There’s a reason a tube of canned biscuits has earned permanent real estate in so many refrigerators. Sure, you can pop them in the oven, slather them with butter and call it a day. But that little tube of dough can do a whole lot more than its name suggests.
Canned biscuits can become everything from breakfast sandwiches and mini pizzas to casserole toppings and pull-apart breads. But when we asked culinary pros for their favorite way to turn refrigerated biscuit dough into something better, one answer kept coming up: Make donuts.
And once you think about it, the idea makes perfect sense. Much of the work required to make traditional donuts has already been done for you. The dough is mixed, leavened and divided into perfectly portioned rounds. There’s no measuring flour, waiting for dough to rise or breaking out a rolling pin. All you really need to do is cut out the center, cook the dough and add your favorite toppings.
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There’s a nostalgia factor too. Recipe developer Melissa Rose remembers making biscuit donuts as a kid, and the simplicity is still part of their appeal today.
Better yet, you don’t even need a deep fryer. Biscuit donuts can be fried for a more traditional result or popped into the air fryer for a quick version with considerably less mess.
The only real question is what kind of biscuit to start with—and that’s where our experts have some surprisingly different advice. Here’s what three food experts had to say about how to make the best canned biscuit donuts at home.
The Chef Consensus: Why Biscuit Donuts Are the Ultimate Hack
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The biggest advantage may be the most obvious one: Someone else has already made the dough.
“Canned biscuits are already a leavened, portioned dough, so you skip proofing, rolling and cutting,” says Rachelle Lucas, publisher of TheTravelBite.com. Simply cut a hole in the middle, and suddenly those biscuit rounds look an awful lot like donuts.
Minoo Mahdavian, founder of MinooMakesStuff, likes the hack for what happens once they’re cooked. The biscuits develop a buttery, crispy exterior that’s ready for just about any sweet topping you can throw at it. As she puts it, all you have to do is “poke a hole in the middle, cook, top and you’re done.”
For Rose, the appeal goes back to childhood. Biscuit donuts are something she made as a kid, so the shortcut delivers a little nostalgia along with its simplicity.
There’s also virtually no waste. When you cut the center from each biscuit, don’t toss those little rounds. Cook them right alongside the full-size donuts, and you’ve got bonus donut holes.
And unlike traditional homemade donuts, which can turn into a weekend-long baking project, canned biscuit donuts can go from refrigerator to dessert—or breakfast—in minutes.
The Best Type of Canned Biscuits to Use
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Here’s where things get interesting: Our experts don’t necessarily reach for the same tube.
For Lucas, homestyle or buttermilk biscuits are the choice when you’re after something closer to a classic cake-style donut because they puff evenly and tend to hold their shape as they cook.
Rose is also firmly on Team Homestyle. She prefers giant homestyle buttermilk biscuits over flaky varieties, usually reaching for the Aldi brand when she makes them.
Flaky biscuits create a different experience. Their distinct layers can begin to separate during cooking, giving you a lighter, more pastry-like texture rather than the tighter crumb you might expect from a traditional donut.
Mahdavian takes a more method-specific approach. She prefers flaky biscuits when she’s baking or air frying, and homestyle biscuits when she’s deep frying.
That gives homestyle or buttermilk biscuits a slight edge among our panel, particularly if you’re after a more traditional donut. So rather than declaring one type the winner, think about the donut you want to eat. Reach for homestyle or buttermilk when you want something sturdier and more cake-like; grab the flaky variety if layers and a more pastry-like bite sound better.
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How To Make Chef-Approved Biscuit Donuts 2 Ways
The basic prep couldn’t be easier. Separate the biscuits, and use a small round cookie cutter to remove the center of each one. No tiny cutter? Mahdavian suggests using the wide end of a large piping tip instead.
From there, you have two options.
1. Air-Fried Biscuit Donuts
Lucas prefers the air fryer for its speed and simplicity, and she’s demonstrated just how easy the method is in an Instagram post. After cutting the center from each biscuit, she spoons cinnamon and sugar over the raw dough, then air fries the donuts at 350°F for about 10 minutes until they’re golden.
In her video, Lucas finishes the warm donuts by dipping them into mulling syrup and then adding a generous coating of cinnamon and sugar to finish them off. Her recipe proves you don’t need much more than a tube of biscuits and a few basic pantry staples to pull off the hack.
Mahdavian takes a slightly different approach using flaky biscuits and a hotter air fryer. She recommends optionally spraying the dough with a little oil and cooking at 390°F until golden and crispy.
Because air fryers can vary considerably in size and power, use the suggested times as a guide, and keep an eye on the biscuits as they cook. You’re looking for a deeply golden exterior and dough that’s cooked through rather than simply watching the clock.
2. Deep-Fried Biscuit Donuts
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If you want to go the more traditional route, Mahdavian recommends heating a neutral frying oil to between 350°F and 375°F.
Carefully lower the prepared biscuit rounds into the hot oil and fry for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until they’re golden. Transfer them to a paper towel to drain away the excess oil before adding your toppings.
Rose takes a less-is-more approach to frying. Rather than filling a pot for deep frying, she shallow fries her homestyle buttermilk biscuits in a smaller amount of oil. You still get the golden, fried exterior and soft center she wants from a donut, but with less oil and less waste. Once the oil has cooled, she strains it so it can be saved and reused.
Whichever method you choose, you’ll want to have those toppings waiting. Warm donuts are where the fun really starts.
Pro Toppings to Elevate Your Donuts
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You could keep things simple with a roll through powdered sugar or a drizzle of vanilla glaze, but our experts have some considerably more interesting ideas.
Mahdavian suggests making a simple cream cheese glaze with cream cheese, powdered sugar and a splash of milk. Add strawberry jam, and you’ve suddenly turned your shortcut donut into something reminiscent of strawberry cheesecake.
For chocolate lovers, she spreads Nutella over the cooked donut and adds hazelnuts for a Ferrero Rocher-inspired version.
Lucas has an especially fitting trick for fall: apple cider syrup. Brush or dip the warm donut in the syrup, and then roll it through cinnamon sugar for an easy take on an apple cider donut without the trip to the orchard. She also recommends vanilla glaze or honey butter finished with flaky sea salt.
Rose’s favorite is decidedly old-school: powdered sugar. But when she wants to take things up a notch, she makes a powdered sugar glaze flavored with pure maple syrup and cinnamon, adding a tiny drop of butter extract if she has it on hand. She says the combination gives the donuts a warm, cinnamon-toast-cereal flavor that helps make the shortcut taste homemade.
And don’t forget those centers you’ve been saving. Dip them into melted chocolate, or finish them with whatever topping you used for the full-size donuts. Be creative and experiment with the small bites—you really can’t go wrong.
Whether you go air fried or deep fried, homestyle or flaky, cinnamon and sugar or full-on strawberry cheesecake, it’s hard to argue with a shortcut that turns a tube of refrigerated biscuits into warm, homemade donuts in minutes. Just don’t be surprised if you start keeping an extra can in the fridge for something other than biscuits.
Sources:
- Minoo Mahdavian is the founder of MinooMakesStuff, a Toronto-area food content creator and dietetics student whose from-scratch recipes have reached more than 500 million people across 174 countries.
- Rachelle Lucas is a food writer with more than 16 years of experience, an on-air culinary expert who has appeared in more than 500 live cooking segments on HSN, and the publisher of The Travel Bite and Active Voyager.
- Melissa Rose is the recipe developer and creator behind Design Eat Repeat, where she has shared approachable baking recipes, creative food ideas and food crafts since 2011. She is also the author of the self-published cookbook One Crafty Pan.
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