Whether you’re frying up some classic glazed donuts or baking some cake-style donuts like these baked cinnamon-sugar donuts, give your homemade treats a sweet topping with these 3 donut frostings. Choose from vanilla, chocolate, or strawberryโor make all 3 for a fun variety. Don’t forget the sprinkles!
Have you ever made my homemade glazed donuts before? If you have (or even if you haven’t!), you should most definitely try the same donut recipe with various donut frostings. Time to expand the menu! Today I’m showing you how to make 3 donut frosting flavors, including:
- Vanilla Frosted Donuts
- Chocolate Frosted Donuts
- Strawberry Frosted Donuts
I also have a recipe for homemade maple bacon donuts, just in case you want to win at breakfast and make all 4 flavors. ๐
PS: These frostings also work wonderfully for eclairs!
Quick Overview: Homemade Frosted Donuts
Start with your favorite recipe for homemade donuts. The ones you see pictured here are my homemade glazed donuts. These classic donuts are made from yeasted dough and fried in oil. You need a handful of basic ingredients including milk, yeast, sugar, eggs, butter, salt, vanilla, flour, and a touch of ground nutmeg. A little nutmeg is the secret ingredient to that cozy, comforting bakery donut taste. The process is pretty straightforward, and today you can replace the glaze with classic frosting and sprinkles.
If you prefer baked, cake-style donuts, you can use this recipe for baked cinnamon sugar donuts; you’ll replace the cinnamon sugar topping with these donut frostings.
As soon as your donuts are fried or baked, you can dip themโwhile they’re still warmโin these frostings and add your toppings! All 3 of these donut frostings come together in just minutes.
Strawberry Donut Frosting
The strawberry frosting is more like a glaze, but if you double-dunk the donuts, you’ll have a nice thick strawberry coating made from real strawberries. You need just 4 ingredients:
- Fresh Strawberries: You need about 5 large berries, with the stems cut off.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: The sweet base of most icing recipes.
- Vanilla Extract: A little vanilla pairs perfectly with strawberry.
- Strawberry Jam or Preserves: For a little extra strawberry flavor and sweetness.
Start by pureeing 5 large strawberries in a food processor or blender. Then simply whisk the strawberry puree with the rest of the ingredients. Your strawberry donuts will have delicious real strawberry flavor, and look so pretty in pink!
Vanilla Donut Frosting
Here’s everything you need for the vanilla frosting:
- Melted Butter: Unlike a drippy, glaze-like vanilla icing, this vanilla donut frosting includes butter so it will set on top as the donuts cool.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: No need to sift it, but you can if you want to guarantee perfectly smooth icing.
- Vanilla Extract: The pure stuff gives the best flavor, or you can use clear artificial vanilla flavor to keep the frosting stark white.
- Milk: A little milk thins out the icing and keeps it creamy.
- Salt: To balance out the sweet.
Whisk it all together, and you’re ready to dunk!
Chocolate Donut Frosting
For the chocolate frosting, you’ll start with real chocolate and melt it together with the rest of the ingredients:
- Chocolate: You can use milk chocolate, semi-sweet, bittersweet, or dark chocolate chips. Or chop up some baking chocolate (like Ghirardelli or Baker’s chocolate baking bars), which melts even better.
- Butter: The butter re-solidifies after a few minutes and helps the frosting set on the donuts.
- Corn Syrup: This provides that glossy shine that makes these look like they came straight from a bakery display case. If you don’t want to include it, just leave it out, or swap for honey.
- Water: A little water helps thin out the glaze.
Warning: The second those warm donuts hit the chocolate glaze, your house will immediately smell like chocolate cake. PERFECTION.
How to Frost Donuts
This is easy! Grab the warm donuts and dip the tops into the frosting. To keep the mess to a minimum (but this still gets messy!), place the frosted donuts on a wire cooling rack over a lined baking sheet. The baking sheet can catch any frosting that drips down.
Frosted Donut Toppings
I always reach for sprinkles, of course, but feel free to get creative with your donut toppings. Set out bowls of fun cereals (think Fruity Pebbles or Lucky Charms), crushed Oreos or graham crackers, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, freeze-dried berries, and mini chocolate chips, and let your lucky donut eaters create their own donut masterpieces! Homemade Frosted Donuts Party, anyone?
More Donut Flavors
- Pumpkin Donuts
- Berry Fritters
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Maple Bacon Donuts
- Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts
- Crumb Cake Donuts
3 Donut Frosting Flavors
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup frosting (enough for 12 donuts)
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Here’s how to make homemade frosted donuts 3 different ways. Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry frosting recipes included! 1 flavor is enough to frost 12 donuts (and donut holes).
Ingredients
- 1 batch homemade donuts without the glaze*
Strawberry Frosting
- 5 large fresh strawberries (about 100g)
- 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon strawberry jam or preserves
Vanilla Frosting
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Chocolate Frosting
- 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoonย light corn syrup
- 1 Tablespoonย water
Instructions
- Prepare the donuts according to the recipe and directions. Set warm fried donuts aside as you prepare the frosting.
- Strawberry frosting: Puree the strawberries in a food processor. Whisk the puree, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and strawberry jam together in a medium bowl. Dip the donuts into the strawberry frosting 2 or 3 times (it’s thinner than the others), then cover with sprinkles, if desired.
- Vanilla frosting: Whisk the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, 2 Tablespoons (30ml) of milk, and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 1 Tablespoon (15ml) of milk to thin, if desired. It’s easier to dip the donuts if the glaze is thinner. Dip the donuts into the vanilla frosting, then cover with sprinkles, if desired.
- Chocolate frosting: Place the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup, and water in a medium bowl. Melt in 20 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each time, until completely melted and smooth. Dip the donuts into the chocolate frosting, then cover with sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor (for strawberry frosting) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Quantity: Each frosting recipe is enough for the 12 donuts and donut holes from my basic homemade donuts recipe. If you want to make all 3 frostings for the 12 donuts, you will have extra frosting leftover. You can always halve each frosting recipe instead. Or you can make the dough twice so you have more. (I don’t recommend doubling the doughโfor best taste and texture, make two separate batches.)
- Baked Donuts: Instead of frying donuts, you can make these baked cinnamon sugar donuts, but skip dipping them in butter and the cinnamon-sugar topping. You’ll have a little extra frosting if using the baked donuts recipe (which makes 8), but if you double the baked donut recipe (to make 16) you will have enough frosting for each.
- Corn Syrup in Chocolate Frosting: Corn syrup adds a little smooth sweetness and beautiful sheen to the chocolate frosting. You can leave it out completely or substitute with honey or agave instead.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I don’t have any strawberry jam. What can I use?
Hi Carlina! This strawberry donut frosting is best with strawberry jam, but you could leave it out in a pinch. Or you could try the vanilla or chocolate frostings instead!
Does this icing harden up a bit? Iโm trying to make them for a party treat but was planning on putting the iced donuts in treat bags, will the vanilla icing smear all over the bag?
Hi Selene, The glaze sets but can still be a little sticky. It does not harden.
I have a question. Can I add colour to the vanilla frosting for themed donuts??
Hi April, you could certainly add a few drops of gel food coloring to the vanilla icing. Hope theyโre a hit!
Would it be possible for the strawberry icing to use freeze dried strawberries instead of fresh. Similar to your strawberry buttercream recipe.
Hi Travis, the fresh strawberries work best here so that you can make a puree, but you could use the vanilla icing recipe here instead and swap some of the confectioners’ sugar with your desired amount of freeze-dried strawberries.
Hi Sally!
Do you think these frosting will work for sugar cookies? Iโm trying to make some sugar cookies for my baby shower.
Thanks!
Hi Marie, these are a bit too thin for piping any intricate details, but you could certainly try dipping the tops of the cookies into the glazes. You may wish to let the first layer dry, then add another layer. Let us know if you try it!
Hi, out of curiosity, why does your vanilla frosting recipe include butter but others online do not?
Hi Zoey! The butter in this donut frosting helps the icing set up a little thicker.
Hi! Any recipes for a blue donut frosting? For my son’s first birthday!
Hi Monica, You can add blue food coloring to the vanilla frosting for blue frosted donuts.
Maybe just a few blueberries or add some blueberry yogurt to base recipe
Depending on how much of the . Blueberry yogurt you add determines how dark it is. Not too much because it with also change consistency
Hi Monica, you could certainly add a few drops of blue gel food coloring to the vanilla icing. Hope they’re a hit!
Do the donuts need to be refrigerated after icing?
Hi Deb, we do recommend refrigerating iced donuts.
Hi Sally,
I am thinking of using the 3 different frostings for cupcakes, just want to know if the frostings hold well while outdoors, it is for bake sale and want to make sure they won’t melt if it is a little bit hot outside.
Thank you!
Hi Sally, these are more like glazes for doughnuts, but could potentially work on cupcakes if you would like a “glazed” cupcake. The icing will melt in warm temperatures or in direct sunlight.
Hi , Can I skip corn syrup in the chocolate frosting?
Hi Hiba, Corn syrup adds a little smooth sweetness and beautiful sheen to the chocolate frosting. You can leave it out completely or substitute with honey or agave instead.
All delicious glazes for our doughnuts! The vanilla is our favorite.
If I don’t use all of the glaze, how long will it last if refrigerated?
Hi Joe, the glaze should last for just a few days in the refrigerator. It may begin to separate a bit, so give it a stir before reusing.
Hi Sally!
I just had a quick question about the vanilla frosting – Iโm doing a donut baking session at a childcare centre for the kids. Can I make the frosting ahead of time and take it with me ready to go? For example if I made it the morning of the class and took it with me. Or does it need to be made on the spot? Just trying to save time and prepare what I can before the session!
Hi Sabah, It would be best to make this icing right before you use it. As it cools it will begin to set making it very difficult to dip the doughnuts. We hope your class enjoys them!
I LOVE YOUR WEBSITE AND YOUTUBE!! Do you have somewhere on your website where you share what brand/kind of sprinkles/food colorings etc?
Hi Brianna, we love Americolor gel food colorings. We also share some of our favorite sprinkle recommendations in this easy homemade sprinkle cake post!
My mother use to make these all the time. She made the glaze with coffee. The School would ask her if she would make them for the School basketball games. She did and everyone loved them. They were served during half time.
Good night, do the chocolate hardens? I want to use the chocolate covered dougnts as cake toppers.
Hi Monique, the chocolate glaze sets but can still be a little sticky. It does not harden.
Can a chocolate ganache instead of chocolate icing so it will harden?
We love the flavor of your frostings! and I am planning a DYI Donut Bar for my son’s graduation. If I keep the frosting warm, will it stay liquified? In an attempt to prevent licking of the frosting/fingers, I would like to have the frosting in a “condiment type squeeze bottle? Do you feel this would work? Or suggestions…
Hi Deb! The frosting will stay “liquid” when at room temperature during a party or event. It would also work out nicely in squeeze bottles for squeezing on the donuts, too. You could also set up little bowls of toppings like coconut, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc. Sounds like a fun party!
Your vanilla doughnut glaze is heavenly. I made a double batch of doughnuts for my daughter’s class. I frosted half with my usual dark chocolate glaze and half with your vanilla glaze, so the kids could chooose. Well, I wish I had made your glaze first, as I would have done them all in vanilla, it was that good. I love how the butter adds richness, while the salt cuts the sweetness. Have you ever tried it on sugar cookies? The usual damming/flooding powedered sugar frosting, while pretty, is cloyingly sweet.
I’m so happy you enjoy it, Kristin! I actually haven’t used it on cookies but I’m sure it would taste delicious!
Does this frosting set up enough to where you could stack them? I’m having a donut party this weekend and would like to be able to stack them…
It sets and the donuts are definitely stackable, but will still get a little sticky from the pressure of the donuts on top of one another.
I’m making a doughnut cake this weekend – would this frosting recipe work on a cake or would it be too runny to spread? I’m thinking a buttercream icing would be too thick to get the look of a doughnut.
Are you making a cake shaped like a giant donut? If so these might be a bit thin (especially the strawberry). Buttercream could work but if you are looking for chocolate a simple ganache on top would give it the smooth shiny look of a real donut ๐