Overnight Homemade Doughnuts: Fluffy Yeast Doughnut Recipe

This doughnut recipe is a versatile, reliable base for almost any homemade doughnut you can imagine. Chocolate or vanilla glazed, cream filled, doughnut holes, rolled in sugar, frosted, coated with cereal, sprinkled with bacon, or stuffed with fruit or pastry cream — this recipe can do it all.

The best part? The dough is super simple, and cut-out doughnuts can rest and rise in the refrigerator overnight. That means you can do the prep the night before and simply fry them in the morning for warm, fresh doughnuts without an early wake-up call.

Good doughnuts are worth the effort. Too many store-bought options are merely “okay” — attractive packaging and high prices can mask bland texture or weak flavor. If you’re going to indulge in fried, sugary dough for breakfast, it should be memorable and worthwhile.

Regret and doughnuts shouldn’t be in the same sentence. Homemade doughnuts, when done right, are tender, pillowy, and satisfyingly rich — the kind of treat you happily savor without remorse.

If you’re going to eat doughnuts, homemade doughnuts are the way to go.

You don’t need to make them every morning, but treating your family, friends, or neighbors to warm homemade doughnuts is a small act that pays big dividends. Freshly fried doughnuts that melt in your mouth are a joy to share — and a great reason to linger over a cup of coffee.

This recipe makes homemade doughnuts practical: prepare the dough at night and finish the next morning.

Plan:

1. Make the dough about 2½ hours before you plan to go to bed.
2. If you plan to fill doughnuts with pastry cream or another filling, prepare it while the dough rises and refrigerate it overnight.
3. Roll and cut the dough, place each doughnut on small parchment squares, cover, and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight.
4. In the morning, let the doughnuts sit at room temperature for about an hour to complete their rise.
5. Fry, fill, glaze, or sugar-coat the doughnuts, then enjoy and share.

Homemade doughnut tips and tricks

Use a reliable deep-fry thermometer to monitor oil temperature. Frying temperature can vary with pot size, oil amount, and ambient conditions. Always fry a single test doughnut first: if it’s browned outside but raw inside, lower the heat; if it’s greasy and heavy, raise the heat.

These doughnuts are excellent rolled in sugar with a pinch of nutmeg, topped with vanilla or lemon icing, or draped in chocolate ganache. A favorite combination is rolling in sugar and filling with pastry cream.

Make doughnuts in any size or shape you like. Smaller cutters make doughnut holes; medium cutters are ideal for filled doughnuts; larger cutters work well for frosted or glazed doughnuts. Adjust frying time for size.

More recipes that use this same dough

• Extra Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls
• Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
• Homemade Caramel Rolls
• Homemade Cinnamon Bread
• Apple Fritters with Maple Glaze
• Doughnut Holes Filled with Salted Caramel Pastry Cream

Homemade yeast-raised doughnuts are a building-block recipe

Building-block recipes are foundational techniques and formulas that you will return to again and again. This dough provides a starting point for many sweet breads and treats; it bakes beautifully on its own and adapts well to fillings, glazes, and variations.

If you try this recipe, leave a comment or review — feedback helps others decide to try it and gives ideas for variations.

Happy baking!

📖 Recipe

Homemade Doughnut Recipe

This versatile doughnut dough is straightforward and forgiving. Cut out doughnuts can rest overnight in the refrigerator so you can fry them fresh the next morning.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk, at room temperature (about 75–85°F)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Vegetable oil for frying

Optional glazes and icings

• Simple vanilla icing
• Simple lemon icing
• Chocolate ganache

Instructions

Note: This recipe yields about 24 doughnuts at 3½ inches diameter. Yield changes with cutter size.

Make the dough:

1. Pour the milk into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle in the sugar and yeast. Stir and let sit about 5 minutes to activate the yeast. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, melted butter, vanilla, and lemon zest.
2. Fit the mixer with the dough hook. Add 5 cups of flour and mix on low (speed 2) until the dough begins to form. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour until you get a soft, slightly sticky ball that clings to the hook and does not stick to the bowl sides. It may use most or all of the final cup of flour depending on humidity.
3. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and salt and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and soft.
4. Butter a large bowl, transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover with buttered plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature 1–2 hours, until doubled in size.
5. Cut 24 parchment squares, each about 1 inch larger than your cutter. (For doughnut holes, simply line a baking sheet.)
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll to ½-inch thickness. Cut doughnuts and place each on a parchment square on a baking sheet. Re-roll scraps and continue until all dough is used.
7. Cover the doughnuts with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature about 1 hour before frying, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, allow doughnuts to sit at room temperature 1 hour before frying.

Fry the doughnuts:

Note: Test one doughnut first to fine-tune oil temperature.

1. Pour enough oil into a large, deep pot to reach 3–4 inches up the sides. Heat oil to 370–375°F.
2. Lower 2–3 doughnuts into the hot oil on their parchment squares. Immediately remove the parchment with tongs. Fry until the bottom is deep golden, about 3–5 minutes.
3. Flip carefully and fry another 3–5 minutes until golden on both sides. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Keep oil between 360–370°F while frying.

Notes

If coating in sugar, let doughnuts rest on paper towels 10–20 seconds before tossing in sugar. A light sprinkle of ground nutmeg mixed with the sugar adds warmth.

If icing, drain doughnuts at least 10 minutes before glazing so the icing sets evenly.

If filling with pastry cream, let doughnuts cool completely before filling. Use a pastry bag with a large round tip and inject cream into the side or bottom of each doughnut.

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