This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy
Looking for a donut recipe without yeast? I’ve got you covered with these BAKED DONUTS! You’ll have donuts in less than 30 minutes and with our special trick, they’ll taste like they were freshly fried with a crisp, sweet exterior and soft, fluffy interior!
It appears that I have a problem.
A donut problem.
I’m not sure how it happened. I’ve never been a donut person. I honestly only buy bakery donuts a few times a year.
Yet, when you do a quick search for the word “donut” on my blog you are met with multiple pages of donut recipes.
I’m also unable to pass up a donut shop without stopping in to test out a few of their specialties. Donuts have definitely become one of my favorite things.
No donut pan? Try our air fryer donuts!
Ingredients for Donuts Without Yeast:
Flour – All purpose or white whole wheat are great here.
Sugar – Both granulated and brown sugar.
Baking Powder
Spices – We’re using a mix of nutmeg and cinnamon to make these all warm and cozy spiced.
Buttermilk – No buttermilk? Just add a scant tablespoon of white vinegar to regular milk and let sit for 5 minutes to sour.
Eggs
Vanilla
Melted Butter – Both in the batter and the coating!
What Readers are Saying!
“For a baked, no yeast donut, this recipe is awesome! I was really craving donuts but I didn’t want to leave the house, nor did I want to worry about yeast or a fryer, and this recipe really did the trick. I put the batter in a muffin tin because I don’t have a donut tin. Still turned out great, just with a muffin shape” – Calista
How to:
Make the batter: Mix your flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, add your buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter then beat to combine. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir well.
Spoon into pan: We’re using a donut pan to make perfectly shaped donuts. No pan? Use a mini muffin tin and call them donut holes! 😉
Grease the pan well and then spoon the batter in evenly.
My Favorite Donut Pan!
I didn’t expect to use a donut pan nearly as often as I do, but the kids love baked donuts and I love how easy and fun they are. This pan is a must!
Bake: The donuts take about 10 minutes in the oven. When they’re fully cooked, the top of the donut will spring back when lightly pressed.
Cool: Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes or you’ll risk them falling apart as you take them out of the pan.
Coat the donuts: Now for my favorite part! Add melted butter to a small bowl. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon to a second small bowl. Dunk each donut first in the butter and then into the cinnamon sugar.
Helpful Tip!
Coating the Donuts
- Work quickly when dunking in the butter so that the donut doesn’t soak up too much butter. We just want enough to coat the outside to give it that freshly fried flavor and help the cinnamon and sugar stick.
- Toss gently in the cinnamon and sugar mixture, pressing lightly to help it adhere to the donut.
- It may seem wild to dunk a donut in butter, but it is what takes it from just a muffin shaped like a donut to an actual donut, in my opinion. Don’t skip this step!
More Donut Recipes:
Baked Donuts
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a donut pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a small bowl, beat together the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter until well combined.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Fill your donut pan 3/4 full and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the donuts spring back when touched. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan.
- To make the topping, mix together the sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Dunk each donut quickly into the melted butter to completely coat (but do not soak the donut in the butter) and then swirl around in the cinnamon sugar to coat.
Jayna says
Me and my grandma have made this 3 times and we have loved it every time
Karly Campbell says
I’m so happy to hear that! <3
Dametria says
These were really good. Made as the recipe said and they turned out perfect. Texture inside is very much like a fried cake donut, flavor was good too. I will add more cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of cloves the next time to try to get close to our local street fair donuts but really were perfect as they were
Susan says
Can I cook these if I don’t have a donut pan?
Karly says
You could try them in a mini muffin pan and you’ll hvae something similar to donut holes. The bake time may vary a bit though.
Barbara Bulmer says
I must try these soon
Elvie says
Thanks so much for the recipe I”ve been looking for a bake donut. Can I use potato flour instead of all purpose flour for this recipe? Thank you
Karly says
Hi Elvie! I don’t believe that potato flour can be substituted 1:1 for all purpose flour. It doesn’t have gluten and won’t bake the same as wheat flour.
John Doe says
I loved this recipe so much!
Karly says
Thanks, John!
Monica says
These look great! but is it possible if I fill them with cream or jam?
Karly says
No, I don’t think you’d be able to fill these.
Daniel says
not bad, not bad! like it because its soft yum!
Roberta Dinnie says
Cooked these in the pie maker with gluten free flour. Delicious. Found the trick to getting gf flour to really puff is use self raising instead of AP and still add a teaspoon of baking powder, then aerate like crazy. Even had a little pocket in the middle for jam.
Calista says
For a baked, no yeast donut, this recipe is awesome! I was really craving donuts but I didn’t want to leave the house, nor did I want to worry about yeast, or a fryer, and this recipe really did the trick. I put the batter in a muffin tin because I don’t have a donut tin. Still turned out great, just with a muffin shape
Crystaleyesonyou says
SWEET!!! Now I gotta find a recipe for Baked Waffles. I have one of the silicone waffle pan (red with 4 waffle cavities) like Amizon sells, but no recipes. Could you help me find a few (sweet & savory) recipes.
Karly says
I haven’t seen any baked waffle recipes, but definitely try googling! 🙂
Brenda says
These are so delicious! This is the second time I bake them for my kids and they love them. Since I don’t own a donut tray I baked mine in regular cupcake trays. I filled them just as if I were to do cupcakes and cooked them for an additional 5 minutes. The batter made 18 cupcake/donuts. Next time I will be trying them in the donut trays!
Melody says
Hi! Just tried out your recipe and I realized that baked donuts really taste very different from fried ones. The baked ones tasted more like muffins! Is there any way that baked donuts can closely resemble fried ones?
Karly says
Hi @Melody,
Because the baked donuts are cake donuts, and not yeast donuts, they definitely taste a lot like muffins. I’m not sure how you could really change that. The thing about fried donuts that is so great, is that they are fried. Haha! I like baked donuts for what they are…a fun shaped muffin-y donut with lots of crazy toppings. 🙂
June says
I am making the pan baked donuts, but was wondering if there should be some baking soda in the recipe, since you are using buttermilk? Most all recipes that I have using buttermilk, includes some soda in the dry ingredients. Just asking.
Karly says
Hi @June,
That’s a great question! You could swap the baking powder with baking soda, since the buttermilk is an acid and will activate the soda. I would use 3/4 of a teaspoon and adjust on your next batch if it’s too little/too much. Otherwise, just stick with the baking powder and it will work just fine!
Brianna says
Making these as we speak, and finding the dough mixture very odd. Is it supposed to be a liquidy mixture, or dough like? I used exact ingredients as listed above, and thinking about it now, 3/4 buttermilk for 2 cups of flour is very little for these cakey recipes. Are you sure this is right?
Karly says
@Brianna,
Hi Brianna!
The recipe is correct. The dough should be pretty wet, more like a thick batter.
Hope they turned out good for you! 🙂