Pancake mix donuts are a fun and super easy twist on traditional donuts. With the convenience of pancake mix, you can easily whip up a batch of these delectable baked treats in no time.
I love a good semi-homemade recipe.
If you’re not familiar with the term, semi-homemade food is a recipe based around commercially available convenience food, which is then customized at home with more natural ingredients (source).
Examples of semi-homemade recipes that I’ve shared include my super-popular cake mix pumpkin bread, snickerdoodle cupcakes, birthday cake ice cream and cake batter dip. They all use boxed cake mix as a base and they’re all delicious!
I think Food Network made “semi-homemade” famous with 15 seasons of the show, Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. I just learned that the show coined the phrase tablescape, and I’ve always loved that every episode featured a coordinating decorated table and a signature cocktail!
I’m not sure that a baked pancake mix donuts recipe ever had a place on the show, but these particular bites definitely deserve a feature somewhere, so here we are!
On a side note: when I was in elementary school one of my spelling words was doughnut. Spelled just like that.
I lived my life by the rules, so I was convinced throughout my entire childhood that every supermarket and gas station sign advertising their “donut” offerings was made by someone who didn’t know how to spell.
I was under an assumption that there was one and only one way to spell it.
As it turns out, both spellings doughnut and donut are acceptable. I even have proof from the most reliable source.
11 year old me offers her sincerest apologies to everyone she incorrectly judged and/or corrected.
Back to the food!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
It’s simple!
Donuts from pancake mix is a surefire shortcut recipe. You won’t need to measure flour Made with just one bowl and four ingredients, you’ll be pouring your batter into a donut pan and popping it into the oven right away.
It’s quick!
Mixing up a short list of ingredients takes just a few minutes, and your pancake donuts bake in the oven for just 11 minutes. They’ll take a little bit of time to cool and glaze, but they’ll be ready to eat before you know it.
It’s kid-friendly!
Donuts, glaze and sprinkles. What kid wouldn’t want these treats? Plus, it’s an easy enough recipe that kids could do most of the work before putting them in the oven.
It’s customizable!
Adding a handful of chocolate chips or chopped nuts is easy! You can, of course, use sprinkles on top of the glaze, but you can also drizzle them with maple syrup and or dust them with cinnamon sugar. Or powdered sugar. Or brown sugar. Anything that you love on bakery pastries will work for these ones, too.
In short, this is the easiest baked donut recipe you’ll find.
Ingredients in pancake mix donuts
This list of ingredients goes with the general “how to” directions in the next section. You’ll find specific measurements plus instructions with times and temperatures in a printable recipe card at the end of this article.
Complete pancake mix – You can use any mix as long as it’s complete pancake mix. that’s the “just add water” kind. Don’t use the kind of mix where you have to add oil and eggs.
Milk – Room temperature whole milk tastes best, with 2% milk coming in second place. If you only have skim, it’s fine. If you only have plant-based milk like soy or almond milk, that will also work well in this recipe.
Eggs – Room temperature large eggs work best, if you have the time.
If you don’t have time, here’s a shortcut: fill a dish with hot tap water and carefully submerge your whole eggs in the water for about five minutes.
Sour cream – If you have it, use full fat sour cream (like I use in this delicious sour cream coffee cake.). You can also substitute full fat greek yogurt and get the same results.
Vanilla extract – Imitation or pure. I use either, depending on what I have in my pantry. Just use the one you like best. You can read about why I have no opinion on vanilla extract in my recipe for crock pot cinnamon roll casserole.
Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners sugar.
Cooking spray – Nothing works like cooking spray with flour to keep things from sticking to your pan. These are three brands I’ve used and loved:
If you’ve never used nonstick cooking spray with flour, you’re going to thank me so much after you try it! Your homemade donuts are going to fall out of the pan.
(If you’re fundamentally against any sort of nonstick spray, you can use butter or shortening to grease your pan.)
Sprinkles or toppings – The world is your oyster – you get to decide what to put on your donuts. Check out these unique sprinkles that will delight your whole family.
How to make pancake mix donuts
If you haven’t already figured it out, this is a super easy recipe!
Recommended equipment
There’s one piece of kitchen equipment you’ll need for homemade baked donuts, and there’s also one that will make your donut-making process a lot easier.
First is a donut pan. This is the bestselling nonstick donut pan on Amazon. It’s made by Wilton, a tried and true brand.
Next is a pastry bag. Disposable pastry bags are the way to go, and I like the “anti burst” feature in this brand.
Step by step directions
Just like any other quick pastry recipe, you’re going to mix your wet with your dry ingredients.
In this case, your only dry ingredient is pancake mix.
First, you’ll whisk your milk, egg and sour cream in a bowl, then pour it into your pancake mix and combine with a wooden spoon. It’s ok if there are some lumps in there.
Then you’ll put the batter into a piping bag. Put the bag in a glass, folding it over the top so you can have both hands free. Then use a spoon to transfer the batter into the bag.
Next, you’ll pipe the batter into your donut pan, then bake them until the tops are golden brown, about 11 minutes.
After the baked donuts are cooled off, you can dip them in your mixed up homemade glaze, then decorate with sprinkles.
When you’re done with all the steps, you’ll have fun and delicious pancake mix donuts to share with your family!
Pancake Mix Donuts
Elevate your breakfast or dessert game with homemade pancake mix donuts. Discover why you'll love this delicious recipe, the essential ingredients, and step-by-step instructions on how to make the easiest baked doughnuts. Perfect for a special breakfast or a sprinkle-covered dessert, indulge in these sweet treats today!
Ingredients
- 2 cups pancake mix
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease or spray a donut pan with nonstick spray.
- Put the pancake mix in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and sour cream until blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (pancake mix) and stir just until combined.
- Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe the batter into a greased donut pan, until each cavity is about half full.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown on top. Cool in the pan for 3-4 minutes before turning the pan over to remove them.
See notes for our easy glaze recipe.
Notes
Glaze for pancake mix donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkles (optional)
How to make donut glaze
1. Mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract together in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Pour sprinkles into a bowl or shallow plate.
3. After your doughnuts have cooled, dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze and lightly set them into your bowl of sprinkles to coat.
Other recipe notes
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 89Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 211mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information does not include donut glaze. Please do your own calculations to ensure accuracy.
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