This Homemade Donuts recipe is mega popular! Ultra soft, light, airy and they are sinfully addictive. I have provided countless tips and tricks to achieve the most amazing doughnuts you'll ever make. It's as light as biting into a cloud.
Looking for yeast bread recipes? Try my easy pizza dough recipe or the parmesan bread bites next!
👉 This homemade donuts recipe has been a reader favorite since I first shared the recipe in 2017. This one pin on Pinterest has garnered over 24,000 impressions! It was updated with more details in March 2025.
These are hands down the best glazed homemade doughnuts you’ll ever make at home! They’re almost as good as Krispy Kreme. Since our favorite doughnuts are 32 miles away, I created this recipe to satisfy our cravings!
I've made it countless times, Google Gods love it and a reader favorite for years. They practically melt in your mouth when you take a bite like the homemade garlic knots!!
👉 Is it donuts or doughnuts? Doughnut was the original spelling in the early 1800s, while donut is an American variant that gained popularity after Dunkin' Donuts launched in the late 1800s.
You will find two types of yeast in the grocery store - active dry and instant. Active dry yeast is dried at higher temperature whereas the instant is dried at more gentle temperatures. So, according to Cook's Illustrated, substituting equal amounts for one of the other will not provide the same results.
Jump to:
- The Secret
- Featured comments
- Ingredients you'll need
- Glaze Variations
- How to make soft donuts at home?
- What is the best temperature to deep fry donuts?
- How to cut donut shapes without a donut cutter?
- Helpful tips
- Trouble shooting
- How to store leftover homemade donuts?
- Recipe FAQs
- More tasty treats
- Homemade Donuts Recipe
The Secret
The secret of this homemade donuts recipe is in the right proportion of ingredients and the sponge. Traditionally used in sour dough bread making, sponge is a bubbled mixture of flour and wet ingredients that is very sticky. The two-step process of forming gluten allows to create the base for an airy texture just like a homemade bread. They are ultra soft, light and airy as a cloud.
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! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Here are some photos shared by our readers who’ve tried the recipe!
Ingredients you'll need
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Yeast - Make sure that the yeast is fresh. Yeast is a living organism and is best stored in the freezer.
- Eggs -It's crucial to have the eggs at room temperature. Cold eggs will hinder the yeast's ability to activate.
- 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.
- Nutmeg - Do not buy pre ground nutmeg. Buy whole nutmegs and grate fresh for this homemade donuts recipe.
- 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
- Chocolate - Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder along with confectioners sugar.
- Sprinkle - Stir in fine colored sprinkles into the glaze.
- Maple - Replace vanilla extract with maple flavoring.
- Flavorings - Use orange zest, bourbon or rum instead of vanilla.
How to make soft donuts at home?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
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!
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Pro tip: If you like to make it by hand, then mix for about 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon in step-1 and another 5-6 minutes in step-2 of the recipe.
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.
Trouble shooting
Not fluffy - There could be several reasons for this:
- Yeast not active - Yeast is a living organism that, when activated with liquid, it creates air bubbles that gives the homemade donuts its rise and fluffy texture. Yeast needs to be tested to ensure it’s still alive and ready to work as intended.
- Dough did not rise enough - If the yeast was expired or the liquids was too hot or cold, then it will kill the yeast.
- There was more flour - Measure your flour and other ingredients correctly. More than needed flour will cause the homemade donuts to become dense.
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.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! However, the only issue is that half the recipe might be too less for the stand mixer. Otherwise, it does not affect the result in any way.
Self raising flour has rising agents, like baking powder or baking soda in it, So, this will not work when combined with yeast.
I have not tried this recipe with instant yeast. However, the general rule is if that if a recipe calls for 1 ¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast, use 1 teaspoon of instant yeast.
When working with active dry yeast, you don’t have to proof it separately. It works just as well however you will have to make sure the temperature of ingredients are exactly as mentioned in the recipe.
More tasty treats
Homemade Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups milk, lukewarm (whole milk or 2%)
- 1 stick unsalted butter ( ½ cup ), room temperature
- 4 and ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 5 cups + ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, divided
- additional flour for dusting
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
Glaze
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 5 to 6 tablespoons water
- 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 pinches salt
Instructions
To make doughnuts
- Combine first 7 ingredients (milk through nutmeg) and 2 cups all purpose flour in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat on medium speed with a flat beater for 2-3 minutes (dough will look like slightly curdled cake batter).
- Add remaining all purpose flour ( 3 cups + ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons ) and switch to a dough hook, knead on medium speed for additional 3 minutes (dough will be very soft).Remove bowl from the mixer, scrape the sides of the bowl and cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in the warmest spot in your kitchen. Let dough rise for about 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.Pro tip: Soft dough equals soft doughnuts. Do not be tempted to mix in more flour!
- Dust working surface liberally with all purpose flour, Dump dough and dust flour on top. Gently roll into ½ to ¾th inch thick, cut circles with a doughnut cutter Tip: Don't have a donut cutter? Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter (a wide mouth canning ring would also work) and the fat end of a large piping tip to cut the holes.
- Place doughnuts and holes on two lightly floured cookie sheets, spacing about an inch apart. Cover with a kitchen towel, let rise again for 45 - 60 minutes.
- Line a large baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire rack on top.
- When ready to fry, add vegetable oil in a large dutch oven until comes to about 2-inches height. Place over medium high heat until 330 to 340 degrees (use a deep fry thermometer , refer notes if you do not own one). Deep fry about 4 doughnuts at a time (do not overcrowd the pan), until golden brown on both sides (45-60 seconds per side). Remove doughnuts onto the cooling rack.Tip: 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. Pro Tip - Deep fry only until 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.
- Repeat until all doughnuts and holes have been fried. Pro tip: Yeast releases carbon dioxide gas, forming thousands of tiny air pockets inside the cut donut dough, causing it to rise. When the risen dough hits the hot oil, those air pockets expand further giving a high rise.
Glaze doughnuts
- In a medium bowl, whisk all glaze ingredients until smooth. Begin by adding 5 tablespoons water and then a touch more if glaze seems thick.
- Working with one doughnut at a time, dip one side of each doughnut into the glaze and return to the wire rack. Let glaze set for about 20 minutes before serving. We never wait that long around here:)
- These soft glazed doughnuts are best eaten hot!!! However, to enjoy them later (but not more than a day) microwave one doughnut for 7 seconds.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
These look sinfully addictive!! And totally like the ones from the donut shop. I have never fried donuts, just baked them. I will have to try this!!
Maria Doss
It is well worth the effort, thank you Kelly:)
Vladimira Miranda
This is the best donuts recipe I have ever tried! I made them like 10 times already and they are always a huge success in my family, my kid's school (I made a double batch for one school event and they all were gone in less than 5minutes 😃), at my husband's work. Honestly, this is THE perfect donuts recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it with us all.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad you enjoyed it hun – Maria ❤️
Melissa Mcclain
I made two batches for these yesterday and everyone loved them
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad everyone love them – Maria ♡
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
These look light as air, Maria! I've never had a Krispy Kreme but I'm going to try these so I see what I'm missing 🙂
Maria Doss
Thank you Kelsie:)
Josephine Okon
Thank you for the recipe. I made mine dairy free and just substituted the milk for water, and the butter for Nutelex and they still turned out amazing. I just had one cold and it was as soft and good as it was when freshly hot. I made mine with no holes like the sugar-coated jam-filled Donut truck ones, and I think they were heaps better, much less yeasty or dense. Very soft and fluffy as advertised. Two thumbs up!!
Maria Doss
I'm so glad to hear that, have a great day hun - Maria
Kim | The Baking ChocolaTess
Oh EM GEE..hello light and fluffy glazed donuts! Heavenly!!
Jane
Not the best doughnut I've made. IMHO not anywhere as good as proclaimed. After 2nd raising, fell flat when taken out of warm oven to fry. Very disappointed
Maria Doss
I'm so sorry that it did not work out for you. If may I ask, what was the reason behind cut doughnut dough being in a warm oven?
Georgia
In your instructions, after putting the cut doughnuts on the pans, you say to "place again in the same warm spot for about 30-60 minutes". One of the warm spots mentioned for the first rise was a warm oven. (to answer your question to Jane)
Maria Doss
Hi Georgia, if your kitchen is not warm then a lukewarm oven comes in handy. This method can be used for both first and second rise - Hope it helps, Maria
Cheshta
Can these be baked instead of fried
Maria Doss
I'm sorry the answer is NO!! This recipe works only for deep frying, I'm so sorry that this is of no help to you:)
Shylet
I don’t have fresh nutmeg can use powder or without
Maria Doss
You can skip totally skip the Nutmeg without any problem. Have fun 🙂
Tazz
Hi there!
Tried out your recipe today and it was absolutely delightful. So light and fluffy, ever so slightly crispy exterior and really flavourful even though I didn't use the nutmeg. Anyone leaving a bad comment here definitely did something wrong along the way. It's fab, thank you!
gracefultaste
Same here… was a delight to my boys on a rainy day and can I share that I did not use handmixer ( dont have any) but did everything by hand and it still turned out absolutely delicious fluffy and light .. only advise have your glaze ready so you dunk your donuts right in there from frying…once its cool it gets a bit chewy but you can microwave for 7 seconds as recipe instructs and its fluffy again.Will definitely make this again. Thank you for this fabulous recipe.
Maria Doss
Happy to hear hun, have a wonderful weekend - Maria
Tim Wren
@Shylet, I always use the powder (have never bought fresh nutmeg) and it tastes great IMO. Love the slight taste, definitely prefer it to going without.
Nick
Awesome just made the donuts without nutmeg and they are like the donuts back home in Texas!
Maria Doss
Awesome!! So glad that you loved them:)
April
Anything like Shipley's? Please say yes. Because I don't like Krispy Kreme and I haven't lived in Texas for almost 10 years. :'(
Maria Doss
I'm sorry, the answer is no:) We Californians have never had the opportunity to taste Shilpey's donuts until now.
Alyssa
Can I cut the recipe in half to make less donuts? Or is it going to affect the end result of the donuts?
Maria Doss
Hi Alyssa, You could totally do that but, the only problem is that half the recipe is too less for the stand mixer. Otherwise, it does not affect the result in any way:)
Valerie Stewart
Veteran baker; novice donut maker. Everything was perfect except mine had a yeasty tang—it didn’t affect my enjoyment, but the kids weren’t wowed. Any clue what went wrong? Measurements were not the problem. Thank you!
Maria Doss
Hi Valerie, Hmmm... that is strange. Could it be because the dough might have taken a long time to rise? Was it a colder day? I'm really puzzled, let me know.
Valerie Stewart
I made the dough in the evening and fried it in the morning. I do that with pizza dough, but they may be it. Next time, I'll make them right away! Thanks!
Maria Doss
Ah... thank you so much for letting me know. I usually fry them as soon as they rise:)
Maybel
You said 5cups+1/4c+2tbs flour.so why in the procedure its only 3cups+1/4c+2tb?
Maria Doss
Hi Maybel,
If you look at the first step in the instructions, we combine 2 cups of flour along with first 7 ingredients and mix together. The second step involves mixing REMAINING FLOUR and that is the 3cups+1/4c+2tb.
So, all the 5cups+1/4c+2tbsp flour is used in two stages. Hope it helps:)
Wanda Smith
What about the eggs how many do I use
Maria Doss
It is 3 large eggs at room temperature
Wendy
Oh my goodness! These are wonderful! Easy straightforward recipe. Husband is ready to make these again! Wonderful!
Maria Doss
Yay!!! So glad that you loved it 🙂
Zainab
It turned out to be finger licking yummy..
I glazed it with chocolate though😍
Thanks alot..
Michelle
I made these today, and they came out perfect! The dough is super soft/sticky, but one it rose and I rolled it on floured surface it worked out fine. I used the trick of letting them rise on individual squares of parchment the gently lowering them into the oil them remove the paper. That helped the dough from deflating since it’s such a soft dough! Will make this recipe again! THANKS!!
Doty Sever
I made these today and got rave reviews! Then I forgot to save it to pinterest! So after searching the internet for nearly an hour....Yay!...I fond it! Saved to pinterest....even started a donut board with this as the first one posted! They turned out perfect. The key is following exactly as the recipe is printed. (Although instead of nutmeg, I added 2 tsp. Vanilla to the batter. Also, I added a Tablespoon of melted butter to the glaze recipe. So much for following directions, eh!
Sabrina
Does the active dry yeast require more rise time than instant yeast? I have been using instant and donuts are great but with active dough has excess air bubbles when I roll it out to cut doughnuts. Doughnuts end up flat on bottom and not nearly as fluffy
Maria Doss
Hi Sabrina, I have not tried this recipe with instant yeast. However, the general rule is if that if a recipe calls for 1 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast, use 1 teaspoon of instant yeast. So, my guess is that a SAME MEASURE might not work. Hope it helps:)
Sabrina
So do you not prove the yeast before adding to other ingredients? From directions it is just added in without mixing with water and setting aside. Just wondered since most other recipes I've seen say to prove yeast.
Maria Doss
When working with active dry yeast, you don't have to proof it separately. It works just as well however you will have to make sure the temperature of ingredients are exactly as mentioned in the recipe.
On a side note - I have been working only with active dry yeast for about 20 years of baking and have never proofed it separately. So, this works with all other yeast based goodies.
Sabrina
Thank you. Newbie here to yeast baking. Good to know your experience.
Maria Doss
Anytime:)
Sabrina
So do you not prove the yeast before adding to other ingredients? From directions it is just added in without mixing with water and setting aside. Just wondered since most other recipes I've seen say to prove yeast.
Sabrina
Made these again last night. Turned out out good but question. Is it normal to have small gas bubbles in dough after 1st rise? I let dough double in size (about an hour) and when I rolled it out there were small gas bubbles that created empty air pockets in fried doughnut.???Still very good other than that. Yours look perfect.
Maria Doss
Tiny air bubbles are not that uncommon when working with yeast dough, since that is the nature of yeast. However, after the first rise, if you notice too many bubbles, then punch the dough 3-4 times gently which will take out most of the bubbles and then the remaining will vanish when rolling the dough being rolled.
What brand of yeast did you use?
Sabrina
Redstar.
Lee
Tried recipe, dough was hard with 5 cups flour! Ended up baking it to make bread, need to check your recipe, very disappointed ☹️
Maria Doss
Hi LEE, I'm sorry that this recipe did not work for you. That being said, i will highly encourage you to go through all the ingredient measurements. This is one of our hugely popular recipes - You can see some of the pictures shared by our readers on Pinterest here - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/308707749452614958/activity/tried.
Hope it works for you again:)
Ashley
Hello I was wondering if you can use bread flour? Thank you these look amazing can’t wait to make them!
Maria Doss
Hi Ashley, Due to the higher protein content, bread flour will produce a more chewier and not-so-soft doughnut. Hope it helps:)
Ashley
Ok thank you I am going to make these tomorrow!
Billy Foley
Do you have a version of this recipe with weights in grams rather then cups ect?
Maria Doss
Hi Billy,
I have included the weight measurements here-
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups milk, lukewarm (whole milk or 2%) (360 ml)
1 stick unsalted butter ( 1/2 cup ), room temperature (113 gms)
4 and 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 large eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar (75 gms)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 cups + 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, divided ( 738 to 742 gms)
additional flour for dusting
vegetable oil, for deep frying
Hope it helps:)
Anndrisha David
@Maria Doss, hello. Can I freeze the dough after its rolled out and cut into doughnut rings, please advise thank you
Maria Doss
Hi Anndrisha,
I don't have any readers trying this method, but it sounds like a great idea and I don't see any reason for it not working. You could follow this process for freezing dough - After the cut doughnut circles have proofed, place in a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with a plastic wrap and freeze until solid. To fry - Remove baking sheet from freezer, remove plastic wrap, cover with clean kitchen towel, and let thaw completely, until room temperature. Deep fry according to instructions.
Hope it helps, Maria