14 Baked Donut Recipes That Are as Delicious as Bakery Versions (2024)

Seeking a healthier donut? Each of these baked donut recipes eliminates the excessive oils of traditional donuts, so you can enjoy a sweet indulgence that fits your meal plan. Feel extra proud of your baked goods choice, because many of these homemade baked donuts include nutrient-rich ingredients, such as flaxseed, oats, and whole wheat flour. With ideas such as baked apple cider donuts and baked cake donut recipes, these baked donuts are sweetly simple and oh-so satisfying.

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Chocolate Cake Donuts

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How could a treat with sprinkles not make you happy?! Sprinkled on top of a homemade icing, sprinkles add a festive addition to these baked cake donuts made in a mini donut pan. Bonus: This baked chocolate donut recipe uses white whole wheat flour and low-fat yogurt for added nutrition.

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co*cktail-Inspired Old Fashioned Donuts

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This pretty pink recipe makes some of the best baked donuts and will have you reaching for a co*cktail with your dessert. Inspired by a classic Old Fashioned, this donut recipe is spiked with bourbon before it hits the oven. And that's not the only way co*cktail flavors come into play. Each one also has maraschino cherries baked inside, plus a bourbon-infused glaze with a sprinkle of orange zest. Who needs a co*cktail glass when you have these donuts around?

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Baked Apple-Spice Donuts

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Looking for baked donuts that taste like fried donuts? Look no further. Apples, cinnamon, and apple pie spice add autumn flair, making this a fabulous fall-flavor donut.

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Make-It-Mine Baked Donuts

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Customize your donuts for a crowd with an easy baked donuts recipe. Play with the toppings or add some fun stir-ins directly to the batter to transform plain donuts into blueberry pie donuts with shredded coconut. This fun and simple recipe is ideal for a DIY brunch or birthday party for kids.

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Rosemary and Lemon Cornmeal Donuts

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The flavors may seem unconventional, but one bite of these citrus-and-herb baked donuts, and there's no going back. Low-fat yogurt and whole wheat flour help put a better-for-you spin on these oven-baked donuts. For an extra hint of sweetness—and a pretty sheen—dip each donut in a homemade powdered sugar icing.

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Pink Peppercorn and Rose Tea Cakes

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You can search all you like, but you'll be hard-pressed to find prettier donut decorations than these. Rosewater and pink peppercorns make every bite of this easy baked donut recipe deliciously fragrant, while the cream cheese glaze on top makes them decadent enough for dessert. But to really make these donuts Instagram-ready, sprinkle them with more pink peppercorns and rose petals before digging in.

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Decadent Chocolate Donuts

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What makes these baked chocolate donuts so decadent, you ask? For starters, their rich chocolate flavor is enhanced by a sprinkle of instant coffee crystals in the batter. And you can choose how you top these chocolate cake donuts: chocolate or powdered sugar glaze.

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Apple-Cherry and Five-Spice Donuts

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We can't think of a better way to welcome fall than by baking up a batch of these apple and cherry donuts. You can count on a double dose of apple flavor, thanks to apple cider and apple butter in the dough—plus a little extra fruitiness courtesy of dried cherries. But what really sets these baked apple cider donuts apart from the rest is the five-spice powder that coats them; it gives each bite a delicious sweet-and-spicy flavor.

Buy It: Simply Organic Five Spice Powder ($10, Amazon)

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Strawberry-Banana Donuts

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These baked donuts taste just like they're fresh from the bakery—but with half the sugar. Mashed banana and honey take the place of sugar in this homemade donut recipe, so you can indulge in a sweet breakfast treat without feeling guilty later. Drizzle with chocolate or a homemade cream cheese frosting for some added decadence.

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Oatmeal-Raisin Donut Holes

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The combination of oatmeal and raisins isn't just for cookies. We love the chewy texture of that classic combo in these baked donut holes, too. Better yet, you can make this baked donut recipe without a donut pan!

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Cherry-Almond Donuts

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What more can we say? If you like cherries and you like almonds, THIS is your baked donut recipe. And if you like to post your food on Instagram, don't skip the powdered sugar sprinkle.

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Mini Cinnamon-Sugar Donuts

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These baked mini donuts are loaded with the classic flavor combination no one can resist: cinnamon and sugar. We roll these mini donuts in a bowl of cinnamon and sugar straight from the oven. A serving of three homemade mini donuts is only 172 calories.

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Corn Bread Donuts with Fried Chicken

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Piping cornbread batter into a donut pan helps form these creative baked cornbread donuts. If a savory donut is all you're after, you can stop at Step 1. But keep following the steps for a full-on donut dinner that's sure to please donut-lovers and donut-dissers alike.

Buy It: Williams Sonoma Donut Pan ($20, Williams Sonoma)

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Apple-Walnut Donuts

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Breakfast? Snack? Dessert? At only 169 calories with two grams of fiber and four grams of protein, you can have one of these baked donuts any time the craving strikes. The salty, crunchy nuts and sweet glaze are sure to satisfy.

14 Baked Donut Recipes That Are as Delicious as Bakery Versions (2024)

FAQs

Why are old-fashioned donuts better? ›

The use of buttermilk or sour cream may impart a rich flavor to the doughnut. It is typically deep-fried, and may be deep fried at a lower temperature compared to other doughnut styles, having a crunchier texture compared to other cake doughnut styles.

Are Krispy Kreme donuts yeast or cake? ›

Most Krispy Kreme doughnut varieties are made of the same yeast-raised dough as the original glazed, but they're prepared differently. Some are dipped in chocolate, caramel or other toppings and some are loaded with filling. Some speciality doughnuts are ring-shaped original glazed coated with different toppings.

What makes an old-fashioned Doughnut? ›

Old-Fashioned Doughnuts are basically cake doughnuts that have been fried. This gives them a slightly crunchy outer shell, that's usually lacquered with glaze or dusted with sugar. The inside tends to be less dense than the cake of your typical powdered doughnut and less airy than a Krispy Kreme-style glazed.

Are baked donuts healthier than fried donuts? ›

They are healthier than fried donuts. The donuts are moist and fluffy, with a slightly crispy exterior. They are versatile. You can customize the recipe to your liking by adding different flavors of glaze or toppings.

Are old fashioned donuts better for you? ›

Paul Lawton" as stating, "Yes, definitely, we conclude that a classic donut is, in fact, better for you" while "determining that the non-filled one had 5 percent fewer calories and maybe even more nutrients due to the light dusting of cinnamon on top." Of course, the hole in the middle of an old-fashioned surely means ...

Why do Krispy Kreme donuts taste so good? ›

They're made (and fried, not baked) in-house

See, Krispy Kreme makes (and fries) their doughnuts-in-house, and that's a big reason why they're so dang good, especially compared to competitors who simply bake their pre-made doughnuts in an oven.

What is the secret ingredient in Krispy Kreme donuts? ›

What is the secret to Krispy Kreme Donuts? The secret to Krispy Kreme doughnuts is of course the sweet glaze, and this is achieved by bathing the doughnuts in a glaze of icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk, for a thicker glaze increase the quantity of icing sugar by a few spoons.

How unhealthy is a Krispy Kreme donut? ›

One donut has a quarter of all of the saturated fat you should have in a day. DUH, donuts are bad for you. But do you know just how bad? An original Krispy Kreme donut has 11 grams of fat—5 of those being saturated—while a Dunkin' original donut has 6 gram of saturated fat (30 percent of your fat intake).

What do you call a donut without a hole? ›

In fact, there are various types of doughnuts that do not have a hole, such as beignets, fritters, and cake doughnuts. These doughnuts are usually denser and have a different texture and taste compared to traditional doughnuts.

What were donuts called before they were called donuts? ›

England and North America

Dutch settlers brought olykoek ("oil(y) cake") to New York (or New Amsterdam) in the early 18th century. These doughnuts closely resembled later ones but did not yet have their current ring shape.

What were donuts called in the 1800s? ›

These olykoeks were later described by writer Washington Irving in his 1809 book A History of New York, from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty as “balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat, and called doughnuts, or olykoeks.”

What is the unhealthiest doughnut? ›

Apple fritters are among the unhealthiest doughnuts. Just because a doughnut has fruit it it doesn't mean it is a good choice.

Is a banana healthier than a donut? ›

Why is that difference important? Eat a banana and you'll get a good hit of fiber and potassium, as well as other key vitamins and minerals. A donut contains what we call “empty calories”—there's not much in the way of nutritional value.

Do donuts taste better baked or fried? ›

Baked cake donuts won't have the same rich, greasy bite as a fried donut, but there's still plenty to enjoy about the flavor and texture of a baked cake donut. Whether you choose to bake or fry your donuts, think about the textures you want to achieve and pick a recipe that works best for your desired cooking method.

Why do old fashioned donuts taste different? ›

More closely related to cake doughnuts, old-fashioned doughnuts are unique thanks to their addition of sour cream and buttermilk. The sour cream and buttermilk are key ingredients for achieving this vintage recipe's taste and texture.

Are old fashioned donuts unhealthy? ›

One donut has a quarter of all of the saturated fat you should have in a day. DUH, donuts are bad for you. But do you know just how bad? An original Krispy Kreme donut has 11 grams of fat—5 of those being saturated—while a Dunkin' original donut has 6 gram of saturated fat (30 percent of your fat intake).

What does an old fashioned donut taste like? ›

Donuts made with this recipe are not-too-sweet, they're crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and they have a tiny hint of nutmeg. If you've ever had a plain old fashioned donut and noticed a subtly warm flavor that you couldn't quite pin-point, you were probably picking up on a little hint of nutmeg.

Are old fashioned donuts sweet? ›

Old Fashioned Donut. Simple and delicious Old Fashioned Donuts that are so easy to make and require no yeast! They're slightly crisp on the outside, soft and cakey on the inside, with a subtly sweet and tangy flavor! Donut perfection!

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