Welcome to Sugar, Spice & Glitter! Please note, this post may contain affiliate links. For more details, see our Full Disclosure.

Today, I’m sharing with you all of my secrets for making the perfect Vanilla Sprinkle Donuts with a homemade vanilla glaze – starting with my favorite donut hack: using pre-made biscuit dough instead of making donut dough from scratch! This time-saving swap makes these 6-ingredient donuts a 30-minute recipe that you won’t mind the kids requesting on repeat!

Biscuit donuts are one of my family's favorite sweet treats to request; they take only 6 ingredients (plus cooking oil) and less than 30 minutes to make. These golden, lightly crisped donuts are tender and fluffy on the inside with a luscious vanilla glaze that gently crackles as you bite into it. Garnish with your favorite sprinkles - swapping out the rainbow sprinkles for holiday sprinkles or colors to match a variety of different events.

Vanilla Sprinkle Donuts Recipe

I love experimenting with different recipes and genuinely enjoy cooking and baking, however it is only slightly annoying to me that some of our favorite recipes are ones that take literal hours to make. (Like our Copycat Cinnabuns recipe or my daughter’s favorite meal ever – Lobster Thermidor.)

Are these recipes worth the amount of time they take to make? Yes. Do I slightly cringe inside whenever my family asks me to make them? Also, yes.

Luckily, today’s easy biscuit donuts recipe makes up for all of those more labor-intensive recipes. Biscuit donuts are one of my family’s favorite sweet treats to request and I don’t mind at all that they take only 6 ingredients (plus cooking oil) and less than 30 minutes to make.

These golden, lightly crisped donuts are tender and fluffy on the inside with a luscious vanilla glaze that gently crackles as you bite into it. Garnish with your favorite sprinkles – swapping out the rainbow sprinkles for holiday sprinkles or colors to match a variety of different events.

(Side note: I love how something as simple as swapping out the sprinkles on these vanilla glazed donuts makes them super versatile for serving at many different occasions – from Christmas morning to a children’s birthday party, and many many options in between.)

Variations on Vanilla Sprinkle Donuts:

bake the donuts instead of frying (Heat oven to 350F, brush the unbaked donuts with butter before baking for 8-10 minutes.)
use the air fryer (Heat to 350F, add 1 Tablespoon of oil to the airfryer and place the donuts inside – spray with a bit extra oil, if desired. Bake for 5 minutes.)
swap out the glaze for a different flavor by using mashed berries, flavor extracts, orange juice and zest, lemon juice and zest, etc.
swap the sprinkles for crushed cookies, crushed freeze-dried fruits, citrus zest, etc. (or just leave the donut glaze plain)
swap the rainbow sprinkles for holiday-themed sprinkles or sprinkles that match your party or event theme if making these for a special occasion
add some food dye to the vanilla glaze, if desired
coat the full donut in the vanilla glaze (you will need to triple the glaze recipe for this)
swap the vanilla glaze for a dip in melted candy melts, if desired

overhead image of a white plate full of vanilla-glazed donuts garnished with sprinkles set on a purple napkin

Tips for the best biscuit donuts:

enjoy within 2 days – this will be easy because they will disappear quickly!
stretch the donut before frying and make the donut hole wider to get the best shape and prevent them from being too thick
keep oil temperature at 350F – use a candy thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. Too low and they will soak up the oil, too high and they will burn or overcook on the outside while not fully cooking on the inside
store at room temperature in an airtight container (if you store in the fridge, the glaze will soften at room temperature)

Can I air-fry these donuts instead of frying? Yes, heat the air fryer to 350F, add 1 Tablespoon of oil to the airfryer and place the cut donuts inside – spray with a bit extra oil, if desired. Bake for 5-8 minutes.

How do I store leftover donuts? Store leftover donut in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. If keeping them longer, refrigerate for up to 5 days (however this will soften the vanilla glaze). The donut glaze texture is best within the first day or two as it tends to soften with time. If you want to keep these for longer, you can swap the vanilla glaze for a dip in vanilla candy melts.

Can I freeze the donuts? Yes, however I don’t recommend freezing the donuts with the glaze as I don’t think the glaze will thaw nicely. If you want to freeze the unglazed donuts, allow them to cool completely after frying. Store in a freezer-safe bag or your favorite freezer containers for up to two months. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)

More Biscuit Donut Recipes:

a stack of vanilla-glazed donuts garnished with rainbow sprinkles along with three images showing how to make the recipe

Vanilla-Glazed Donuts Ingredients

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

ingredients needed to make vanilla-glazed donuts

Tip: you will need approximately 4 cups of oil to fry the donut holes, but the amount will differ based on the size of your dutch oven or whatever you are using to fry them. You want at least 3-4″ of depth. You can use peanut, canola or vegetable oil.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

Heavy stockpot or Dutch Oven <– highly recommended for even cooking and seamlessly transferring recipes from the stove to the oven – or for deep-frying, like with this recipe
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Cutting Board
Small Circle Cookie Cutter
Spider Strainer

close-up image of a stack of vanilla-glazed donuts garnished with rainbow sprinkles

How to Make Vanilla Glaze Donuts

Place a cooling rack over a baking tray and set aside.

in-process images showing how to make vanilla-glazed biscuit donuts

Place your frying oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Use a candy thermometer to ensure you bring the oil to 350F.

Cut out the center of each biscuit and then stretch the biscuit a bit to make the hole and biscuit donut wider – approximately by 1/2″.

Once oil is hot, fry each donut individually for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown.

Set each fried donut on the cooling rack to allow excess oil to drip off.

Once all donuts have been fried, turn off the heat for the oil.

Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl.

Whisk in the milk, vanilla extract and salt.

Dip each donut into the vanilla glaze, then place back on the cooling rack and immediately sprinkle on sprinkles, if using.

Allow to sit until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

Pin this Sprinkle Donut recipe for the next time you want to treat your family to something sweet (and simple):

The perfect Vanilla Sprinkle Donuts with a homemade vanilla glaze - starting with my favorite donut hack: using pre-made biscuit dough instead of making donut dough from scratch! This time-saving swap makes these 4-ingredient donuts a 30-minute recipe that you won't mind the kids requesting on repeat!

Grab your free printable recipe card for our vanilla glazed donuts recipe:

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Sugar, Spice and Glitter.

Yield: 10 donuts

Vanilla-Glazed Sprinkle Donuts

Name: Vanilla-Glazed Sprinkle Donuts
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Breakfast Recipe
Ingredients: 1 can Pre-made Biscuits; 1 1/2 cups Powdered Icing Sugar; 2 Tablespoons Milk; 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract; 1/2 teaspoon Salt; 1/4 cup Rainbow Sprinkles

The perfect Vanilla Sprinkle Donuts with a homemade vanilla glaze - starting with my favorite donut hack: using pre-made biscuit dough instead of making donut dough from scratch! This time-saving swap makes these 4-ingredient donuts a 30-minute recipe that you won't mind the kids requesting on repeat!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 can Pre-made Biscuits
1 1/2 cups Powdered Icing Sugar
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Rainbow Sprinkles

Instructions

Place a cooling rack over a baking tray and set aside.
Place your frying oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Use a candy thermometer to ensure you bring the oil to 350F.
Cut out the center of each biscuit and then stretch the biscuit a bit to make the hole and biscuit donut wider - approximately by 1/2".
Once oil is hot, fry each donut individually for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown.
Set each fried donut on the cooling rack to allow excess oil to drip off.
Once all donuts have been fried, turn off the heat for the oil.
Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl.
Whisk in the milk, vanilla extract and salt.
Dip each donut into the vanilla glaze, then place back on the cooling rack and immediately sprinkle on sprinkles, if using.
Allow to sit until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 111Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 142mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 0gSugar: 19gProtein: 1g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

a white plate full of vanilla-glazed donuts garnished with sprinkles set on a purple napkin

I hope your family loves these easy vanilla sprinkle donuts as much as mine does!

For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here:

For more breakfast ideas, check out our full breakfast recipe collection here:

Vanilla-Glazed Biscuit Donuts