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Hi Bold Bakers!
I don’t know anyone that can resist a donut! What’s not to love about light and fluffy, crispy-fried dough coated in sweet glaze or cinnamon sugar? My homemade donut recipe for No-Yeast Donuts makes this irresistible treat something anyone can make at home, by hand, and without any special ingredients or professional tools. These donuts will taste as good as the ones you’d find at a bakery. Get ready to be a donut pro!
How Do You Make Homemade Donuts?
My donut recipe is super simplified as it requires no yeast, is made entirely by hand, and shallow fried as opposed to deep fried. I know it may sound too good to be true but this recipe is absolutely foolproof. These donuts are incredibly flavorful thanks to tangy buttermilk, sweet cinnamon, and aromatic nutmeg. If you don’t have buttermilk, don’t worry. You can simply make your own buttermilk substitute at home.
The dough itself is made by combining the wet ingredients into the dry in one bowl. From there I flatten the dough with my hands and cut my donuts out using both a large and small cookie cutter. What you’re left with are professional-looking donuts that came together in no time.
Making Donuts Without Yeast
These donuts are quintessentially old-fashioned. Similar to a cake donut, my donuts are leavened with raising agents. You don’t need to wait for your dough to proof or worry about if your yeast activates since this recipe is yeast-free. While a different method than a traditional donut, you’ll still yield the same amazing results.
Just be sure not to forget your baking powder or baking soda! If you do not have one or the other, you can learn how to substitute baking powder and soda with my recipe.
Do You Need to Deep Fry Donuts?
Now, the frying process is enough to put most off to making homemade donuts, but I’m here to show you this can be done easily and safely at home through shallow-frying. This means heating up a pan with just about an inch of oil. Shallow frying cuts down on splatter and oil burns and makes frying in small batches really manageable. All you do is fry your lovely little donuts and donut holes for about 3 minutes per side, just until golden brown and puffed up. If you’re still interested in baking your donuts, check out my baked donut recipes below – from my churro donuts to my chocolate donuts, you can’t go wrong.
After removing from the oil, I drain the donuts on a wire rack and then get started on glazing!
How to Make Glazed Donuts
My classic donut glaze recipe is made of just three things: powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. All three of these ingredients come together to make a super shiny and sweet glaze. With just one simple base, the possible flavor variations are endless. From chocolate to maple syrup, zest or extracts, I encourage all of you to add your favorite flavorings to my classic vanilla glaze.
Learn how to make chocolate-glazed donuts, maple-glazed donuts, Funfetti-glazed donuts and other donut glazes.
Be sure to check out my other donut recipes:
- No-Knead Donuts (Baked Not Fried)
- Chocolate Cake Donuts and a DIY Donut Tin
- Carrot Cake Donuts
- Cheddar & Jalapeno Savory Donuts
- Churro Donuts
Get more baking recipes for maximum results with minimal effort in my Bigger Bolder Baking cookbook!
Get more Donut Recipes!
Watch The Recipe Video!
No Yeast Homemade Donuts
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups (1lb 2oz/497g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (6oz/170g) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg , optional
- 3/4 cup (6floz/170ml) buttermilk
- 1/4 cup(2oz/57g) butter , melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs*
- Vegetable oil , for frying
Instructions
- Fill a pan with about 1 inch of vegetable oil then line a baking tray with a wire rack and paper towel for the donuts to cool and drain, set aside while making the dough.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices, set aside.
- In another large bowl combine the buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract and eggs. (Check notes for egg substitute)
- Using a whisk, gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet until a sticky dough is formed.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and bring the dough together. Then use your palms to press the dough into roughly a 12-inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
- Before cutting out your dough, heat the oil over medium-low heat (this should take 5-7 minutes).
- While the oil is heating, cut out your donuts: Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter and a 1-inch cookie cutter, cut out the donuts and the donut holes. You should be able to cut out about 12 donuts. If you have any extra dough left after cutting out, stick it all together, press it out and repeat the process until you have used up all of the dough.
- Transfer your cut out donuts and donut holes to a baking tray and place the tray near your stove so you can easily place the donuts into the oil.
- To make sure your oil is the right temperature test it with a donut hole. If it's hot enough this should puff up and be golden brown after cooking for roughly 2 minutes per side.
- When ready to fry carefully drop the donuts into the oil. Allow the donuts to fry for about 3 minutes per side (donut holes for 2), or until golden brown.
- Once puffed up and golden brown on both sides carefully remove from the oil using a fish turner, tongs or spider. Be careful as the oil will be very hot. DO NOT walk away from the pan at any stage of frying. If you need assistance with this step ask for help.
- After transferring the cooked donuts to your wire rack, repeat the process with the remaining donuts and donut holes until they are all fried off.
- If tossing in cinnamon sugar, this can be done as soon as the donuts are cool enough to handle.
- If glazing the donuts do this while still warm so the glaze soaks in. Follow my directions for 5 donut glazes. Allow to cool for about 5-7 minutes then dunk both sides in the glaze. Return to wire rack to set (you may want to do this 2 times for an extra thick layer of glaze).
- Enjoy immediately. These donuts are best eaten within 24 hours of cooking. Enjoy!
Gemma… this recipe is AMAZING!!! I made it today with my 5-year-old daughter. I honestly did not expect much from a no-yeast recipe, but this really surprised me. The texture is insanely soft and fluffy, but with a nice crunch on the outside. I never thought a no-yeast recipe could be this perfect! I made lots of yeasted donuts many times before, but never a no-yeast one. This is just brilliant for when we want quick donuts. And how did you come up with the idea to add the nutmeg in the batter? That was so awesome. Just really amazing.… Read more »
Hi!
Just wondering if these would turn out with using whole milk instead of buttermilk. Stores in my area are out of buttermilk right now, but I’m really wanting to try this recipe out.
These turned out delicious. It has been impossible to find yeast during this pandemic so this recipe was perfect. I used a cinnamon and sugar coating and a buttercream glaze the I had left over from cupcakes. My husband couldn’t stop eating them (me too).
Just a note of caution-I had the oil too hot for the first batch or I left them too long so they were on the crisp side; but then I turned down the heat a bit and they were perfect.
Thanks!
Jamie
Hi, can I ask if whats the substitute for baking powder!
These were just okay. I’m an experienced baker so I know I did everything correctly but the flavor just wasn’t what I expected. I fried most of them and baked some to see the difference and I couldn’t eat the baked, they were tossed. Idk why, the flavor just wasn’t right.
Hi gemma, an avid follower here from the Philippines I would like to know if i can bake this instead of frying? I’ve been looking for a recipe for cake donut to replicate butternut donut (not chocolate) of Dunkin Donuts =)
Made this again but this time put them in my air fryer and they r so delicious not greasy at all love it
Thank you for sharing this recipe! We made donuts yesterday and they came out very tasty. We added raspberries to our glaze, super tasty 🙂 One question, why you need to add baking soda, if baking powder (2tbs in this recipe) contains already baking soda + citric acid ? I am searching for any sort of substitutes for baking powder/ baking soda as it does not work good with my veins.(cardiovascular disease)
Amazing recipe! Donuts came out well
What is the nutritional value on these?