Krispy Kreme Doughnut Recipe (Copycat) — Light and fluffy donuts topped with a rich glaze will melt in your mouth. Tastes as good as the store-bought Krispy Kremes!
Raise your hand if you have ever waited in line for a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Now, raise two hands if you’ve passed Krispy Kreme and had to make a U-Turn when you see the green neon sign say “HOT NOW”! I have to admit I’ve done both. Don’t feel guilty about it and I even got in trouble for it.
Yes, I was late for work that day, but guess what? My boss didn’t seem upset after I handed him some Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
I had to bribe him.
But wait, can you believe I still got dinged for it! Even after he gobbled down almost half a dozen. Bummer!
There is nothing quite like biting into a warm Krispy Kreme donuts- It melts in your mouth, leaves you wanting more and more. I have to muster every will power in me to stop at two. But to date, it has been an impossible task.
I don’t know what is it about these doughnuts.
Is it the definite crackle from the doughnut?
or the melt in the mouth sensation you get
or just maybe the fact that it is deep-fried.
Your guess is just as good as mine
Whatever it is, nothing tempts me more like a Krispy Kreme doughnut. That is why when I came across this doughnut, I decided to give it a try.
I know what you’re thinking, what is the point of making these at home when the store bought version is cheap and good. I find these curiously satisfying to make at home.
This is going on the menu for Father’s Day Weekend. I know hubby and mini hubby would be thrilled!
Although they may look unprofessional and uneven, they do have an edge compared to the store-bought version.
If you can make a cake you can make these. They’re not that difficult to make. You can even make it without a mixer.
ENJOY!!!!
Watch How To Make It
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This recipe was originally posted in November 2013 and has been updated with new photos and, recently, with a video.
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Recipe
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Ingredients
Doughnut Batter
- 2 ¼-ounce packages instant yeast (or 4½ teaspoons)
- ⅓ cup (80ml) warm water (105-115℉/40-46℃)
- 1½ cups (355ml) milk (whole or low fat milk)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (7g) salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup (76g) butter, (or shortening) softened
- 5 cups (600g) all-purpose flour
- Canola oil for frying
Donut Glaze
- ½ cup (113g) butter melted
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon (10ml) vanilla
- 5-7 tablespoons (75-103ml) evaporated milk
Instructions
- In a standing mixer, combine lukewarm water and yeast. Let it sit until dissolve for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a microwave safe medium bowl, heat milk for about 2 minutes. Remove and let it cool.
- Add, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening or butter and 2 cups of flour to bowl of yeast.
- Mix for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and continue mixing dough. Scraping down sides.
- Place dough in a large greased bowl. Cover loosely with a clean clothe and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 to 2 hours or until doubled.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts using a donut cutter or cookie cutter about one 1-inch and one 3 or 4-inch .Let stand for about 10 minutes.
- In a large sauce pan, pour vegetable oil until it is at least 3 inches (or about 5 centimeters) high and place on medium heat until oil is 375 degrees.
- Carefully drop doughnuts into hot oil, only a few at a time. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on prepared paper towels.
Doughnut Glaze
- In a microwave safe bowl melt the butter.
- Remove and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until everything comes together
- Then evaporated milk (or sub water) until you have reached desired consistency
- Dip doughnuts in glaze and let it drip on the rack.
Nutrition Information:
TIPS AND NOTES
- In order for your these doughnuts to be airy, they have to double in size by rising. So be patient with it. It might take more than the recommended hours. It all depends on the temperature inside your kitchen.
- If the dough is too difficult to handle, place in the fridge for about 30 minutes before cutting them out. DO NOT add more flour.
- Key factor here is the oil temperature, too low and they’re going to soak up a tons of oil, so make sure it is warm enough, about 360 degrees. It’s better to add doughnuts to slightly warmer-than-desired oil, the dough usually brings down the oil temperature a few degrees, than to cool oil.
- For best results get a reliable candy/deep-fry thermometer, equipped with a clip – helps stick to a pot. It’s readily available at most grocery stores and chain retailers for around $10.
- When doughnuts are fried, place on a cookie rack so they can drain for a few minutes before placing on paper towel.
- For the glaze, add small amounts of water or milk as you mix until you get the right consistency. This helps prevent lumps and/ or runny glaze
- You can alternatively roll in sugar. Do so immediately after removing from the fryer If you are going to sugar your doughnuts, be sure to roll them in sugar quickly after they’re fryer to ensure the sugar sticks to the doughnuts.
Recipe adapted here
In a standing mixer, combine lukewarm water and yeast. Let it sit until dissolve for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile in a microwave safe medium bowl, heat milk for about 2 minutes. Remove and let it cool.
Add, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening or butter and 2 cups of flour to bowl of yeast. Mix for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and continue mixing dough. Scraping down sides.
Place dough in a large greased bowl. Cover loosely with a clean clothe and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 to 2 hours or until doubled. Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut into doughnuts using a donut cutter or cookie cutter about one 1-inch and one 3 or 4-inch. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
In a large, sauce pan pour vegetable oil, until it is at least 3 inches (or about 5 centimeters) high and place on medium heat until oil is 375 degrees. Carefully drop doughnuts into hot oil, only a few at a time. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on prepared paper towels.
Donut Glaze: In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Remove and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until everything comes together. Then evaporated milk (or sub water) until you have reached desired consistency. Dip doughnuts in glaze and let it drip on the rack.
Alex G says
This recipe is great
Imma says
Thank you:) There’s more to come, so stay tuned
Ally says
Oh my goodness these are the best donuts you will Ever make!!! I would easily make these instead buying donuts. The donut is so airy and fluffy. The glaze on top just makes you want to eat the entire batch
Imma says
Thank you, Stay tuned for more amazing recipes.
Barbara says
I am just. Is making as I type dough is riding. I’m an avid baker, maker of anything and everything bread. The dough smells amazing. The dough seemed a little sticky to me, but shall see. Thank you for sharing.
Imma says
Awesome!!! Can’t wait to know how it turns out for you.
Charlotte says
If you’re looking for a recipe that tasted nearly identical the real thing-stop here!!! These are amazing!!! I halted the recipe and they came out perfect. Will make again and again for my donut-loving husband!
Imma says
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
Collettefoord says
Can you leave to prove overnight
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, you certainly can but it must be refrigerated . Make sure you bring it back up to room temperature before frying .
Jilly says
Amazing amazing! I did not change anything and they turned out perfect! Thank you!!
Imma says
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
Tabitha says
This is a great recipe. My family loves when I make doughnuts. It is very easy to follow. Thank you.
Imma says
You are more than welcome. And if there’s a recipe you’d love to see, please let me know. Thanks:)
Annie says
For the glaze, I’m not a big fan of evaporated milk, but if that’s the secret to the KK glaze, then I will definitely try it. Has anyone tested evaporated milk vs. whole milk? Is there a big difference in flavor?
Imma says
No problem. I haven’t tested it with whole milk, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you have doubts, try the glaze for monkey bread. Let me know how it goes.❤️ https://www.africanbites.com/monkey-bread/
Caitana says
Hi I think I made this recipe a few times, the first time was perfect, but the last two times after having cut the donuts onto parchment paper, the dough got all sticky and couldn’t remove them whole from the parchment, which ended up in me scrapping the dough of the parchment paper, and just frying dougnut batter ‘balls’ or whatever.
The flavor was still awesome! But how can I prevent the dough from getting sticky after cutting and actually get donuts to stay in shape?
Imma says
That can be frustrating for sure. So many things can affect the dough’s texture, especially humidity. You could try adding a tablespoon of flour at a time until you get the desired texture sans sticky. Please let me know how it goes.
Joce says
I have heard (if the donut dough is too sticky) incorporating a little bit of oil into the dough can keep it from being sticky without making it too dry with adding more flour.
Pascale says
this is a crazy good recipe I would put 10nstars if that were an option!
I had to make a few changes: white spelt flour instead of all purpose flour
I could not use dairy so I used almond oil
We used 1/4 c canola oil and 1 Tbls coconut oil in a semi solid form
so i have no words to describe the bliss! it is so much better than Krspy Kreme! so light! so delicious no after taste from over used oil….
We will never use a different recipe again
Imma says
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback Pascale :)!
Jrainbow says
Excellent, although I’d prefer sweeter dough, the glaze was awesome. We tested hot as well as cooled doughnuts and there was a difference of cooled and hot doughnuts, cooled sweeter tasted wonderful !
Imma says
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
Lin says
Why do you heat the milk and then let it cool? Cooling it seems to defeat the purpose of heating it.
Also, is it possible to freeze the doughnuts if they haven’t been glazed?
Imma says
Sorry for the confusion. In the ingredient list, you’ll see that want your milk to be around 105℉. That way it’s warm enough to activate the yeast faster, but not hot enough to kill it. Sometimes the microwave gets it too hot before you realize it. In which case, you’ll want the milk to cool back down a tad. Hope that makes sense.
And yes, you can freeze these donuts without the glaze.
Aliyah says
The recipe was easy to follow and the donuts are amazing everyone loves them x
Imma says
Woohoo great to hear that. Thank you so much:)
K Chandler says
Great recipe! I cute the dough into 3 inch squares and made center holes as usual. I didn’t want to deal with dough scraps. Turned out great. Thank you!
Imma says
Thank you, Chandler! happy to hear from you. On a lighter note if you can spend few minutes to add a rating to the recipe that would be great and helpful for the others too 🙂
Najla says
Thinking of making these today. What can I substitute veg oil with? I only use olive and coconut oils.
Imma says
If you don’t mind the coconut flavor, coconut oil will work. I wouldn’t use olive oil, though.
Nancy says
I love the square idea. I made them and they did turn out awesome. Going to freeze individually and put in husbands lunch.
Imma says
Great to hear that. Thank you!
Hitler jr says
It was a very del
Imma says
Yeah, thank you for sharing your feedback. Can you please go ahead and add the rating to the recipe? That will give more confident to the readers:)
jane cimone says
A fabulous, I mean FABULOUSSSSS recipe! It was so hard not to eat all of them. Thank you!!!! This ones differently a keeper 🙂
Imma says
Yayyy, Thank you so much for such warm feedback. Stay tuned to have more fabulous recipes 🙂