Powdered Donuts

My family loves it when I bake up these powdered donuts! They need just 5 ingredients and are super fluffy, cakey, and doused in powdered sugar.

Love homemade donuts? Try my donut holes, blueberry donuts, mochi donuts, and baked donuts next.

My powder sugar donut recipe is a family favorite for a reason. They are a mix between a fluffy cake and a powdered sugar donut hole and one of the easiest donuts you’ll ever make.

Table of Contents

1. Why I love this recipe
2. Ingredients needed
3. How to make powdered donuts
4. Arman’s recipe tips
5. Storage instructions
6. Frequently asked questions
7. More easy baking
8. Powdered Donuts (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

• Quick and easy. The entire recipe takes less than 20 minutes to make! 
• Best texture. They are fluffy, cakey, and perfectly soft in the middle.
• Baked, not fried. Unlike traditional donuts, baking them skips the excess oil frying provides, and there is also no butter in the dough itself!
• Just 5 ingredients. Count them yourself- this is seriously such a simple ingredient list.  

Ingredients needed

• Self rising flour. A simple mix of all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. I prefer to skip the store-bought kind and make my homemade self-rising flour.
• Maple syrup. Adds sweetness and also keeps the middle soft. I tested these donuts with honey and found it too overpowering.
• Coconut oil. Refined coconut oil, measured at a melted state. You can also use butter. Avoid using commercial oils like vegetable oil because it yields a more gritty donut.
• Milk of choice. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk works. 
• Powdered sugar. For the powdered sugar coating.

How to make powdered donuts

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Make the donut batter. Start by adding all the ingredients, except for the powdered sugar, in a mixing bowl. Whisk everything together until a smooth batter remains. 

Step 2- Add them to donut molds. Next, pour the batter into a ziplock bag or piping bag and cut one corner off. Distribute the batter amongst a generously greased 12-count donut pan (or 2 6-count ones).

Step 3- Bake. Now, bake the donuts until the tops lightly bounce back when touched. Let the donuts cool in the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Step 4- Coat. Finally, once the donuts have cooled down, dip them completely in the powdered sugar to cover them. 

Arman’s recipe tips

• Make sure you grease your donut pan thoroughly. This ensures there is no risk of the donuts sticking to it. Alternatively, if you have a silicone donut pan, use that instead. 
• Pour the batter into a ziplock bag and cut off one end of it. Squeeze out the batter from it, to make transferring the batter into the donut pan seamless (trust me, doing it from the mixing bowl is such a mess).
• Avoid over-baking the donuts as they continue to cook as they are cooling down. 
• If you’d like to ensure the powdered sugar sticks on the donuts, lightly brush the exterior with some melted butter or cooking spray. 

Storage instructions

To store: Leftover donuts can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days. If you’d like to keep them longer, store them in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. 

To freeze: Place donuts in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Frequently asked questions

More easy baking

• Honey cake
• Orange cake
• Lemon olive oil cake
• Flourless muffins

Originally updated August 2022, updated and republished November 2024