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These deep fried Chocolate Glazed Donuts are made with an extra-soft, buttery yeast dough that stays light, airy, and tender for days! They’re fried until perfectly golden, then dipped face-first into a smooth, glossy chocolate glaze. Your kitchen is about to smell like a famous donut shop! Fair warning: this recipe might completely ruin store-bought donuts for you.
If you love this donut recipe, make my apple cider donuts and old fashioned sour cream donuts next!
Listen, a warm homemade donut is already hard to beat. But a warm, buttery yeast donut dipped face-first into glossy chocolate glaze? THAT is my kind of treat.
This recipe is inspired by my milk bread style espresso buns I developed for my cookbook, Bake Until Golden Brown, but I took that dough and tweaked it with a little food science to turn it into the softest, fluffiest donut ever.
The goal was to create a donut that was just as good as the glaze (if not better). Basically, I didn’t want bread with chocolate frosting on it, okay?!
The result is soft and airy with just a little chew, and plenty of buttery flavor!
And don’t worry – if homemade yeast donuts feel intimidating, don’t overthink it! I outline everything you need to know in the post so that you get the most beautiful donuts every time! The hardest part is trying not to eat three while they’re still sitting on the cooling rack. 😂
Table Of Contents
What Makes These Chocolate Glazed Donuts So Good
- Extra soft and fluffy! This recipe uses a tangzhong which is essentially flour and milk cooked into a paste before making the dough. This helps create a plush donut that stays soft for days! These donuts have that slightly chewy, pull-apart texture. Yum!
- Bakery-Style flavor at home! We use my secret ingredient *drum roll* – milk powder for added richness. It also gives the donuts that creamy bakery-style flavor.
- Easy chocolate glaze! The glaze uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. This keeps things simple without the fear of burning the chocolate in the process.
Key Ingredients
(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card)
- Bread Flour: Gives the dough enough structure to rise beautifully while still creating a soft, slightly chewy donut. You can use all purpose flour here, but the dough will be slightly softer.
- Whole Milk: Used in both the tangzhong and dough for richness and moisture.
- Active Dry Yeast: Gives these donuts their classic light, airy yeast-raised texture. You can also use instant yeast, just skip the step of blooming the yeast first.
- Milk Powder: One of my favorite additions for enriched doughs. It adds milk flavor, and helps create that bakery-style finish.
- Salted Butter: softened butter is kneaded directly into the dough for richness, flavor, and tenderness.
- Nutmeg: Just a pinch adds that classic donut shop flavor without making the donuts taste overtly spiced. And don’t worry, the nutmeg is subtle, it won’t make these taste like a pumpkin spice donut.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Creates a rich chocolate glaze without needing to melt chocolate.
- Corn Syrup: Helps make the chocolate glaze smooth, shiny, and beautifully set once dipped. I do this in my chocolate donut cake recipe too for that beautiful finish! You can also use honey instead.
How To Make Chocolate Glazed Donuts
These step-by-step photos are here to guide you through the process. If you’re ready to get started, scroll down or tap “Jump to Recipe” for the full printable version with measurements and instructions.
Make the tangzhong. Warm the milk in a small saucepan. Whisk in the bread flour and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until a thick, smooth paste forms. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and cool completely.
Make the dough. Combine the warm milk, water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit for 5–10 minutes, until foamy. Add the egg, egg yolk, remaining sugar, and cooled tangzhong. Mix in the bread flour, milk powder, nutmeg, and salt until a shaggy dough forms. Knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes.
Britney’s Tip: Don’t panic if the dough looks a little messy after adding the butter! Keep kneading and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, it will come together.
Add the softened butter, then knead for another 8–10 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. Let the dough rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1½–2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Cut and proof the donuts. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about ½-inch thick. Cut into donuts using a 3-inch donut cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 30–45 minutes, until noticeably puffy.
How To Tell When Yeast Donuts Are Properly Proofed
Don’t rely entirely on the clock here. After the second rise, the donuts should look noticeably bigger and puffy. Very gently press one with your fingertip. The indentation should slowly spring back.
If it springs back immediately, give the donuts a little more time. If the dough feels extremely fragile and the indentation doesn’t recover at all, they have proofed a little too long.
Let the dough tell you when it’s ready. Rise times are estimates. Temperature, humidity, and even elevation affect how quickly yeast dough rises.
Fry the donuts. Heat 3–4 inches of oil to 350°F. Fry about 2 donuts at a time for 2–3 minutes total, flipping every 30 seconds, until evenly golden. Transfer to a wire rack.
Make the chocolate glaze. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Add the warm water and corn syrup and mix until smooth. Dip the slightly cooled donuts into the glaze and let set for about 10 minutes.
How To Fry Donuts Without Making Them Greasy
Keep your oil around 350°F and use a thermometer! Oil that’s too cool can make donuts greasy, while oil that’s too hot will brown them before the centers cook. Fry just a couple at a time so the temperature stays steady.
That pale ring around the middle? That’s a good sign, it means your donuts were properly proofed!
More Glazes for Yeast Donuts
Want to switch things up? This soft yeast donut dough is a great base for all kinds of finishes. Try a maple glaze like the one on my maple donuts, toss the warm donuts in a cinnamon sugar coating like my apple cider donuts, or keep things classic with a simple vanilla glaze made with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
Pro Baking Tips
- Use a kitchen scale if you have one. Yeast dough can change quite a bit when too much flour is added. Measuring the flour by weight gives you much more consistent results.
- Make sure the tangzhong has cooled. Hot tangzhong can make the dough too warm and potentially interfere with your yeast.
- Don’t add extra flour. This is an enriched dough, so it may feel softer than you’re expecting. Let the mixer knead it before deciding it needs additional flour.
- Keep checking your frying oil. The temperature changes every time you add cold dough. Let it return to around 350°F before adding your next batch.
- Glaze the donuts while they’re slightly warm, not piping hot. If they’re too hot, the glaze can become thin and run straight off.
Storing Chocolate Glazed Donuts
Glazed donuts have the best flavor and texture the day they’re made. Store leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature. I recommend enjoying them within 1–2 days. To refresh an unglazed donut, microwave it for just a few seconds until soft and warm.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but they won’t have quite the same texture. Baked yeast donuts are softer and more bread-like, while frying creates the light, airy center and lightly crisp exterior that makes a classic yeast donut so good. If you prefer to bake them, brush the donuts lightly with melted butter and bake at 350°F for about 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden and cooked through. The internal temp should be around 200 degrees F when they’re done.
Yes. For the freshest donuts, I recommend preparing the dough the night before rather than frying the finished donuts ahead of time. After the first rise, cover the dough tightly and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, let it sit at room temperature briefly before rolling, cutting, proofing, and frying.
Technically, yes, but this dough takes some muscle. Because you’re gradually kneading butter into an enriched yeast dough, a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook makes the process considerably easier and helps develop the gluten properly.
Use a neutral, high-heat oil such as vegetable or canola oil. You don’t want an oil with a strong flavor competing with your donuts.
Your yeast may have been expired, the milk may have been too hot (which can burn the yeast), or the dough may simply need more time in a cool kitchen. Make sure your yeast is within the expiration date and is stored in the fridge to preserve freshness. Ensure milk or liquid added to the dough is warm (not hot) – around 100–110°F is ideal for active dry yeast. Lastly, a cold kitchen can also slow down rising, so place the dough somewhere warm and draft-free. Keep in mind that enriched donut dough contains ingredients like butter, eggs, and sugar, which naturally make it rise more slowly than a basic bread dough.
More Donut Recipes
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Chocolate Glazed Donuts
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional but highly recommended)
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 3/4 cup (180 g) Whole Milk
- 6 tbsp (47 g) Bread flour
Donut Dough
- 1/2 cup (120 g) Whole Milk , warm (105~110°F)
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Water
- 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tbsp Sugar, (for activating yeast)
- 1 large (50 g) Egg
- 1 (18 g) Egg Yolk
- 6 tbsp (75 g) Sugar
- 3 1/2 cups (445 g) Bread Flour
- 2 tbsp Milk Powder
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 6 tbsp (84 g) Salted Butter
- 4-5 cups Vegetable Oil, (for frying)
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups (188 g) Powdered Sugar
- 4 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 4-5 tbsp Warm Water
- 1 tbsp Corn Syrup, (you can also use honey instead)
Instructions
- Make the tangzhong first – Add milk to a saucepan over low heat. Warm for 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, add flour. Increase to medium low heat. Continue to whisk until a thick paste forms, about 4-6 minutes. The texture should be akin to a thick porridge. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and allow it to cool completely, about 30 minutes. 3/4 cup Whole Milk 6 tbsp Bread flour
- Once cooled and no longer hot to the touch, add warm milk, water, and yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar to a small bowl or cup. Whisk together and allow the yeast to bloom and become frothy, about 5-10 minutes. Add yeast mixture, egg, egg yolk, sugar to the tangzhong in the stand mixer. Gently whisk together until all ingredients are combined. 1/2 cup Whole Milk 2 tbsp Water 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast 1 tbsp Sugar 1 large Egg 1 Egg Yolk 6 tbsp Sugar
- Add bread flour, milk powder, nutmeg, and kosher salt. Gently use your hands or a rubber spatula to mix everything together to form a shaggy dough. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. Then add room temperature butter, 2 tbsps at a time. Continue to mix on medium-high speed for 8-10 minutes. Dough should be smooth elastic. (If it sticks to the sides of the bowl, simply scrape the sides of the bowl and add pieces to the dough). Stand by the stand mixer, it'll begin to move/shake a little once it begins mixing on medium-high speed. 3 1/2 cups Bread Flour 2 tbsp Milk Powder 1/2 tsp Nutmeg 1 tsp Kosher Salt 6 tbsp Salted Butter
- Place dough into a well oiled large mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1½-2 hours.
- Punch dough down, then add to a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out until it’s about a ½ inch thick. Use a 3 inch donut cutter or cookie cutter to press into the dough to form the donuts. Use the top of a piping tip to press a hole into the middle to form the center hole if your donut cutter doesn’t have a well in the center. Re-roll scraps and repeat until the dough is used up.
- Place donuts onto a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the donuts to rise again in a warm place for about 30-45 minutes, until puffy.
- Fill a large pot or dutch oven with oil over medium heat. Warm to 350-375 degrees F. Fry 2 donuts at a time – fry for about 2-3 minutes, flipping the donuts every 60 seconds. 4-5 cups Vegetable Oil
- Remove from over and place onto a wire rack to drain the oil and repeat process with remaining donuts.
- When you’re done frying, whisk together the glaze ingredients – powdered sugar, cocoa powder, warm water, and corn syrup. Dip the top of each of the donuts into the glaze and place back onto the wire rack to let the glaze set, about 10 minutes. 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar 4 tbsp Cocoa Powder 4-5 tbsp Warm Water 1 tbsp Corn Syrup
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale if you have one. Yeast dough can change quite a bit when too much flour is added. Measuring the flour by weight gives you much more consistent results.
- Make sure the tangzhong has cooled. Hot tangzhong can make the dough too warm and potentially interfere with your yeast.
- Don’t add extra flour. This is an enriched dough, so it may feel softer than you’re expecting. Let the mixer knead it before deciding it needs additional flour.
- Keep checking your frying oil. The temperature changes every time you add cold dough. Let it return to around 350°F before adding your next batch.
- Glaze the donuts while they’re slightly warm, not piping hot. If they’re too hot, the glaze can become thin and run straight off.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
