Baked Doughnuts without a special doughnut pan

Five minutes is all you need for these low-fat baked doughnuts. There’s no yeast and no rolling and definitely no need for a special pan. Ready in as little as 15-minutes from the oven.

mini doughnuts covered in frosting and sprinkles on a cooling rack.

Like most kids, my kids love doughnuts and who wouldn’t, after all, they are pretty tasty! They are also getting SO expensive at the local doughnut shop. So I wanted to make some at home that I could bake rather than fry. However, the rolled versions we’ve seen are pretty tedious and take a few hours of pre-planning to get the dough made and rested before they can ultimately be rolled and head into the oven. I never have that kind of time these days… or forethought.

A paper bag with mini baked doughnuts spilling out of it next to a glass of milk.

These doughnuts are made of a quick and easy cake batter version and would suggest the need for a special “mini doughnut pan” but instead I went in search of something I already owned that would deliver the same end result. I found that I could use my mini bundt pan, a mini muffin pan or even a cake pop pan (think doughnut holes) to achieve the same results without buying yet another specialty pan to add to my growing collection of kitchenware.  So if you don’t have a mini doughnut pan, I strongly urge you to just improvise.

Five minutes is all you need for the low fat baked doughnuts with no need for rolling or a a special

We really enjoyed the initial results and after we made the first batch we decided to try our hand at another batch this time in chocolate. My daughter had a great time decorating these mini doughnuts with me and she was just as proud as can be to learn that my co-workers all loved the doughnuts we had made – especially the ones she covered in chocolate and sprinkles.  :)

Looking for more brunch ideas? Check these out:

a paper bag with doughnuts spilling out ont to the table next to a glass of milk.

Baked Doughnuts

Ronda Eagle | Kitchen Dreaming
Five minutes is all you need for these baked doughnuts. There's no yeast and no rolling and definitely no need for a special pan.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 8 mins
Total Time 13 mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 24 mini doughnuts
Calories 89 kcal

Ingredients
  

Doughnuts

  • cooking spray
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tbsp butter , melted
  • 1 large egg , beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk , or substitute

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • colored sprinkles

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Prepare the mini muffin cups, mini bundt pan cups or mini doughnut pan with non stick cooking spray.
  • Place all the ingredients for the doughnut batter into a large bowl and mix to combine. The batter will be wet like a cake batter.
  • Spoon the batter into a gallon sized zip-top bag. I do this by holding one bottom corner of the bag in my hand like a cone and then folding the rest of the bag over the op of my hand to form a large opening. This keeps the batter into one end of the bag for ease of use.
  • Cut a small hole across the corner of the bag that you loaded the batter into about 1/2 inch for the bottom corner.
  • Squeeze the dough into the prepared pans filling no more than 2/3 full.
  • Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the doughnuts comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before glazing or frosting.
  • To prepare the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, water and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
  • Dip one side of the doughnut into the glaze. Place the doughnut, glazed side up, on a wire rack and immediately add sprinkles over the glaze, if desired. Repeat as desired with remaining doughnuts.

Notes

These doughnuts are made of a quick and easy cake batter version and would suggest the need for a special "mini doughnut pan" but instead I went in search of something I already owned that would deliver the same end result. I found that I could use my mini bundt pan, a mini muffin pan or even a cake pop pan (think doughnut holes) to achieve the same results without buying yet another specialty pan to add to my growing collection of kitchenware. So if you don't have a mini doughnut pan, I strongly urge you to just improvise.

Nutrition

Serving: 1doughnutCalories: 89kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 51mgPotassium: 37mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 81IUVitamin D: 1µgVitamin E: 1mgVitamin K: 1µgCalcium: 18mgFolate: 16µgIron: 1mgZinc: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

16 thoughts on “Baked Doughnuts without a special doughnut pan”

    • Dear Jaqualine,

      Clearly, you did not read the full instructions of step one. A donut pan is NOT needed but for those who have one, they can use it with this recipe as well. In the instructions, I cited THREE different pan options for those with or without a doughnut pan: “Prepare the mini muffin cups, mini bundt pan cups, OR mini doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray.” I do not have a doughnut pan, if you look at the photos you can clearly see the donuts in the photo were made in a mini bundt pan by the fluted edges.

      Reply
    • Eric,
      It’s meant to be a loose batter. Using the mini muffin tin would make doughnut “hole” type doughnuts. The doughnuts in the photos were made with a mini bundt pan which is why they have holes in the center and fluted edges along the bottom. Hope this helps.

      Reply
  1. Loving the low cal Mini donuts. I’m going to make these for my partner this weekend. I know we’ll enjoy them!

    Reply

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