Krispy Kreme Donut (Doughnut) Recipe

Intro: Krispy Kreme Donut (Doughnut) Recipe

I am about to reveal how you can easily make Krispy Kreme donuts (doughnuts?) AT HOME (and make you the most popular person in the neighborhood). Kiss your diet goodbye, because once you try this super easy recipe, you're going to be hooked. It's the time you put in to the double rise, and the added ingredient of evaporated milk to the glaze that really make this recipe sing!

So if you're addicted to Krispy Kreme donuts (like me), but don't have one near you (like me) or just want a fun project to do (like me!), you're going to love this Krispy Kreme Donut Recipe.

p.s This was my first time making donuts, and it was a huge success!

p.p.s. I recently updated this recipe to include suggestions from the community :D

STEP 1: Ingredients

This recipe makes 3 baker's dozen donuts (that's 39!). You can scale it down - or up - as you need!

Donuts

3 (1/4 ounce / 7g) packages yeast (3/4 oz / 21g total) - I used "Rapid Rise" but traditional is fine too - it just affects the rising times
1/2 cup (120ml) water (105-115F / 40-46C)

2 1/4 cup (530ml) milk, scalded and cooled
3/4 cup (169g) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup (113g) shortening
7 1/2 cups (940g) all-purpose flour
canola oil for frying

Glaze

3 cups (375g) powdered sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
6 -9 tablespoons (90-135ml) water

Special Tools

Mixer - I love my Kitchenaid stand mixer, but a hand mixer will work as well
Donut Cutter
Candy/Deep Fry Thermometer
Cooling rack

From time to time, I'll provide Amazon affiliate links to help me continue to contribute awesome Instructables.

STEP 2: Time to Make the Donuts!

Proof your yeast by adding it to the warm water. Mix it up and let it rest.

Scald the milk in your microwave or on top of your stove, and let cool. I learned from a baker that the reason you scald the milk is because regular milk has an enzyme in it that will kill the yeast. If you don't scald it first to kill the enzyme, your donuts won't rise.

Combine yeast, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 3 cups (375g) flour.

Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. I used a Kitchenaid stand mixer, but a handheld mixer will work too.

Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

Carefully (not like me), stir in remaining flour until smooth.

Cover and let rise until double, 30-60 minutes, depending on the yeast you used. I went the full 60, and you can see in step 4 what happened! (I would do it again, they were great!)

STEP 3: Shaping the Donuts

After the dough has risen, turn dough onto floured surface; roll around lightly to coat with flour.

Gently roll dough 1/2-inch thick with floured rolling pin.

Cut with floured doughnut cutter. Separate donuts and holes, as they take different frying times (but are equally delicious). Save your scraps - they are both great to test your fry time and to snack on while you're making the rest!

Cover and let rise until double, 30-40 minutes.

**If you want to make these donuts for breakfast, let the donuts rise in the refrigerator overnight!***

STEP 4: Make the Glaze

I like to make up the glaze at this point because it can sit at room temp until the donuts are fried and ready to be dipped.

Melt the butter and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.  

Add milk (or water) until desired consistency is reached.  


*** to make chocolate glaze, melt 6 ounces of chocolate along with the butter!***

STEP 5: Fry Time

Use a deep pan to heat the oil.   I used a shallow one to be able to take better pictures, but this provides a real fire hazard.  So be safe!

Heat your oil to 350F (180C).  A thermometer makes this part fool-proof, and you can monitor the heat to make sure it stays in this prime frying range.

I like to use a scrap of donut first to test different frying times.

Even after you take the donut out of the oil, the remaining oil on it is hot enough to continue cooking it!

Carefully place the donuts in the oil.  Cook on each side for about one minute.  Use chopsticks to flip the donuts and remove them from the oil.

Place donuts on a rack or paper bags or paper towels to drain.

STEP 6: That Sweet Sweet Glaze

Now is the time to take your donuts into a magical dimension.   Dip them in the glaze and set them on a rack to dry.  I dipped both sides of my donuts in the glaze (obviously!), but you can just do one if you would like.

These donuts are simply amazing.  Once you try them, you're going to want to make them again and again.  In fact, I woke up the next morning craving them, and I can assure you, they're still good the second day.

Comments

[swampstomper]

Made my 2nd batch this weekend, did a few things different this time. Mainly just kneaded the dough in the mixer until it made a nice ball that cleaned the sides of the bowl, then transfered the dough to another bowl and allowed to rise until double size, turned out onto the floured surface and cut the doughnuts and laid them on a sheet pan covered with parchment. Then I put the cut doughnuts and holes IN THE FREEZER! Now I can pull the FROZEN DOUGHNUT SEEDS however many I'd like to make, out of the freezer, put them in my oven to thaw and proof for about and hour and VIOLA! fresh HOT Doughnuts whenever I like! Oh yeah, the extra glaze freezes too!

[snowf7]

Have you done this before? Are you going to fry the dough or bake the doughnuts? What oven temperature do you recommend. This is something new to me. I love anything that makes life easier. For example: I buy bacon when it is on sale (usually 3 pounds at a time) and cook it in the oven on trays. When it is nearly done, I freeze it in packs of about 6-8 strips and when I need it, it is quick and easy to finish cooking it for a meal. I hear that bacon goes well with doughnuts.

[scoochmaroo]

Awesome, awesome tip!

[readicculus]

this is a good recipe but speaking from experience (5 years working at krispy kreme baking) I can tell you that the dough is too heavy, it definitely has the right flavor but milk might be the issue, there was no milk in the recipe for the shop. Does anyone know if changing the mill measurements to water would work? That I think might lighten the dough up. Also the glaze recipe is wrong and basically fat fat fat! The actual glaze recipe is much simpler just powdered sugar vanilla and water, no need for butter or milk of any kind. other than that you got super close to the original just need a little tweaking!

[TaylorDIY]

fat fat fat! that sounds about right...for all of it!

[KenH139]

Wrong. Carbs, carbs, carbs!

Buttered toast would have a higher fat/carb ratio then this treat by quite a large percentage.

[JenniferA122]

If you're worried about fat, why would you be interested in donuts?

[itsmescotty]

Ya gotta love the experts, 'the I know, I was there, the ones that know the secret recipe. . . '.

This commenter probly worked the counter and never ev saw the flour.

This is going in/on my bucket list for a quick resolution

[ed-romes]

As I made a type of bread dough that was used to make French bread and Italian bread and another dough to make hotdog buns I can tell you there's only on ingredient difference between the two its called sugar !! So if someone tells you a bread product is to heavy you left out an ingredient !! And they take turns working the front counter !!

[9irongiant6]

Actually, the Krispy Kreme franchise sells the dough to franchises, it’s mixed up at a facility and distributed nationwide. If you worked a Krispy Kreme, it’s next to impossible you would know the recipe, as only three people do. The original recipie was bought along with another franchise. It’s suspected the recipie has something to do with mashed potatoes, oddly enough. But gg to you if you do know the recipie:)

[CraigH23]

I know from making bread dough, different types and different brands of flour respond differently. Some absorb more liquid than others. With any recipe, don't put all the liquid ingredients in, go by the texture of the dough adding the last liquids bit by bit.

[Austinthemighty]

do you know what the actual recipe is and the amounts, if so can you tell us

[Diana Soto]

right!

[carisa.blackdecormier]

Are all the measurements correct just change milk to water

[scoochmaroo]

AMAZING! I'm so glad you commented here! I am going to try this out with your recommendations. Swapping water for milk is no problem. And powdered sugar + water is the glaze my mom always uses for everything, so I thought it was too simple! Thank you for weighing in with this.

[mr.whittemore]

Add a little Karo syrup to the hot water as well to keep the shine.

[mr.whittemore]

I should have said to the powdered sugar and water. Silly me. hot water, Karo syrup, powdered sugar.

[doc_animo]

hi roo... how can I make my donuts more fluffy?

[Budette]

Did you ever try this using the water in place of the milk? I know this sounds random but I've been trying to get a good dough recipe that's light and fluffy for not only doughnuts but cinnamon rolls as well. Thinking if it works well with water in place of milk this might just be what I'm looking for. Thanks!

[cottoncandiapplebtm]

i just found this recipe...they came out even better with water!!! This is my go to recipe!!!