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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Powdered Sugar Doughnuts

doughnuts and sweet rolls· Easter· Holiday Favorites· pastries· Valentine's Day
February 12, 2023

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Powdered Sugar Doughnuts – A classic, lightly spiced doughnuts is baked (not fried) and then covered in powdered sugar. This recipe shows you how to make classic round doughnuts and also doughnut holes.

two powdered sugar doughnuts on a wood plate with more doughnuts in the background

I love a fresh, homemade doughnut. It just hits different when it’s that fresh, am I right?! When I want a great doughnut at home but not the hassle of frying, I make doughnuts in the oven. You can use doughnut molds to get the classic round shape or simply use a mini muffin tin to get doughnut “holes”.

I have yet to make a powdered doughnut at home so I took my classic old fashioned doughnut recipe and covered those babies in lots and lots of powdered sugar. The hint of nutmeg and cinnamon are just what the sugary doughnuts needed to balance them out.

And here is the final product – my Powdered Sugar Doughnuts!

powdered sugar doughnut on a wood plate, angled forward
doughnut hole with a bite taking out
powdered sugar doughnut with a hole on top

Tips & Tricks

  1. Pastry bag. Use a pastry bag to fill the doughnut molds evenly and mess-free.
  2. Cool down. Doughnuts must be cool to the touch before adding the powdered sugar, or else the doughnut will melt the sugar and make them sticky on the outside.
  3. Double-dip. To get a nice coating of powdered sugar on the outside, I dipped them in powdered sugar twice.
  4. Spoon them out. To get the doughnuts out of the molds easily, use a spoon. This will also ensure they don’t get damaged in the removal process.
  5. Doughnut holes. This recipe references doughnut molds, but you can easily make doughnut “holes” but using a mini muffin tin. Just make sure to reduce the baking time by 5 minutes.
Print Recipe

Powdered Sugar Doughnuts

These muffins have the texture and flavors of classic cake doughnuts covered in powdered sugar, but without the hassle of frying them.
Prep Time25 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Servings: 12 doughnuts and 12 doughnut holes

Ingredients

For the muffins:
  • ¼ cup butter unsalted, melted
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
For the coating:
  • 1½ sticks butter melted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease doughnut pans and 12-cup mini muffin tin.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth. Add the eggs, beating to combine. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
  • In a separate bowl. stir the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and flour until well combined. Add 1/3 of the mixture at a time to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
  • Spoon the batter into a pastry bag without a tip. Squeeze into the doughnut molds, filling the cups nearly full. Bake the doughnuts for 5 minutes and then drop temperature to 375. Continue to bake for 10 more minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. (Only bake 7 more minutes if they are in a mini muffin tin)
  • In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar. Melt the butter in a separate small bowl. When muffins have cooled slightly, roll the doughnuts/doughnut holes in the butter and then the powdered sugar. Cover in powdered sugar until completely coated. This may take a couple coats of powdered sugar.
  • Serve immediately or within 24 hours.

Pin for later:

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25 Comments

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Comments

  1. Saim Ali says

    August 9, 2026 at 6:51 am

    There is truly nothing like the smell of fresh doughnuts baking in the kitchen, and I love that this recipe skips the mess of frying. The hint of nutmeg and cinnamon sounds like the perfect way to add depth to all that lovely powdered sugar. While I usually enjoy browsing the dunkin donuts donut menu at https://dunkin-donutmenu.com/ for a quick treat, making these at home sounds like such a fun weekend activity. I will definitely be trying the double-dip tip to make sure they get that perfect white coating!

    Reply
  2. Wacky Steps says

    July 3, 2026 at 3:06 am

    oh so yummy, i can cook ít so easy

    Reply
  3. Marcus Rivera says

    June 12, 2026 at 7:39 pm

    These doughnuts look absolutely divine! I love a good powdered sugar doughnut – theres something so nostalgic about them. The texture looks perfect, not too dense and just the right amount of sweetness. I recently started experimenting with homemade doughnut recipes too. Will definitely give this technique a try this weekend!

    Reply
  4. Jason Chen says

    June 7, 2026 at 7:39 pm

    These powdered sugar doughnuts look absolutely incredible! The golden brown exterior and that dusting of powdered sugar make them look like something straight from a bakery. I recently used an AI image generator on nanobananapro.pics to create some food photography ideas for my blog, and these would be perfect to photograph. Love how simple the recipe is too!

    Reply
  5. Dinosaur Game says

    April 27, 2026 at 3:07 am

    These powdered sugar doughnuts look dangerously good—like the kind you eat “just one” of… and suddenly the plate is mysteriously empty.

    Reply
  6. Mindy says

    February 19, 2023 at 12:53 pm

    These are seriously dangerous to have around the house! They are so delicious and always gone way faster than I expected! Great recipe.

    Reply
  7. Kushigalu says

    February 19, 2023 at 12:14 pm

    These powder sugar donuts look fantastic. Thanks for the recipe. Making this today.

    Reply
  8. Lisa says

    February 18, 2023 at 3:45 pm

    There is nothing better than a fresh donut. These are fabulous!!

    Reply
  9. Julia says

    February 18, 2023 at 11:55 am

    My mom made baked donuts and this recipe brings back some fond memories. I love the idea of using mini muffin tins, and adding nutmeg and cinnamon is genius. These will be in my kitchen soon.

    Reply
  10. Pam says

    February 17, 2023 at 6:27 pm

    I have been looking for a powdered sugar donut recipe that was baked not fried! This one is perfect! They are so good!

    Reply
  11. Tammy says

    February 17, 2023 at 12:07 pm

    Ahh donuts are my weakness but its so nice to have a baked variation and these look SO good! I love a nice easy recipe too. I have some company coming over this weekend so I think I’ll whip up a batch plus its fun to have in the morning with coffee 😀

    Reply
  12. Christy says

    February 15, 2023 at 10:35 am

    Donuts have always seemed so complicated to me and I’ve been nervous to try them but your post makes it so straight forward and approachable. Thank you!

    Reply
  13. Deb says

    February 15, 2023 at 4:40 am

    Omg my family would go GAGA over these! I wish I bumped into your post before Valentine’s Day! They would’ve loved it! Will def have to try this weekend

    Reply
  14. Julie says

    February 14, 2023 at 8:36 pm

    I made these for the family for Valentine’s Day and we loved them! So fluffy and tasty! Such a fabulous donut recipe.

    Reply
  15. justin says

    February 14, 2023 at 7:33 pm

    Kids had such fun making these together on the weekend! So easy and delish

    Reply
  16. Nikki says

    February 14, 2023 at 7:12 pm

    Love the light spice flavor and that these are baked and not fried. Lookign forward to making them for my family.

    Reply
  17. Ned says

    February 14, 2023 at 6:32 pm

    Oh my goodness! Donuts are my kryptonite and these I could not resist! So delicious! Thank you!

    Reply
  18. Whitney says

    February 14, 2023 at 6:29 pm

    Ok I have never made doughnuts because frying requires too much work but baking?!!! I never thought to do this, thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
  19. Sara Welch says

    February 14, 2023 at 6:09 pm

    Enjoyed these for breakfast this morning and started my day off right! So easy and delicious and paired perfectly with my morning cup of coffee!

    Reply
  20. Anna says

    February 14, 2023 at 6:51 am

    The only problem with these powdered sugar doughnuts is that it is impossible to stop eating them! They are so soft and airy, utterly delicious!

    Reply
  21. Lisa Seaton says

    February 13, 2023 at 9:50 pm

    These could be dangerous to have around!! They sound delicious

    Reply
  22. Sarah Dale says

    February 13, 2023 at 6:35 pm

    We are going to try this one! My kids call these “baby donuts” . Thanks!

    Reply
  23. Colleen says

    February 13, 2023 at 6:30 pm

    I love these donuts because they aren’t fried. It’s so much easier to make homemade donuts in the oven, and they came out perfect..

    Reply
  24. Sean says

    February 13, 2023 at 6:02 pm

    I love a good cake donut for the exact reason of not having to fry them. These were so good and I will be making them again.

    Reply
  25. Amber Myers says

    February 13, 2023 at 4:13 pm

    I would eat so many of these. I just love doughnuts!

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

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