Baked donuts are an easy way to make a delicious and fun-filled breakfast for the whole family in under 30 minutes! Say so long to trips to the doughnut shop, because these classic cake doughnuts can be frosted or sprinkled with any of your favorite donut toppings. Plus, you won't feel as guilty because they are baked instead of fried!
Baked Donuts Master Recipe
Homemade cake donuts are surprisingly easy to make, especially when you bake them! There's no messy oil or grease and they only take 10 minutes in the oven.
These baked donuts are your classic cake donuts made from a simple batter, yet they are soft and delicious just like you'd expect from the bakery. Top them with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar or your favorite icing and enjoy!
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🥘 Baked Donuts Ingredients
If you are a frequent baker you likely have all of these ingredients on hand. Be sure to set out the refrigerated ingredients to come to room temperature so your doughnuts cook evenly!
- Sugar - ½ cup granulated sugar.
- Light Brown Sugar - ⅓ cup, packed.
- Butter - ¼ cup of salted butter at room temperature.
- Cooking Oil - ¼ cup cooking oil.
- Eggs - 2 large eggs, beaten, and at room temperature.
- Baking Powder - 2 teaspoons.
- Vanilla Extract - 1 ½ teaspoons, up to 2 teaspoons.
- Salt - ¾ teaspoons.
- All-Purpose Flour - 2 ⅔ cups, spoon and leveled.
- Milk - 1 cup of milk or buttermilk, at room temperature.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Baked Donuts
Once you make the batter the rest of the recipe is a breeze! You will need measuring spoons and cups, a mixing bowl, and a standard donut pan.
This recipe will make 18 standard-sized doughnuts or about 4 times as many mini donuts!
Make The Donut Batter
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and lightly grease your donut pans or mini-donut pans.
- Make the batter. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the room temperature ¼ cup softened butter, ¼ cup cooking oil, ½ cup sugar, and ⅓ cup light brown sugar. Cream together the wet ingredients, then add the 2 large beaten eggs, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract, and ¾ salt. Mix until evenly distributed.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add 2 ⅔ cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of milk into the wet ingredients, alternating and adding each in gradual amounts. You want the batter thoroughly combined, but do not over-mix once it comes together.
Fill Donut Pan & Bake
- Fill the donut pans. Transfer the batter into your prepared donut pans, filling each donut cavity approximately ⅔ full.
- Bake. Place the donut pans onto the center rack in your preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until they have risen, and are golden on the bottom (you can see the lightly browned edges).
- Cool. Remove the baked donuts from your oven and leave them in the pan for 5 minutes before flipping them out onto a wire cooling rack.
- Add toppings. Add your desired sugar, cinnamon sugar, icing, and any other toppings once cooled.
My sweet vanilla icing or chocolate icing are the perfect toppings for these homemade doughnuts! Add sprinkles, chocolate chips, cinnamon sugar, sugar, coconut, toasted crushed walnuts, or whatever sweet toppings you like. Enjoy!
💭 Tips & Notes
- Once the wet and dry ingredients have been combined, just mix until everything is evenly dispersed. Over-mixing the batter will lead to tough donuts!
- You can spoon the donut batter into your donut pans or mini-donut pans, or transfer the batter into a piping bag or plastic storage bag (and snip the corner).
- Baked donuts can dry out easily. If you stick a toothpick into the thickest part of the doughnut, you want to see a few moist crumbs stuck to the outside when you pull it out.
- Brush melted butter onto warm donuts to coat with sugar or cinnamon sugar.
- To store: Keep baked donuts in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 48 hours.
- To freeze: They can be frozen once cooled by placing them in a heavy-duty freezer bag and squeezing the air out (this is best before filling or icing them). Enjoy within 6 months and thaw in the microwave on 50% power.
❓ Do Baked Donuts Taste The Same As Fried?
If you've ever had old-fashioned cake donuts (they are often mixed into a random dozen if purchased at a donut shop), these will taste more like that than the fluffy, airy fried donuts.
Baked donuts are paler in color without the distinctive 'fried' taste, and they are a bit more dense. They are equally as delicious as the fried version, just different!
❓ Can I Make Baked Donuts Without A Donut Pan?
You can use a muffin pan and some foil to make a makeshift donut pan! Put a square of foil over two fingers to create a mold for your donuts. Your fingers will create the raised center for the donut hole.
Then, place the mold into the muffin tin and press the foil up the edges. You should now have foil-lined muffin molds with a raised center. Spray with non-stick spray and follow the recipe as instructed. *They won't be perfectly round, but they will still be delicious!
❓ Are Baked Donuts Healthier Than Fried Donuts?
They are! Not only do baked donuts have significantly less calories than fried donuts, but they don't have all the added fat from the frying oil!
🍩 More Sweet Treats!
- Candied Orange Peel
- Kool Aid Grapes
- Snickerdoodle Mug Cake
- Pear Crisp
- Plum Cake
- Maraschino Cherry Coffee Cake
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe Card
Baked Donuts
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ¼ cup butter (salted, at room temperature)
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 2 large eggs (beaten, at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk (or buttermilk, at room temperature)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and lightly grease your donut pans or mini-donut pans.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the room temperature softened butter, cooking oil, sugar, and light brown sugar. Cream together the wet ingredients, then add the beaten eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until evenly distributed.½ cup sugar, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup cooking oil, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Add the all-purpose flour and milk into the wet ingredients, alternating and adding each in gradual amounts. You want the batter thoroughly combined, but do not over-mix once it comes together.2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup milk
- Transfer the batter into your prepared donut pans, filling each donut cavity approximately ⅔ full.
- Place the donut pans onto the center rack in your preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until they have risen, and are golden on the bottom (you can see the lightly browned edges).
- Remove the baked donuts from your oven and leave them in the pan for 5 minutes before flipping them out onto a wire cooling rack.
- Add your desired sugar, cinnamon sugar, icing, and any other toppings once cooled.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- Once the wet and dry ingredients have been combined, just mix until everything is evenly dispersed. Overmixing the batter will lead to tough donuts!
- You can spoon the donut batter into your donut pans or mini-donut pans, or transfer the batter into a piping bag or plastic storage bag (and snip the corner).
- Baked donuts can dry out easily. If you stick a toothpick into the thickest part of the donut, you want to see a few moist crumbs stuck to the outside when you pull it out.
- Brush melted butter onto warm donuts to coat with sugar or cinnamon sugar.
- To store: Keep baked donuts in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 48 hours.
- To freeze: They can be frozen once cooled by placing them in a heavy-duty freezer bag and squeezing the air out (this is best before filling or icing them). Enjoy within 6 months and thaw in the microwave on 50% power.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Tracie says
Any ideas if I don’t have a donut pan? I’m figuring it would work in a muffin tin, just tweaking the time is needed. Anyone ever try? Ty in advance!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
You inspired some content, see my article here for baking donuts without a donut pan. Enjoy!
Amy says
Made these today. Husband gave a thumbs up! This is the 1st recipe I tried with my donut pans.I frosted with melted giradelii chocolate. Thank you.
Jamie West says
Can you make the batter ahead and leave it in the refrigerator overnight before filling the pans and baking them the next morning?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, this can be done with great results. Thanks for asking!
Anonymous says
Amazing or even a great idea
Suki Hernandez says
Can I sub the oil for melted butter?
Or should I use coconut or olive oil instead?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, butter or coconut oil are my favorites for this recipe.
Maria says
WOW. I've tried a few other recipes, but this one is the best. My husband loved them, and he's a picky eater.
Catalina says
Going to try this recipe soon! I have a mini donut pan, would the cook time be the same of 8-10min? Or slightly less?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
For mini donuts, I would reduce your baking temp to 350F and keep the time around 10 minutes. Check at 8 minutes. Hope that helps!
Sophia says
The donuts came out so flavorful and fluffy! Not too sweet either. I brushed them with melted butter like you suggested and tossed in powdered sugar, soooo good!
Patty says
Soooooooo tender and delicious! They didn’t brown like the store bought cake donuts, but they taste soooooooo much better. I brushed them with melted butter and dipped them in cinnamon sugar. Instant hit. Thank you!
Anastacya says
How can I adjust this recipe to make it a chocolate baked donut?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Check out my chocolate baked donuts recipe instead. Thanks for asking!
Diane says
Thanks for this easy recipe! Would it be possible to fold in a little bit of chopped apples? I saw your apple cider donuts but I don't have any.
Thanks!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes that would work, but I personally would chop the apples and saute them with a little butter and cinnamon first to soften them. Hope that helps!
Ema says
My favorite donut recipe ever ! Thank you sooooo much , this helped my picky eater
Ella says
These are so fluffy and tasty!
Jasson says
Very nice recipe chef 👍👌👏,and please let us know about the fillable donuts. Thank you for your effort 🌞😎
Jane says
Hi, Do you have a recipe for 50 servings of donuts?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hop on down to any recipe card on the site and hover over the number of servings shown. In this case for the baked donuts, it says 18. A slider will appear and you can move it to the right to increase the number of servings to 50. It shows this for the amounts:
1.39 cup sugar
▢ 0.93 cup light brown sugar (packed)
▢ 0.69 cup butter (salted, at room temperature)
▢ 0.69 cup cooking oil
▢ 5.56 large eggs (beaten, at room temperature)
▢ 5.56 teaspoon baking powder
▢ 4.17 tsp vanilla extract
▢ 2.08 teaspoon salt
▢ 7.41 cups all-purpose flour
▢ 2.78 cup milk (or buttermilk, at room temperature)
Katherine Frank says
Hello. I was wondering if you could use this recipe to make fillable Donuts, like custard or jelly filled?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
I've never tried to fill a baked donut of this type. I would bake a yeast donut to fill (it will have an airy center that you're used to with jelly or custard-filled donuts). I guess I should go make some! 🙂
Ginny says
How many doughnuts does this recipe make?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Per the recipe card, it makes "Servings: 18 servings" with each serving being an individual donut. Thanks for asking!