These homemade chocolate frosted baked donuts come together quickly with simple ingredients, complete with a rich, glossy chocolate glaze that sets on top. They’re soft, cakey, and the ideal excuse for indulging in sprinkles for breakfast! This easy recipe for baked donuts will quickly become a favorite breakfast treat.
I originally published this recipe in 2014, and I’ve since updated it with new photos and extra success tips for consistently excellent results.
Do you have a donut pan? Add this fun baking tool to your collection, because today we’re making chocolate frosted baked donuts. And once you start, you’ll want to use it again for recipes like baked apple cider donuts and more.
Today’s baked donuts are soft, cakey, and dipped in a thick, glossy chocolate glaze, then finished with rainbow sprinkles. They come together quickly with simple ingredients and no mixer, making them perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a fun, kid-friendly baking project. The batter is similar to muffins, so even if you’ve never made donuts before, you can feel confident here! 😉
This recipe is built on my go-to baked donut base for consistent, reliable results. Sour cream (or Greek yogurt) adds moisture without weighing the crumb down, brown sugar brings softness and flavor, and a touch of nutmeg gives that classic donut shop taste. The butter-based chocolate glaze sets into a smooth, shiny finish.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Frosted Baked Donuts:
- No mixer required—just whisk and bake
- Ready in under 1 hour
- Baked, not fried—easier, less mess, and lighter
- Soft & cakey with a tight crumb
- Rich chocolate glaze sets beautifully
- Sprinkles! I repeat: sprinkles
- Perfect for kids, birthday breakfasts, or weekend baking
- Enjoy that nostalgic donut shop flavor without leaving home
One reader, Lucia, commented: “This recipe is beyond fantastic. The light fluffy doughnut, the smooth frosting, not to mention it isn’t overpoweringly sweet… I highly recommend this recipe to everyone! It’s fun and easy, and you don’t have to deal with any grease! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Jenny, commented: “This recipe has become part of a tradition in my house going on 8 years now. I make them for my three kids’ birthday breakfasts. I wish I could post pictures here of them ‘growing’ with these donuts! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Gemma, commented: “Made this for a recent birthday breakfast in our house… a little girl who is usually VERY PICKY about her donuts absolutely loved these!!! They taste like ‘real donuts’ (as one eater said, surprised) and were gone within minutes. ★★★★★“
Why Bake Donuts?
Baked donuts are easier to make at home because there’s no hot oil or special equipment required. Instead of frying, the batter bakes in a donut pan for a soft, cake-like texture, making them quicker and less fussy (especially with kids helping!).
If you’d prefer traditional fried donuts, try my homemade glazed doughnuts recipe. No donut pan? A muffin pan works instead—see recipe Notes for details.
Ingredients You Need & Why
We’re using my standard baked donut recipe as the base. It’s what I use for my cinnamon sugar donuts, chai spice donuts, crumb cake donuts (doubled for that recipe), and lemon poppy seed donuts. It’s a very thick batter that produces tight-crumbed, cakey donuts.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best for baked donuts.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: Lifts up the donuts as they bake.
- Salt: Key for flavor balance.
- Nutmeg: Truly gives these donuts that special bakery taste and aroma. Don’t skip!
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together.
- Brown Sugar: Sweetens and adds moisture.
- Milk: Adds moisture and thins the batter.
- Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt: Adds flavorless moisture that won’t weigh the crumb down.
- Butter: For texture as well as that irresistible buttery flavor.
- Vanilla: Another key flavor for this donut base.
The Process Is Super Simple
If you can make muffins, you can make donuts. These come together quickly and easily, no mixer required!
Make the donut batter: Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another, then combine the two.
Fill the donut cavities: Because the batter is thick, it’s easiest to transfer it to the pan using a piping bag or a large zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Just spoon the batter into the bag, trim off a bottom corner, and squeeze the batter into the donut cavities. Just like this:
Chocolate Glaze Donut Topping
We’re using the same chocolate glaze as we do for these banana donuts. Combine chocolate chips (or you could use chopped baking chocolate), butter, corn syrup, and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth.
The chocolate glaze behaves like a soft chocolate ganache, but the addition of butter (which is solid at room temperature) helps it set on top of the donuts as the glaze cools.
Water thins out the glaze so it’s the perfect consistency for dipping the donuts, and the corn syrup is what gives it that glossy sheen… but if you don’t have any, you can simply leave it out.
Dip the tops of the slightly cooled donuts into the chocolate glaze, and decorate with sprinkles. Kids especially love to help with this part! They instinctively know that the proper way to measure sprinkles is with your heart.
Flavor Variations & Ideas
Want to switch things up?
- Swap chocolate glaze for vanilla or strawberry donut frosting
- Instead of sprinkles, top with crushed cookies, nuts, or shredded coconut
- Add mini chocolate chips to the batter
P.S. Looking for a baked chocolate cake-style donut recipe? You can find one on page 205 of my NYT best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101!
Baked Donuts Success Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. For soft and springy donuts, mix just until the ingredients are combined.
- Pipe the batter into the pan. For the neatest donut shape, pipe the batter into the donut pan using a zip-top bag with the corner snipped (or use a piping bag). Because the batter is thick, spooning it into the pan can be messy.
- Enjoy them fresh. These donuts are best enjoyed the same day, but leftovers keep well for about 2 days, or you can freeze them.
Chocolate Frosted Baked Donuts
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 donuts
- Category: Donuts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe uses a reliable baked donut base with a few key ingredients. Sour cream (or yogurt) adds moisture without weighing down the crumb, while brown sugar brings softness and flavor. A touch of nutmeg gives that classic donut shop taste, and the butter-based chocolate glaze sets into a smooth, glossy finish. The recipe yields just 8 donuts, so be sure to double it if you’re feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (gives that classic “bakery donut” flavor)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g/ml) milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- 1/2 cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons water
- optional: rainbow sprinkles, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a donut pan with nonstick spray. This recipe makes 8 donuts, so grease 2 cavities of a second donut pan or bake in batches. Set aside.
- Make the donuts: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, milk, and sour cream/yogurt until smooth. Add the melted butter and vanilla, whisking until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
- Transfer the donut batter to a gallon-size zip-top plastic bag and use scissors to snip off the tip of one bottom corner (or use a piping bag). Pipe the batter into the donut pan cavities, filling each about 1/2–2/3 full.
- Bake for 9–10 minutes or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Cool the donuts in the pan set on a cooling rack for 2 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place on the rack to slightly cool before glazing. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter.
- Make the chocolate glaze: Place the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup, and water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth. Dip the tops of the slightly cooled donuts into the glaze and add sprinkles, if using. Enjoy immediately or wait for the glaze to set.
- Donuts taste best the day they’re made. Cover leftover donuts tightly and store at room temperature for 1–2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the baked donuts for up to 2–3 months. For best results, freeze them before adding the chocolate glaze. Let the donuts cool completely, then place them in a freezer-friendly container or zip-top bag with parchment between layers to prevent sticking. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a couple hours. Warm in the microwave for about 10–15 seconds, if desired. Once thawed, dip in freshly made chocolate glaze and add sprinkles before serving. You can freeze glazed donuts, but the chocolate topping may lose some of its smooth, glossy finish after thawing. For best appearance and texture, it’s recommended to glaze after thawing.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Donut Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Muffins: You can bake this batter in a standard 12-count muffin pan instead of a donut pan. The recipe yields around 8 muffins. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full and bake at the same temperature for about 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes, then add the chocolate glaze and sprinkles.
- Milk: For the donut batter, any milk works, dairy or nondairy. We’ve tested with whole milk, skim milk, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
- Can I Double This Recipe? Yes, absolutely. The recipe yields just 8 donuts. To double for 16 donuts, simply double all of the ingredients.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These are delicious!!!
I love the crunch of a fried cake donut from a bakery. After they baked, I sprayed them with a little bit of avocado oil and popped them in my air fryer at 400 for 3 minutes. The result was an absolutely perfect crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside donut. Highly recommend!
I’m so excited to try this recipe for my kids! Is there something else I can substitute for the corn syrup?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah, you can simply leave it out. The corn syrup makes the frosting a little shinier and smoother. Happy baking!
Thank you!