rum instead of vanilla.

1. Make a sponge- Add milk, butter, yeast, eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg and 2 cups of flour into a stand mixer and mix to create a very soft and sticky dough. This is secret in achieving a fluffy crumb! This method is usually adopted in making making Asian style breads that is very light and airy.

👩‍🍳 Use the right amount of liquid—too much makes the dough too loose, while too little results in a dry dough where gas bubbles struggle to form.

2. Add remaining flour and knead to a soft dough, using the dough hook. The dough should stick to the bottom and little bit to the sides. Don't worry - This is due to high moisture content and this is essential in creating a best homemade donut recipe.

👉 Soft dough equals soft homemade doughnuts. Do not be tempted to mix in more flour!

3. Let dough rise for about 1 and ½ hours, until doubled in volume. Find the warmest spot in your kitchen , like a sunny window, near the stove top or in a luke warm oven.

4 & 5. Shape the dough - Dump the homemade donut dough onto a floured kitchen counter, Roll ½ inch to ¾ inch thick, dusting the top with flour as well. Cut doughnut shapes and place on floured cookie sheets. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place again in the same warm spot for about 30-60 minutes, until they almost double in size.

Deep fry homemade donuts in moderate heat, until pale golden on both sides. Drain on paper towel. Remove when they are light golden in color and not get dark in color.

Tip: Don't overcrowd! Adding too many donuts will cause the oil temperature to drop rapidly and your doughnuts might absorb some oil, making them greasy.

Make glaze - Stir confectioners sugar, water, salt and vanilla extract, until you get the drippy consistency. Dip the tops or both sides in glaze and place on a wire rack for glaze to set.

What is the best temperature to deep fry donuts?

The best temperature of oil to deep fry is 330-340 degrees F. If you own a deep fry thermometer then this is great time to use. Hotter oil will get the outside brown fast before the doughnuts have a chance to rise, whereas cooler oil will cause them to absorb oil and might make them greasy.

How do you know if the oil is ready? Pinch a small piece of dough and add into the oil. It should take about a minute to get golden in color.

👉 Did you know? When you drop the homemade donuts in the hot oil, the rapid change in temperature causes the air bubbles inside the dough, to expand bringing in lightness to the doughnuts.

How to cut donut shapes without a donut cutter?

If you don't have a donut cutter, you can still make donut shapes using common kitchen tools. Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface to about ½ to ¾ inch thick. Use any of the following methods to cut donuts:

Cicle cookie cutter: Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles.

Other kitchen objects: You can use like a drinking glass or a small bowl to cut out the outer shape of the donut.

Knife: Using a sharp paring knife, cut out a circle, then carve a smaller circle in the center to form the donut shape. While it may be less uniform, it gets the job done.

To cut the inner holes: Use the wide end of a large piping tip to cut out the holes, as we did to shape the Halloween chips. You could also use a bottle cap or a shot glass to cut out the holes.

Helpful tips

• Oil temperature - The magic temperature is 330-340 degrees F. Hotter will get the outside brown fast before the homemade donuts have a chance to rise fully in the oil. If you own a deep fry thermometer then this is great time to use. If not, medium heat is perfect and test one doughnut - it should take about a minute on each side to get golden. Adjust heat accordingly. 
• Color, color, color - Pale golden and not any darker. Letting the homemade donuts brown will form a crusty outside, but not the light texture we are aiming for. 
• Measure flour correctly - Adding too much flour to the homemade donut recipe is the most common mistake and will make your glazed donuts dense. The best way to measure -fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.

How to store leftover homemade donuts?

These homemade donuts are absolutely best when fresh! However, unglazed donuts can be refrigerated, in an air tight container for up to 4 days (warm in the microwave for few seconds before eating). It can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature, beyond that the glaze begins to get sticky.