Last updated on January 30th, 2025 at 09:26 pm
There’s something so delightful about mini donuts—they’re the perfect little treat to satisfy your sweet tooth without feeling overly indulgent. These baked mini donuts with chocolate frosting are a dream come true for chocolate lovers. They’re soft, fluffy, and topped with a rich, glossy chocolate frosting that’s impossible to resist. Whether you’re making them for a weekend brunch, a birthday party, or just because, these adorable donuts definitely won’t last long.
Jump to Recipe
Ingredients for Baked Donuts
This recipe keeps things simple and uses pantry staples, so you’re likely to have most of these on hand. Here’s what you’ll need for this oven baked donuts recipe
For Donuts:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt (I like greek yogurt)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup melted butter or neutral oil
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chps
- 1/4 cup milk
How to Make Baked Mini Donuts with Chocolate Frosting
Making homemade donuts easy is all about following a few simple steps. Here’s how to do it:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a mini donut pan (or multiple if you have them. This recipe makes about 36 mini donuts).
2. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
3. Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter.
4. Combine: Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Fill the pan: Spoon or pipe the batter into the mini donut molds, filling each about 3/4 full.
6. Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Let them cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack.
7. Make chocolate frosting: In a small microwavable bowl, microwave your chocolate chips and milk for 20 second intervals, stirring in between each round in the microwave, until you have a smooth chocolate ganache. If you find it too thick, you can add a little more milk 1 teaspoon at a time, but I usually find that my ganache ends up nice and smooth if I just keep stirring for a bit.
8. Coat donuts: Carefully place your mini donuts face-down in the chocolate ganache. Allow the mini donut to sit for a second to allow the ganache to stick, then gently pull the mini donut out of the glaze. Place ganache-side up on a plate to set.
Pro Tips for Baked Donuts with a Donut Pan
Want to make your baked donuts extra amazing? These tips will help:
- Don’t overmix the batter: Overmixing can lead to dense donuts. Stir until the ingredients are just combined for a light, fluffy texture.
- Grease the pan well: Even if your donut pan is non-stick, a quick spritz of cooking spray ensures the donuts slide right out.
- Use room temperature ingredients: If possible, allow your milk, yogurt and egg to sit out a bit after you’ve had them in the fridge. That way the butter won’t solidify immediately when you mix your wet ingredients and you won’t have chunks of butter.
- Use a piping bag for batter: Filling the pan is much easier and cleaner when you pipe the batter into the pan. You don’t need a fancy tip. Just a plain piping bag will work.
- You don’t need a big piping bag: As these are mini donuts, you want to cut a decently small hole in your piping bag. If you have a really wide hole, you’ll definitely get too much batter into your mini donut pan and your mini donuts will spill out of the pan while baking.
- Eat fresh: These mini donuts are best enjoyed fresh but can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days. You can also freeze unglazed donuts and thaw them as needed.
FAQs
Q: Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour? Yes, you can substitute whole wheat flour for a slightly heartier donut. Keep in mind that the texture may be denser and the flavor will be slightly different.
Q: Do I need a mini donut pan for this homemade baked donuts recipe? While a donut pan is ideal for that classic mini donut shape, you can use either a regular-sized donut pan, a mini muffin tin or a regular muffin tin. Please note that you might have to adjust your baking time a bit for those other options, but they will end up tasting the same.
Q: How can I make these donuts dairy-free? Swap the milk and yogurt for a non-dairy option like almond or oat milk. I would aim to have the milk and yogurt be from the saim non-dairy source so you can have consistency in flavors. For example, if you have yogurt made from soy milk, I would also use soy milk in my donut batter. Lastly, you can use vegetable oil or vegan butter in place of regular butter.
Q: Can I make these donuts gluten-free? Yes! Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for baking. The results will still be delicious.
Q: How do I store leftovers? Keep the donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, freeze the unglazed donuts and glaze them after thawing.
If you’ve been searching for a dessert that’s as easy to make as it is delicious, these baked mini donuts with chocolate frosting are your answer. With their tender texture and smooth chocolate topping, they’re guaranteed to impress family, friends, and they’re yummy enough to keep all to yourself. Happy baking!
Mini Donuts with Chocolate Frosting
Equipment
- Mini donut pans This recipe makes 36 mini donuts total, but you can always bake in multiple batches if you only have one pan.
Ingredients
Mini Donuts
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk room temperature if possible
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt room temperature. I like to use Greek yogurt
- 1 egg room temperature if possible
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup melted butter or a neutral oil like vegetable oil
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
Make Mini Donut Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease your mini donut pans
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter. It helps if your cold ingredients aren't freezing cold from coming out of the fridge and if your butter isn't super hot.
- Combine: Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Put your batter in a piping bag with no tip, just the very end cut off. This is optional, but I think very helpful.
- Fill the pan: Spoon or pipe the batter into the greased mini donut pans, filling each about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Let them cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack.
Make Chocolate Frosting
- In a small, microwavable bowl, microwave your chocolate chips and milk in 20-second intervals, stirring after each time in the microwave. Keep doing this until you have a smooth chocolate ganache. Note: I only had to microwave my chocolate chips once, but everyone's microwave is different.
- Carefully dip your mini donuts face-down in the chocolate frosting. Then, place your donuts face-up on a plate so the frosting can set.
