I love homemade donuts, but sometimes there’s just not enough time to make a batch. This recipe is for those times when you have a craving and need a quick fix! Even though they only take 15 minutes to make they are made completely from scratch. You don’t even need a mixer to make them – you can mix it all together by hand. If you love donuts, this easy donut recipe is definitely a keeper.
A few weeks ago, I had a serious craving for donuts but I was watching a movie with the family and didn’t want to make a lot of noise with the stand mixer. Plus, traditional donuts are time-consuming to make and I just wanted something quick.
I thought about just running out to buy some donuts, but then I remembered the super-easy from-scratch donut recipe I’d seen on Cooking Classy. The recipe only takes 15 minutes to make and promised a batch of delicious homemade donuts with hardly any effort. I didn’t even have to use a mixer – the dough can be mixed together by hand.
Easy Donut Recipe
Easy Donut RecipeWhat I love about this recipe is how easy it is. As promised, they are quick to make and you don’t need to drag out the mixer to make them.
- These are fried donuts, so it’s a good idea to start heating your oil first before you make the donuts. That way, when the dough is ready you can fry them right away without waiting.
- You will need two bowls: one to mix the dry ingredients and one to mix the wet ones. That way all of the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed before you add them to the wet ones, which means you’re less likely to overmix the dough.
- The batter will be very, very sticky. Because of this, it’s better to make donut holes instead of trying to roll out the dough and cut out donut shapes.
- The donut holes fry up very quickly so you can do the whole batch in no time at all.
- Roll the fried donuts in a cinnamon-sugar mixture while they’re hot and they’re done.
And it really is that easy. These came out light and fluffy, which is just how fried donut holes should taste. Have you ever tried making donuts with Pillsbury dough? These reminded me a little of those except this version tastes better because they don’t have the salt or the buttery biscuit flavor.
When I have more time, I’ll still make my favorite traditional yeast donuts recipe but when I want a quick fix, I will definitely make these easy ones again.
More Recipes to Try
Easy Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
- granulated sugar and cinnamon for coating
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat to 350°F. In a shallow bowl, combine some sugar and cinnamon together. Set this aside until you are ready to roll the donuts in it.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour baking powder and salt. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the milk, buttermilk, sugar and melted butter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir with a fork just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.
- Scoop approximately a ½ tablespoon of dough and gently roll it between your hands to form a ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
- Place the dough ball in the hot oil and fry it until it is golden brown on all sides. Transfer it to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Roll the donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough. You can fry multiple donuts at once just be sure to not overcrowd the pan otherwise the oil will lose its heat.
Notes
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
We made these yesterday, and you are right, they are super quick and easy. I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used 1/2 cup of 2%. The donuts were delicious. The dough was sticky, so instead of rolling them, I dropped them by tablespoons into the oil. The kids loved them. I set out bowl of various toppings (granulated sugar, cinnamon and sugar, and powered sugar)and the kids had a ball choosing their own. WSe are making them again today with a few variations. Thank you for the recipe!
Yes this recipe is not meant for rolling because it’s so sticky. But glad you like them.
I made these tonight. Yum. I discovered by if your hands are just a little wet the balls roll nicely without sticking. (Found this out by accident after washing dough off my hands, lol)
Haha, I use that trick a lot for sticky cookie dough. Nice to know it works on doughnut dough too
What a delicious recipe ! 🙂 but may the batter for me is to sticky and hard to handle and roll into a ball. so can i refrigerate the batter so that it would be easier to handle?
I haven’t tried so I don’t know for sure, but it seemed like it should be okay.
beautiful and delicious donuts in 15 minutes?! yes please!!
That’s exactly how I felt too!
Another easy, fast recipe for me to bookmark and try later. >:D
Yes, definitely try it!
Kirbie – thank you so much for the re-post and referral to my site! I love your blog and I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Thanks for sharing such an easy recipe! I loved it.