Original Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnuts can now be made fresh at home. No more waiting in lines or drive thru with my spot on copycat recipe!
These delicious doughnuts are the original glazed yeast-raised doughnuts that made Krispy Kreme famous. While they can be found in many grocery stores, those doughnuts don’t have the hot and fresh flavor you’re going to get by making them at home. If you love this recipe, be sure to check out my other Krispy Kreme Copycat Recipes for Double Glazed Oreo Cake Doughnuts and Krispy Kreme Sour Cream Doughnuts.
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Sabrina’s Copycat Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnuts Recipe
If you’ve ever looked up doughnuts on Pinterest you’ve likely seen many recipes for Krispy Kreme copycat Glazed Doughnuts. I tried 4 of them off Pinterest and was less than enthusiastic. The dough wasn’t fluffy enough, the glaze didn’t harden to a point where it was thin and shattered upon being bitten into. Those qualities are what make Krispy Kreme so special. So I ditched Pinterest and dug a whole lot further, testing and tweaking this recipe over 6 times until I got it just right.
In the past I’ve been known to make the detour when the HOT sign is on at Krispy Kreme but since now that I can make this Krispy Kreme doughnut recipe at home I’ve become immune to the pull of the brightly lit signs! I hope you will too!
Chef’s Note: Almost Perfect Copycat
With just a couple of adjustments, these Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnuts are a GREAT copycat. They are not perfect mind you, as part of the magic lies in their air pressurized extruders. BUT in my opinion, they are as close as they can get, right down to using shortening to make them taste authentic. If you are looking to make Krispy Kreme Original Donuts at home, this is the recipe for you.
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Warm Water: Water activates the 2 Packets Active Dry Yeast. Use the thermometer to make sure that it’s between 105-115 degrees.
- 1 ½ Cups Lukewarm Milk: I scald the milk for this recipe because it helps get that spot on flavor. Then I cool the milk, it should be about as warm as the water, before adding so it doesn’t kill the yeast.
- ½ Cup Sugar: I’m using regular granulated sugar to lightly sweeten the dough. Most of the sugary goodness is from the powdered confectioner’s sugar in the glaze.
- 5 Cups All-Purpose Flour: I’m using regular flour for this. 2 cups for the first 2-minute mix. 3 cups for the final mix. You’ll need to add additional flour to the cutting board for shaping the dough.
- 4 Cups + ½ Cup Vegetable Shortening: I’m using Spectrum shortening to fry the doughnuts and to make the dough. Shortening, not vegetable oil or olive oil, gives the best flavor and that spot on taste and texture.
- Doughnut Glaze: 2 ½ Cups Confectioner’s Sugar is mixed with ¼ Cup Milk. This milk is not scalded but is used to make the glaze. ¼ Cup Light Corn Syrup can be storebought or made at home by mixing 8 tablespoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons of hot water for simple syrup. This makes about half a cup of homemade corn syrup.
How to Make
Time needed: 2 hours and 25 minutes
- Prepare the Dough
Add warm water and yeast to the stand mixer bowl and let it sit for about 10 minutes until foamy. Add in milk, sugar, salt, eggs, and 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat for 2 minutes, then add the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix until just combined. Let rise until doubled in size – about 1 hour.
- Shape the Doughnuts
Roll out half the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness, then cut out doughnut shapes. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Place on wax paper, cover, and let the doughnuts rise again until puffed. You should have 24 doughnuts.
- Fry the Doughnuts
Heat the shortening to 375 degrees in a deep pan. Fry each doughnut for about 90 seconds per side until golden brown. Cool and drain on a cooling rack.
- Glaze the Doughnuts
Mix powdered sugar, milk, and corn syrup. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave to soften. Dip the warm doughnuts into the glaze. If you can, let the glaze set slightly for a few minutes before serving. Or grab a napkin and dig in!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Doughnuts:
- 2 packet active dry yeast , ¼ ounce packets
- 1/4 cup warm water , 105-115 degrees
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk , scalded, then cooled
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 cups vegetable shortening , for frying, or vegetable oil if you prefer
Glaze:
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
Instructions
- Add water and yeast together in a stand mixer and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Add in the milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 2 cups of the flour.
- Turn the stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, then add in the rest of the flour and mix until just combined.
- Take the bowl out of the stand mixer and cover with a clean towel to let it rise for 1 hour.
- Note: When you can push down on the dough and your fingerprint stays you're ready to move on to the next step!
- Working with half the dough at a time, roll it to ½ inch thick on a floured surface.
- Dip your doughnut cutter in flour, cut out a dozen doughnuts from one half of the dough, and place onto wax paper.
- Repeat with remaining dough sheet for 24 total doughnuts.
- Let rise, covered, in a warm spot for 30-45 mins. (I did 45)
- In a cast iron pan or other deep saucepan, heat the vegetable shortening to 375 degrees.
- Note: Please use a thermometer to measure the temperature as this is a critical step.
- Fry the doughnuts on each side for 90 seconds.
- Drain on a cooling rack until you finish cooking them all then dip into the glaze.
- To make the glaze, add the powdered sugar, milk and corn syrup to a bowl, mix, and microwave for 30 seconds.
- Most importantly, eat with reckless abandon.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can This Be Made Ahead?
Everything should be assembled and cooked just before serving. Don’t let the dough rise overnight. The cooked doughnuts can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. microwave for 10 seconds to rewarm.
Nutritional Facts
How to Store
- Storing: Place doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate for up to 5 days, but note that they may lose some softness.
- Reheating: You could warm the donuts in the microwave at 50% power for 10-15 seconds. Or just leave them at room temperature until softened if you stored them in the fridge.
- Freezing: Freeze doughnuts unglazed in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and make fresh glaze before serving.
Frequent Questions
Vegetable shortening is authentic to Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnuts. You can substitute with vegetable oil, like canola oil, if you prefer. Just know the more you change the less authentic to expect it to be.
Use a cast iron skillet with a frying thermometer to maintain the perfect temperature. If you eyeball it instead of using a thermometer you may end up with burnt/raw donuts or oily ones if your oil is too hot or too cold. If you are going through the process of making these definitely grab the tools to make it right.
You can make any shape you need. I pictured the classic shape, but I have also made bars, and of course fried up the donut holes.
Yes, you can. Store your vegetable shortening in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 year!
Baking is not recommended as the texture will be significantly different from the doughnuts being fried.
Variations
- Cinnamon Spice Doughnuts: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon of nutmeg to the dough for a fun spicey flavor. Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to the glaze. This version is perfect for Autumn!
- Maple Glazed Doughnuts: Replace the corn syrup in the glaze with equal parts pure maple syrup. Reduce the sugar to 1 ½ cups of confectioner’s sugar. Add a tablespoon or more at a time if needed to get a good consistency.
- Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts: Subtract ¼ cup of the powdered sugar and add ¼ cup cocoa powder to the glaze mixture. Ensure the glaze remains smooth by adding an extra tablespoon or two of milk if necessary.
- Lemon Glazed Doughnuts: Substitute the milk in the glaze with equal parts freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can also add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough for extra citrus flavor. No adjustments to the cooking process are needed, but if the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar at 1 tablespoon at a time.
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Photos used in previous versions of this post.
What can you use instead of corn syrup if that is not available in my country?
The best corn syrup substitutes for baking are brown rice syrup, maple syrup, agave, tapioca syrup, honey, golden syrup, and black treacle.
Sorry, one more question after reading the reviews – one person, SallyF, said Krispy Kreme donuts have potatoes in them (I’ve read that it’s mashed potatoes). Have you ever tried putting mashed potatoes in this recipe and if so, how much and would it take the place of another ingredient or lessen some others? thank you
We have not used potatoes in this recipe.