Copycat Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
A copycat recipe for Krispy Kreme doughnuts – they’re light, airy and covered in a barely-there glaze.
We are a house divided when it comes to doughnuts… I’ve never, ever gravitated towards them as a breakfast indulgence or a dessert, never quite being able to stomach the taste of fried dough (the same holds true for funnel cakes, as well – what’s wrong with me?!). My husband, however, loves doughnuts and although we really don’t have them often at all, he’ll sometimes say that he’s craving Krispy Kreme. The problem? The Krispy Kreme shop that was near where we live closed years ago and there are none nearby.
A couple of months ago, he saw that it was national doughnut day and the craving hit… he asked if I would be able to make a copycat version of Krispy Kreme doughnuts at home. I never turn down a challenge, so I started doing my research!
As it turns out, there are approximately eleventy billion recipes for copycat Krispy Kreme doughnut recipes on the Internet. Shocking, right?
I sifted through a ton of them, and the majority had roughly the same ingredients with minor changes here and there. Then, I read the comments and reviews. Almost every single one was split 50/50 between “oh my gosh these taste JUST like Krispy Kreme!” and “oh my gosh these taste NOTHING like Krispy Kreme”. The pressure was on.
Not being a connoisseur myself, I read through tips and suggestions and came up with this recipe… of particular note is that I used instant yeast to keep the dough light and ensure a nice rise, and used water instead of milk to keep a lean dough.
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On a Sunday morning when the stars aligned and I woke up early and Joseph slept in, these were gracing our kitchen counter by 8:30am. I waited with bated breath for my husband’s verdict… he loved them! He said they were super, super, super close to Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and was thrilled. Score!
He said that in the past, he would reheat cooled Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the microwave for 8 seconds and it was just perfect, like they were hot from the conveyer belt, and he said the same held true for these. So those are the official reheating instructions :)
If you love doughnuts, this is a must baking project!
Watch How to Make Krispy Kreme Doughnuts:
Copycat Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the Doughnuts:
- 2¼ teaspoons (2.25 teaspoons) instant yeast
- ¾ cup (187.5 ml) warm water
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ to 3 cups (340 to 425 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 to 4 cups (552 to 736 g) vegetable shortening, for frying
For the Glaze:
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (62.5 ml) water
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Doughnuts: Combine the yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- Add the sugar, salt, butter, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and 2½ cups of the flour. Knead on low speed until a dough begins to form. If the dough is quite sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time until a soft, tacky dough forms. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl, but not the bottom.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free spot for 2 hours.
- Gently press to deflate the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- On a floured work surface, roll the dough out to a ½-inch thickness. Using a doughnut cutter (if you don’t have one, use one larger and one smaller round cutters) dipped in flour, cut out the doughnuts and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (You can roll any leftover dough scraps into balls for more doughnut holes.) Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to rest for 1 hour.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels and place a wire cooling rack on top.
- When ready to fry, heat the vegetable shortening in a large cast iron skillet (or other wide, heavy-bottomed skillet or pot) to a maintained temperature of 360 to 370 degrees. Gently lower the doughnuts into the oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan (I cooked in three batches). Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Carefully remove the doughnuts from the oil and place on the cooling rack. Repeat until all of the doughnuts have been fried.
- Make the Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, water and vanilla extract until smooth. Working one at a time, dip each doughnut into the glaze, flip to coat the other side, and return to the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set for about 15 minutes, then serve.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Would bread flour be okay instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Ericka, I would not recommend it, as it would result in doughnuts that are heavier and denser than they should be.
We made these at home and they were flavorless. Literally tasted like air dough. Probably the worst donut recipe we’ve ever tried. Sorry.
This didn’t really come out well for me.
Does it have to be shortening to fry or is veg oil acceptable?
Hi Sharon, Shortening is what I found to get the characteristic Krispy Kreme flavor/texture, but vegetable oil would certainly work for frying as well.
Can you double this recipe without any trouble?
Yes, absolutely!
First of all I have never ever made donuts before so, is there a difference between instant yeast, and instant dry yeast? Because I have instant dry yeast, and not Instant yeast. second of all, do these donuts tase fine at room temperature?
Hi Bailey, There is no difference – instant yeast and instant dry yeast are the same. And yes, I think they’re great at room temperature! My husband likes to microwave them for 8 seconds :)
Hi! this looks amazing.. i’ve been searching for a recipe same as with the original glazed donut of KK..
I have a question, after you cut the dough into donut-shaped form, isn’t it necessary to let it sit for a while for it to rise again?
Hi Carlo, Yes, they should rest for 1 hour (see step #5).
What if I don’t freeze the overnight? Will that effect the final outcome?
Hi Ayaan, It shouldn’t be frozen, it should be refrigerated. I think it really helps to develop the dough, but I don’t see them being ruined.
What happened? I’ve made light and fluffy donuts before, but my dough never rised this time 😔 Covered in plastic and sat out in a draft free space for two hours then lightly deflated the dough, covered back up and put in fridge for over 8 hours. When I “deflated” the dough, there wasn’t much to deflate. Hmmm…. I fried them up anyway and they taste yummy, just look like large, flat Cheerios. Haha!
Hi Caitlin, Oh no! If the dough never rose, the yeast may have been bad. Or the water could have been too hot and killed the yeast.
This receipe was amazing and the first donuts I have ever made. I couldn’t believe how close they were to Krispy Kreme’s glazed donut. I just realized that I used canola oil instead of shortening to fry them in. It worked fine but next time I’ll try shortening. It was a bit tricky to keep adjusting the temperature to maintain 360 degrees. Definitely get the temperature on target between batches. I didn’t have a donut cutter so used a round cookie cutter and the reverse end of a large decorating tip to cut out the holes. THANKS for tweeking and sharing this Michelle.
I’ve waited the 2 hours for rise. Just noticed the 8 hour or overnight rise. I wanted a donut today lol. What happens if I roll out and make donut now!
Hi Donn, The overnight rest really allows the yeast to work slowly and the gluten to develop. You can still fry them, but they may be more dense and not as light in the middle.
I was wondering what you do with the vegetable shortening after frying. I understand you melt it, fry the donuts, and then can it be re-used?
and can the recipe be halved?
Yes, the recipe can be halved!
Hi Kala, I do not personally re-use it, but some people do re-use oil that they use for frying.
I dont have a mixer with a hook……can this part be done by hand.
Hi Susan, Yes, it definitely can! Enjoy!
Sadly I am not able to fry anything but I’d really love to try these out (I am a big Krispy Kreme lover). Is it possible to bake these in donut pans?
Hi Sophie, I can’t say for sure, as I don’t own a doughnut pan, but it’s worth a shot!
My wife is the baker and I am the chef in our house. I came across this recipe and decided to give it a go. I went to the store last night and got everything I need. I’ve never worked with yeast so I’m both nervous and excited. I hope these turn out as good as yours! Cutrently waiting on dough to rise. Wish me luck!
I gave it 5 stars – but it only showed 4.5!!
Thank you so much for this Krispy Kreme recipe. It works perfectly. I made these this week for Chanukah and they delighted everyone at the table. So simple and so perfect. Thank you again for bringing much joy to our table. May G-d bless you with good health and joy to continue your great work. Jonathan UK
I’m so thrilled that you and your guests enjoyed the doughnuts!! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop back and leave a review, it’s so appreciated!
I was wondering how long I could leave the batter in the fridge before cooking after the initial 2 hours out on the counter.
Would approx 20 hours in the fridge work or would it totally destroy the batter? Thank you!
Hi Eva, I think that 20 hours in the refrigerator would be okay. Enjoy!
Do they have to rest for 8 hours? Or is that optional?
Hi Daley, Yes it does need to rest; it is not an optional step.
nice recipe, thanks for sharing. i’ve been searching for the best soft, tender donut recipe recently, i’ll definetly make one in the future!
by the way, how to maintain the temperature for the shortening? i’m affraid that the heat will rise too quickly, should i turn off the stove?
Hi Jennifer, You will just need to adjust your burner accordingly. Realize that once it gets to temperature and you add the doughnuts, the temperature will drop quickly. You’ll want to make sure it gets back up to temperature before adding the next batch.
I just want to thank you for taking the time to reply to all the comments.
You’re very welcome! :)
I’ve seen other recipes that don’t include the 8 hour or overnight fridge step. Is it necessary, and what purpose does it serve? I’m thinking of a time cost/benefit analysis, in cases where I want to make the donuts within a 2 hour time period. Thanks!
Hi Maurey, I found for this recipe it was necessary for the yeast and flavor development.
Can you also use this recipe for cream filled donuts????
I don’t see why not!!
I’ve made doughnuts from scratch many times, but I was looking for a closer match to the Krispy Kreme goodness my family loves. This one really got it right! My whole family loves these, and they are easy to make. I think the use of water instead of milk that other recipes use makes a big difference. The only changes I made were to make the dough in the bread machine the night before, and frying in peanut oil instead of shortening because that’s what I have on hand. Wonderful! Thank you!
I refrigerated the dough but when it came out it was really stiff and hard to roll. When I did roll it and cut my doughnuts to shape they started to shrink to different sizes on the tray.
Is there anything I have missed? Do I take it out of the fridge and let it warm up or do I let it rest for a while before cutting?
Hi Duncan, Mine was okay to work with straight from the fridge, but if your fridge is kept cooler than mine, you may need to let it rest on the counter (covered with a clean dish towel) until it’s workable. The doughnuts likely shrunk because the dough needed to rest.
Just made these for our air fryer because the air fryer recipe was more like a bagel. With teenagers in the home they like a doughnut every now and then. This recipe was great will be using again. Thank you for your blog and your work into getting all the right combinations.
What modifications did you make for your air fryer?
I made these donuts over night and they are amazing! I didn’t have to cook them as long as I thought… more like 45 seconds on each side. I followed the recipe all the way except I used a cast iron pot (rather than a pan) to ensure the oil didn’t splash. But it didn’t! It was sooo easy to fry and I’ll definitely be making this recipe again.
The glaze just tops off the whole recipe. The only thing I’d do differently is add some more flavoring to the dough so that it’s not quite as yeasty.
They turned out very spongey. I used a proofing drawer for the first rise. Do you think I over proved them? They are great split and fried in butter. It crisps them and carmelizes the glaze.
I have see so many “copy cat” donut recipes and have tried to compare them. My question is, do you NEED to refrigerate this recipe? What happens if you don’t?
Hi Teresa, I do highly recommend it; it helps to firm up the dough and the rest allowed the gluten to relax and create a nice and fluffy doughnut.
Hi Michelle, this makes wayyy more donuts for myself so I can’t eat them all in one day tho they’re absolutely delicious. I wonder how long the fried donuts can last or can we freeze them. I don’t want to freeze the dough since I want to fry all of them in one batch. Thanks!
They’re definitely best on the day that they’re made, but are okay to store for another couple of days. I don’t think that they would freeze well, though.
.They freeze wonderfully …we put one or 2 in a baggie and squeeze out air(But don’t squish them) then just leave out of freezer until room temp or heat in micro for 8 seconds. We have kept them frozen for well over a month or so with no problem.