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Chocolate Donuts made in your own oven are rich, moist, and tender with a deep cocoa flavor and a sweet vanilla glaze, and the best part is there is no messy frying. These baked chocolate donuts come together in one bowl and a donut pan, so they are easy enough for a slow weekend morning with the kids piping batter and dipping the glaze. If you love an easy baked donut, our baked chocolate chip cake donuts are another must try.
From craving to glazed donut in under 30 minutes, no yeast and no frying required.
Chocolate Donuts Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 donuts
- ⚡ Calories: 208kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Rich, moist chocolate cake donut under a sweet, simple vanilla glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, no frying and no yeast, simpler than our crescent roll cinnamon rolls
Quick Answer
Cream melted butter with brown sugar and vanilla, then mix in cocoa powder. Beat in the eggs and sour cream, then alternate stirring in the dry ingredients with buttermilk until just combined. Pipe the batter into a greased donut pan and bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool, then dip in a simple powdered sugar glaze.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Baked, not fried. A donut pan gives you that classic ring shape with none of the oil, mess, or splatter of frying, so cleanup is a breeze.
- Cocoa and brown sugar for deep flavor. Real cocoa powder plus moist brown sugar gives these donuts a rich, almost brownie like chocolate flavor.
- Sour cream and buttermilk keep them moist. The dairy duo makes the crumb soft and tender and keeps the donuts from drying out.
- A piping bag makes it easy. Piping the batter into the pan gives you neat, evenly filled donuts without any fuss.
- A simple glaze, double dipped. A three ingredient powdered sugar glaze sets up shiny and sweet, and a double dip gives you that bakery thick coating.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They give you bakery style chocolate donuts at home with no deep frying.
- Everything comes together in one bowl and bakes in about 10 minutes.
- They are just as easy as our baked chocolate chip cake donuts.
Key Ingredients
Simple pantry and fridge staples come together for these rich baked chocolate donuts.
- Cocoa powder: The source of that deep, rich chocolate flavor in every bite.
- Brown sugar: Adds moisture and a soft caramel note for a tender crumb.
- Sour cream and buttermilk: The dairy duo that keeps these donuts moist and soft.
- Melted butter: Brings richness and flavor without needing to cream cold butter.
- Powdered sugar: Whisked with milk and vanilla into the simple glaze that coats every donut.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These baked chocolate donuts are easy to dress up.
- Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor into a mocha donut.
- Stir mini chocolate chips into the batter for double the chocolate.
- Top the wet glaze with sprinkles, chopped nuts, or shredded coconut before it sets.
- Swap the vanilla glaze for a chocolate glaze by whisking cocoa powder into the powdered sugar.
How to Make Chocolate Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a donut pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the cocoa powder to the butter mixture and mix until fully combined into a smooth chocolate base.
- Beat in the egg and egg yolk one at a time, then mix in the sour cream until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, alternating with the buttermilk, until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag or zip top bag with a corner snipped off, and pipe it into each donut cavity about three quarters full.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then dip each donut into the vanilla glaze, double dipping for a thick coating, and set on a rack.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not overfill the cavities, since filling them about three quarters full keeps the donut hole open and gives a classic shape.
- Use a piping bag or a zip top bag with the corner snipped for the neatest, easiest way to fill the pan.
- Do not overmix the batter once the flour goes in, or the donuts can turn dense and tough.
- Let them cool a few minutes before glazing so the glaze sets instead of sliding off a hot donut.
- Double dip the glaze for that thick bakery style coating, letting the first layer set before the second.
- Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 days so the glaze stays pretty.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These baked chocolate donuts are best the day they are made, still slightly warm with the glaze freshly set. Serve them with a tall glass of cold milk or a hot cup of coffee for the ultimate weekend breakfast or after school treat.
Set them out on a brunch spread next to our lemon blueberry coffee cake and a batch of banana nut muffins for a table everyone will love.
They also make a fun edible gift or bake sale item. Box them up alongside our sour cream coffee cake for a homemade breakfast basket.
Chocolate Donuts FAQs
A donut pan gives you the classic ring shape and is inexpensive and widely available. If you do not have one, you can pipe the batter into a muffin tin to make chocolate donut muffins, adjusting the bake time slightly.
Overbaking and overmixing are the usual culprits. Pull the donuts as soon as a toothpick comes out clean, around 8 to 10 minutes, and stir the batter just until combined to keep the crumb moist and tender.
Yes. The donuts are best fresh, but you can bake them a day ahead and store unglazed in an airtight container, then glaze just before serving. You can also freeze unglazed donuts for up to 2 months.
Make a quick substitute by stirring a teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a third cup of regular milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Plain yogurt thinned with a little milk also works.
Store glazed donuts in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Avoid stacking them so the glaze stays intact and pretty.
Absolutely. Whisk a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder into the powdered sugar before adding the milk and vanilla for a rich chocolate glaze, or melt chocolate chips with a little cream for a ganache dip.
Tried these baked chocolate donuts? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below and tell me if you went single or double dipped on the glaze!
Baked Chocolate Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
For the glaze:
- 1 & ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray donut pans with cooking spray, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Set aside.1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth in a large bowl.¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the cocoa powder to the butter mixture and mix until combined.½ cup cocoa powder
- Beat the eggs into the butter mixture, one at a time.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk
- Mix the sour cream into the batter.⅓ cup sour cream
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk until fully incorporated. Do not overmix.⅓ cup buttermilk
- Pour the mixture into a large piping bag or Ziploc bag with one corner of the bag snipped off, and pipe the batter into each donut cavity about ¾ full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the donuts are cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the donut comes out clean.
- Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan.
- Mix glaze ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Dip donuts into the glaze mixture (I like to double dip for an extra thick coating).1 & ½ cups powdered sugar, ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Transfer coated donuts to a cooling rack to cool, enjoy!
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure ingredients are at room temperature for a smoother batter.
- Do Not Overmix: Mix until just combined to maintain a tender crumb.
- Use a Piping Bag: It’s the best way to get the batter into the donut cavities neatly.
- Grease the Pan: Ensure the donut pan is well-greased for easy removal.
- Double Dip Glaze: Double dipping gives a thick, luscious glaze.
- Add Toppings Fast: Add toppings (if using) immediately after glazing to ensure they stick.
Nutrition
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