Baked Vanilla Glazed Donuts — Slightly dense and cake-like, these vanilla glazed donuts are baked rather than fried. Perfect for weekend brunches and special occasion breakfasts!
Easy Baked Glazed Donut Recipe
When I bought my donut pan, I didn’t know I was going to enjoy making homemade donuts as much as I have been. But boy, I’m glad I finally got around to picking up that donut pan.
These donuts remind me of the Original Krispy Kreme Glazed Donuts. These vanilla donuts are baked, not fried, so they are not exactly the same as KK’s, but they’re remarkably similar.
Let’s face it, baked and fried, apples and oranges, but you’d be surprised how similar these are.
If you’ve never had a KK doughnut, you’re missing out!
No Krispy Kreme? No drive-thru? No problem.
It’s probably better that way, anyway. And you can make these baked vanilla donuts.
They are dense and yes, they are a ‘cake-style’ donut, but they are very moist. They are not cakey or dry like many cake-style donuts tend to be. You know those donuts that taste like you’re eating dry cardboard or ground up chalk?
These are not like that at all. The texture of them is what you’d have if there was a marriage between a donut and a muffin top. Moist and dense.
This recipe is so easy and yielded great tasting donuts. Like, you need these in your life, right now!
I loved that they were not fried because I just don’t make fried food. Not because of health or dietary objections. Oh no, that’s not the reason I don’t do fried food.
It’s because the thought of standing in front of a pot of grease and having it splatter all over me, my stove top, and stink up my house with that grease smell that lingers for days is a triple whammy.
No thanks. I’ll bake, sans grease. In 10 minutes of baking time I can have these bad boys.
What’s in the Baked Vanilla Glazed Donuts?
To make the baked vanilla donuts, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Buttermilk
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Butter
And to make the vanilla glaze recipe, all you’ll need is:
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk or heavy cream
How to Make Baked Vanilla Glazed Donuts
From start to finish — making the batter, baking the donuts, letting them cool for 5 minutes, and then glazing them, and even doing the dishes — this recipe was a 30-minute project.
Simply whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add in the wet ingredients.
Using a piping bag or a Ziplock bag with a tip snipped off, pipe the batter into a 6-count donut pan.
Bake the vanilla donuts until they spring back quickly when gently poked.
Let the donuts cool for about 5 minutes before dipping into the vanilla glaze.
Can I Make This Recipe Without a Donut Pan?
Yes! If you don’t have a donut and really don’t foresee yourself buying one, you can make these donuts as muffins instead. I tried that with the leftover batter because I could have made 7 donuts but instead I made 6 donuts + 2 small muffins.
But maybe looking at these will convince you to just buy the stinkin’ donut pan. I have no idea what took me so long, either.
Can I Bake These in a Mini Donut Pan?
I’m sure you could, but I don’t have the patience for baking mini foods so I can’t advise you on the bake time. I’d fill the mini donut pan about 2/3 full and watch them like a hawk in the oven!
Can I Add Sprinkles?
Of course! Add the sprinkles a minute or two after you’ve glazed the vanilla donuts.
Can Glazed Donuts Be Frozen?
Yes! Let the vanilla glazed donuts cool completely on your counter, then seal inside a freezer bag for up to three months. When ready to eat, thaw on your counter.
Tips for Making Baked Vanilla Donuts
I think making the glaze with some sort of cream, rather than water or milk, is best. That’s what I did because I love a good, rich glaze. I want to try making the glaze with coconut milk next.
Interestingly enough, the baked glazed donuts got better the second day. There were two donuts left over and 24 hours later, the glaze had really soaked into the donuts leaving them heavier, denser, and even more moist and rich.
If you like “light and airy” donuts that are really cakey and dry, don’t make this recipe. And definitely don’t let them sit with a glaze on them for 24 hours. But I actually love that really dense and heavy texture. I’ve always said I love leftovers.
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Baked Vanilla Glazed Donuts
Ingredients
For the Donuts:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt, I omitted
- 6 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
For the Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, use more if you like a stronger vanilla flavor
- 1-2 teaspoons milk or heavy cream
Instructions
For the Donuts:
- Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F and lightly grease or cooking-spray a donut pan (or muffin tin).
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon (and salt).
- Add buttermilk, egg, vanilla and melted butter. Whisk or stir to combine.
- Use a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off) to pipe the batter into a 6-donut pan. Or just be extra neat and do this with a spoon, which is what I did.
- Bake 8 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven, until donuts spring back when touched or until dough is set. Donuts will not be golden brown, but should be springy. (I always underbake my baked goods but in my oven these took 10-11 minutes to set up)
- Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan, about 5 minutes.
For the Glaze:
- While donuts are baking or cooling, make the glaze by combining powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and liquid of your choice. Add the water or milk, one teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
- Dip the donuts into the glaze while warm (or cool).
- Add sprinkles or other extras at end, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Baked Donut Recipes:
Baked Chocolate Sprinkle Donuts — Making donuts at home is as easy as making muffins! These chocolate sprinkle donuts are baked rather than fried so you can have seconds, of course!
Baked Lemon Donuts with Lemon Glaze — These taste like the Starbucks lemon loaf, but in donut (or mini muffin) form!! Easy, no mixer recipe with a tart-yet-sweet lemon glaze that’s PERFECT!
Banana Donuts with Browned Butter Caramel Glaze — Banana bread in the form of soft, fluffy baked donuts and donut holes!!
Baked Cinnamon Donuts — If you’re a cinnamon roll fan, you’re going to love these donuts.
Cinnamon Sugar Mini Donut Muffins – Part cinnamon-sugar donut hole, part mini-muffin, no matter what you call them, they’re fast and easy to make, and so tasty and pop-able.
Yum! These donuts look amazing! I think I need to invest in one of those pans.
all YOUR creations, Emily, are beyond amazing!!!
hi averie!! :) i just picked up a donut pan last night and these are perfect! thanks! hope you are well. i miss ca but also love ny. :) but i’ll be in LA again on wed for a week (with a trip to vegas during the weekend for the manny pacquiao fight). told ya before i’m the prez of his foundation…we have a huge vip event coming up on monday…big as in martin sheen is the mc!! and he’ll be introducing me! life crept up to me these past few weeks! :)
you’re a globe trotter! I was just thinking of you today wondering how nyc was going for you.
martin sheen and you as the prez of his foundation…just a ‘small’ little project for you in all your spare time :)
you’re a superstar, mi-an!
OMG! These look delish! I am so making these, I’ll let you know how they turn out. I’m guessing this will be my Saturday morning thing to do. Thanks for the recipe, I’m so excited to make these. I’m actually debating on making these now.
they are sooo easy. They will take you about 5-7 mins to mix up the batter, bake in 10, and done :) enjoy and lmk how they go!
I have never made donuts at home, and I don’t usually buy them because most places in the city don’t make them fresh. I really want to make some after reading your posts lately!
I don’t have a doughnut pan but I did try making blueberry doughnuts the other day (I used biscuit cutters – not really the same…) and they were okay. I need to try this recipe! And maybe a doughnut pan lol.
The donut pan is easy, BB & Beyond or Target. Or you can make these as muffins in a muffin pan but I think your kids would go ga-ga over donut shapes rather than muffins :)
We don’t really buy doughnuts anymore; from Dunkin Donuts I loved the simple chocolate frosted ones or glazed. When I was younger we would go to our local farmer’s market where many Amish people (who commuted from Lancaster) would sell awesome food and crafts. They had many kinds of homemade doughnuts, still warm, the best were the glazed apple raisin. YUM :) Yours look amazing!
Finally, a donut I can eat :)
Fried donuts always make me sick, so I am looking forward to giving these a shot!
LMK if you try them!
These look fabulous, great job! I’m tempted to get a donut pan now! I’ve never made donuts and am a little afraid to.
don’t be! for the egg you can use a chia/flax egg and for the buttermilk, I’d use coconut milk with a splash of apple cider vinegar so the baking soda/powder really get activated.
oh man now I am craving donuts!!! i know what you mean, not sure how i survived without my donut pan, haha
Great, now I’m going to have to make these. I think I’m in trouble. Too many donuts. Send help.
So easy girl. Pretty much as easy as your biscuit donuts. Too many donuts, so little time :)
OBSESSED with my donut pan. I broke it in with cake batter donuts for my birthday! But your cinnabon donuts are definitely on my shortlist :)
your donuts look…amazing. Girl. Seriously. Vegan AND Gf and not all kinds of weird crazy flours. Basic. Beautiful!!!
wow averie these look delicious!!! after seeing all these amazing donuts, i know i need to get me a donut pan. thanks for sharing!! :)
these look fabulous I think of all donut flavors ive tried vanilla is my favorite, I love the simplicity of it!
I had a Krispy Kreme donut once and never went back again. Sure they were good, but I had this overwhelming feeling of guilt after I ate them. I love the idea of a baked donut.These look awesome, Averie!
They’re so perfect and round, and that frosting looks amazing! I love this idea of the Secret Recipe Club – I have to check it out. So genius!
I can’t even remember the last time I had a donut, let alone made one! PS. Your photos are looking really good, mama! :)
Thanks my friend. That means a lot coming from you!!!