Easy Baked Chocolate Donuts with Glaze

These Easy Baked Chocolate Donuts are so simple to make and even more fun to eat! With a tangy glaze made from real orange juice and mini morsels for extra chocolatey goodness, these guilt-free oven baked donuts are done in just about 30 minutes. A perfect dessert or even something sweet to serve for breakfast!

👩🏻‍🍳 Why You'll Love This Recipe

So, to be clear, I would not exactly label these as healthy chocolate donuts, but they are a little better for you since they are baked, not fried. I also used fat-free Greek yogurt, to boost them with a little protein and make them soft and moist.

While I wouldn't recommend giving them to your kids for breakfast on a school day, they are fantastic to serve as part of a special breakfast (like a holiday or birthday), a nice brunch, or anytime as a delicious dessert!

I make the orange glaze with real orange juice, and the resulting tangy citrus flavor really complements the moist chocolate of the donut.

If you're like me and you love the combination of chocolate and orange, you'll love this Chocolate Orange Cake as well!

Another way to avoid frying doughnuts in all that oil is to use an air fryer, like in this Air Fryer Pumpkin Donuts recipe!

🥘 Ingredients Needed

For the Donuts

• flour - I used all purpose flour for this recipe, but cake flour may also work well for oven baked donuts.
• sugar - to sweeten the batter.
• cocoa powder - provides a lot of the chocolatey flavor.
• baking soda - gives your chocolate donuts some extra lift and softness.
• milk - helps bring the donut dough together.
• Greek yogurt - this is one of the ingredients that makes these donuts healthier and replaces some of the oil.
• eggs - another crucial ingredient for fluffy baked donuts.
• butter - you'll want to melt this before using it.
• vanilla extract - for some extra sweetness and flavor.
• mini chocolate chips - mix these right into the batter for extra chocolate!

For the Glaze

• orange juice - gives your glaze a tangy, citrusy flavor that pairs so well with the chocolate.
• butter - makes your glaze a little thicker and creamier.
• vanilla extract - for flavor.
• confectioner's sugar - adds the right amount of sweetness to the glaze.
• mini chocolate chips - sprinkle these on top of the glaze for even more chocolate (you can never have too much)!

🔪 Instructions

Chocolate Donuts Instructions

1. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda to a medium bowl.
2. Combine well and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together milk, Greek yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
4. Add to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir in mini chocolate chips.
5. Mix until just combined.
6. Fill each cavity of your baking pan about ¾ of the way, then bake at 325 degrees F for 10-11 minutes. Cool completely in pan and remove to glaze.

Orange Glaze Instructions

1. Combine orange juice, melted butter, and vanilla.
2. Stir in powdered sugar until smooth.
3. Dip the donuts in the glaze or spread with a spatula or knife, then sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

👪 FAQs

💭 Other Helpful Tips

• If your glaze is too thin, add some extra powdered sugar.
• On the other hand, if the glaze is too thick, add some more orange juice.
• Don't have powdered sugar on hand? Put about a cup of granulated sugar in a blender or food processor and blend until it's powdery. You may want to sift it to remove clumps.
• If you're storing this homemade powdered sugar, mix in a tablespoon of cornstarch per every 2 cups of sugar to prevent sticking.
• These chocolate donuts are best served right after the glaze has been applied, so hold off on glazing them if you bake the donuts ahead of time.

Once you learn how to make chocolate donuts at home, you'll never have to shell out an arm and a leg at the bakery again! Plus, these better-for-you oven baked donuts taste just as good (if not better) and are customizable to your preferences!

📖 Variations

• If you don't want to make the glaze, these donuts also taste great sprinkle with some powdered sugar.
• If you want even more citrusy flavor, add some orange zest into the glaze.
• You can also glaze these with a chocolate glaze made from melted chocolate chips, heavy cream, and melted butter.
• Other great toppings for these donuts include sprinkles, citrus zest, or a dusting of cocoa powder.
• If you find your chocolate donuts too sweet, try adding some salt into the dough before baking to level out the flavors.

🧁 More Dessert Recipes

If this recipe for chocolate donuts has you craving even more sweets, I've got you covered! One of my recent favorites is this recipe for Pumpkin Truffles, which are simple to make and so perfect for fall. These Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake Mix Whoopie Pies are another autumn classic, and if you're looking for something more summery, try this Cream Cheese Lemonade Pie!

🍩 Sweet Breakfast Recipes You'll Love

• Eggless Banana Bread - A quick and tasty way to use up all of those overripe bananas.
• Pineapple Pancakes - This breakfast will take you somewhere tropical, even in the middle of the winter!
• Butterscotch French Toast Bake - Topped with a graham cracker crumble, this tasty breakfast casserole is the epitome of comforting and sweet.
• Blueberry Muffins - These classic muffins from Once Upon a Chef are perfect for a brunch or special breakfast!

Oven Baked Chocolate Donuts

Love this recipe? Awesome! Please give it a 5 star ⭐ rating below! And if you make this, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram. You can find me at DizzyBusyandHungry or #dizzybusyandhungry!

📋 Recipe Card

Easy Baked Chocolate Donuts with Orange Glaze

Recipe Author: Kristin

Light and delicious and dipped in a tangy citrus glaze made with real orange juice that complements the moist chocolate donuts.

4.70 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 14 -16

Calories 303 kcal

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

For the doughnuts:

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup sugar
• ▢ ½ cup cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ cup milk
• ▢ ¾ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 2 tablespoons melted butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ cup semi-sweet mini morsels

For the glaze:

• ▢ 3 tablespoons orange juice
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoon melted butter
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• ▢ ½ cup semi-sweet mini morsels

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

For the doughnuts:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
  2 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup sugar, ½ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda
• In another medium bowl, mix the milk, Greek yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
  ½ cup milk, ¾ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients and the mini morsels, mixing until just combined.
  ½ cup semi-sweet mini morsels
• Fill each cavity of your doughnut pan about ¾ way with the batter. (The batter is thick, so I found it helpful to pour the batter into a plastic storage bag, cut off the bottom corner, and pipe the batter into the doughnut molds.)
• Bake for 10-11 minutes.
• Cool completely in the pan, then remove for glazing.

For the glaze:

• Combine the orange juice, melted butter, and vanilla.
  3 tablespoons orange juice, 1 ½ tablespoon melted butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
  2 cups confectioner's sugar
• Spread the glaze on the cooled doughnuts, then sprinkle with mini-morsels.
  ½ cup semi-sweet mini morsels

Notes

• Don't feel like making the glaze? Just sprinkle the donuts with powdered sugar!
• If the glaze is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add a bit more orange juice.
• If you don't have powdered sugar handy, you can make your own by running 1 cup of granulated sugar through a high powered blender or food processor until it reaches a powdery consistency. It will make about 2 cups powdered sugar. Sift it after processing to make sure any large granules are removed. If you will be storing the homemade powdered sugar, add some cornstarch to it to prevent clumping. Use about 1 tablespoon cornstarch per 2 cups powdered sugar. 
• For even more orange flavor and a little color, add some orange zest to the glaze!
• If you will be serving the doughnuts later, for best results, make the glaze and apply it to the doughnuts right before serving.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2.2mg

Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.

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Update Notes: This post was originally published in April 2015, but was republished with tips, step by step photos, and a recipe change in November 2021.

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Happy cooking!

Happy cooking!