This is hands down our favorite baked donut recipe! Easy to make donuts at home with options for chocolate or white chocolate glaze, we love adding lots of sprinkles! Tried and true recipe with an amazing gluten free donut option.

baked donut with chocolate frosting and colorful sprinkles

Donuts are my jam!

I don’t think it was until I found out I had a gluten allergy that I actually started to like donuts. So I missed all my glutinous donut opportunities!

When we were living in Illinois, we made a few trips to Chicago because they have the best gluten free donuts there – I would literally buy a dozen just for myself and freeze them!

Now whenever we go to a new city, I always google to see if there is a gluten free donut shop. This girl will never pass up on a donut. I might not eat it right away, but it’s always a good idea to get one.

6 donuts with chocolate and white chocolate glaze with rainbow sprinkles lined up in white pan

I’ve made a few donut recipes over the years but I haven’t written down the recipe for a classic baked vanilla donut until now. And oh my gosh, I like mine with chocolate glaze and lots of sprinkles.

I’ve never been a fan of white chocolate, but I did include that as a frosting option!

I’ve been gluten free for 12 years so I’ve had a lot of gluten free flour experience, and experience with what recipes work and don’t work with gluten free flour.

That being said, I don’t market my blog as a gluten free exclusive blog because I’ve learned that almost any recipe can be made with gluten free flour. The only one I’ve struggled with are gluten free cinnamon rolls – but everything else turns out amazing!

Our baked vanilla donut recipe can be made with regular all purpose flour or with gluten free flour! My favorite is King Arthur’s all purpose GF flour that comes in a navy blue bag.

donuts with chocolate and white chocolate glaze with rainbow sprinkles lined up in metal pan

Tips For Filling Donut Pan

This is the donut pan I use. Before filling the pan I spray it with nonstick cooking spray and use a paper towel to wipe the spray around each donut well. 

Next I transfer the batter to a piping bag fit with a large round tip. You can also use a ziplock bag with one corner cut off. Twist the top of the bag closed and apply pressure with one hand and pipe the batter into the well. Do your best to evenly divide the batter among each donut well. 

I found that piping the batter into the pan is less messy for me than dropping dollops of batter. Also, I think that piping the batter helps to make the donuts look more uniform. 

Total Time Required

  • 10 minutes to prep batter and fill donut pan
  • 10-13 minutes to bake
  • 10-15 minutes to cool and glaze
6 donuts with chocolate and white chocolate glaze with rainbow sprinkles stacked on each other


Okay – time to talk about the tops of the donuts because that’s really the best part!

I wanted a donut glaze that would harden but not crack off and break when you bite the donut. So what’s the magic recipe? Chocolate chips plus coconut oil. And it doesn’t taste like coconut oil at all.

My absolute favorite place to buy BRIGHT multi-colored sprinkles is Walmart! I’ve searched high and low everywhere, and the Great Value brand sprinkles are hands down the best.

Chocolate glaze or white chocolate glaze, sprinkles or no sprinkles, customize the donuts however you want!

How To Make Chocolate Glaze

In a microwave safe bowl melt chocolate chips and coconut oil (or vegetable oil). Dip the donut into the chocolate, allowing the excess to fall off back into the bowl. Place the donuts on a tray to allow the chocolate to set. 

How To Freeze Baked Donuts

Allow the donuts to cool completely. Dip and allow the glaze to harden. Wrap each donut in plastic wrap, then place inside a freezer ziplock bag or container. 

To thaw: microwave for 20 seconds or place on the counter for 30 minutes.

How To Make Gluten Free Donuts

I’ve made these donuts with both regular and gluten free flour with awesome results on multiple occasions. I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Use it as a one for one substitute for regular flour.

How To Properly Measure Flour

  • Fluff the flour with a fork
  • Use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup
  • Use a butter knife to level the measuring cup

Sticking the measuring cup straight into the bag of flour will result in too much flour to be packed into the cup, which can result in dry baked goods.

More Breakfast Recipes

Baked Donuts

4 from 109 ratings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 donuts
This is hands down our favorite baked vanilla donut recipe! With options for chocolate or white chocolate glaze, we love adding lots of sprinkles!

Ingredients

Donuts

  • 1 cup all purpose flour, or all purpose gluten free flour – I LOVE King Arthur brand!
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 5 tbsp milk, I used skim
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Glaze

  • 1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • rainbow sprinkles, We love the Great Value rainbow sprinkles from Walmart

Equipment

Instructions
 

Donuts

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray then use a paper towel to evenly coat the entire donut well.
  • In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, sugar, baking powder and salt, mix until combined. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the milk, egg, vanilla extract and vegetable oil, use a whisk or spatula to beat. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing by hand with a spatula just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to a piping bag fit with a round piping tip, or transfer the batter to a ziplock bag, then cut off one corner and pipe the batter into the donut wells. Use a small spatula to smooth the tops of the batter if the batter is uneven.
  • Bake for 10-11 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a donut comes out clean. Allow the donuts to cool completely in the donut pan, 30+ minutes. Once cool, turn the donut pan upside down and hit the pan again a counter a few times to release the donuts.

Glaze

  • Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl, microwave 1 minute on 50% power, then stir. Return to the microwave and continue to heat for 30 seconds at a time on 50% power until the chocolate is melted. Stir the chocolate until smooth. Allow the chocolate to cool for 5-10 minutes before dipping. Dip the donut into the chocolate, allowing the excess to fall off into the chocolate bowl. Immediately dip the donut in sprinkles. Allow the glaze to harden or enjoy right away.

Notes

This recipe turned out great using gluten free flour too! We love King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Beth
Calories: 297kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 39mg, Sodium: 309mg, Potassium: 137mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 74IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 121mg, Iron: 1mg
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