In today’s post: Learn how to make mini donuts at home in under 15 minutes! Easy cake mix donuts recipe.
Donuts! Last year for Christmas I got a Mini Donut Maker and we’ve been a little donut crazy ever since. It’s so easy to use, and it’s nice to be able to make mini donuts that are baked instead of fried. And since we discovered you can make donuts in any flavor you want in under 15 minutes using a cake mix, we were hooked. My 13 year old regularly mixes up the simple recipe and bakes up a couple dozen mini donuts all by himself so he can share them with his friends. Kids go crazy for these, and since they are so much faster to make than cupcakes, they’re a great choice for birthdays, etc.
Supplies
To make mini donuts, you will need a mini donut maker like the one I have or a mini donut pan.
How to Make Mini Donuts
Next, you’ll need a great mini donut maker recipe. The easy recipe I use starts with a cake mix, which means you can make mini donuts in any flavor you can find a cake mix in: chocolate, strawberry, lemon, white, etc.! We found a spice cake mix last week and the donuts made from it were absolutely delicious, especially when topped with a simple glaze.
Like I mentioned, it only takes about 15 minutes to make a full batch of mini donuts (24-30) using the Mini Donut Maker. You can also use this recipe to make normal size donuts by baking them in a pan – read through the comments people have left for tips!
Now, before I give you the recipe I will say this: cake mix donuts don’t taste exactly like donuts you’d buy at the store. Since they are baked instead of fried the consistency is a little different, although they are quite similar to “cake donuts”. The taste varies depending on the cake mix you choose.
Mini donut recipe
Baked Mini Donuts from a Cake Mix
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 Box Cake Mix abt 15.25 oz
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 cup Oil
- 1 cup Water
Glaze
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1.5 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1-2 tbsp Milk
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Instructions
- Whisk the donut ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined.
- Spray the wells of a donut maker with nonstick spray and let it heat up.
- Fill the wells about halfway full of batter, then close the lid and bake donuts for 3 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool, and repeat with the remaining batter. Reapply nonstick spray if donuts begin to stick.
- To make the glaze, melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in powdered sugar and 1-2 tablespoons milk until glaze is smooth and somewhat runny.
- Dip donuts in glaze and place on cooling rack to cool completely.
Tip #1: “Pipe” the Batter
I like to dump the batter into a large resealable plastic bag, then snip off one corner and use that to “pipe” the batter into the mini donut maker, filling the bottom well as shown below. (Spray the unit once with nonstick spray before beginning.)
Tip #2: How to Glaze Mini Donuts
The glaze should be somewhat runny, as you see below. Dip the mini donut halfway into the glaze, then turn the donut sideways to allow extra glaze to run off. Let the glazed mini donut firm up on a cooling rack, adding sprinkles immediately if desired. After a few hours, the glaze gets firm enough so you can stack your cake mix donuts on a plate without smooshing.
Tip #3: Glaze Consistency
You’ll need to experiment a little with how thick or thin you like your glaze – thin glaze dries fairly clear, allowing the color of the donut to show through, while thick glaze stays opaque white. If you want pretty donuts, allow them to cool completely before glazing – the glaze doesn’t look as nice if it melts on a hot donut. But hot donuts taste great, so if you want to glaze and eat them immediately, go for it!
One last note, the donut maker will lightly brown whatever edge it comes into contact with, so if you are making strawberry donuts and want the tops to look pink, not brown, you should slightly under fill the wells so the tops don’t completely touch the unit while cooking.
We went hog wild last week and make 10 dozen mini donuts using 5 different cake mixes – and even when making that many it took us less than 2 hours. Fun!
For more yummy treat recipes, visit these posts:
Kristen says
Oh boy, these look dangerous! Love how simple they are. Might have to make these this weekend, and do extra cardio at the gym!
Lauren McGreevy says
Hi! I wanted to make these treats today in my donut pan for the oven! What temperature do you recommend I use?
Thank you so much!
Gayle says
I baked the doughnuts at 400 degrees and it worked great!
Jenni says
Thank you for this post. This is perfect for my daughter’s 2nd birthday party we are having in the morning.! Any idea how long the donuts last once they are made? I would like to make in advance. Thanks!
GABY says
Has anyone tried this in the oven? My brother just bought me a donut pan and i would love to give this a try
autumn says
I haven’t, but I think one of the other commenters mentioned that it works just fine!
Gayle says
I received a mini doughnut pan and a regular doughnut pan and just baked 2 dozens and they were great! It only took 12 minutes and my grandson could help out too!
Dee says
Winnie, Did you follow the directions on the cake mix box or what was written on this site? Just wondering as I’m planning on making these.
Which says:
(Ok, ready to make cake mix donuts? All you do is mix one dry cake mix with 1 egg, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of water. Whisk the ingredients together until well combined – a few lumps will remain. I like to dump the batter into a large resealable plastic bag, then snip off one corner and use that to “pipe” the batter into the Mini Donut Maker,)
Suzanne Van Hoff says
I’m THRILLED BECAUSE I NOW CAN MAKE SUGAR FREE DONUTS WITH A CAKE MIX !!!!!
amber says
pilsbury offers a sugar free yellow cake mix and a sugar free chocolate cake mix!
REnee says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!!!
Jenny's Minis says
And most important they still taste good
Judy Droles says
Where do you find the sugar free cake mixes?
Linda Hindman says
I’m thinking about gluten free.