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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jerty bautista
These where absolutely amazing!!!!
Now how do i store the rest? 😂😂not fried doughnut?
Maria Doss
Hi Jerty,
That sounds wonderful!
As far as the question goes, the doughnuts are absolutely best when fresh.
However, UNGLAZED donuts can be refrigerated in an air tight container for about 4 days (warm in the microwave for few seconds before eating).
GLAZED donuts can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for about 1 day.
Hope it helps:)
Cara
@jerty bautista, I froze these freshly fried doughnuts (cooled them first) and when I thawed them several weeks later and glazed them they were still amazing!
Maria Doss
That sounds wonderful, Maria
Bela
I am a huge Krispy Creme doughnuts, buy I live in Brazil! I’ve been trying several recipes until this (very last) one.
Todas was the 5th time I mixed the dough (by hand).
Result is always fluffy and airy doughnuts. Since I am from Spain, I have compared the spices and I prefer to infuse the milk wit crashed cardamon seeds and I filter them out.
Depending on how many people we are, I sometimes freeze the doughnuts after the second rise due to superb sunday treats for lazy rainy days
Thank you for this great récipe
Maria Doss
I'm a huge cardamom fan, so I absolutely love the idea of cardamom infused doughnuts. Thank you for the kind feedback:)
Cassandra
Hello, These turned out amazing! Very happy with the end product, Thank you! I wanted to add I did try allowing the yeast to bloom first. Mix the warm milk, sugar and yeast. Bloom 10 minutes and then carry on with the recipe. The rising of the dough only took 1/2 an hour doing it this way. I'm not sure if it was a fluke or if by allowing the yeast to bloom it shortens the rising time. The second rising was also half an hour and honestly they could have been done in 15 because they were getting BIG. Either way they turned out great! Very light and airy and moist. Maybe doing it this way cuts a bit of time which is nice! Thanks again!!
Bayan
Hi, I was wondering if you can use self-raising flour ? Thank you
Maria Doss
NO!!! I'm sorry Bayan, that is not the answer that you are looking for.
Self raising flour has rising agents (like baking powder/baking soda) in it, So, this will NOT WORK when combined with yeast.
Hope it helps:)
Yusuf bola
Hello.in you recipe above does it mean there is no need of water at all after adding the one and half cup of milk
Maria Doss
Hi Yusuf, Yes. Milk will be the only liquid. Hope it helps:)
Yolanda
Hey! I want to make this dessert tomorrow and I was wondering if I could mix with a fork or a spoon instead of a stand mixer( because I don't have one).
Maria Doss
Hi Yolanda, These doughnuts are best made with a stand mixer for that amazing soft and fluffy texture.
However, if you wanna try making by hand, then try mixing for about 5 minutes (using a wooden spoon) in step-1 and another 5-6 minutes in step-2.
Hope it helps:)
Cindy Gilmartin
I would like to make these donuts to fry tomorrow morning. I did these in one day the first time and they were fabulous, but I'd like to refrigerate the dough at some point and finish raising before frying. Is this possible, and if so, at which step. I have chores in the morning and don't want these done mid morning after breakfast. Thanks for the fantastic recipe. I treated my neighbor to some and she ate three by the time I got next door. They're that good!
Maria Doss
Hi Cindy, Glad you loved these doughnuts:) I might try refrigerating them at step-4 (cut doughnuts, place them on baking sheets as per direction, cover the sheets with plastic wrap and then refrigerate). You will need place the baking sheets at room temperature (remove plastic wrap at this stage and loosely wrap with kitchen towel) to completely thaw and the dough has risen as per direction before frying them. Hope it helps:)
Nancy
Hi! Recipe looks great. Just wondering if I can use airfryer for these? Can I substitute equal butter with healthier oil? I.e. olive oil or avocado oil
Maria Doss
Hi Nancy, Avocado/olive oils have a flavor of their own which might come through in the end product. I might go with half butter and half flavorless vegetable/corn oil.
As with air-fryer, I haven't tried these in an air-fryer nor did any of the readers. I'm so sorry that I'm not able to offer any help.
Michaela Volpe
Hi there
My plan is to try these today however I dont have a stand mixer only an electric handheld one it does have two dough hook attachments though. Is it possible to still make these with that?Thank you!
Maria Doss
Hi Michaela, I think it should work:) However, I would suggest halving the recipe for the first time and see how it works.
Ruth
@Maria Doss,
I have a handheld mixer and it work out fine. The dognuts are really A.M.A.Z.I.N.G
Thank you Marianhh
Maria Doss
Hi Ruth, I'm so glad that it worked with a hand held mixer - Maria
Kemi
For the sponge can I put it overnight in the fridge and continue the next day? Cos that’s what I have seen done for sponge method. Is there a reason why you didn’t let it rise at room temp or fridge before adding the rest of the ingredients?
Thank you
Maria Doss
Hi Kemi, Since there is double rising in the recipe, you will not need to rise the sponge. You just mix it right away, hope it helps:)
Nunu
So u have recipe for half quantity? This recipe resulted in too many donuts for small family of 4 to consume.
Maria Doss
Hi Nunu, I totally agree with you, this recipe results in a LOT of doughnuts:)
If you place your cursor (do not click) over the number 25 (on servings), a slider will pop up! Use that to reduce to the number of doughnuts that you like and it automatically adjusts all ingredients to that serving.
However, if the quantity is reduced, then it will be kinda difficult to work in the stand mixer. Hope it helps:)
Eddy
How to cut perfect doughnut holes
Maria Doss
Hi Eddy, A doughnut cutter comes in handy! if you do not own one, then the broader end of a cake decorating piping tip (medium/ large ones) work like a charm. Hope it helps, happy holidays:)
-
Shah
I want to make 50 of ths delicious doughnuts can you please help me with the correct ingredients to be able to make 50 doughnuts for a get together on the weekend ♥️🙏 thank you.
Maria Doss
Hi Shah, Here are the ingredient measurements for 50 doughnuts :
3 cups milk
2 sticks unsalted butter ( 1 cup )
3 tablespoons yeast (9 teaspoons)
6 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar (12 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon salt (3 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons grated Nutmeg
10 cup + 3/4 cup all purpose flour
Glaze
6 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Hope it helps:)
Wanga Robert
Is it possible to make these soft doughnuts for commercial purposes. like is it a good business venture?
Maria Doss
Hi Wanga, this recipe is designed for home cooking. I'm not really sure how it will work as a business:)
Linda
For a warm proving environment, warm tumble drier is brilliant
Maria Doss
Thanks for the tip Linda, I've got to try this 🙂
Bernadette
Omg!!!! This recipe was awesome!!! The donuts were so light, fluffy and soft!!! First time I made them. They were just perfect 😍 I will be looking at more of your recipes.
Luciana
Amazing donuts!
Chene
I tried your receipe and it was superb soo light airy fluffy nd nice thank you
Maria Doss
Hi Chene, Sounds wonderful, glad you liked it:) Wishing you a very happy 2021!!!
Jummy
My mixer is faulty and I want to try these doughnuts because they look really amazing and easy, I don't know if I can do it manually instead
Maria Doss
Hi Jummy, Though these doughnuts could be made by hand (will include a LOT of kneading/mixing), the result is not gonna be as soft as the machine method. So sorry that this wasn't the reply you wanted to hear, Maria
Shirley
Normally when I bake my donuts, it gets dry and not as soft as it should be the day after. Does your donuts still get silky and soft until the day after (maybe 2 or 3 days) as well?
Maria Doss
Hi Shirley, My apologies for a late reply, our website is going through some core changes. Regarding the donuts, these deep fried donuts are BEST WHEN FRESH and recommended to be consumed on the day they are made. However, if you wish to store them for a couple of days, then warm them for a few seconds in a microwave, just before eating.
Lilian
Hi, can you share the recipe with grams? Thankyou
Maria Doss
Sure Lilian, will add the measurements very soon. Thanks, Maria