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Indulge in the sweet, comforting flavors of these homemade Maple Glazed Donuts. Made from scratch, these donuts are truly delightful with their fluffy texture and creamy maple glaze. Perfect for a cozy morning treat or a regular after dinner dessert, these donuts are sure to impress with their homemade charm and irresistible flavor.
No longer do you have to get up on a Saturday morning and drive to a busy donut shop. You can create the same glorious donut right in the convenience of your own home. There’s something truly special about homemade donuts. The process of making the dough, watching it rise, and then deep-frying it to golden perfection is a labor of love. These maple donuts, with their rich and aromatic glaze, are my tribute to the classic donut shop favorites.

The Chemistry of Maple Donuts
The science behind these perfect donuts lies in the yeast-leavened dough. Yeast, a living organism, feeds on the sugars in the dough, releasing carbon dioxide and ethanol as by-products. This causes the dough to rise and develop a light, airy structure. The high heat of deep-frying quickly cooks the dough, trapping the air bubbles and creating the donut’s signature fluffy texture. The maple glaze’s chemistry is simpler, with powdered sugar dissolving in milk to form a smooth, sweet coating, enhancing by the concentrated flavor of maple extract.
Why do you proof yeast for donuts?
Proofing yeast is crucial to ensure it’s alive and active. This step helps in achieving the right rise and texture for the donuts, as active yeast is essential for the fermentation process that makes the dough light and airy.
Can you make donuts without a donut cutter?
Yes, if you don’t have a donut cutter, you can use two round cookie cutters of different sizes or even household items like a glass and a bottle cap to cut out the donut and its hole.

What oil is best for frying donuts?
Canola oil is ideal for frying donuts due to its neutral flavor and high smoke point, ensuring the donuts cook evenly without absorbing any unwanted flavors.
How do you store homemade donuts?
Store homemade donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Avoid refrigerating as it can make them stale. For longer storage, freezing is an option.

What is in Maple Donuts?
Milk
Adds moisture to the batter or dough. Milk adds protein and sugar (lactose) to your treat. It encourages browning and adds a bit more sweetness to your baked treat.
Yeast
Provides flavor and carbon dioxide, making your dough rise. It must be mixed with a warm liquid and sugar in order to activate.
Granulated Sugar
Adds sweetness, provides a caramelized flavor and crisp texture. Sugar assists with rising when creamed with butter. It helps add moisture to your treat and helps it evenly spread as it melts into a liquid in the heat of the oven. Sugar also helps with naturally preserving your baked treat.
Fine Sea Salt
Enhances flavor, adds balance, masks any bitter flavors. Salt is the most powerful and oldest preservative. Always make sure to use fine sea salt so it melts down at the right speed in the heat of the oven. If you use larger granule salt, it will not melt down fully when baked and will leave salt crystals throughout your treat, making it crunch like you dropped it into sand. All of my favorite salts are from Redmond and I have a discount code for you to get 15% off.
Eggs
Adds both a protein (egg whites) and fat (egg yolks). The egg whites help with rising because, when foamed, little air pockets get trapped inside the egg white mixture. The water content in egg whites encourages steam while baking, which helps with gluten formation, resulting in nice and thick treats. Egg yolks have emulsifying properties that bring batters and doughs together and help them from collapsing. Unless otherwise specified, always use large eggs.
All-purpose Flour
Builds structure as it absorbs liquids and expands. All-purpose flour falls in the middle of bread flour (high in gluten) and cake flour (low in gluten). It’s exactly what it is named, all-purpose, the most universal flour that can be used in most baked goods.
Powdered Sugar
Is just finely ground granulated sugar. It will absorb moisture in your batter or dough. It dissolves easily, ensuring a smooth texture without grittiness. Because it is so fine, it can melt quickly in the oven and spread cookies out more. Powdered sugar also stabilizes and thickens the frosting, thanks to the small amount of cornstarch it contains.
Maple Extract
Adds a distinctive, aromatic flavor and sweetness.

How to Store Homemade Donuts
Homemade donuts are best enjoyed fresh. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, you can freeze unglazed donuts for up to 1 month. Thaw and glaze before serving.
Prepare in Advance
You can prepare the dough ahead of time and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight for convenience. Allow it to come to room temperature before rolling and cutting.
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Why make maple donuts?
They are perfect for weekend breakfasts, special occasions, or as a comforting treat during the fall season when maple flavors are especially inviting.
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Maple Donuts
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 cup whole milk warm
- 3 tsp yeast
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 1 tsp
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Maple Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp maple extract
Instructions
Donuts
- In a glass measuring cup, 1 cup add warm milk, 1 tsp sugar and 3 tsp yeast. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until it bubbles up. This is proofing your yeast to make sure it is live and active. Don't skip this step!
- In a large mixing bowl add 1/2 tsp salt, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup melted butter, 4 flour, and 1/2 cup of sugar stir with a wooden spoon
- Pour the yeast mixture on top and stir, then when the dough starts to come together, use your hands to knead for a few minutes until the dough is no longer sticky.
- Cover the mixing bowl & dough with a kitchen towel and allow it to rise for 2 hours
- After the dough has risen, place a heavy stock pan on your stove top with 4 cups of canola oil over medium high heat.
- Using a candy thermometer, get the oil to 350 degrees.
- While the oil is heating up, roll out your dough. Using a donut cutter cut out donuts.
- Carefully place a donut or two at a time in the hot oil. Be careful to not let the oil splash up and burn you. Fry for a minute or two and then flip the donut to the other side. Fry for another minute or so.
- Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the donut and place on some paper towels to dry off any extra oil. Repeat the frying process until all the donuts are done.
Glaze
- In a small mixing bowl add the powdered sugar, milk and maple extract. Use a whisk to stir until smooth.
- Dip the finished donuts in the glaze, remove and allow the excess to drip off a bit before setting back down on a tray to set.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Adoria
The recipe calls for a half cup sugar but the directions don’t tell you when to add them
Madison Reid
Oh no! Thank you for pointing that out. I fixed the recipe instructions.