Make Dunkin’ Donuts Chocolate Glazed Donut At Home

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Hi Bold Bakers!

Sometimes you just really, really, want a donut — specifically a delicious, yeasted, light, fried one from Dunkin’ Donuts. But if you’re anything like me, you rather not have to get up, get dressed, and wait in line at your local shop. The magic of this homemade Dunkin’ Donuts copycat donut recipe is you can make them in your pajamas!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was updated and improved on 6/12/2023 to include the most commonly and frequently asked questions and answers.

[ Want to skip the yeast? Try my popular No-Yeast Homemade Donuts! ]

This homemade donut recipe gives you the fluffiest donuts EVER — and they’re crazy good when you top them with one of my 5 Donut Glazes!!

Plus, if you think donuts from Dunkin’ are great, wait until you have them fresh and warm from your own kitchen! 

What Are Homemade Dunkin’ Donuts?

These donuts taste just like the real deal at your local Dunkin’ because of the ingredients and technique of making them. The trick to getting seriously addictive donuts is, of course, by frying them! Not ideal, healthwise, but what would life be without a good batch of freshly fried donuts once and a while? 

What You Need To Make Homemade Dunkin’ Donuts

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Standing mixer fitted with a dough hook
• Plastic wrap
• 3-inch round cutter and one smaller round cookie cutter
• Medium, deep pan

How To Make Dunkin’ Donuts At Home

The longest part of this recipe is allowing the dough to rise properly, and then frying is a cinch! (But always be super careful while cooking with hot oil!!) Here is how you make homemade Dunkin’ Donuts (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):

1. In a bowl of a standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook), mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together. Put the yeast on one side of the bowl and the salt on the other before mixing. If combined directly, it could deactivate the yeast.
2. In a measuring jug, heat the milk and butter until melted. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Turn your standing mixer on low and slowly add the milk mixture until the dough comes together to form a ball. If it is too dry, add a little more milk.
4. Increase the speed to medium for about 6-8 minutes, until the dough is shiny and smooth. The dough should also be saggy.
5. Rub a mixing bowl with vegetable oil (or any flavorless oil) and place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat lightly.
6. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, usually around 2 hours. 
7. Once risen, turn the fluffy dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll it out to be 1/2-inch thick.
8. Cut your donut circles using a 3-inch round cutter. (Dust the cutter in flour, so it doesn’t stick to the dough.) Then, using a smaller cutter, cut out the donut holes. Re-roll your leftover dough and cut more donuts. You should get 12-14 donuts. 
9. You can put the donuts in the refrigerator at this step until the next morning. When you are ready to fry, take out and let it come to room temperature and rise, roughly 30 minutes before frying. If you do not want to wait until the next day, cover the donuts with plastic wrap and let them rise at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

How to fry the donuts:

1. Into a medium, deep pan, pour in around 2- to 3-inches of oil. Heat the oil over medium/high heat until it heats up. If you’re using a thermometer, bring the heat to 350°F (180°C)
2. Once the oil is hot, carefully drop 3 or 4 donuts into the oil at a time. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned on one side. Flip the donut and fry the other side until browned. 
3. Set the cooked donuts on a paper towel to drain until they have all been cooked.

How to glaze the donuts:

1. Dunk the donuts, while fresh and warm, into one of my donut glazes, one by one. All the excess glaze to drip off before placing the donut on a wire rack to dry. Add some sprinkles if you are using!

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Homemade Dunkin’ Donuts

• You can keep yeast in the freezer to keep it fresher longer.
• Make sure your oil stays around 350°F (180°C) to allow the doughnuts to cook properly.
• The donuts puff up a lot when they are in the oil, so be sure to roll them out no thicker than 1/2 inch.
• Oil is HOT when frying! Make sure you stay safe: place doughnuts carefully in the oil to avoid splash burns, watch carefully to make sure that the oil doesn’t start to smoke, and never walk away from the oil heating on the stove! If you are a child making this recipe, make sure to get an adult’s help!
• Use my Chocolate Donut Glaze!
• You can also BAKE your donuts. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for roughly 15 minutes. 

How Do I Store Leftover Dunkin’ Donuts?

Donuts always taste best the day they are made — I strongly urge you to eat them when they are as fresh as possible! If you want to keep them overnight, I suggest wrapping them in a napkin and placing them in a paper bag. 

FAQs

Can I make these Dunkin’ Donuts without a stand mixer?

Yes, you can make these donuts without a stand mixer.

• You can knead the dough by hand.
• Don’t over-knead the dough–that will knock out air and harden the dough. After you mix all ingredients and a dough forms, you can FLAP it on the work surface (dusted with a very little bit of flour), then STRETCH one part of the dough and FOLD it over itself. TURN the dough 90 degrees and repeat.
• Not much elbow grease is required. It should build up stands of gluten in roughly 10 minutes and have lots of air in it.

Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour for the donuts?

Yes, you can substitute bread flour (BF) for all-purpose flour (AP) in making donuts.

• Bread Flour (BF) has a protein content of around 11-14%, more than 9-10% in All-Purpose (AP) Flour, which means BF absorbs more liquid and creates more gluten strands to yield a more stretchier texture with more airy bubbles.
• A good rule of thumb to keep in mind while altering the recipe: note to hold back some liquid by using up to 3/4 in one go and adjust it accordingly to get the same consistency as the recipe. Here you’ll need more liquid than the original recipe.

Can I use whole wheat flour and how much can I add?

• When it comes to whole wheat/grain flour, I suggest whole wheat/grain: AP or bread flour in a 1:1 or 1: 2 ratio, so you won’t wind up with a dense result. Because whole wheat (or grain) has bran which weighs down protein a lot to make it difficult to rise.
• You can replace 30%-50% of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
• A good rule of thumb to keep in mind while alternating the recipe: note to hold back some liquid by using up to 3/4 in one go and adjust it accordingly to get the same consistency as the recipe.

Can I make gluten-free Dunkin’ Donuts?

Yes, you can make gluten-free donuts.

• This is a yeast recipe which needs to work with gluten to develop the structure, so GF flour won’t work well.
• You can use this recipe: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/no-yeast-homemade-donuts/.
  • Substitute GF all-purpose blend flour for all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio (which usually contains xanthan gum as a binding agent) or substitute almond flour starting at 1:1 for all-purpose (white) flour.
  • More resting time before baking will help hydrate almond flour to bind all ingredients better, or ½ – 2 tsp xanthan gum or cornstarch in each cup of almond flour will also work as a binding agent.
  • Note to hold back some liquid by using up to ½-¾ in one go and adjust it accordingly to get the same consistency as the recipe.

Why didn’t my donuts rise?

• If your dough didn’t rise: check whether your yeast is in date; how you store it will also affect it. Storing it in the fridge or freezer will keep it fresh for a longer time.
• It’s best to sponge ACTIVE DRY YEAST or make sure INSTANT YEAST does not directly touch salt (I always suggest to keep salt and yeast apart or mix each with flour first then go from there).
• Do not over-proof or under-proof the dough: When it comes to bread fermenting/proofing, there is no restricted timeline. The telltale sign you use is how your dough looks: if the dough has doubled in size, almost feels lighter but is still strong, and a finger indent doesn’t spring back right away, then it’s ready.
• The more you shape your dough, the more tension it’s receiving, which means the longer time the dough needs to rest enough for a better rise.

Can I freeze my donuts?

Yes, you can freeze raw dough or fried donuts.

• You can freeze fully-proofed and cut-out individual donuts before cooking. When ready to bake, let the dough fully defrost at room temperature (around 68°F/20°C-74°F/23°C ) for roughly 2 hours.
• You can also freeze fried donuts and reheat at 300°F(150°C) for 10 minutes or until warm throughout.

Can I bake these Dunkin’ Donuts instead of frying them?

• Yes, you can bake these donuts in an conventional oven (with no fan) at 350°F (180°C) for roughly 15 minutes.
• You can also bake these in an air fryer at 325°F(165°C) for 10-12 minutes or at 350°F (180°C) for roughly 5 minutes.

What can I use instead of donut cutters?

You can use a 3-inch diameter scone cutter, cookie cutter, mason jar lid band, or a glass, and a small 1-inch cutter or a water bottle cap.

Make More Donuts!

• No-Yeast Donuts
• Homemade Apple Cider Donuts
• Churro Donuts

And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!

Full (and printable) recipe below!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was updated and improved on 6/12/2023 to include the most commonly and frequently asked questions and answers.

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