These Banana Baked Donuts begin with an easy donut batter flavored with brown sugar and mashed ripe bananas. Enjoy these donuts topped with a simple cream cheese glaze. Made with basic ingredients and using a couple of mixing bowls, your busy schedule will love this easy breakfast.
Save This Recipe!
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I love a good banana bread recipe, but for a quick and easy breakfast treat, banana baked donuts hit the spot. They are made with brown sugar for a slightly caramelized flavor and finished with a cream cheese glaze for a classic combination like my banana bread cookies.
As a busy mom with a family that loves donuts, making homemade baked donuts is as easy as it gets. You’ll have this yummy sweet treat ready in no time.
Banana donuts are the perfect menu addition for hosting a brunch, an everyday comfort breakfast, or an afternoon treat. Let’s get baking!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Baked donuts. No need to make a mess in the kitchen with frying donuts. These easy banana donuts are baked in the oven for a healthier and tastier alternative!
- Ready in less than 45 minutes. These baked donuts can become a part of your daily breakfast rotation. They’re easy to make and don’t require a lot of time. It’s a great activity for kids to help!
- Easily doubles for a big batch. Hosting a brunch? This recipe is perfect for doubling to accommodate a large family and gathering of friends. If you have a lot of ripe bananas, you can add banana muffins to the menu too!
Ingredients You'll Need
- All-purpose flour. Gives the right amount of tenderness to the donuts (not too dense and not too cakey).
- Baking powder and baking soda. Leavening agents that contribute to the batter rising for a light and fluffy texture.
- Salt. Enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Light brown sugar. Sweetens the donuts. Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than granulated sugar and adds a richer flavor and that is why, I prefer it over regular sugar. You can also use dark brown sugar.
- Butter. Adds a rich flavor to the donuts. Melting the butter creates a tender and chewy donut.
- Egg. Acts as a binder between the dry and wet ingredients, which adds structure to the donuts.
- Vanilla. Always use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Milk. Moistens the batter and adds color and flavor to the donuts. Bring to room temperature. Set aside a bit of milk to thin the cream cheese glaze to your preferred consistency. Whole milk is best, but you can also use lower fat or nondairy if that’s what you have on hand (the donuts will be less moist and rich).
- Bananas. The key ingredient to creating banana flavored donuts. Use very ripe bananas. They are sweeter and easier to mash into a smooth consistency.
- Cream cheese. Use block cream cheese, preferably. It has a dense, firm texture that is perfect for making frostings and glazes. Bring your cream cheese to room temperature to create a smooth and creamy glaze.
- Powdered sugar. Adds sweetness to the cream cheese glaze. It's fine texture creates a smooth and creamy frosting consistency.
How to Quickly Ripen Banana
You might be ready to make banana baked donuts, but your bananas aren’t super ripe. No need to try to mash firm bananas. Instead, here are some tips to quickly ripen bananas.
- Oven method: Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet in a preheated 300°F/150°C oven. Bake them for 15-20 minutes until the skins are black.
- Microwave method: Using a fork or knife, poke holes all over unpeeled bananas. Place them on a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30 second intervals until softened.
Note: The microwave method will not produce super ripe bananas like the oven will, however, they will become soft enough to mash easily into the ideal consistency.
Equipment & Tools
- Donut pan. You can use a 6-cavity standard-size donut pan and bake the donuts in two batches.
- Digital kitchen scale or measuring cups. Using a scale will give you the most accurate measurements.
- Measuring spoons.
- Whisk. Easily combines the dry and wet ingredients separately.
- Rubber spatula. Used to gently fold together the dry and wet ingredients.
- Large bowl. Container for mixing the dry ingredients.
- Medium bowl. Used for mixing the wet ingredients.
- Disposable pastry bag. Makes it easier to pipe the donut batter into the baking pan. This is optional, but you can easily use a resealable plastic bag and cut the edge or spoon instead.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Before you begin: Bring the milk, cream cheese, and the butter for the glaze to room temperature. Read the recipe from start to finish. Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C and lightly grease a donut pan.
Instructions for the Banana Donuts
Mix dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix wet ingredients. Whisk the sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, milk, and banana.
Combine the ingredients. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.
Divide the batter and bake. Fill each donut cavity ⅔ full and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Note: You can prepare the banana baked donut batter ahead of time. Once it’s mixed, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake, but not longer than overnight.
Instructions for the Cream Cheese Glaze
Mix cream cheese and butter. Beat together for 1 minute.
Add sugar and vanilla. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla until a smooth consistency. Mix in just enough milk for your preferred consistency.
Note: I add just enough milk until the cream cheese glaze is a thick pourable consistency similar to honey. You can either drizzle the glaze over the donuts or dip the tops of each donut in one at a time.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Weigh your ingredients. It is more accurate to weigh your ingredients for consistent results.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing will result in dense donuts.
- Don’t overfill the donut cavities. Only fill each one ⅔ full.
- Cool in the pan. Allow the donuts to cool for 5 minutes in the hot pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps prevent the donuts from losing moisture.
Recipe Variations
- Mix-ins. Walnuts and pecans pair deliciously with bananas and would make a great addition to these baked donuts. As would mini chocolate chips. Add up to ¼ cup of either mix-in into the batter and sprinkle extra over the glaze.
- Chocolate glaze. Love chocolate? Dip these donuts into a chocolate glaze like the one from my pumpkin s’mores pop tarts.
- Sugar-coated. Skip the cream cheese glaze and dip each donut into melted butter and then generously dip into a spiced sugar mixture similar to these apple cider donuts.
Storage & Freezing Tips
- Room temperature. Store glazed banana donuts covered at room temperature for up to 1 day.
- Refrigerator. Store glazed donuts covered for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Extra glaze can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezer. Wrap completely cooled glazed or unglazed donuts with plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before glazing (if you froze them unglazed) and serve.
Note: If you prefer to stack your donuts in a freezer-safe container to store in the freezer, place a layer of parchment or wax paper between each donut so they don’t stick together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lightly grease a mini donut pan, fill each cavity ⅔ full, and bake for 8-9 minutes.
Use a standard-sized muffin pan to make donut muffins instead. Lightly grease or use cupcake liners and fill each ¾ full. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Dry donuts can be a result of too much flour, overmixing the batter, overbaking the donuts, or using low-fat milk.
They do not taste the same. Baked donuts have a more cake-like taste and consistency since they are not cooked in oil.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes to Try
Please leave a starred rating and comment below if you make these Banana Baked Donuts. I love reading your feedback! And if you’d like to make this recipe later, don’t forget to pin it on Pinterest! Happy Baking!
Print
Easy Banana Baked Donuts
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 donuts 1x
Description
These Banana Baked Donuts begin with an easy donut batter flavored with brown sugar and mashed ripe bananas. Enjoy these donuts topped with a simple cream cheese glaze. Made with basic ingredients and using a couple of mixing bowl, your busy schedule will love this easy breakfast.
Ingredients
Banana Donuts
- 200 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 110 g (½ cup) light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 60 g (¼ cup) milk, at room temperature
- 175 g (¾ cup) mashed ripe banana, about 2 medium bananas
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 55 g (2 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 90 g (¾ cup) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Milk or heavy cream, as needed
Instructions
Banana Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Lightly grease a donut pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, milk, and banana until smooth and combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and gently fold together until combined.
- Place the batter into a disposable pastry bag, cut off the tip, and pipe the batter into each donut cavity of your pan, filling ⅔ full. Alternatively, use a spoon to divide the batter.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a donut comes out clean.
- Allow the donuts to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute until combined.
- Add the sugar and vanilla and beat to combine.
- Add enough milk or cream to create your desired consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled donuts or dip the tops of the donut into the glaze.
Notes
Mix-ins: Fold in up to ¼ cup of chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips into the batter.
Mini Donuts: Lightly grease a mini donut pan, fill each cavity ⅔ full, and bake for 8-9 minutes in a preheated 350°F/177°C oven.
Storage: Store glazed banana donuts covered at room temperature for up to 1 day or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Freezer: Wrap completely cooled glazed or unglazed donuts with plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
Kate says
My kids loved these donuts! I love how quickly you can make them for an easy breakfast.
Maria Pagiotas says
Hi Kate! So happy they love these donuts!! Thank you for sharing!