How to make donuts without donut pan?
You might be surprised, but it is possible. If you’re in the mood for some donuts, but you don’t have a donut pan, then you don’t have to worry. Allow us to help you with this craving and dilemma.
Without further delay, let’s get cooking!
4 Great Ways to Make Donuts Without a Donut Pan
No donut pan? No problem! We have not one, not two, but four ways to make donuts without a donut pan! Let’s go ahead and explore each one.
1. Muffin Pan and Aluminum Foil
The first and probably the most notable trick on the list involves a muffin pan and some aluminum foil.
A donut pan is similar to a muffin pan. For one, a donut pan is like a muffin pan that has a piece on the center that serves as the donut hole maker, if you will. That’s where the aluminum foil comes in.
You want to take a piece of aluminum foil and roll it into a cylinder to replicate the donut hole maker on donut pans. You can make it as wide as you want your donut holes to be and as high as you want them to be. However, many suggest using a 5×5 size for the donut hole maker. You want to fold that in half and start rolling. That should give you a cylinder that’s about 2.5 inches long. If your muffin pan is deeper than that and you want to level the donut hole maker with the edges of the cups, then feel free to do so! This way, getting the cylinders out would be easier.
Finally, put your newly made donut hole makers on your muffin pan cups and spray on some cooking spray. Using a piping bag, you can now put your batter in there!
2. Muffin Pan and Parchment Paper
Our next one still employs your muffin pan, but this time you’re going to be using parchment paper.
This method is similar to the one we just discussed. However, you might find that using parchment paper could be a little challenging as a cylinder made of parchment paper won’t stand as well as one made of aluminum foil. On the bright side, you can skip oiling up your donut hole maker if you opt for parchment paper.
Earlier, we mentioned using a piping bag. Now, if you don’t have one, then you can use parchment paper as a piping bag replacement. Roll out your parchment paper and get a big square that you can fold into a triangle. Cut that out and turn it into a cone and secure it. Put the batter in there, and you’re ready to start piping!
On the other hand, you can also use a resealable bag if you have one. You only need to cut a small opening on one of the corners, and your makeshift piping bag is ready to go.
Still, you can opt to use a spoon in transferring the batter to the pan. It will work, but you might experience some difficulty.
3. Cookie Cutter and Cap
Now, if you’re dealing with donut dough, a cookie cutter and a bottle cap might help you better.
With this one, you want to start by sprinkling some flour on your working area. After that, get your rolling pin and flatten your dough out. Next, you want to take your cookie cutter and start cutting your donuts to be out. You want to separate these circles out as soon as you cut them. This way, you don’t run the risk of your donuts-to-be sticking back to the rest of the dough again.
At this point, these circular doughs are not yet donuts. So, what you want to do next is get your bottle cap. Make sure you gave it a good wash! With your bottle cap, start creating your donut holes.
With this one, we suggest cutting up all the bigger circles first before proceeding to cut your smaller circles. This way, you can immediately separate the pieces from the other dough, and they won’t have time to stick back again.
4. Working with What You Have
Okay, but maybe you just suddenly craved donuts because of an easy tutorial, but you don’t have any of the baking materials we mentioned. Maybe all you have are the ingredients and a baking sheet? Well, you don’t need to worry, this last method is for you.
With this one, you’d want to make your batter first. After that, take out your baking sheet and put around four spoons of batter on the baking sheet. Next, using your spoon or your fingers, shape that batter into a donut shape.
Now, you might experience some difficulty with this method, but we still think it’s a fun way to do donuts. You can even do it with your kids! We believe it could be a fun activity they would enjoy doing with you. And hey, you and your kids will get to eat what you made. We think that’s a win-win right there!
What to Expect
We’ve shown you four ways to make donuts without a donut pan. Now, let’s talk about what you should expect from the donuts you would make from these methods.
Would They Still Taste Like Donuts?
Yes! You don’t have to worry about the taste of the donuts made from these methods. These methods are proven and tested by many, and a lot were able to eat delicious donuts after!
Would They Still Look Like Donuts?
Yes, they would. However, these donuts might look a little different. They could either be a little smaller than usual. If not, they might be a little disproportionate, especially the donut holes! If you went with the last method, you could expect the donut holes to be a lot smaller. Without anything to keep the donut hole’s shape, it would mostly close in the process. There would still be a hole, maybe only a lot smaller.
Baked Donut Recipes
You now know how to make donuts without a donut pan. What better way to use your discovery but by putting it into use? Here are three baked donut recipes you might want to try out.
Vanilla Glazed Baked Donuts – Let’s start with one of the classics. This donut might be one of the simplest, but they are simply delectable! They may not be as fancy-looking as the other donut flavors, but we believe that kids and adults would both agree that it’s enough to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Baked Chocolate Cake Donuts – Now, if you want to take your donuts to another level, then you might want to try making some chocolate cake donuts. Some adults are not that big of a fan of chocolates, but we believe your young ones would appreciate this chocolatey treat.
Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts – Now, if you’re not in the mood for something that sweet, you might want to try this one. Not everyone likes cinnamon, but if you do, then this one is for you!
Things to Consider
Next, let’s talk about the things you might want to consider.
Should I Buy a Donut Pan?
Well, that would probably depend on how much you love donuts. Maybe a better question is, how often would you use it?
There are other things you can make on a donut pan that are not donuts. However, if you have a muffin pan, you could most probably do those dishes on that too. In the end, you’re most probably only going to use the donut pans for what they’re for – donuts.
If you plan to make donuts often or have the means to buy one, then it could be a good investment.
Now, if you only crave homemade donuts once in a while, you could make reusable donut hole cylinders instead. You can even try to find a makeshift one that would do the job in a kitchen or baking materials store.
Baking or Frying?
Fried donuts might be delicious, but we think baked donuts are too!
Between the two, we suggest going for baked donuts as much as possible. That’s not to say, never reach for fried donuts again! Maybe, just lessen them if you could.
They might be both tasty, but baked donuts are healthier in more ways than one. However, the most notable health difference would probably be the fact that baked donuts have less grease than fried ones. There would be less fat and calories with baked donuts.
Summary
How to make donuts without donut pan? As you have seen, it’s not that hard. You can still make your favorite dessert without having a donut pan.
With that, we hope your craving has been satisfied!
If you have any other delicious concerns, such as this one, don’t hesitate to head on over to our previous discussions. Hopefully, we’ll see you there once you finish your donut! Leave some for us?
Michael Johnson is the founder of Pan Mastery, Inspired by his blacksmith grandfather’s legacy has a deep appreciation for hand-crafted pots and pans, he provides invaluable guides, reviews, and recipes to enhance your culinary journey.