Krispy Kreme Doughnut Recipe (Copycat)
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Recipe (Copycat) — Light and fluffy donuts topped with a rich glaze will melt in your mouth. Tastes as good as the store-bought Krispy Kremes!
Raise your hand if you have ever waited in line for a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Now, raise two hands if you’ve passed Krispy Kreme and had to make a U-Turn when you see the green neon sign say “HOT NOW”! I have to admit I’ve done both. Don’t feel guilty about it and I even got in trouble for it.
Yes, I was late for work that day, but guess what? My boss didn’t seem upset after I handed him some Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
I had to bribe him.
But wait, can you believe I still got dinged for it! Even after he gobbled down almost half a dozen. Bummer!
There is nothing quite like biting into a warm Krispy Kreme donuts- It melts in your mouth, leaves you wanting more and more. I have to muster every will power in me to stop at two. But to date, it has been an impossible task.
I don’t know what is it about these doughnuts.
Is it the definite crackle from the doughnut?
or the melt in the mouth sensation you get
or just maybe the fact that it is deep-fried.
Your guess is just as good as mine
Whatever it is, nothing tempts me more like a Krispy Kreme doughnut. That is why when I came across this doughnut, I decided to give it a try.
I know what you’re thinking, what is the point of making these at home when the store bought version is cheap and good. I find these curiously satisfying to make at home.
This is going on the menu for Father’s Day Weekend. I know hubby and mini hubby would be thrilled!
Although they may look unprofessional and uneven, they do have an edge compared to the store-bought version.
If you can make a cake you can make these. They’re not that difficult to make. You can even make it without a mixer.
ENJOY!!!!
Watch How To Make It
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This recipe was originally posted in November 2013 and has been updated with new photos and, recently, with a video.
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Recipe
Ingredients
Doughnut Batter
- 2 ¼-ounce packages instant yeast (or 4½ teaspoons)
- ⅓ cup (80ml) warm water (105-115℉/40-46℃)
- 1½ cups (355ml) milk (whole or low fat milk)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (7g) salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup (76g) butter, (or shortening) softened
- 5 cups (600g) all-purpose flour
- Canola oil for frying
Donut Glaze
- ½ cup (113g) butter melted
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon (10ml) vanilla
- 5-7 tablespoons (75-103ml) evaporated milk
Instructions
- In a standing mixer, combine lukewarm water and yeast. Let it sit until dissolve for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a microwave safe medium bowl, heat milk for about 2 minutes. Remove and let it cool.
- Add, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening or butter and 2 cups of flour to bowl of yeast.
- Mix for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and continue mixing dough. Scraping down sides.
- Place dough in a large greased bowl. Cover loosely with a clean clothe and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 to 2 hours or until doubled.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts using a donut cutter or cookie cutter about one 1-inch and one 3 or 4-inch .Let stand for about 10 minutes.
- In a large sauce pan, pour vegetable oil until it is at least 3 inches (or about 5 centimeters) high and place on medium heat until oil is 375 degrees.
- Carefully drop doughnuts into hot oil, only a few at a time. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on prepared paper towels.
Doughnut Glaze
- In a microwave safe bowl melt the butter.
- Remove and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until everything comes together
- Then evaporated milk (or sub water) until you have reached desired consistency
- Dip doughnuts in glaze and let it drip on the rack.
Nutrition Information:
TIPS AND NOTES
- In order for your these doughnuts to be airy, they have to double in size by rising. So be patient with it. It might take more than the recommended hours. It all depends on the temperature inside your kitchen.
- If the dough is too difficult to handle, place in the fridge for about 30 minutes before cutting them out. DO NOT add more flour.
- Key factor here is the oil temperature, too low and they’re going to soak up a tons of oil, so make sure it is warm enough, about 360 degrees. It’s better to add doughnuts to slightly warmer-than-desired oil, the dough usually brings down the oil temperature a few degrees, than to cool oil.
- For best results get a reliable candy/deep-fry thermometer, equipped with a clip – helps stick to a pot. It’s readily available at most grocery stores and chain retailers for around $10.
- When doughnuts are fried, place on a cookie rack so they can drain for a few minutes before placing on paper towel.
- For the glaze, add small amounts of water or milk as you mix until you get the right consistency. This helps prevent lumps and/ or runny glaze
- You can alternatively roll in sugar. Do so immediately after removing from the fryer If you are going to sugar your doughnuts, be sure to roll them in sugar quickly after they’re fryer to ensure the sugar sticks to the doughnuts.
Recipe adapted here
In a standing mixer, combine lukewarm water and yeast. Let it sit until dissolve for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile in a microwave safe medium bowl, heat milk for about 2 minutes. Remove and let it cool.
Add, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening or butter and 2 cups of flour to bowl of yeast. Mix for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and continue mixing dough. Scraping down sides.
Place dough in a large greased bowl. Cover loosely with a clean clothe and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 to 2 hours or until doubled. Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut into doughnuts using a donut cutter or cookie cutter about one 1-inch and one 3 or 4-inch. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
In a large, sauce pan pour vegetable oil, until it is at least 3 inches (or about 5 centimeters) high and place on medium heat until oil is 375 degrees. Carefully drop doughnuts into hot oil, only a few at a time. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on prepared paper towels.
Donut Glaze: In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Remove and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until everything comes together. Then evaporated milk (or sub water) until you have reached desired consistency. Dip doughnuts in glaze and let it drip on the rack.
can you make these in the oven instead of frying them?
Hi Jeremy. You could, but the texture will be different. Try spritzing them with oil before baking at a high temperature. Since I’ve never baked them, I don’t know how long. If you have an air fryer, that would be a better choice. My air fryer donuts recipe would have the time and temperature.
Please let us know how it goes if you decide to bake them.
THANK YOU!!!!! —for correct metric measurements. I’m working with an older version of the recipe, I guess, which didn’t have correct conversations to metric. For example, 2.25 cups of milk were 355ml instead of 560ml. I’ve switched to metric in the kitchen and this just about pushed me over the edge. I do reuse oil by filtering and storing in the fridge.
Thanks again, and I’m sure my customers will thank you. I’m from VA living in NH, and just trying to spread the KK love. Plus, I have to make them if I want one up here in Dunkin land.
I’m so glad it worked for you, and thank you for letting me know. Yes, it can be a little tricky getting the right conversion.
One more question
could cream cheese be injected into the donut where the hole would be? to make cheese danish donuts? and could possibly strawberry or blueberry be added to the dough? to make strawberry cheese danish donuts? Those would be good.
One other thing. I tried this recipe but didn’t have white flour so I used corn flour. They did not turn out very well. for those that don’t have any flour I’d suggest not using any corn flour in place of the white flour. Or possibly use half and half, half white and half corn flour.
can baking powder be added to the recipe to make the donuts fluff up and expand more when frying? and what about adding blueberries to the dough to make blueberry donuts? could chocolate chips be added or would they melt?
I tried this recipe but used corn flour instead of white flour and they didn’t turn out very good. hard as a rock and inedible.
Hi David,
I don’t see why you can’t add baking powder, but it might deactivate by the time the yeast rises. I think strawberries, blueberries, and chocolate chips would be excellent additions as long as they’re used reasonably so they don’t add too much moisture.
Sorry, corn flour doesn’t have gluten, so the donuts would be hard and crumbly.
I’m not sure about filling the donuts. Removing the center lets the donuts cook through without burning the outside. Danish dough has a lot of butter for a flaky dough, but you could definitely frost them with cream cheese. Hope that helps 🙂
These came out perfectly! I did end up having to add quite a bit of flour as this dough is very sticky and wouldn’t have been able to work with it had I not. everyone loves them!
Thanks for your feedback. Getting the right measurement of flour can be tricky. It depends on your climate, altitude, type of flour, etc. So adding flour as needed is always recommended.
For the ingredients, it list Canola oil. In the instructions it says to fry in Vegetable oil. I was wondering which is the correct oil? I’ve never made donuts.
Hello Theodore.
Sorry about the confusion. Canola oil is vegetable oil, which specifies it’s from a plant and not an animal. You’ll want an oil with a neutral flavor and high smoke point. That includes canola, sunflower, avocado (not a economical choice for frying), grapeseed, and peanut oil. Hope that helps.
I haven’t done much baking from scratch so I went by the weight of each ingredient. First attempt came out pretty good if you ate em with your eyes closed. The dough was like a batter so I added more flour. Dough remained very sticky throughout the process. I think 375° was way to hot as the oil temp didn’t drop but a couple degrees. They were pretty dark. Im wondering if any of the for-mentioned had anything to do with our altitude of 4980 feet. Im going to make them again next week, I need more practice. And I know I tried Icing them too soon.My wife says they’re really good.
Hi Theodore, thanks so much for your feedback. Yes, altitude affects it. The amount of flour also depends on weather, type of flour, etc. So add enough flour to get a slightly sticky dough you can roll out. Congratulations on sharpening your baking skills.
my dough is batter not dough what should i do?
Hi Elsa. Add more flour a spoonful at a time until you have a soft dough. Breads are part science, part art. A splash more liquid than planned or flour that is less thirsty than another will all affect the dough. Hope that helps.
I haven’t made this recipe but I just wanted to comment regarding the fact people are saying it’s too sticky. The trick to dough that’s too sticky is NOT to add more flour. a recipe- regardless of altitude- should remain the same. (Unless this was not an accurate recipe to begin with.). I’m guessing the author lives somewhere cold, which is the trick to sticky dough. The rule is, if your dough is too sticky, lower the temperature, If it’s too hard, warm it up. I hope that this helps everyone who’s been having difficulty. I believe that by refrigerating the dough for a couple hours, you will be able to roll it out . Adding flour is never a good idea. The recipe turns out dried out and tough- the opposite of what a Krispy Kreme donuts should be. I saw someone ask about adding aking powder and I’m guessing this is due to adding too much flour and getting a dense result. DO NOT ADD FLOUR to any pastry EVER. DO NOT ADD WATER to any pastry recipe. I promise you if it’s a legitimate recipe to begin with, you must keep to this- it’s a very strict science where any addition of liquids or flour can ruin it. Just adjust the temperature of the dough. When you try to make pie crusts, youre really gonna need to know this as well. Youre welcome!
Thanks for your tips. While it’s true that in most cases you don’t want to add flour, sometimes the measurements are off. Paying attention to the texture will let you know what it needs.
Most of the time, kneading it a little longer will take care of it. Letting it rest so the flour can absorb the liquid, and the slap and fold method all help with the stickiness.
For the person doing the solid donuts I would say that the thicker something is, the longer time it takes for heat to penetrate it. Especially something filled with air like a donut (it’s like the insulation in your house / double-glass windows etc). You may need to do some trial and error, but I would suggest adding 1-2 minutes to the recommended 3 minute cook time (this works when I’ve done mozzarella sticks). I wouldn’t go any higher on the oil temperature because you may either hit the smoke point for the oil you’re using or potentially burn the outside while still leaving the center raw.
My guess is, if you’re freezing them, let them rise first before freezing. You could drop in the fryer from a frozen state. Just add a little to the cook time. Or move them from the freezer to the fridge the night before you intend to cook them.
I haven’t tried this particular recipe yet, but I do like Krispy Kreme donuts (there are none in my state). I was looking for ideas of new things to try (I’m also looking at making cannolis and I picked up some harissa and farro to try today) so I appreciate your thoughts on this donut recipe. I will try this with wet yeast since that is what I make pizza dough with. We all learn by sharing our experiences, so thank you for sharing.
Thank you Michael for your suggestions. You’re right, we all learn by sharing experiences.
Hi Imma!
This recipe was amazing but I had some trouble frying. I was making circle donuts to fill with cream and not the rings like you made so the centre was a bit raw (100% my fault as I’ve never made donuts before), but how can I modify the frying temperature and time to accommodate for thicker donuts? One again it was absolutely delicious
Hi Jess. I’ve never tried this recipe to make filled doughnuts. 350℉ (180℃) is about as low as I would go to fry them. If you get your oil to 360℉ (182℃) before adding the doughnuts, it won’t cool too much when you add them. That should give it a little more time to cook through the center before burning on the outside.
Let me know how it goes.
Can I freeze these once cooked?
Yes, you absolutely can. I prefer to freeze them on a baking sheet or plate in a single layer just until solid, and let them thaw slightly so they unstick from the tray. Then, you can keep them frozen in a ziplock bag and take one out at a time to thaw.