14 Homemade Donuts and Fried Treats That Beat Any Bakery Box

Is there any smell better than donuts frying on a Saturday morning? Homemade donuts feel like a special event, but most of them need only flour, sugar, eggs, milk and a pot of oil. From classic glazed rings to New Orleans beignets and Spanish churros, these fried treats are pure joy for kids and grown ups alike. Always fry with care and keep little hands away from the hot oil. Looking for more cozy baking? Try our cozy fall desserts. Heat the oil and get ready..

Homemade Donuts From One Easy Dough

Here is a little secret: one soft yeast dough can become a whole bakery case of homemade donuts. Cut rings and dip them in strawberry glaze, chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles, or roll them in cinnamon sugar. Frying at the right heat, about 350 F, gives you golden outsides and fluffy middles. A cheap kitchen thermometer makes all the difference. Which one would you grab first: A) pink glaze, B) chocolate sprinkles, C) cinnamon sugar, or D) classic glazed?

You will need: 1 packet yeast, 3/4 cup warm milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 1/2 cups flour, oil for frying; toppings: glazes, chocolate frosting, sprinkles, cinnamon sugar.

How to make it: 1. Dissolve yeast in warm milk with a pinch of sugar for 5 minutes. 2. Mix in sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, salt and flour, and knead into a soft dough. 3. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. 4. Roll 1/2 inch thick, cut rings and rise 30 minutes. 5. Fry at 350 F for 1 minute per side, drain and decorate.

Classic Glazed Homemade Donuts

The shiny, melt in your mouth glazed donut is the king of the donut shop, and you can make it at home. Light yeast rings are fried until golden, then dipped while warm in a thin vanilla glaze that sets into a crackly shell. Eat them the same day for the best texture. Poll time: do you eat the donut hole first, or save it for last?

You will need: 1 batch yeast dough from the first slide; glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla.

How to make it: 1. Make and rise the dough as above. 2. Cut rings with a 3 inch cutter. 3. Fry at 350 F until golden, about 1 minute per side. 4. Whisk glaze until smooth. 5. Dip the warm donuts and let them set on a rack.

Frosted Cake Donuts With Sprinkles

No yeast and no waiting for these homemade donuts. Cake donuts use baking powder, so the dough is ready in 10 minutes. They are a bit denser and crumbly, a lot like the ones from old school diners. Frost them in chocolate or pink icing and add sprinkles for a kid friendly treat. Are you team yeast donut or team cake donut?

You will need: 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 2/3 cup buttermilk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, oil for frying, frosting and sprinkles.

How to make it: 1. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and sugar. 2. Stir in egg, buttermilk and butter to a soft dough. 3. Pat 1/2 inch thick and cut rings. 4. Fry at 365 F about 90 seconds per side. 5. Cool, frost and add sprinkles.

New Orleans Style Beignets

Beignets are the pride of New Orleans, where people line up for them with chicory coffee. These square pillows of fried dough puff up in the hot oil and get buried under a snowfall of powdered sugar. Warning: you will wear some of it on your shirt. Like all homemade donuts, they are best eaten right away, while still warm. Have you ever tried real beignets in New Orleans?

You will need: 1 packet yeast, 3/4 cup warm water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 1/2 cups flour, oil for frying, lots of powdered sugar.

How to make it: 1. Dissolve yeast in water with sugar. 2. Mix in egg, milk, butter, salt and flour and knead. 3. Rise 1 hour, then roll 1/4 inch thick. 4. Cut into 2 inch squares. 5. Fry at 360 F until puffed and golden and pile on powdered sugar.

Crispy Churros With Hot Chocolate

In Spain, churros are dunked in thick hot chocolate for breakfast or a late night snack. The dough is a simple cooked flour paste piped through a star tip, which gives churros their crispy ridges. Roll them in cinnamon sugar while hot. Like most homemade donuts, they are easier than they look and so much fun to pipe. Would you dip them in chocolate or caramel sauce?

You will need: 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 cup flour, 1 egg, oil for frying, 1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon; chocolate: 4 oz chocolate, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon cornstarch.

How to make it: 1. Boil water, sugar, salt and oil, then stir in flour until a ball forms. 2. Cool 5 minutes and beat in the egg. 3. Pipe 5 inch strips into 375 F oil with a star tip. 4. Fry until golden and roll in cinnamon sugar. 5. Heat chocolate, milk and cornstarch until thick for dipping.

Italian Zeppole Dusted in Sugar

Zeppole are light, airy Italian fried dough balls, a favorite at Italian American street feasts and on Saint Joseph’s Day. A little ricotta in the batter makes them soft and tender inside. Toss them in a paper bag with powdered sugar and shake. They are quick, no yeast needed, and disappear fast. Have you ever bought zeppole at a street fair?

You will need: 1 cup ricotta, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 cup flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, pinch of salt, oil for frying, powdered sugar.

How to make it: 1. Whisk ricotta, eggs, vanilla and sugar. 2. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. 3. Drop tablespoons of batter into 350 F oil. 4. Fry 2 to 3 minutes, turning, until golden. 5. Drain and toss in powdered sugar.

Bite Size Donut Holes From Homemade Donuts Dough

Donut holes are perfect for parties because everyone can grab just one, or five. Use any dough and cut small rounds, or drop spoonfuls of cake batter into the oil. They fry fast and roll easily in sugar. Serve them in a big bowl with a few dipping sauces. Poll: A) cinnamon sugar, B) powdered sugar, C) chocolate dip, or D) all three?

You will need: 1 batch cake donut dough (see above), oil for frying, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, powdered sugar, chocolate sauce for dipping.

How to make it: 1. Make the cake donut dough. 2. Roll into 1 inch balls or cut small rounds. 3. Fry at 350 F for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, turning. 4. Drain on paper towels. 5. Roll in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar while warm.

Jelly Filled Donuts for Hanukkah

In Israel and in Jewish homes around the world, jelly donuts called sufganiyot are a favorite Hanukkah treat, because foods fried in oil honor the holiday story. Pillowy yeast rounds are filled with strawberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar. A piping bag makes filling these homemade donuts easy. Which filling would you choose: jam, custard or chocolate?

You will need: 1 batch yeast dough from the first slide, 1 cup strawberry or raspberry jam, powdered sugar, oil for frying.

How to make it: 1. Make and rise the dough. 2. Roll 1/2 inch thick and cut 3 inch rounds with no hole. 3. Rise 30 minutes and fry at 350 F about 1 minute per side. 4. Poke a hole in the side and pipe in jam. 5. Dust with powdered sugar.

Glazed Apple Fritters

Apple fritters are craggy, crispy and packed with cinnamon apples, with a sweet glaze in every nook. They are the bakery treat people fight over, and homemade donuts like these are even better. Chop the apples small so they cook through. These are messy and imperfect on purpose. Would you rather have an apple fritter or a classic glazed donut?

You will need: 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup milk, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 apples finely chopped, oil for frying; glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk.

How to make it: 1. Whisk dry ingredients. 2. Stir in milk, eggs and butter, then fold in apples. 3. Drop 1/3 cup mounds into 350 F oil and flatten slightly. 4. Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side. 5. Drain and dip in glaze.

Cinnamon Sugar Homemade Donuts

Sometimes the simplest donut is the best one. Warm rings rolled in cinnamon sugar have a sweet crunch outside and a soft, buttery middle. No glaze to make and no waiting for anything to set. Kids love shaking them in a bag of sugar. These are perfect with a cup of hot cocoa on a cold morning. How many could you eat warm from the pot?

You will need: 1 batch yeast or cake donut dough, oil for frying, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoons melted butter.

How to make it: 1. Make the dough of your choice. 2. Cut into rings. 3. Fry at 350 F until golden. 4. Brush lightly with melted butter. 5. Toss in cinnamon sugar while warm.

Apple Cider Donuts From the Orchard

In fall, orchards across New England sell warm apple cider donuts by the dozen. Reduced apple cider gives the dough a deep apple flavor, and a coat of cinnamon sugar finishes them. Boiling the cider down is the secret to these homemade donuts, so do not skip it. Your kitchen will smell like a fall festival. Have you ever bought these at an apple orchard?

You will need: 2 cups apple cider (reduced to 1/2 cup), 3 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 4 tablespoons melted butter, oil, cinnamon sugar.

How to make it: 1. Simmer cider until reduced to 1/2 cup and cool. 2. Whisk dry ingredients. 3. Mix in eggs, buttermilk, butter and cider. 4. Chill dough 1 hour, roll 1/2 inch thick and cut rings. 5. Fry at 350 F and roll in cinnamon sugar.

Pumpkin Spice Homemade Donuts

Pumpkin puree makes these cake donuts super moist with a pretty orange color. Warm spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg make them taste like pumpkin pie. Roll them in spiced sugar or dip them in maple glaze. They are a perfect weekend project for late October. Would you rather have them with sugar or with maple glaze?

You will need: 3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup buttermilk, 3 tablespoons melted butter, oil, spiced sugar.

How to make it: 1. Whisk dry ingredients. 2. Mix sugar, eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk and butter, then combine. 3. Chill dough 30 minutes and pat 1/2 inch thick. 4. Cut rings and fry at 350 F. 5. Roll in sugar mixed with pumpkin spice.

Hawaiian Style Malasadas

Malasadas are Portuguese fried dough balls, brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants more than a century ago. Today they are an island favorite. They have no hole, a crisp sugary outside and an eggy, fluffy inside. Some bakeries fill them with custard or coconut cream. Roll these homemade donuts in sugar while hot. Is a trip to Hawaii for malasadas on your bucket list?

You will need: 1 packet yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 4 cups flour, oil for frying, 1 cup sugar for rolling.

How to make it: 1. Dissolve yeast in water. 2. Mix in eggs, butter, milk, sugar, salt and flour into a soft, sticky dough. 3. Cover and rise until doubled. 4. Drop golf ball size pieces into 350 F oil with oiled hands. 5. Fry until deep golden and roll in sugar.

Chocolate Glazed Donuts With a Drizzle

Chocolate lovers, this one is yours. A rich chocolate glaze coats soft rings, and a thin white drizzle on top makes them look like they came from a fancy bakery. Use a fork or a zip bag with the corner snipped to drizzle. These are great for birthdays and bake sales. Which of these homemade donuts will you try first? Tell us in the comments!

You will need: 1 batch yeast or cake donut dough, oil for frying; chocolate glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla; drizzle: 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons milk.

How to make it: 1. Make and fry the donuts. 2. Whisk the chocolate glaze until smooth. 3. Dip the tops of the warm donuts. 4. Mix the white drizzle. 5. Drizzle thin lines across and let set 10 minutes.