Making homemade glazed doughnuts is easier than you think, but requires a little patience. Ready in about 2.5 hours, these taste like doughnuts from your favorite bakery, but they’re made in the comfort of your own home. For doughnut success, follow my step-by-step photos, helpful success tips, and video tutorial. Using this same doughnut dough, you can create other flavored frosted doughnuts too!
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
With that signature bakery taste and texture, doughnuts from a doughnut shop are incredibly delicious and indulgent. When you can’t pick up your favorite doughnuts, why not make them at home instead? They’ve always been a baking bucket list recipe for me, and today I’m taking you on a deep dive into homemade doughnuts—fried, sugary, old-fashioned, and comforting. I originally shared this recipe in 2016, and I now have more step-by-step photos and a video tutorial to guide you.
There’s a lot to cover today, so let’s get started!
These Homemade Glazed Doughnuts Are:
- Soft and sweet
- Flavored with a little nutmeg
- Completely from scratch
- Ready in about 2.5 hours (most of this is rise time!)
- A fun and delicious weekend project
- Perfect for sharing
One reader, Sue, commented: “I just made these doughnuts. I usually make my grandmother’s old fashioned doughnuts, but these may be my new favorite. These are absolutely perfect. Easy to make. They are a hit! Five stars all the way! ★★★★★“
Best Ingredients to Use for Homemade Doughnuts
This is a straightforward, no-frills yeasted dough. You need just a few ingredients to begin:
- Milk: Liquid activates the yeast. Whole milk is a must for a super tender dough—or you can try buttermilk. Lower-fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch, but the doughnuts aren’t as flavorful or rich.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using an instant yeast, your rise time will be a little shorter.
- Sugar: Sugar sweetens the doughnuts, but it also feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough.
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure and flavor.
- Butter: Melted butter promises enhanced flavor.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: Both add flavor. You could even try using homemade vanilla extract!
- Nutmeg: A little nutmeg is the secret ingredient to that cozy, comforting bakery taste. If you’ve ever made my chocolate chip muffins, you know it adds a delicious pop of flavor!
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the dough’s structure. You’ll be tempted to add more and more flour as you mix the dough, but don’t. You want a very soft, pillowy dough for soft, pillowy doughnuts. The dough can still be slightly sticky. When kneading, use extra flour on your hands and work surface.
Are You a Yeast Beginner?
Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with baker’s yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
Overview: How to Make Homemade Glazed Doughnuts
Let me walk you through the process so you understand what you’re doing. Homemade glazed doughnuts seem a little intimidating, but I assure you—they’re really not! I find they’re much easier than, say, homemade bagels and homemade English muffins.
Prepare the dough. The dough comes together with a mixer. You can also make the dough by hand, but it requires a bit of arm muscle. After the dough comes together in the mixing bowl, knead it for 5–7 minutes. If you’re new to yeasted doughs, my how to knead dough post and video can help with this step.
Let the dough rise. In a relatively warm environment, the dough rises in about 90 minutes.
Punch down the dough to release the air.
Roll & cut into doughnuts. Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut the doughnuts using a 3–3.5-inch doughnut cutter. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place doughnuts (and doughnut holes!) onto the lined baking sheet(s), then lightly cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes as you heat the oil.
Prepare the oil. Using a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and an oil thermometer, heat vegetable oil to 375°F (191°C).
Fry the doughnuts. Working with 2–3 doughnuts at a time, cook for 1 minute on each side. Carefully remove from the oil and place onto prepared rack. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. (See my recipe note about making the doughnut holes.)
How to Make the Glaze for Donuts
Make a simple 3-ingredient glaze: just milk or cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. This part couldn’t be easier; literally just whisk the 3 ingredients together. Dunk each side of the warm doughnuts into the glaze. The glaze will set in about 20 minutes.
Looking for other flavors? Try my strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla donut frostings or you might enjoy my maple bacon doughnuts!
This Dough Is Best for Frying
I don’t recommend baking this dough—this dough is best for frying in oil. If you’re looking for a baked donut, try crumb cake donuts, pumpkin donuts, cinnamon sugar donuts, or lemon poppy seed donuts instead. Here are all of my donut recipes.
Yes, absolutely. You’ll need a 3-inch biscuit or doughnut cutter without a hole in the center. Use the dough recipe below. Reduce the oil temperature to 350°F (177°C). Fry doughnuts for 1.5–2 minutes on each side, making sure to lower the stove’s temperature if the oil starts to get too hot. Let doughnuts cool for 5–10 minutes before filling. Jams or pastry cream are excellent fillings! Add filling to a piping bag fitted with a long tip such as Ateco 230. Insert the piping tip into the doughnut and fill until the doughnut feels heavy.
This dough is best for frying in oil. You can try using the air fryer, but the donuts will taste more bread-like, and more like baked donuts. For ideal results, I strongly recommend following the recipe.
Homemade Glazed Doughnuts
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 donuts and 12 holes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Description
Making homemade glazed doughnuts is easier than you think, but requires a little patience. Ready in about 2.5 hours, these taste like doughnuts from your favorite bakery, but they’re made in the comfort of your own home. For doughnut success, follow my step-by-step photos, helpful success tips, and video tutorial below.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)*
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)*
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1–2 quarts vegetable oil*
Donut Glaze
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Loosely cover and allow to sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy and frothy on top. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl, and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*
- Add the remaining sugar, the eggs, butter, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and 2 cups (about 250g) flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add remaining flour and beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If needed, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t add too much flour, though. You want a slightly sticky dough.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5-7 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- Let Dough Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5–2 hours or until double in size. (For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Shape Doughnuts: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Remove dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3–3.5-inch doughnut cutter, cut into doughnuts. Re-roll the scraps and cut more. *If you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you can use 1 large + 1 smaller circle cookie cutter (large should be about 3 and 1/2 inches).
- Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Place doughnuts and doughnut holes on each. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes as you heat the oil. They will rise a bit as they rest. Place a cooling rack over another baking sheet.
- Pour oil into a large heavy-duty pot fitted with an oil thermometer. Turn stove on to medium heat. Heat oil to 375°F (191°C). Add 2–3 doughnuts at a time and cook for 1 minute on each side. Carefully remove with a metal slotted spatula or metal slotted spoon. Be sure to lower stove’s temperature if oil temperature is rising; you want it to stay at 375°F (191°C). Wear kitchen gloves if oil is splashing. Place fried doughnuts onto prepared rack. Repeat with remaining doughnuts, then turn off heat.* (See Note for doughnut holes.)
- Make the glaze: Whisk all the glaze ingredients together. Dip each warm doughnut (don’t wait for them to cool!) into the glaze, making sure to coat both sides. Place back onto prepared rack, as excess glaze drips down. After about 20 minutes, the glaze will set.
- Doughnuts are best enjoyed the same day. You can store leftover doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for another day or two.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 5. Freeze shaped doughnuts for up to 3 months. On the day you serve them, let the doughnuts thaw and rest at room temperature for about 4–5 hours. Fry as directed. You can also freeze the fried doughnuts (unglazed). Allow them to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired (microwave is great) and dunk in freshly made glaze.
- Overnight Instructions: Complete dough through step 3. Instead of allowing to rise in a warm environment in step 4, place the covered dough in the refrigerator overnight (8–12 hours). The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise in a warm environment until doubled. The dough will lightly rise in the refrigerator overnight, so the rise the next morning won’t take too long. After rising, continue with step 5.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer | Large Heavy Bottomed Pot or Dutch Oven | High-Heat Thermometer (I love this thermometer, too) | 3–3.5-inch Doughnut Cutter (I like this one and this one) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Metal Slotted Spatula | Cooling Rack | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk
- Doughnut Holes: Add holes to hot oil and fry until golden, about 30 seconds, on each side.
- Milk: Whole milk is a must for the most tender dough—or you can try buttermilk. Lower-fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch, but the doughnuts aren’t as flavorful or rich.
- Yeast: If using an instant yeast, your rise time will be a little shorter. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Oil: The amount of oil really depends on how wide or tall your pot is. You want oil to fill about 1/3 of the pot. I use a little more than 1 quart for my 4 and 1/2-quart Dutch oven.
- Leftover Oil: Do not pour used oil down the sink drain. Allow to cool, then pour into an empty container (a funnel is useful here) and discard in the trash or reuse it.
- Adapted from Mark Bittman and Top Pot Doughnuts
Reader Comments and Reviews
made your pizza dough last night. it was easy and amazing. looking forward to try your donut recipe next.
Hi Sally, I’m going to try these tomorrow. Have you ever tried a filling? Just wondering if the cook time would any longer where I won’t be cutting a center hole? Do you think they would be mis-shaped after frying without the center cut out?
Thanks
Easy to follow directions and 100% husband approved!!!
We’re so glad, Bennie!
Would this work if I 4x the ingredients
Hi Cole, for best taste and texture, we recommend making 4 separate batches rather than multiplying all the ingredients by 4.
Very good my 12 years old has made these twice now easy to follow and turn out great
It came out amazing!!!
Hi Sally! I don´t have an oil thermometer. Is there any way to know when the oil temperature is right to fry the doughnuts? What happens if it is too cold or too hot? Thank you!
Hi Nadina, a thermometer really is key here for ensuring proper temperature, as it can be difficult to tell if the oil is at the right temperature. If the temperature is not correct, you risk the doughnuts being under or over fried.
This recipe is INCREDIBLE. I made it for my family last night, they fell in love with it. It’s truly the best recipe for doughnuts I’ve ever had. Thank you Sally, your recipes will always be my go-to.
I just started making these only to realize I don’t have enough flour! I have whole wheat, self rising or bread flour but no all purpose!
Hi Robin, I would supplement what you don’t have in all-purpose flour with bread flour. Do not use whole wheat or self-rising.
I didn’t see this until too late. I opted for whole wheat, fortunately I had enough to do half all purpose and half whole wheat (pastry) flour. They turned out to our liking! I think we got very lucky!
Can I make the dough in a bread machine?
Hi Diane, I’m sure you could. I haven’t tested it.
Can I fry these with extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil?
Hi Lily, I don’t recommend extra virgin olive oil because it can burn easily, giving off a bitter flavor. And even if it does not burn, your doughnuts will taste like olive oil. Coconut oil would be the better choice, though I haven’t tested it. Vegetable oil is my preferred choice because it has a high smoke point, neutral flavor, and the results are pretty consistent among the batch of doughnuts.
I made these and they were fantastic .
Even though I didn’t have powdered sugar for the glaze, I improvised and blended granulated sugar. Then I used almond extract (personal preference) and it was SOOO GOOD !!
I spent my last summer on a beignet craze, so the experiencemade these a breeze!! Super fun and very tasty .
Thanks very much Sally. The doughnuts tasted somewhat bitter, please what could be the reason for this?
Hi Esther, it sounds like the yeast may be contributing to the bitter taste. Was it over-measured by chance, or was the dough over-proofed? Those are usually the causes when dough takes on a yeasty or bitter taste.
These are amazingly close to Krispy Kreme.
Ever buy some KK in a store and they just aren’t that great, nothing like fresh?
These are so like KK they do the same thing. After about 6 hours or so they lose their crunch and are just not anything like fresh.
So make what you can eat quickly.
Love this recipe. Donuts were perfect!
How do I keep them fresh for a day or 2 to bring them to a party?
Do I frost/glaze or store till day of
Thank you
Hi Michelle, Doughnuts are best enjoyed the same day. You can store leftover doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for another day or two.
Thanks very much Sally. These were very delicious and your step by step instructions were a great guide. I love your recipes. God bless you
Hi! Hoping to make these with the frosting recipe you have instead of the glaze. Can they be made ahead (like the day before) and kept fresh easily? Hoping to make them for my son’s 4th birthday where we’re doing a breakfast bar at 10am! Really hoping not to have to get up at 5am to make and decorate before setting up
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Hi Meghan, Doughnuts are best enjoyed the same day. You can store the doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for another day or two. Or you may wish to check out the recipe notes for overnight instructions to cut out some time in the morning.
Hi! I can’t wait to try these with my kiddo this weekend.
Wed love to make a batch my wife can handle. She responds to milk poorly, except for kefir for some reason. It might be the probiotic effects. I’m wondering, would kefir work as a substitute for milk/buttermilk? As it’s thicker, I was considering a mixture of half kefir, half almond/plant milk. Do you have any recommendations or think I’ll need to change the recipe much?
Thank you for your thoughts and for the recipe!
Hi Matt, buttermilk works as a substitute for the milk here, and although we haven’t tried it in this particular recipe, kefir often works well as a 1:1 substitute for buttermilk. Let us know if you try that combination!
I’ve always been a fan of Sally’s recipes, they’re so consistent and reliable.
But wow this one has blown me out of the water. They might be the single best donuts I’ve ever eaten, and I can’t believe I made them!
If you’re used to the frying process, these aren’t too tricky and come out just perfect!
Okay I made a few minor alterations so full transparency, I used a 80/20 oat milk and sour cream mixture instead of whole milk (I know I’m a mad man, but it worked) and I added a pinch of cardamom and dash of cinnamon to flesh out the nutmeg a bit more.
Overall, I’m confident the original is a rockstar donut recipe. And if you like playing mad scientist, feel free to take inspiration from me!
Love these and made them today!
Hello! Up to how many times can you multiple this recipe in one batch? Can you say quadruple it? I will be making a lot of donuts for a block party 🙂
Hi E, for best results, we do recommend making separate batches rather than multiplying. Hope they’re a hit!
Hi,
I have been making some of your recipes occasionally and have enjoyed them. This was my first time with your donut recipe. But these today were good. Keep up what you do. I love you
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ve made a few of your desserts, but I’m not sure where I went wrong with this one. The dough never formed into a ball. It remained sticky and wet even after adding additional flour. I’m still going to try and make the donuts to see the end result.
Hi Monica, There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. There’s nothing wrong with adding just a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency. Keep in mind that you will want a very soft, pillowy dough for the softest doughnuts. Hope you enjoy them!
These came out amazing! After allowing the dough to rise I was able to roll it out and cut out the donut shape. These taste great!
Nutrition facts?
Hi Mia, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
These doughnuts are the BEST ones I’ve ever made. They taste like bakery doughnuts. Great job, Sally and thanks for sharing.
I haven’t made them yet, but for sure want to try!
Since we are only 2 people in this household, can I divide the recipe in half?
Hi Marina, we generally advise against halving yeast recipes, so we’d recommend making a full batch as written and following the freezing instructions in the recipe Notes. Hope you enjoy the doughnuts!
Sally, I love many, many of your recipe’s. I do not like frying, is there a way to make these donuts by baking? They would be healthier that way. Please let me know. Sharon
Hi Sharon, this dough is best for frying, but we have many baked donut recipes here. Let us know if you give any of them a try!
I personally fry in tallow or lard that I get from local farmers. It makes for the best donuts you’ve ever had and it’s not as bad for you.
Is it normal that the glaze melted by day 2? Is there a way to prevent that?
Still tasted awesome, like store bought.
Hi Mary, these doughnuts are really best served the same day. The glaze can start to melt as you mention. We’re glad you still enjoyed them!
Firstly, my yeast wouldn’t rise at first so I had to leave it out in the sun for an hour. Then everything was pretty good until the actual frying bit. If I did it for a minute each side It would go black, but If I cooked it till it looked golden brown then the inside was under cooked. So I had to make them all black! (I probably made them too thick so that might be why the first few were under cooked). The good this is that even though they were black they didn’t taste burnt at all:) So in total I guess its a success. The reason mine turned out funky is probably because I didn’t have the oil temperature consistent or maybe made them too thick, so probably not the recipes fault.
What a labor of love! But so worth it. I glazed half of them and did the other half in cinnamon/sugar. I got about 16 donuts. I don’t have a donut cutter so I used a 3″ glass and a pop bottle cap to cut the donuts. I’m pretty sure the donuts won’t last the night.
Great recipe. Donuts were light, airy and not too sweet.
Hi,
I have been making some of your recipes from time to time and have enjoyed them. This was my first time with your donut recipe. I tried making donuts in the past with edible but not so great results. But these today were good. I made some mistakes a long thet way but it didn’t end up mattering. One thing I did was not notice how many donuts it makes. I see now that it says 12 but I didn’t notice while I was making them. I ended up with about 22 donuts and holes each. So, they were probably smaller than they should be. I also had trouble controlling my oil temp. And, I ran out of the icing mix, so I made up some cinnamon sugar. All that said, this was all forgiving and I still ended up with some great donuts, and my family was happy to have two varieties. Keep up what you do. 🙂