Variety of homemade doughnuts on a rounded square white plate next to a white towel on a wooden surface (with logo overlay)

Easy Homemade Doughnuts

Doughnuts are a favorite for breakfast here and we have figured out how to make our own homemade recipe for a variety of doughnuts.

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Who doesn’t love a good doughnut? We love sweet foods for breakfast. But I don’t love all how processed store-bought doughnuts are, so we decided to try to figure something else out.

Justin’s family has made doughnuts from refrigerated biscuits before, so that gave me the idea that we could make some from Bisquick. I make regular biscuits out of it, so why wouldn’t it work for this too? So I made my normal drop-biscuit recipe (without the cheese), and we put them in some oil to fry up. And guess what, it worked!

Once you have them cooked, you have many options for toppings. We usually just shake up the doughnuts in a bag with powdered sugar. You could also make an icing/glaze out of powdered sugar and milk. We also found this recipe for a chocolate glaze that is amazing. It tastes just like the chocolate from a doughnut shop.

Now that we’ve made them a few times, we’ve got the recipe down pretty well. Our original recipe left the dough very sticky, which made it hard to form the doughnuts. Recently we make sure to add more Bisquick into the dough until it’s a better consistency. You want it to be just slightly tacky so that it will roll together well, but dry enough that it doesn’t stick to your hands.

Step by Step

In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat about 3 cups of oil over medium-high heat. We usually use vegetable oil for this recipe. But almost any oil should work as long as it’s good for frying. In a large mixing bowl, combine the Bisquick and milk until a dough forms.

Two stainless steel bowls next to a wooden spoon all on a wooden surface. One bowl filled with bisquick, the other with milk

Knead in extra Bisquick as needed until the dough is no longer sticky.

Stainless steel mixing bowl with doughnut dough and a wooden spoon inside sitting on a wooden surface

Once the oil is hot, grab small bits of dough, about the size of a golf ball, and carefully drop them into the oil. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until they are brown on the bottom. Then rotate the doughnuts to cook the other side.

Large cast-iron skillet with doughnut holes frying in hot oil sitting on a wooden surface

Cook another 2-3 minutes until the doughnuts are brown on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to remove the doughnuts from the oil and place them on a cooling rack with paper towels or a rag underneath to catch the oil drips.

Fried doughnut holes on a wire cooling rack with a white towel underneath all on a wooden surface

After all of the dough has been cooked, place the slightly cooled doughnuts into a zip-top bag or large mixing bowl with a lid and cover with the powdered sugar. Close up the container and shake to coat each of the doughnuts. You could also make a glaze from powdered sugar and milk or a chocolate glaze as linked above. Serve warm.

Variety of homemade doughnuts on a rounded square white plate next to a white towel on a wooden surface (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: March 23, 2016

Last Updated On: October 7, 2019

Variety of homemade doughnuts on a rounded square white plate next to a white towel on a wooden surface

Easy Homemade Doughnuts

Doughnuts are a favorite for breakfast here and we have figured out how to make our own homemade recipe for a variety of doughnuts. 
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course:
Breakfast
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
doughnut
|
fried
|
powdered sugar
Servings: 36 doughnuts
5 from 4 votes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups oil
  • 1 1/2 cups bisquick
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large pot
  • Mix bisquick and milk until dough forms, continuing to knead in extra bisquick until dough is no longer sticky
  • Once oil is hot, grab small bits of dough and carefully drop into oil
  • Cook for about 2-3 minutes, until brown on the bottom, then flip
  • Cook another 2-3 minutes until completely brown
  • Remove from heat and place on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath
  • Once all dough is used, put cooked doughnuts in zip-top bag with powdered sugar and shake to coat
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Nutrition Facts
Easy Homemade Doughnuts
Amount Per Serving (1 doughnut)
Calories 91 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 65mg3%
Potassium 13mg0%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 5IU0%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

34 thoughts on “Easy Homemade Doughnuts”

    1. Me too! I really don’t like frying things often because I always get popped. With the doughnuts we’ve discovered we can do them at a lower heat and it still cooks well without the hot oil popping so much.

  1. I had no idea you could use Bisquick to make basic doughnuts! I got doughnut molds for a different (baked pumpkin donut) recipe in the fall and wonder if you could use those with this mix as well?

    1. I haven’t tried using a doughnut mold with this recipe, we’ve only done the drop doughnuts. I have a mini-doughnut silicone mold, I’ll have to try it because now you have me curious, too!

      1. so now i am curious if you ever got to try it? We haven’t, yet. But my girls keep reminding me that we have those molds and the weather is getting cooler and we really should use them!!!

  2. It looks delicious! I must confess that I’ve cut out sugar from my diet for this month and part of the next one so none for me.

  3. Wow, those doughnuts look totally delicious! I am a big fan of doughnuts – can’t wait to give your recipe a go this weekend! They don’t look too difficult to make either, which is great…

    1. It’s a great recipe because they come out so yummy, but don’t take too long to make. I don’t like breakfast that takes a long time because I’m always hungry when I wake up!

  4. Ooooooo yummy!!!! I just love donuts!!! One of my favorite things to eat on weekends! Might have to try and make them next time instead of heading out to the store!

    1. Hi! I just updated the recipe card. This makes about 3 dozen doughnuts or so. It partly depends on how big you make the doughnuts. But my family tends to eat about 8-9 or so doughnuts for breakfast. We do all have a big sweet tooth, though!

  5. I just finished making the donuts and they are awesome. I used a wok instead of a regular pan. It was deeper and didn’t use as much oil. Just had to do another batch ot two. Am really pleased with this recipe. Thank you.

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