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Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts give you soft, fluffy cake donuts studded with melty chocolate chips and dipped in a glossy chocolate glaze, all without dragging out the deep fryer. They bake up in about 10 minutes, so warm donuts are only a weekend morning away, and the kids line up the second they smell them. If you love our baked donut holes, these full size cake donuts are the next batch to make.
No frying, no yeast, and no special skills stand between you and a tray of chocolate glazed donuts.
Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 7 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 donuts
- ⚡ Calories: 314kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft, fluffy cake donut with melty chocolate and a sweet glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our baked chocolate donuts
Quick Answer
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, then stir in eggs, sour cream, milk, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips, pipe the batter into a greased donut pan, and bake at 400 degrees for 9 to 10 minutes. Cool the donuts, dip the tops in a simple chocolate glaze, and add sprinkles before the glaze sets.
Jump to:
- Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts FAQs
- Other Recommended Baked Donut Recipes
- Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Baking skips the fryer. No hot oil and no mess, just a donut pan and an oven for soft, cakey donuts every time.
- Sour cream keeps them moist. A little sour cream in the batter makes the donuts extra tender and rich without weighing them down.
- Piping makes them pretty. Spooning or piping the batter into the wells gives you smooth, evenly shaped donuts that look bakery made.
- The glaze sets to a shell. A simple cocoa and powdered sugar glaze firms up into a glossy chocolate coating that holds the sprinkles.
- They bake in minutes. At 400 degrees these donuts are done in about 10 minutes, so the whole batch comes together fast.
- Kids love to help. Dipping the donuts and showering them with sprinkles is the kind of job little hands fight over.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They deliver bakery style cake donuts with no frying and no yeast.
- They come together in about 30 minutes from bowl to glaze.
- They are loaded with chocolate chips and topped with a chocolate glaze, like our cosmic brownie cookies.
- They are a fun weekend project the whole family can pitch in on.
Key Ingredients
Here is what goes into these soft baked chocolate chip donuts and their glossy glaze.
- Flour and sugar: The base of a tender, lightly sweet cake donut.
- Sour cream and milk: They add moisture and richness so the donuts stay soft and cakey.
- Chocolate chips: Folded into the batter for melty pockets of chocolate in every bite.
- Cocoa and powdered sugar: Whisked with a little milk, they make the simple chocolate glaze.
- Eggs, butter, and vanilla: They bind the batter and round out that classic donut flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These donuts are easy to make your own. Here are a few favorites.
- Swap the chocolate chips for mini chips, white chocolate chips, or chopped candy bars.
- Use a vanilla glaze instead of chocolate, or skip the glaze and dust with cinnamon sugar.
- Add a half teaspoon of espresso powder to the batter to deepen the chocolate flavor.
- Top with crushed cookies, toasted coconut, or chopped nuts instead of sprinkles.
- Make them into donut holes by baking the batter in a mini muffin tin, like our baked donut holes.
How to Make Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a donut pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the eggs, sour cream, milk, melted butter, and vanilla, then stir until the batter is smooth with no dry patches.
- Fold the chocolate chips into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Spoon or pipe the batter evenly into the 12 donut wells and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the donuts spring back when touched.
- Let the donuts cool, then whisk the powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and milk into a smooth, dipping consistency glaze.
- Dip the top of each donut in the glaze, set it glaze side up on a rack, and add sprinkles right away before the glaze sets.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not overmix the batter. Stir just until smooth so the donuts bake up tender, not tough.
- Pipe the batter for clean donuts. A piping bag or zip top bag with the corner snipped fills the wells neatly.
- Fill the wells about two thirds full so the donuts keep their hole and do not overflow.
- Cool the donuts completely before glazing, or the glaze will slide right off.
- Add the sprinkles immediately after dipping while the glaze is still wet so they stick.
- Store in a single layer in an airtight container so the glazed tops do not smudge.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These baked chocolate chip donuts are made for lazy weekend mornings. Serve them warm with coffee or a tall glass of milk for the full donut shop experience at home.
Set up a donut bar with extra glazes and toppings so everyone can decorate their own, right alongside a batch of our baked banana donuts and peanut butter donuts.
They are also a sweet addition to a brunch spread or a birthday breakfast. Stack them on a cake stand next to our chocolate chip cake for a chocolate lover’s morning.
Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts FAQs
A donut pan gives you the classic ring shape, but you can also bake the batter in a mini muffin tin for donut holes or a regular muffin tin for donut muffins. Adjust the bake time and check for a springy top.
Dense donuts usually mean the batter was overmixed or the wells were overfilled. Stir just until smooth and fill each well about two thirds full so the donuts stay light and cakey.
Store them in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Glazed donuts are best the day they are made, so glaze only what you plan to eat soon.
Yes. Freeze the unglazed, cooled donuts in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then make a fresh glaze and dip them before serving.
Bake the donuts a day ahead and store them unglazed, then whisk up the glaze and dip them the morning you plan to serve so the coating stays fresh and glossy.
Absolutely. A simple vanilla glaze, a maple glaze, or even a quick cinnamon sugar coating all work well. Just dip or roll the cooled donuts and add toppings before it sets.
Craving more donuts? Try our baked chocolate donuts with simple glaze next.
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Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 6 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the glaze:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons whole milk
- Chocolate sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 12 count donut pan with cooking spray, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the eggs, sour cream, milk, butter, and vanilla extract, stir until smooth with no dry patches.2 large eggs, ½ cup sour cream, 6 tablespoons whole milk, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the chocolate chips, stir to combine.1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Spoon or pipe the mixture evenly between the 12 donut wells.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, until the donuts spring back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes clean.
- Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes, take them out and let cool on a wire rack until cooled completely.
- When the donuts are cool, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of milk. You are looking for a dipping consistency, if the glaze is too thick to dip, add another 1 tablespoon of milk.1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3-4 tablespoons whole milk
- Dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze and place them glaze side up on a wire rack over a piece of parchment paper to catch any drips. Immediately top with sprinkles before dipping the next donut.Chocolate sprinkles for garnish
- Serve immediately or wait about 30 minutes so the glaze can set.
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your sour cream, eggs, and milk are at room temperature for the best texture.
- Don’t Overmix: Stir the dry ingredients and wet ingredients until just combined to avoid tough donuts.
- Use a Piping Bag: Spoon the batter into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off to easily fill the donut pan without a mess.
- Check Doneness: They should feel springy and not gooey. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
- Cool Properly: Let the donuts rest on a wire rack so the bottoms don’t get soggy.
- Experiment with Glazes: If chocolate glaze isn’t your thing, try a vanilla glaze or even a peanut butter glaze for variety.
Nutrition
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