These canned biscuit donuts with a simple vanilla glaze are so easy to make using biscuits in a can! Fry some of these sweet treats up for a breakfast that the whole family will love!

I have a confession to make… You can find me in the Dunkin’ Donuts drive thru at least twice a week. It’s gotten so bad that when I get in my car in the morning, the magical Google Maps app automatically alerts me that Dunkin’ is 2 miles away with a little map notification… as if I need directions for how to get there. Ha!

Our phones say a lot about us, and mine says that I need to lay off the drive thru.

But, I rarely order donuts… for myself at least. I mainly just go for the coffee and wake up wraps (which are surprisingly low carb for a fast food breakfast!). My kids, on the other hand, are all about the donuts!

So when I tried to make easy homemade donuts using biscuits in a can recently, they were super excited! And I scored some major “Mom points”! And while these easy biscuit donuts aren’t exactly like Dunkin’, they are super delicious and a great, cheap breakfast treat to feed your whole family. (And if you like these, then be sure to check out my mini chocolate chip pancakes using muffin mix!)

Here’s how to make donuts using canned biscuit dough:

Ingredients for Canned Biscuit Donuts

For the fried biscuit donuts:

• 1 can pre-made biscuits – I used the Pillsbury Grands biscuits that come 10 biscuits to a can.
• frying oil – I used approximately 4 cups of vegetable oil, but the amount will vary based on the size of your dutch oven. You’ll need at least 3-4″ of oil depth in your pot for your biscuits to fry properly. Peanut, canola, or vegetable oils all work great for this recipe.

For the vanilla glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• rainbow sprinkles (optional)

How to Make Easy Biscuit Donuts

I made vanilla glazed biscuit donuts this time, but this basic method can work for a wide variety of donut flavors. Once you’ve got the frying process down, which is super easy, the possibilities are endless!

1. Set up your donut making station.

First you need to prep your frying oil and drying rack. Simply pour your oil into a dutch oven and heat it over medium heat. You want the temperature of your oil to be approximately 350 F so that your donuts fry properly without burning. I strongly recommend that you use a candy thermometer for this.

Then, place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and set it to the side. This is where your donuts will cool and the excess oil will drain off of them. To help with clean up, you can also line your baking sheet with several pieces of newspaper to catch the grease. Then you won’t have to wash your baking sheet… You all know I’m all about keeping things easy!

2. Prep the canned biscuit dough.

To get the canned biscuits ready for frying, simply use a small round cookie cutter to cut out the center of each biscuit. Then carefully stretch the biscuit a bit until your biscuit donut shape is about 1/2″ wider.

The biscuit dough will puff up a bit while frying, so stretching it out a bit first helps to maintain the donut shape. Here’s what your canned biscuits should look like before going in the fryer:

3. Fry the biscuit donuts.

Once your oil has reached the correct temperature, carefully place each donut into the oil. You definitely don’t want to “drop” the donuts in, because the oil will splatter up and burn you. You can even use a spider strainer to set the donuts in the oil.

Then, fry each donut individually for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown. Once the donuts are done, use a strainer to carefully remove each donut from the oil and transfer to your wire cooling rack. Allow the excess oil to drip off while your fried donuts cool completely.

There’s few things that look better than a bunch of fried dough, am I right?!

Once all of the donuts have been fried, turn off the heat for the oil and allow the leftover oil to cool down completely before handling.

4. Make the glaze and dip your cooled biscuit donuts.

While your donuts are cooling, start making the easy glaze.

First, sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Then, whisk in the milk, vanilla extract and salt until the sugar dissolves and you’re left with a smooth glaze like this:

Then, once your donuts are cool, dip each one into the vanilla glaze, covering it about half way, and place it back on the cooling rack. If you’re using sprinkles or other toppings, immediately sprinkle them on top while the glaze is still wet. If you wait too long, then the sprinkles won’t stick.

*Tip – If your donuts are too warm when you dip them, then the glaze will melt quickly and run right off. If you like a runnier, warm glaze (more like an actual glazed donut), then you can dip while your donuts are still warm.

Allow the yummy vanilla glazed biscuit donuts to sit until the glaze is set, about 30 minutes. Then it’s time to dig in!

Other Biscuit Doughnut Ideas

This fried biscuit donut recipe works for a variety of donut flavors. Here are a few other ideas you can try:

• Cinnamon sugar biscuit donuts – After your fried donuts cool, dip both sides in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
• Powdered biscuit donuts – Allow the donuts to cool, and then dip or sprinkle powdered sugar on them.
• Tint your glaze with food coloring – Add a few drops of food coloring to the glaze for colored frosted donuts.
• Do icing drizzles – Put some store-bought canned icing in a Ziploc bag, snip the tip of the corner of the bag, and drizzle icing over the top of your cooled donuts.

FAQs about Making Homemade Donuts Using Biscuit Dough

What if I don’t have a candy thermometer?

That’s completely fine! Depending on your stove, you should be able to heat your oil on medium or medium-high for about 5 minutes. You can test one donut to see if you need to adjust the heat on your stove… You want the biscuit to start frying immediately when you put it in the oil so that the dough doesn’t just soak up the oil, making it soggy.

Can I bake the biscuit donuts instead of frying them?

Sure can! Pillsbury actually has a baked glazed donuts recipe on their website you can try for a healthier option… if donuts can be healthy?

How long will the donuts stay good?

You can store them on your counter in a Ziploc bag for about 1-2 days, or in your refrigerator in an airtight container for about 1 week. If you store them in the fridge, you will probably need to microwave them for about 10-15 seconds so they soften up before serving. We also like to heat them in the toaster oven, because the outside crisps back up nicely.

Can I freeze them?

You bet! Just allow the donuts to cool completely, then wrap each one individually in plastic wrap. Place all of the wrapped donuts in a Ziploc freezer bag and store them in the freezer. Then just thaw on the counter for a few hours before eating them.

*By the way, we do the same thing with leftover cake slices so we can make yummy cakes and not be tempted to eat the whole darn thing!

Can I save my frying oil?

Yes! I know that’s a lot of oil to just trash, so keep it and reuse it instead. My husband does this all the time when he makes fried catfish! Just let the frying oil cool down completely (for several hours), and then use a funnel and cheesecloth to strain it right back into the original oil bottle.

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