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Valentine’s Day calls for something sweet, simple, and a little showy — these red velvet baked donuts fit the bill perfectly. They bake up quickly, look like they came from a specialty shop, and are easy enough to make on a busy morning. Baked instead of fried, they deliver the donut-shop experience with less guilt and a moist, cake-like crumb that pairs beautifully with a cream cheese glaze.
These donuts have a texture that sits somewhere between a tender muffin and a soft cake. During testing, I found that adding an extra egg yolk and a touch more oil helped give them a slightly denser, richer bite without weighing them down. The flavor is classic red velvet — a subtle cocoa note, a touch of tang, and that vibrant color that makes them festive. A smooth cream cheese glaze finishes each donut, and decorating with heart-shaped sprinkles or split-colored glazes makes them extra special for the holiday.
For a playful twist, I split the glaze into two bowls — leaving one bowl natural cream cheese white and tinting the other with a few drops of red food coloring to get a deep pink. You can keep the glaze all white or make multiple colors; either way the donuts are a beautiful and easy way to celebrate.
How to make Red Velvet Baked Donuts
These donuts come together quickly and require only basic equipment. To get the classic donut shape, use a donut pan. After greasing the pan with nonstick spray, whisk the dry ingredients — flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt — in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients: eggs and the extra yolk, buttermilk, white vinegar, melted butter, oil, vanilla, and red food coloring. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined; avoid overmixing so the donuts stay tender.
A neat way to fill your donut pan
To avoid mess and get uniform donuts, transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip or use a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off. Stand the bag inside a tall glass and fold the excess over the rim as you fill it — this keeps your counter clean and makes piping much easier. Fill each donut cavity only about half full so the hole remains intact and the donuts don’t overflow.
Bake the donuts at 350°F (175°C) for about 8–10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake part comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing. For the glaze, beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth, then add powdered sugar and vanilla. Start with about 4 tablespoons of milk and add more by the tablespoon until you reach a pourable glaze consistency; I used 6 tablespoons for a thinner, glossy glaze. Dip the tops of fully cooled donuts halfway into the glaze and let excess drip off; dip a second time for a thicker coating. Finish with sprinkles if you like.
How to store baked donuts
Store glazed donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. If you want them to last longer, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to a week. In my experience the glaze helps keep them from drying out quickly, and they retain their texture well within these time frames.
Red Velvet Baked Donuts
Ingredients
Red Velvet Donuts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup oil
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 3 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 oz unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the donuts
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a donut pan with nonstick spray.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and kosher salt.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk with the oil, melted butter, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring until combined.
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Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
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Transfer the batter to a pastry bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off and pipe into the donut pan, filling each cavity about ½ full.
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Bake for 8–10 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Dip each cooled donut top-down halfway into the cream cheese glaze. Let excess drip off. For a thicker coating, dip a second time. Add sprinkles if desired.
For the glaze
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Beat the softened cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add milk a tablespoon at a time, starting with 4 tablespoons, until you reach a pourable glaze consistency. Use up to 6 tablespoons if needed.