Vanilla Glazed Donuts
Vanilla Glazed Donuts are simple, sweet, and always guarantee a smile! These homemade donuts are fried to perfection, then dunked in the most delicious and easy to make vanilla bean glaze. If you love the real flavor of vanilla, you’ll love how well it’s incorporated in both the donuts and glaze!
Vanilla Glazed Donuts
Breakfast treats are a weakness of mine. I just can’t ever skip up on a pancake, waffle, muffin, or especially a homemade donut! There’s something about a real donut that’s been fried and glazed that is simply irresistible to me. Maybe it’s the soft inside that’s cooked deliciously with a gently crisp exterior? Or perhaps it’s the sweet silky glaze that’s just slightly hardened on top? Or maybe, just maybe, it’s how all of those elements combine to make one perfect bite!
These donuts are a real favorite of mine because I’m a sucker for vanilla. Too often, vanilla is synonymous with bland, and that’s just so untrue. When you use ingredients like pure vanilla extract and the caviar of real vanilla beans, you achieve a flavor that’s far from boring. That’s why these homemade donuts feature both of those ingredients! While Vanilla Glazed Donuts may be simple, they’re also perfectly sweet and made with real vanilla flavor.
Vanilla Glazed Donuts are perfect for bringing to virtually any occasion year-round. Sunday brunch with friends, surprising your kids on a Saturday morning, treating your coworkers at the office, the list is truly never ending! I like eating them while they’re still just a touch warm from being cooked, but have no fear – they stay delightfully fresh for about 2-3 days. With that being said, these classic donuts never last that long in my house!
How to Make Them
Create the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together yeast, warm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, milk, vanilla extract, vanilla caviar, egg yolks and butter. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and begin mixing on low-speed. Add flour and salt and mix for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle often to keep the dough moving.
Knead the dough and let it rise. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand several times, dusting with flour as needed. Place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Alternatively, you can let it rise in the refrigerator overnight, 8 to 12 hours.)
Cut the dough into donuts. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out doughnuts with a 3-inch doughnut cutter, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until doughnuts have doubled in size.
Fry the donuts. Pour 2 1/2 inches of vegetable oil into a 4- or 5-quart pot and heat it to 350°F. Fry doughnuts in batches of no more than 4 until they are deep golden brown, 2 minutes per side, turning only once. Turning too often can result in greasy doughnuts. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Glaze the donuts. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, salt and vanilla caviar until smooth. Spoon glaze over warm doughnuts and serve.
Tips for the Best Vanilla Glazed Donuts
- You can use vegetable oil or Crisco to fry the donuts. I tend to use Crisco to fry the donuts, because I feel it tends to leave the food less greasy than a liquid oil.
- Check the temperature of your oil with a thermometer! You can also take a piece of leftover dough and toss it in when the oil is hot to test it out.
- When the edges turn a deep golden brown while frying the donuts, flip them over. It should only take about 30-40 seconds per side.
- For a thicker glaze, you 2 tablespoons of whole milk. To thin it out, add another splash of whole milk.
- You can use a spoon to glaze the donuts, but I got much more even coverage (and wasted less glaze) by dunking the donuts into it.
Satisfy your craving for vanilla with these easy recipes!
- Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- Berry Vanilla Bean Belgian Waffle Cake
- Vanilla Sugared Cranberries
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Get the Recipe: Vanilla Glazed Donuts
Ingredients
For the doughnuts:
- 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water, 100 – 115 degrees F
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Caviar of 1/2 vanilla bean
- 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for kneading
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- Vegetable Oil, for frying (I used Crisco)
For the Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk, I used an extra tablespoon
- Pinch of salt
- Caviar of 1/2 vanilla bean, cut in half and scrape out the inside of the bean with a knife.
Equipment
- dutch oven
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together yeast, warm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, milk, vanilla extract, vanilla caviar, egg yolks and butter. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and begin mixing on low-speed.
- Add flour and salt and mix for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle often to keep the dough moving.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand several times, dusting with flour as needed. Place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let rest in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Alternatively, you can let it rise in the refrigerator overnight, 8 to 12 hours.)
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut out doughnuts with a 3-inch doughnut cutter, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until doughnuts have doubled in size.
- Pour 2 1/2 inches of vegetable oil into a 4- or 5-quart pot and heat it to 350 degrees F. Fry doughnuts in batches of no more than 4 until they are deep golden brown, 2 minutes per side (see my notes above) turning only once. (turning too often can result in greasy doughnuts.) Transfer to paper towels to drain.
For the glaze:
- Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk, salt and vanilla bean flecks until smooth.
- Spoon glaze over warm doughnuts and serve.