Chocolate Donuts

Donut holes, donuts with holes, donuts with creamy centers, baked, fried, sprinkled, glazed, or plain donuts. There is no one right way to eat a donut and there is definitely no wrong way to eat one either!

Easy Baked Chocolate Donuts

Beginner donut recipe. Baked chocolate donuts are an easy first step in learning how to make donuts right at home. It’s such a simple recipe and you don’t need a deep fryer or a pot of oil. All you really need is a donut pan.

Never heavy or greasy. You’ll notice that the texture of a baked donut is different than a fried donut. It’s more like a muffin or cupcake which, if you think about it, is always a good thing!

Double chocolate. These chocolate donuts have it all. The donuts themselves are a rich chocolate flavor, and to make it even better, they’re dipped into a ganache-like chocolatey glaze. No matter where you fall on the donut spectrum, these homemade chocolate donuts are sure to become your new favorite.

A special treat. Homemade chocolate donuts are kid-friendly and make a great after-school treat but are just as good for breakfast with a cold glass of milk. Chocolate donuts make any occasion special! Decorate the donuts with festive sprinkles for a celebratory brunch, birthday party, or to arrange on a dessert tray with other goodies.

Ingredient Notes

• All-purpose flour: You can use regular flour for your donuts. I haven’t tested this recipe with other types of flour such as whole wheat or gluten-free.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: Look for cocoa powder in the baking aisle.
• Baking powder, baking soda, salt: Normal quick bread ingredients which activate the batter giving it a nice fluffy rise.
• Large egg: You’ll need 1 egg for this recipe.
• Sugar: The donuts are lightly sweetened with only ½ cup sugar.
• Plain Greek yogurt: Yogurt adds moisture and richness to the donuts without using a lot of extra oil or butter. Use 2% or full fat yogurt for the best flavor.
• Butter: Just 2 tablespoons of melted butter are added to the batter.
• Milk: You can use any kind of milk you have on hand.
• Chocolate chips: If you choose to make the chocolate glaze (which I highly recommend!), you’ll melt chocolate chips in the microwave.
• Heavy cream, butter: Three tablespoons of cream are added to the chocolate chips, along with a couple tablespoons of butter to make this ganache-like glaze. The butter adds a smooth shine.
• Rainbow sprinkles: Top the chocolate donuts with festive sprinkles, if you like!

Donut Pan

You’ll need a 12-well standard size donut baking pan (or two 6-well pans) to make this recipe. You can make a substitute with foil and muffin pans but it’s really not the same.

How to Make Chocolate Donuts

Prep. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a donut pan (12 wells) with nonstick cooking spray, or rub with oil. Set aside.

Make donut batter. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to blend together egg, sugar, and Greek yogurt until they’re completely mixed together.

To the top of the wet ingredients, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Mix dry ingredients together lightly before stirring into wet ingredients. Stir just until combined.

Add the melted butter and milk. Mix well, but do not overmix.

Fill donut wells. Transfer batter to a piping bag (or resealable bag with the corner cut off) and pipe into the donut pan. (You can also use a teaspoon to fill the wells but it’s a little more time consuming.) Fill the wells about ⅔ full.

Bake donuts. Put the donuts in the oven to bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

Cool. Cool the donuts in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Once the donuts have finished baking, start the glaze.

Make glaze. Place the chocolate chips, cream, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate chips are melted, microwaving again in 15 second intervals as needed. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in vanilla extract. Mix well until you have a smooth texture.

Dip donuts. Take a cooled donut and dip the top half in the glaze. Set the glazed donut back on the cooling rack. Top with sprinkles while glaze is still wet. Let glaze harden.

Recipe Variations

• Gluten-free: Swap in a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
• Frosted Donuts: If you like a thicker frosting, skip the glaze and use your favorite frosting instead. Try chocolate cream cheese frosting or peanut butter frosting.
• Toppings: You can match the colored sprinkles to any occasion, or use chocolate jimmies. If you prefer, sprinkle chopped nuts on the chocolate glaze.
• Banana donuts: If you’re enjoying baked donuts, be sure to try my baked banana donuts with brown sugar glaze.

Homemade chocolate donuts are best eaten the same day. You can leave them out at room temperature, lightly covered. To store, arrange them in a single layer in an airtight container.

For the Donuts

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a donut pan (12 wells) with nonstick cooking spray, or rub with oil. Set aside.

• In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, blend together egg, sugar, and Greek yogurt.

  1 large egg, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

• To the top of the wet ingredients, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Mix dry ingredients together lightly before stirring into wet ingredients. Stir just until combined.

  1 cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ⅛ teaspoon salt

• Add melted butter and milk. Mix well, but do not overmix.

  ⅓ cup milk, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• Transfer batter to a piping bag (or resealable bag with the corner cut off) and pipe into the donut pan. Fill the wells about ⅔ full.

• Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

• Cool the donuts in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

For the Glaze (optional)

• Once the donuts have finished baking, start the glaze.

• Place the chocolate chips, cream, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate chips are melted, microwaving again in 15 second intervals as needed.

  ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

• Once the chocolate is melted, stir in vanilla extract. Mix well until you have a smooth texture.

  ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Take a cooled donut and dip the top part in the glaze. Set the glazed donut back on the cooling rack. Top with sprinkles while glaze is still wet.

• Let glaze harden before serving.

• Storage: Chocolate donuts are best eaten the day they’re made. Leave them on the counter, covered lightly. If you want to store them, arrange them in a single layer in an airtight container. 
• Topping alternatives: You can choose any color sprinkles you want to match special occasions. Try sprinkling chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips on the ganache instead of sprinkles. You can frost the donuts with your favorite frosting. Try peanut butter frosting or chocolate cream cheese frosting. 

Serving: 1donut, Calories: 177kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 100mg, Potassium: 108mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 209IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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