Chocolate Glazed Donuts
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These moist and fluffy chocolate glazed donuts are dipped in the best vanilla glaze! They are baked, not fried, made in one bowl, and you don’t even need a mixer. You can even turn them into mini donuts!
After making my Oreo donuts, you know I had to make a classic chocolate version! These glazed chocolate donuts are so much easier than yeasted donuts. No need to wait for the dough to rise and you don’t have to fry them! Instead, we’re using a donut pan and baking them – so much easier!
If you want more chocolate recipes (who doesn’t!), then you have to try my dark chocolate chocolate chip cookies or chocolate snack cake!
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Glazed Donuts
- These chocolate glazed donuts take just 20 minutes to make! Unlike yeast donuts, you don’t need to let the donut mix rise.
- They’re baked instead of fried, so they’re so much easier to make!
- These chocolate glazed donuts are super moist and fluffy thanks to oil.
- You can easily make these donuts dairy-free, so they’re perfect if you have food allergies!
Ingredients Needed
- Cocoa Powder: I love using Dutch-processed cocoa powder since it’s so chocolatey and rich! Feel free to swap it out for natural cocoa powder if that’s all you have on hand.
- Oil: you’ll want to use a neutral oil like vegetable oil or sunflower oil. In a pinch, you can use melted butter.
- Milk: feel free to use regular whole milk or vegan milk if you’re dairy-free.
- Leaveners: since these are yeast-free donuts, we’re using baking soda and baking powder. Make sure they haven’t expired!
- Vanilla Extract: try to use real vanilla extract if you can.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease your donut pan with cooking spray.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, white sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in the milk.
Step 3: Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until just combined.
Step 4: Fill the donut cavities until they’re half way full with batter. I find the easiest way to do this is filling a ziploc bag with the donut batter, then cut the corner off the pipe and pipe the batter in.
Step 5: Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when you gently press your finger into them. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. Place a large baking sheet or piece of parchment paper under the rack to help avoid making a mess when you glaze the donuts!
Step 6: Add the powdered sugar, water, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and whisk until combined. If your frosting is too thick, add more water a teaspoon at a time.
Step 7: Dip the donuts upside down in the icing. Place them back on the wire rack so the glaze can set.
Expert Tips
- I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients! It’s so easy to add too much flour or cocoa powder if you use measuring cups, which are going to make your donuts dry or tough.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale, then make sure to use the scoop and level method to weigh out both your flour and cocoa powder.
- Once adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stop mixing the batter as soon as it’s combined. Over-mixing the batter can make the donuts dense.
- Only fill the donut cavities so they’re halfway full. If they’re any fuller, they might overflow when in the oven.
- You can swap out the oil for melted butter, but I found that using oil keeps the donuts soft and fluffy for days, while with butter they tend to dry out quickly.
Storage Instructions
These chocolate glazed donuts are best enjoyed on the day they’re baked! If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The glaze might start to melt if you live in a warm climate.
More Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Chocolate Glazed Donuts
Ingredients
Chocolate Donuts
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (67 g) white sugar
- ¼ cup (55 ml) sunflower oil (or other neutral oil) , (can sub melted butter) SEE NOTES
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- ½ cup (125 ml) milk (regular or dairy free)
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (30 g) cocoa powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
Vanilla Glaze
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar (icing sugar/confectioner's sugar)
- ¼ cup (55 ml) water, (plus more as needed) SEE NOTES
- ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease donut pans with cooking spray. This recipe makes 10-12 donuts.
- Add oil, white sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk together until combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract, then whisk in the milk.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl and mix until combined. Do not over mix.
- Fill the donut cavities ½ way full with batter. I recommend squeezing the batter out of a ziploc bag to make it easier. To do this, add the batter into the ziploc bag, then cut the corner off of the bag and pipe the batter into it.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when you gently press your finger into them. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Place a large baking sheet under the wire rack (or a piece of parchment paper), to avoid making a mess once the donuts are glazed.
Vanilla Glaze
- Add powdered sugar, water, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and whisk until combined. If the frosting is too thick, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Dip the donuts upside down in the icing, generously covering the top. Transfer the donuts back to the wire rack to let the glaze set.
Equipment
Video
Notes
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Photography by: Kelly at Bake & Bacon