These tasty vanilla glazed donuts take only minutes to prepare and less than 10 minutes to bake. Decorate with your favourite sprinkles and you have one fun (pretty) treat!
Have you made your own donuts at home? It couldn’t be simpler!
This easy baked donuts have been on rotation in our home for quite some time (sprinkles optional but not really, if you ask me).
My life changed when I purchased a donut pan (okay, tad dramatic, but it was so worth it).
I didn’t realize how easy baked donuts were to make. And because these are baked, they are so much better than their fried counter part.
So, what’s your favourite thing to enjoy with donuts? Coffee? A cold glass of milk? I’d have to say for me it would be coffee and I gotta dunk!
And I ain’t gonna lie. If it’s, like, 9 o’clock on Saturday night I just may enjoy one of these homemade donuts with a glass of vino.
How To Make This Recipe
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Preheat your oven and grease your donut pan. Lay to one side.
- In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract to flour mixture. Use a hand mixer (or a spatula) to blend everything together.
- Spoon the mixture into the pan or place the mixture into a piping bag and pipe it in (do whatever you’re comfortable with). I just spooned in. This is a tutorial on how to make a homemade piping bag (just adjust the tip to be a bit larger for the donut batter).
- Bake
- Allow donuts to cool completely before icing.
Tip: Tap the pan on a hard surface a couple of times so the batter is even and any air bubbles are released.
Donut Glaze
All you need for a simple donut glaze is:
- Icing sugar
- Vanilla extra
- Water
You basically mix together the ingredients and add some optional food colouring (for fun).
When making any icing sugar glaze, a little liquid goes a long way. It’s best not to add all the water all at once, but rather a teaspoon or so at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
If you happen to add too much liquid and your icing sugar is too runny, no worries! Just add a little more icing sugar to thicken again.
Gel food colouring was used (totally optional) for a pretty pink colour. I opted for gel food colouring over liquid because it’s more potent and didn’t want to further loosen the donut glaze.
I used the tiniest bit of pink gel food colouring. That stuff is potent!!
Dip the tip of a wooden toothpick into the gel pot and swirl it into the glaze until you’ve reached the desired colour that makes you happy.
If you prefer to skip the colouring, that’s okay too!
Tip: If you opt to using regular liquid food colouring, consider adding less water to the glaze.
How Long Do These Vanilla Glazed Donuts Last
Like with most baked goods, these vanilla donuts are best enjoyed when they are made because that’s when they’re at their optimal freshness.
More Baked Donut Recipes
- Blueberry Donuts with Lemon Glaze
- Coffee Donuts with Peanut Butter Chocolate Glaze
- Coconut and Lemon Donuts
If you make these vanilla glaze donuts, be sure to leave a comment below!
This baked donut recipe was originally published in March 2018 but has been updated.
Vanilla Glazed Donuts (With Simple Icing Sugar)
Ingredients
Donuts
- Cooking spray, for greasing pan
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (spoon the flour in your measuring cup and level off with a knife)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup milk, I used whole or full fat milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or less if you want less vanilla flavour
- 5 teaspoons water
- pink gel colouring, to desired colour (optional)
Garnish
- Sprinkles, garnish to taste (optional)
Instructions
Donuts
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 6-count donut pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- To flour mixture, add milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, blend for a minute or two until just combined.
- Distribute donut batter into prepared pan.
- Bake on middle rack of oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until a wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted in the donuts comes out clean. Carefully remove pan from oven. Let donuts cool 10 to 15 minutes before removing donuts from pan. Let the donuts cool completely on a cooling rack before icing.
Glaze
- Add icing sugar to a bowl and add vanilla extract and water (a teaspoon or so at a time until you've reached your desired consistency … a little water goes a long way) and gel food colouring (if using). Whisk or stir with a spoon until everything is combined and smooth. Note: If using the gel food colouring, I suggest using a tiny amount on the tip of a toothpick to swirl into icing sugar mixture (again, a little goes a long way). If you are using a LIQUID food colouring, you'll want to add a little less water so you don't thin out the glaze too much.
Glaze the Donuts
- Once donuts are cool, invert them into the glaze and distribute sprinkles over top. Place onto a cooling rack and let glaze set for 10 minutes or so or enjoy right away!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Andrea
Just made these as a trial run for my daughters upcoming donut themed birthday! These will be perfect for the donut bar. Can they be made the night before? How would you store?
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
So happy to hear that, Andrea! Like with most baked goods, it’s best enjoyed the day it’s made because it’s freshest. But in a pinch you could definitely make the day before. Store in a dry, airtight container 🙂 Happy birthday to your daughter!
Sarah
I am excited to try this one! I need to make these the day before to bring to school. Do i frost them and leave them on the counter in a sealed container? I was thinking of warming them up a bit in the oven, will the icing sink into the donuts?
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Sarah! Like most baked goods, they’re best enjoyed freshly made. However, you can make the donuts a day ahead, store the cooled donuts in a covered container, and then glaze the day you are going to enjoy. I wouldn’t recommend warming the glazed donuts in the oven as the glaze will melt into the donuts. Hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Emily @ Robust Recipes
Beautiful donuts! The perfect treat to make for a pink themed baby shower! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Emily 🙂 They sure are – gotta love pink!
Monica | Nourish & Fete
Dawn, these look and sound SO good! I bought a donut pan a few months ago and can you believe I have YET TO USE IT!? Basically a major crime, I know. Fortunately now I have the perfect recipe to break it in with, because these sound delicious. Weekend breakfast here I come! Not to mention they are perfect for celebrating a new baby girl. 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Monica!!! Time to break out that pan! After all, it is the weekend 🙂 Have a good one!
Kevin O'Leary
These are so pretty! Love the sprinkles!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kevin! Gotta have the sprinkles 😉
Sarah
I don’t have a donut pan, but I def look at them whenever I’m in a kitchen store! These look great- how perfect for a baby shower!!!
Girl Heart Food
You need to get your hands on one! Thanks Sarah 🙂