Baked Donut Recipe
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
These look so delicious! I’m going to have to try these out as a special treat for my daughter.
OH lucky her!!
I had to make these twice. The first time I made them following the directions and the were really bland. I looked at the recipe to see what I did wrong and I realized it does not include the adding of the sugar in the directions. I tried again this time adding the sugar and they were great.
Hi Nancy! You are so right! I apologize, my mistake. I have fixed it and added in when to incorporate the sugar!
My dough is thick and not able to be piped. Should I try to thin it out or spoon it into my donut pan? Thanks.
Hi Christy! How did you measure the flour? Be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level with a knife. Too much flour could cause your dough to be thick. The dough is thick, it isn’t runny, but it’s definitely pipe-able. Did you watch the video to get an idea of the consistency?
In a pinch, so that I don’t have to run to the grocery store tonight, what would be the best substitute for coconut oil?
Hi Jamie, I haven’t tried replacing the coconut oil with another substitute, so from my experience I recommend coconut oil.
If you have shortening on hand you could use that
#googleisyourfriend
Should state how many it makes!
Hi Pat! I do! If you look in the upper left hand corner of the recipe card – right under the title, it says yields 6 donuts.
I don’t have a donut mold pan would I be able to make these without it?
Hi Melissa! They definitely won’t be donuts without the pan. I’m also not sure about the baking time if they aren’t made in a donut pan.
These were really yummy! I used cinnamon instead of nutmeg and olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Super easy, tasted great! My 4 year old wanted to make donuts, and these were easy enough and without fussy ingredients. Will be making them again! Thank you!
Could I use butter instead of coconut oil?
Yes you can, but the frosting or glaze might be different. The reason why I recommend coconut oil is because when it’s mixed with the melted chocolate chips and cools to room temperature, it hardens.
Made these gluten free for father’s day, they are very good! My only critique is that the gluten free flour makes the dough VERY thick. I had to add extra milk, oil, and egg white for it to be spreadable.
Hi Kayla! What brand of gluten free flour did you use? Also, the dough is thick in general. Piping the batter into the donut pan is the best way to get it in there cleanly.
Can I use almond flour and get the same results?
Hi Cheryl! I haven’t tried this recipe with almond flour so I cannot give an accurate answer!
Delicious and easy recipe. Perfect for testing out my new donut pan. . thanks.
These are fabulous. I liked the addition of healthy coconut oil to the glaze. I was a bit impatient and glazed my donuts after letting the glaze cool for 5 minutes, but everything came out delicious. ♡♡♡
Will EVOO work instead of vegetable?
Yes, however it may affect the flavor.
How long do these keep on counter/ in fridge?
2-3 days!
Depends on who might see them on the counter!
We really liked these! My only feedback is this — since the recipe says it yields 6 and my donut pans have 9 spots, I tripled the recipe so I could make 2 pans/18 donuts. However, we had just enough to make 9 donuts. So I don’t feel like the yield/amounts are quite accurate?
Hi Katie! Strange! We’ve made these many times and always get 6 donuts. Which donut pan are you using?
Can these be frozen?
Yes! Flash freeze, then store in a freezer safe container. Or I like to wrap each donut individually in plastic wrap then freeze!
The finished texture was more like a thick cookie. Not at all spongy or light. Any thoughts on where I went wrong?
Hi Lisa, that sounds like a terrible donut! How did you measure the flour?
How can you use this recipe for chocolate doughnuts? Do you just simply add cocoa powder?
I have a specific chocolate donut recipe: https://thefirstyearblog.com/chocolate-donuts/
These turned out great! My only notes are that you could half the glaze recipe and still have enough, and they took more like 15-16 min to bake when using a silicone mold.