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.
Table of contents
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.
Related Recipes
More Amazing Homemade Donut Recipes
Photos used in previous versions of this post.
Another question I thought of – my oven has a ‘proofing’ setting and it’s great to use. If I use that for the two rise times do you think it may take less time ? Thanks much!
We have not tested this recipe using a “proofing” setting on an oven.
I am making these this weekend. I tried another version of the copycat Krispy Kreme donuts and they turned out huge which made them a tad on the dry side. I think your recipe will be the winner.
question – about how long does it take for the glaze to dry? I hope we can resist eating them until then
That’s a great question! I have never timed how long the glaze takes to dry. Not very long and I honestly have been known to bite into a doughnut before the glaze had set (lol)!!
Can you store the Spectrum after frying your doughnuts to use it more than once? I would buy it just to fry the doughnuts and I don’t do fry often. And does it have to be stored cold if you do? Thank you.
Yes you can. Store your Spectrum shortening in air tight container in room temperature up to 1 year!
How much flour do I use in weight?
Glad you asked Miriam. The recipe card has a “Metric” button to click on that will give you the flour measurement in weight. Sorry for the delay in responding to your question.
Updated from my comment about it being so sticky. I kneaded my dough for about 15 minutes and put it back into the bowl to rise for another hour. Kneaded again. Put back into the bowl to rise another hour. Worked perfect. They are delicious! We made glazed donuts with red and white sprinkles for Memorial Day and donuts with regular glaze and topped with chocolate! Delicious! I made more ‘mini’ donuts than regular size for the babies.
I love the idea of the “mini” donuts for the babies! Sounds like your Memorial Day week-end was tasty and fun!
I would buy two boxes of the real Krispy Cream donuts and would put one box in the freezer so I would not eat them all at once. To my surprise eating one right out of the freezer was really good. I will try that with this recipe also. This recipe sounds really good!
Definitely as close to Krispy Kreme as one can get making donuts at home. And the best homemade donuts I have tried! Gotta eat them while they are warm for them to taste like Krispy Kreme. If you eat them after they have cooled they taste more like Shipleys donuts (which are great too). Followed the recipe exactly.
I made the recipe this evening exactly as stated, no deviations with the recipe. I paused after the 1st proofing, rolled the dough (a bit thinner than a 1/2″ and got a yield of 24 very nice doughnuts). The dough wanted to be thinner as it was very relaxed and too easy to roll. I started making it around 5:30pm, let it rise and I was punching, rolling and cutting the dough by 7pm. After that, I decided to do a slow rise in the refrigerator overnight. I’ll let you know if this works out. I am not about to get up at 5am to start making my family fresh doughnuts, no-way! I plan to get up by 7am, take the cut, slow-proofed, doughnuts out of the refrigerator, heat my oil, make my glaze and serve by 8am.
I’ll reserve my final rating until then, but so far everything looks great. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks so much for the recipe! I’m looking forward to trying it out, for sure! I just have one question… I could swear, years ago I had heard Krispy Kreme’s original glazed donuts included potato starch in their recipe. That was one of the ‘secret’ ingredients. Have you heard this? I’m guessing there’s no truth to that rumor, since that ingredient isn’t included in your recipe… ????? Just curious. Thanks again… cheers!
I’ve made these twice now, and live this recipe. Used butter as I didn’t have shortening and used all the flour in the dough. The dough turned out beautiful both times, not too dry not too wet. Didn’t need any for rolling out as I rolled out on a silicone mat. Also for me it made more than 12. This one is definitely going in to my rotation of loved recipes ???? my husband loves Krispy Kreme, and hates home made doughnuts, but these he loved ?
The secret to Krispy Kreme was powdered potato inside the dough.
5 cups flower was way too much. My dough turned out too dry. The doughnut turned out too doughy.
Dan, I thought my dough was a little too moist… what did you do wrong (besides spelling flour wrong)? If you add the flour as instructed, it really comes right together after the final 5th cup. I was impressed by the instructions.
Maybe you missed a measurement on something Dan? It looks like everyone else who has tried this recipe, absolutely love it. You may want to try again. Just saying.
Been tryin many recipe, this one is the best thanks for sharing this recipe.
Super interesting, dying to try. Question: Which non dairy alternative should I use?
5 cups of flour for 12 donuts?
If you read the instructions, it explains what to do with the 5 cups. 2 are for the doughnuts, the rest is for rolling and cutting the dough.
I’m having trouble as well. I used 2 cups for the actual dough, it’s like batter not dough. How much actually needs to be mixed with the eggs, milk sugar etc??
Hello. I’m about to make these tomorrow and the recipe instructs me to add two cups of flour, mix for a few mins, then add the rest. Yet now you are saying two cups is for the dough, and the remainder for rolling? I believe this requires clarification. Thank you.
Your instructions says: “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.”
Can you clarify this?
These are good but I think if I make these again I might have to use buttermilk in place of the milk and 1/4tsp of baking soda just to give it some more fluff!
Your instructions says: “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.” —- it doesn’t explain anything about the remaining flour for cutting and kneading. This needs some clarification.
The instructions clearly say to add the rest of the flour after mixing the 1st 2 cups for 2 minutes (step 3) … this is what I did and the dough came out with a perfect consistency. I added about 1/4 cup of flour to the cutting/rolling board to handle the moist/sticky dough for forming and cutting.
On the scalded milk. Do you let it cool before proceeding with sugar, salt, eggs, etc. or proceed as soon as milk has scalded? Thank you and I did read through recipe a couple times and comments to see if someone had ask this already.
I also have frozen regular Krispy Cream doughnuts and they are great right out of the freezer. I plan to try it with these also.
Gonna make these in a few days for sure. IMHO the recipe should be updated to specify it makes a dozen doughnuts, or stating that the recommended serving’s a single doughnut. Because I’d eat 3 per “serving” so it saying it makes 12 servings would mean this recipe makes 36 doughnuts, which I’m certain it doesn’t lol.
I found this recipe online a couple of years ago and haven’t tried another since. My family and friends love them as much as I do, and has become my “go to” recipe for doughnuts. Just made some a half hour ago using this recipe and it never disappoints.
when it says 12 servings it means 12 donuts which is 1 donut for 12 people.
absolutely LOVED IT! eating a 2nd one as I type this…but I’m not sure if I allowed the donuts to rise the correct height before frying? i did wait for 45 minutes and they are awesome but I’m wondering how high is the donut supposed to rise for the 2nd rise?
Perfection ??. These came out super delicious with amazing texture. I cut them into ovals and then filled half with lemon filling and dipped them in lemon glaze (substitute milk with lemon juice). Then I filled the other half with chocolate cream and rolled them in powdered sugar. Divine!
Is there a way you can do this recipe in grams? Our American measurements are so inaccurate. Idk why more sites don’t just do grams.
You can use a food calculator or google conversion calculator.
In the stand mixer, how long does it take in total until all flour combined? Thanks
Hi! It depends on your speed, I’d say at least to minutes but just watch to make sure it is all combined.
I stopped my mixer to add the final 3 cups, 1 cup at a time and restarted the mixer on low while I filled the next cup. It worked out well to give a very good final dough to work with. Estimated 30 seconds per additional cup to mix it in. Add a cup, mix on low while filling the next cup, etc. After adding the final cup mix for about 30 seconds on low and done.
THEY LOOK SO GOOD!!!!!! I am definitely going to make it
Hi there
Can these be baked instead of fried perhaps?
Just wondering!
Thanks
Haven’t tested a baked version. Would be super interested in finding out how they turn out if you try it!
Thanks for this awesome recipe! I would put these against Krispy Kreme any day of the week. I fried at 350°F and put a couple of drops of vanilla in the icing with just milk and powdered sugar. Thanks again.
Just an update here. These are so good my family has had me make them three times since I posted on 31 May. Excellent recipe!!!
Thank you Bob!!!
Hi I haven’t tried the recipe yet but, I wanted to ask if I could use margarine instead of shortening.
I haven’t tested it with margarine, I’m sorry.
Hi,
I find the glaze is runny and does not harden. I followed your recipe. Any ideas?
Thanks
Paul
If it was too runny, you can try adding more powdered sugar a little at a time until it reaches a thicker consistency. Hope this helps.
Will the glaze for this keep as I would like to make double and save it for later.
You can store it for up to a week in the fridge.
Really excellent recipe. I live abroad and one of the things we miss so much are real doughnuts (sorry Germany, you still don’t have it quite right). This recipe is really well written, my very first batch came out exactly as expected and I have only gotten better each time I have made it. I am not the biggest fan of the glaze, but I may just need practice and my neighbors thought it was the best part. I would like that add, in case anyone is curious, I froze a batch of finished doughnuts recently on a whim and reheated them in the oven. They were still amazing and tasted almost as good at when they were fresh (not what I was expecting). Thanks so much for this recipe!
Thanks for the feedback, Amy. Glad to have helped out with a craving.
Hi, do you have to melt the shortening? Many thanks for the recipe.
No need to melt it.
Hi,
Is it possible to do the first and second rise the night before and fry the next morning?
No I would not do that, I haven’t tested it that way but I imagine it would proof too much.
This recipe was awesome, easy to follow, and my family loved it!!! Thanks!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, Jasmine.
I can’t believe the comments that I have read here. 1st people, how about reading her recipe, I mean wow, she put what kind of yeast in her recipe, just read it. She put everything you need to know in her recipe. If yours does not turn out right, well then you did something wrong, not her. Everyone’s taste buds are different, keep that in mind.
How about thanking her for sharing her recipe?
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this recipe with us. Thank you for your responses to people’s comments.
People need to be more thankful instead of criticizing good people, who by the way do not need to share their recipes with us.
Thank you again, the doughnuts are great!
She doesn’t specify exactly what kind of yeast so for those of us who are inexperienced with yeast, the question does come to mind.
I do agree Tina. It just states to use two packets of yeast. I’m not very familiar with the yeasts myself as all I use is dry-fast acting yeast. But that’s called for in a different donut recipe. Thanks for asking that question because I was wanting to know the same thing. Thank you.
I have made this recipe twice already! They turned out wonderful! You definitely have to be patient and let the dough rise appropriately. It took about 3 hours to get a good rose before cutting into donuts. Then once I rolled out the dough and cut out the donuts I put them in a warmed oven (turned in the oven to 200*F then shut it off , put the donuts in the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and keep the oven door ajar slightly.) I kept them in there until they were nice and puffy. It took me about 2 hours to get to that point. I fried them in crisco shortening and kept the temp at 350*F. They turned out nice and fluffy and were delicious! The recipe made about 36 donuts. I made different glazes and also tried a savory donut by drizzling olive oil and sprinkling a little flaky sea salt and served it with burrata and prosciutto! It was to die for! Also tried it with Nutella and sprinkled sea salt over it. So yummy!!!
Can I use Spectrum Sunflower oil Or Spectrum Coconut Oil for this recipe?
I’ve only tried it using Spectrum vegetable shortening. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turned out.
Can you freeze 1/2 the dough?
Sure 🙂
This is no where near a Krispie Kreme. Disappointed.
Sorry they didn’t live up to your expectation.
Sadly disappointed. I’ve tried other recipes that were way better. This tastes like greasy homemade bread. Yuck!
Like with all breaded or bread fried foods if your frying oil is not hot enough the breading or dough will absorb the oil. The recipe isn’t at fault, the cook is. Like they say “ It’s not the bolt that holds the machine together, it’s the nut behind the wheel ?
URGENT- What’s the difference between shortening and vegetable shortening ?? I can’t find shortening but I found vegetable shortening
Those are the same. Crisco is hydrogenated vegetable oil shortening. Is that what you got?
Please adjust prep and cook times.
Dough rests for an hour then an additional 45 min.
Also should include time for scalding milk.
This 2+ hour recipe. Minimum.
The doughnuts I made from this, Original Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnuts, recipe came out delicious. I added one tablespoon of vanilla extract to the dough and substituted the high fructose corn with Log Cabin Syrup and they still came out tasting like Original Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnuts.
I do not eat eggs. Can i make it eggless?
I’ve not tested it without using them.
Hello looks yummy and promising!
Is there an alternative for corn syrup? Can’t wait to try this ?
I haven’t tried this recipe with a substitution. I do have instructions on how to make your own. You can find it by clicking the green link in the recipe card.
Thank you for the lovely recipe. We all love it. Crispy outside and soft inside. We change the icing sugar glaze with chocolate glaze. yummmm???
I only have Instant Dry yeast, can that work?
The first time I made these I used Veg oil and they were really great, but the second time I used Spectrum shortening to fry in. Through the roof great! These truly are Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
Thanks for the suggestion, Jack.
What can i substitute for the shortening? Thanks
You can use either margarine or butter but the moisture might be different.
Can I use active dry yeast instead of yeast packets? If so, how much do I use? Thanks!
Yes, you’ll need 1/2 ounce of active dry yeast. Enjoy!
Hi! How did you measure out flour? Spoon into the cup?
Yes, spoon in and level off at the top. Enjoy!
Does it matter whether it’s active dry yeast or unactivated?
active dry yeast
Hi Sabrina
Im about tho let my dough rise for the hour
But I have a doubt because my dough is really sticky …… is that normal
Can you please help
-Michelle
I have the same question! Is the dough supposed to be really sticky before rising? Or does it need more flour?
This is totally normal! Don’t worry, your dough should be sticky before it rises. Just toss some flour on top and let it rise, and then after an hour knead it with flour and it should be much less sticky and held together.?
What kind of yeast did you use? For example, Active Dry Yeast.
Yes, active dry yeast