Homemade Glazed donuts are fluffy, airy, and melt-in-your-mouth soft. Think of these as gourmet Krispy Kreme donuts.
We love homemade donuts and pastries from Baked Jelly Donuts to Italian Zeppole Donuts. If you are a fan of doughnuts, this Glazed Donut recipe is a must-try! Watch the easy video tutorial and you’ll be on your way to enjoying the best donuts.
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Glazed Donuts Video
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Homemade Donuts are the Best!
Making donuts is easier than you think with very little active time, and you’ll love the simple vanilla glaze. You can’t beat the flavor and texture of a donut that is still warm and super fresh.
These glazed donuts are so much more enjoyable than the ones at a donut shop because they are made from scratch and you are using real and natural ingredients (no shortening, or ‘hydrogenated soybean oil’). Plus, when you make them at home, you aren’t frying hundreds of batches in the same oil.
Ingredients for Glazed Donuts
- All-purpose flour – be sure to measure correctly. If you add too much, the donuts will be dense.
- Granulated sugar – we add just 1/4 cup for lightly sweet dough.
- Salt – balances the sweetness
- Instant Yeast – also called rapid rise, or quick-acting yeast and will make your dough rise faster.
- Milk – for the softest donuts, scald milk in a saucepan until it reaches 180˚F or is steaming then cool until it’s 115˚F before using.
- Egg yolks – we use yolks only for a richer and smoother dough.
- Vanilla extract – adds flavor that compliments the glaze
Secret to the Fluffiest Donuts
The secret to the fluffiest homemade donuts is in using scalded milk. I’ve tested both ways and the old fashioned method of using scalded milk created the airiest dough inside.
- What is scalded milk? Scalded milk is milk heated to a near boil at 180˚F, then cooled.
- Why scald milk? Scalding milk denatures the whey protein in the milk which can hinder gluten formation in the dough. The gluten strands will form easier resulting in fluffier and springier donuts.
How to Make Donuts
- Scald milk and set aside to cool to 115˚F.
- Proof yeast: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 pocket yeast and 1/4 tsp salt. Add scalded and cooled milk, oil, egg yolks and vanilla and whisk to combine. Cover and rest 10-15 minutes until bubbles form on top.
- Knead dough: Stir in remaining flour (make sure to measure correctly with the fluff, spoon and scrape method) then knead by hand 5 minutes in the bowl. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
- Proof dough: Cover and let dough rise in a warm place 45 minutes or until doubled.
- Roll dough with a rolling pin to 1/4″ to 1/3″ thick disk. Cut out 11-12 donuts, re-roll scraps if desired.
- Let donuts rise: Cover and let dough rise in a warm place 20 minutes.
- Fry donuts: Heat oil to 375˚F and fry donuts 2-3 at a time for about 60 seconds per side until deep golden in color then immediately dip in glaze one at a time.
Pro Tip: Set up your work station to make your frying and dipping work flow easier. From left to right: proofed donuts, fryer, bowl with glaze, cooling rack over a baking sheet (line baking sheet with paper towels for easier cleanup). I also have my chopsticks ready for frying and more chopsticks for dipping in glaze.
The Easiest Donut Glaze
- Combine – 1 lb or 4 cups of powdered sugar with 5-6 Tbsp water and 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract.
- Stir until smooth – whisk the glaze until completely smooth without any lumps. Add more water if needed to get a thinner drizzly consistency.
How to Glaze Donuts
Dip hot donuts into the glaze as soon as they come out of the batter. I love using chopsticks or large wooden skewers to flip them in the glaze and lift them out without crushing the donut.
Can I skip the glaze? The dough itself is very lightly sweet so adding glaze is nice, but you can also roll them in cinnamon sugar when they come out of the oil or dust with powdered sugar after they cool.
Common Questions:
Check out our baked donuts recipe and video tutorial for instructions on baking.
Using instant yeast will make your dough rise faster. If substituting with active dry yeast, you will need longer rising/ proofing times.
Put 2/3 cup milk in a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat on full power for 60-75 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds until it reaches 180˚F and is steaming hot.
We use peanut oil which is a high heat oil that’s perfect for deep frying. Vegetable oil or canola oil also work well.
Use either a donut cutter or round cookie cutters. If you don’t have the cutters, you can use any circular-shaped item like a drinking glass for the outside and shot glass for the center. It helps if you have a sharper edge, like the lid of a cooking spray can.
Make-Ahead:
- Refrigerating Overnight: Instead of letting the donuts rise in step 6, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let them rest covered at room temperature until they have puffed and nearly doubled then fry as directed.
- To Reheat: Just like reheating a Krispy Kreme donut, place a donut on a plate and set it in the microwave for 7 to 8 seconds on high power then enjoy.
I hope you love these “gourmet” Krispy Kreme copycat donuts. These homemade fried donuts really are next level and they disappear fast so consider yourself warned.
More Sweet Treats
If you love these glazed donuts, then you won’t want to miss these sweet homemade treats:
Glazed Donuts Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
Donut Dough:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 packet instant yeast, quick acting or rapid rise (about 2 1/4 tsp)
- 2/3 cup milk, scalded and cooled to 115˚F
- 1/4 cup light olive oil, or vegetable oil or canola oil
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Donut Glaze:
- 1 lb powdered sugar, (4 cups)
- 5-6 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- oil, for frying such as peanut oil or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Scald milk: Pour milk into a small saucepan over medium/low heat, stirring constantly to prevent film from forming. Once milk reaches 180˚F, or you see milk steaming, remove from heat and transfer to a measuring cup to cool to 115˚F on a thermometer.
- Proof dough: In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 packet yeast and 1/4 tsp salt, and whisk to combine. Add 2/3 cup warm milk, whisk in 1/4 cup oil, 2 egg yolks, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature 10-15 minutes or until some bubbles form on the surface (this indicates your yeast is active).
- Knead: Use a firm spatula to mix in most of the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, adding just enough flour until dough holds together and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl (add the last 2 Tbsp flour only if needed). Kead the dough in the bowl by hand for 5 minutes. If dough is really sticking to your hands, dust lightly with flour then continue kneading. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
- Let dough rise: Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm 100˚F oven for 45 min or at room temp for 1.5 to 2 hours until doubled in size.
- Roll and cut donuts: Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll dough with a rolling pin to 1/4” to 1/3” thick and use a donut cutter to make 11-12 donuts and donut holes. Gently press together scraps and re-roll to get another donut if desired.
- Let donuts rise: Place donuts and donut holes on a parchment lined baking sheet, with just enough space so they are not touching. Cover with a tea towel and let donuts rise again in a warm place for 20 minutes or at room temperature for 45 minutes until puffed.
- Make glaze: combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl and stir together until sugar is dissolved then set aside.
- Fry Donuts: In a dutch oven with clip on thermometer or in a deep fryer, Heat oil to 375˚F. Once donuts have puffed, fry 2 donuts at a time for 45 to 60 seconds per side until golden on each side, flipping once.
- Glaze donuts: Remove donuts from the oil one at a time and Immediately dip both sides in glaze then transfer to a wire rack.
- Fry donut holes: Fry and glaze the donut holes in 2 batches. Serve donuts as soon as the glaze is set.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
My son has a lactose allergy so I substituted the milk with oak milk. They still turned out so fluffy and yummy! He was for sure a fan! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m so glad they worked out, Jessica! Thanks for sharing.
My son is also allergic to dairy , will almond milk work as good ?
Hi Jaz! I haven’t tested it, but I think it would work just as good.
I have yet to make these, but plan on making them tonight can I freeze the donuts after making them amd glaze later. I try to prep stuff for the week cuz of work, kids in school, etc.
I haven’t tried freezing them but I have addes some make ahead instructions in the recipe.
These were good but they needed a lot more salt. It felt like something was missing it wasn’t satisfying my taste buds but they came super fluffy
Add more vanilla and always add nutmeg to donut recipes.
These donuts came out perfect, made with granddaughters. Icing easy and delicious. Also made chocolate glaze with one cup of confectioners sugar, 4 Tbsp cocoa powder, 3 Tbsp almond vanilla milk, 2 tsp vanilla, and1 Tbsp Stevia. Girls favored this glaze over the chocolate. But the whole household ate all the donuts and donut holes. Thank you!
I love this recipe, but I’m continuously getting weird shaped, ugly donuts due to proofing issues. It always wants to spring back after rolling it out, which results in oblong shaped donuts when I try to cut them. I’ve tried proofing in the oven, outside, inside… I always get the same results. I live in coastal VA. Could the humidity be causing these issues? I love the flavor and texture of the donuts, but I want them to look pretty too! Any suggestions?
HI Karen, If it’s springing back, it may be due to too much flour in the dough. Try a little less flour in the dough. If you are in a warmer/high humidity area, your dough might also proof faster so make sure you aren’t over-proofing and exhausting the yeast. I hope that helps.
Same thing happened to me tonight I am in Southern California, the dough came together beautifully but when I rolled it out and cut them my donuts came out odd shaped like shrunk then I let them rest they were so thick, heavy and cracked on sides they looked like cronuts lol and not fluffy soft smh flavor was good and used less sugar more liquid and it the icing was too thick 🤔 I was waiting to get me a Dutch oven for my sd breads and for frying I will be trying it again soon try a few different things and timing
Can I make the dough in a bread maker? Or I have to do it by hand?
Hi Andrea, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Not sure if someone asked this already but how long do they keep refrigerating before frying and then after being fried? Thanks!
Hi B, they are good for a few days after being made. See my Make-Ahead section of the recipe for more tips.
So I jus made them..burnt my finger ..be careful when placing donut in hot oil… love ittttt came out fluffy n nice ..will be trying again with the chocolate ganish
Followed instructions closely. It rises twice. The dough was the consistency of thick oily bread. Not like a light fluffy donut
Hi Joe, if the donut seemed oily, it’s most likely due to the oil not being hot enough. If the oil isn’t heated properly before frying, the donuts absorb too much oil. I highly recommend checking the oil with a thermometer.
This is the BEST donut recipe!!! I’m a relatively skilled dough person but for some reason I’ve never been totally satisfied with a donut recipe, and I’ve tried A LOTTTTT of them. This one is PEEFECT. So fluffy, not cloyingly sweet, and SO delicious! The only change I’d make is frying them at a lower temp, like 340-350F. I found that mine colored way too fast at 375 but when I dropped it to the 340-350 range they were absolutely perfect. So so happy to finally have a go-to donut recipe that I’m completely happy with!!
Would I be able to make a chocolate glaze or any other kind of glaze to put on just one side of the donut rather than glaze the whole thing?
Hi Zoe! Yes- you can use any glaze you’d like. I recommend checking out my Perfect Chocolate Ganacherecipe.
Hello Is it Possible to get a chocolate cake glazed donut recipe 🙂 .. old school but so good ..
Hi Gerald! Thank you for the suggestion. You can use this donut recipe as your base recipe and glaze them with my chocolate ganache recipe.
Made these today for my family we all really enjoyed them. The Dough was so easy to work with.
Great to hear that you all enjoyed it!
Two questions. Can I use a bread machine to mix the dough and most important can I substitute almond Milk instead of dairy milk
Hi Wanda! I haven’t tested it myself but I think they would both work. Let us know if you experiment.
Just made them and was surprisingly not as difficult as expected. I used active dry yeast and only put a tablespoon and a half so I was worried but they taste great!
Thank you for sharing, Haley!
Just made them today and they are amazing! Thank you Natasha❤️.
You’re very welcome, Lisa!
I just finished kneading the dough and realized that I used whole eggs rather than yolks. Will this make a big difference in the end product?
Hi Rebecca, I’m honestly not sure but I think it will be fine. We’d like to know how it goes!
When letting your dough rise overnight in the fridge,
Do you have them, already cut into circles or just leave them in a bowl, wrapped in plastic?
And how long will it take to have them ready to fry them?
Hi John! Yes, they are cut. You’re following the same steps and instructions through step 6 but refrigerating them instead. I’m sorry, I didn’t time how long mine took. The time can vary based on climate and temperature in the room as well.
Hi! Is there anyway to make these chocolate? Would adding in cocoa powder do the trick? If so, how much? Thank you!
Hi Tulsi! I have not tested that to advise.
I’d give it 10 stars if I could!! Anytime I need a recipe, I know who to call! Natasha has been my go-to for a loooong time! Thanks!
Aw, thank you, Jane! That means a lot to me.