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!
It was really good!!! I used a combination of bread flour with a little whole wheat flour to replace the all purpose flour.
Thank you for sharing your recipe 😘💕
Is there any difference between using vegetable shortening and vegetable oil ?
If there is I’d like to know which is better
Thank you
Any type of oil should work fine for deep-frying. I have used grapeseed and peanut oil for this recipe and both worked fine.
Vou fazer essas maravilhas de Dunuts
These look waaaaaaaay better than Krispy Kremes. I wish I had one right now.
These look perfect and I can’t wait to try them do you happen to have this recipe by weight (at least the flour?)
I made these and they were a hit but I did have some issues. So I added 2 1/2 cups of flour and 4-5 tbs of flour and though ok that was enough because it was pulling away from the sides. I didn’t read the part of making it rise first before putting it in the fridge so it didn’t really rise that much. The next day I took them out and put them outside covered in the sun and they doubled in size. When I was ready to need them the dough was so sticky there was no way I could roll them out so I was adding in flour until I could need and roll so I think I put in about a cup. I rolled them out and I used a big glass and for the hole I used a small round form that I got as part of a baking kit.
The donuts are really good like cake like so I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t let it rise. The donut holes my testers said they taste like Tim Hortons Tim bits there a cross between Sour Cream and Cruller. I’ll have to make them again and see how they come out. Too bad I can’t show my pictures of my donuts.
I’m in Australia and don’t have access to general “vegetable shortening”, though it seems like coconut oil or “Copha” would be the equivalent. Is that correct? Is American vegetable shortening made from coconut oil?
Copha can work for doughnuts, so can refined lard if you want something different. US American shortening is made from soy and palm oils.
Oh-my-damn! Just made these and holy crap are they good. I’m in a donut kick right now and this is my second recipe in as many weeks. I was very disappointed with that other batch. It claimed to be a Krispy Kreme imitation but it was far too cakey and fought and even the glaze wasn’t right. That recipe did a double proof and said to make them right away. I started too late so did a half batch immediately and stuck the rest in the fridge overnight (didn’t know this was a thing and had to google it to see if it’d be okay). Next morning was night and day. Lighter, fluffier, and tasted much better.
Then.
I came across this recipe. This is next level stuff. Holy crap I don’t know how you discovered the reheating time worked because my batch is almost gone. It’s been 20min and it’s just two of us here.
The cake is very light and airy (not dense or bread-like as a “typical” donut is). Good taste. Perfect pull. When you pick up the donut the glaze cracks just perfectly in my fingers.
I felt the glaze was a touch thick for my preferences so I added an extra teaspoon or so to get the consistency I liked. Oh right! I let the donut cool for a minute before dipping in the glaze and then flipped to coat. By doing this method the donuts were very well coated but it also meant that I ran out of glaze. But since the glaze is so east to make (no butter or heating required) it was simple enough to make a second batch on the fly. Not a critique but just a different preference to to the amount of glaze I like vs the recipe.
I made two minor variations to the recipe as written. (1) I used vegetable oil instead of shortening. As a result they’re a touch on the oily side but that would easily be solved with the shortening. (2) I used a wok instead of a cast iron pot as I felt that I could get by with a wider surface area but less amount oil volume. The temp didn’t deviate too much but I was frying only 3 at a time as I didn’t want to affect temp or crowd them. I don’t have a candy thermometer but I do have a Thermopop so I was able to keep my temp under quick monitoring.
I feel a true Krispy Kreme aficionado would be able to nitpick and find fault, but I feel this is about as close as you can get with making them at home.
I had no problems when making the recipe and this is now my go-to donut recipe from now on. It’s amazing. Thank you so very much!
I made this and it was a great recipe ..but it is too long of a prep..so after it was made i let it rise for an hour and worked on the dough.
Cut them and let it rise for 45 mins then i
Fried it.. It turns out great and will be using my 2 hour technique instead of the long waits.
I made these but my oil didn’t get to 360 and it kept smoking even before it got to the temp of 360. Any tips or tricks? Maybe I was using the wrong equipment. And even though I fried them in 260 degrees they came out very very dark brown. Maybe even close to black.
Consider a new, quick temp thermometer or use the wooden stick method of gauging temp by seeing the speed of the bubbles when you dip the wooden spoon handle into the hot oil. It truly sounds like your oil was far too hot.
Sounds like your thermometer is in Celsius. OIl will not get to 360deg Celsius. That’s like 700F???!!
Hi
I tried your recipe.Donuts came out good but Both backside of the donuts was not same as the top one.can you tell me whats the reason? One side got flat & other is fluffy.
Secondly, after leaving dough overnight, my dough got little fluffy again & sticky too.why?
I made these for my kids last night/this morning and they were incredible! I didn’t realize that I was out of granulated sugar but I did have some coconut sugar on hand and it was perfect! They were super easy to make and the kids have been quietly enjoying breakfast…..leaving me some nice coffee time! Thank you!! :)
This was quite good, the doughnuts were light and airy but the dough was quite soft so keeping the shape was a little tough. Thank you very much for the recipe, I like it. Question…. can I keep some of the remaining dough in the fridge for a day or two before cutting and frying?
Hi Shan, Yes that would work!
If you cut the parchment and use it to move the doughnut into the oil you’ll be able to remove it from the dough easily once it’s in the oil. You can just pull it off. It’s a slick trick to transferring the soft dough to the oil without destroying the shape.
I have wanting to make these so I started them late in the morning on Wednesday not thinking about the time, so I knew I couldn’t finish them up until Thursday but I didn’t have any body at home Thursday to help me eat them so I let the dough sit in the refrigerator for two full days. They came out perfect. Shaped and fried them up Friday afternoon. They were a big hit. Taste just like a Kristy Kareem doughnut.
Thanks so much for this recipe, well all your recipes , I use your index very often.
I have dry yeast ..whats the equivalent of its to instant yeast
Hi I really need help, how many does it make?
Hi Megan, It makes 12 doughnuts (you can always find the yield at the top of the recipe).
Hi Michelle. I have posted previously, and i love your recipe. But recently, i have failed in achieving the soft fluffy texture that we all loved. They became very crispy and not as soft and fluffy as i it should be. And i can’t identify my mistake. Help!
Hmmm did you do anything differently? Is your ambient air temperature/humidity different than before?
Hi. I got batter like texture when I mixed the ingredients. What CUP are you referring to with the “3/4 C water” recipe. I’m a bit confused. Thank you.
Hi! I think you misunderstood the measurement. It wasn’t 3 to 4 cups, but rather three quarter cup.
Came out fantastic ! My kids loved them !🥰 thank you for sharing 💕
I followed exactly & they turned out great! Leaving the dough overnight certainly helped with rolling and cutting. The recipe sure looks like a lot of steps, but none take up much time – really. Easy to follow instructions and simple ingredients makes a great donut, which my husband agrees is pretty darn close to his favourite krispy kreme!! Thanks for sharing this is truly a keeper!!
Can I bake these donuts instead of frying ? If yes, how long should I bake ?
I never have, so I can’t say for sure how they would turn out!
My husband LOVES the lemon filled Krispy Kreme donuts. Any ideas on how to make that filling? 😁
Ooooh I’ve never had those, I’m sorry I can’t help much here! You might be able to search online to see if it’s a lemon curd, lemon frosting, or maybe a combo?
Hi Michelle,
I don’t have access to vegetable shortening to fry the donuts in. So what can I use as a substitute? Sunflower oil?
Hi is it normal that it smelled like beer after refrigerating it overnight?
If not i think I’m gonna have to do my second try,
Dear is it necessary to put the dough in the fridge for at 8 hours or whole night? Instead of that can i rest the dough for 1 hour at room temperature and then rolled out the dounts from it. Thanks
Yes, it needs the long rest in the refrigerator for the dough to develop properly. Enjoy!!
I am in love with these doughnuts! I am currently working in a rural area where ‘krispy kreme’ is a foreign name no one ever heard of. I was surprised by the texture and the taste was sublimely similar. Recommended. Oh and don’t be scared of the soft dough. And shapes doesn’t matter.
Thank you for the recipe. I am forever grateful.
Having flown back to Canada carrying Krispy Kreme donuts as carry on , these donuts are really close to the real deal! In fact these may be better as sometimes the commercial stores use their cooking oil for too long.
I made these this morning and they turned out really well for a first try. A couple of things I learned:
….(1) the dough is super sticky and a bit difficult to work when not straight out of the fridge so I split the dough in two and rolled out in batches (2) I lightly floured the parchment because the dough is so sticky and delicate (3) once the doughnuts rose, I cut the parchment paper they were resting on so I could individually bring each doughnut to my frying pan without deflating them.
All in all they turned out super fluffy, definitely worth all the effort.
The flavor and texture was on point!!! Mine were super ugly though. They did rise perfectly but then they deflated the second I touched them. Any tips on how to correct that? Thank you for the recipe! My favorite part of this recipe is that it has simple ingredients and even though they took a while it wasn’t a whole bunch of work clustered into a small time frame. I made some yesterday (different recipe-not my fav) and by the time I was done it looked like a war zone! 😂
Hi Jessie, I’m so thrilled you enjoyed these! If they deflated as soon as you touched them, they likely were left to rise a bit too long. Hope that helps!
i requested my husband to make these yesterday, and it was worth the long wait for the dough to rise and rest. they are SOOOOO good. he fried them in olive oil. we dont have a krispy kreme in Alberta Canada and the drive is 5 hours across the boarder to America to get one
These turned out pretty darn well! My dough looked per the video although it may have been a tad wet. Good rise, good color. I did get some sticking to my parchment paper for the final rise and I had some trouble getting a few donuts off the parchment without deflating the delicate dough. I did not have solid white vegetable oil and used canola oil. The oil temp was 345-350 (couldn’t seem to get the oil hotter than that) and still my donuts turned a rather pronounced brown in just a few seconds instead of golden yellow. I also made chocolate glaze I found online for the chocoholics I was serving. Everyone said the donuts were excellent! I agreed. I’ll definitely make again and will preplan getting the solid vegetable oil to see if that makes a difference in color. Thanks again!
Hi thank you for the recipe i love it😍
I just have one question, is it okay frying them in vegetable oil not shortening?? Or will that mess up the recipe
These are sooo amazing!!! Although not tasting like an Australian krispy kreme donut they were seriously the next best thing. I could not believe how light and airy and tasty they were – simply heavenly!!! We will be making them again and again – THIS IS THE BEST DONUT RECIPE EVER! Thank you for sharing :)
IM EXCITED TO TRY THIS, MY QUESTION IS ABOUT HOW MANY DOES THIS MAKE. AND CAN YOU DOUBLE THE RECIPIE?
Hi Tracy, It makes 12 doughnuts (see “yield” in recipe above) and yes, you can double!