Paula Deen Quick Donuts

Paula Deen quick donuts are a warm, crisp-edged fried treat with canned buttermilk biscuits, cinnamon and sugar that comes together in 15 minutes. This easy biscuit donut recipe fits Sunday brunch, holiday mornings and kid-friendly weekend breakfasts, and it feeds 8 people with very little cleanup.

Keep the oil at 350°F the whole time, because that heat browns the outside before the inside has a chance to turn greasy. Let it drop much lower and the donuts soak up oil instead of puffing up golden.

Paula starts with canned buttermilk biscuits and cuts a small round from the center of each one, so there's no dough to mix and no yeast to wait on. She dunks the donuts in the cinnamon sugar while they're still hot, which makes the coating cling.

Paula Deen Quick Donuts

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: BreakfastCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

210

kcal

Canned biscuit dough fries up puffy and golden, then gets rolled in cinnamon sugar for a crisp, sugary shell around a soft middle. The donut holes cook alongside the rings, so nothing gets wasted.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pot or deep fryer full Vegetable oil
  

• 1 can large buttermilk biscuits
  

• 6 tablespoons sugar
  

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  

Directions

• Heat the oil: Pour vegetable oil into a pot or deep fryer until it's about half full, then heat it to 350°F. Use a thermometer if you have one, since the oil temperature decides how the donuts turn out.
• Cut the biscuits: Open the can of large buttermilk biscuits and separate them onto a clean surface. Cut a small round out of the center of each biscuit, then keep those centers to fry as donut holes.
• Mix the cinnamon sugar: Add 6 tablespoons sugar to a bowl while the donuts fry. Stir in 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon until the mixture is one even color.
• Fry the donuts: Lower the dough into the hot oil in batches so the pot doesn't crowd. Fry about 2 minutes per side, until each one is golden brown.
• Coat and serve: Lift the donuts out of the oil and set them on a paper towel-lined sheet tray. Dunk them in the cinnamon sugar while they're hot, then enjoy them warm.

Tools for this recipe

• Lodge 6-quart enameled Dutch oven, ThermoPro instant-read thermometer, OXO stainless slotted spoon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make these donuts in an air fryer instead of deep frying?

Yes, though they come out more like a baked biscuit than a fried donut. Air fry at 350°F for about 5 to 6 minutes, flipping once, then brush with melted butter before the cinnamon sugar so the coating sticks.

Do I need a cutter to make the holes?

Not at all, since a small bottle cap or the wide end of a piping tip cuts a neat round from the center. A sharp paring knife works too if you're careful to keep the hole small.

Why are my donuts doughy in the middle?

That usually means the oil was too hot, so the outside browned before the center cooked. Check that the oil stays at 350°F and keep to about 2 minutes per side.

Can I make these ahead of time?

They really are best eaten right after frying, while the cinnamon sugar is still clinging and the inside is soft. If you have to wait, hold them at room temperature for a few hours, and skip the fridge because it turns them dense.

What other flavors can I use for the coating?

Powdered sugar is the easy swap, and a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk works too. Dip them while the donuts are still warm so the topping sets properly.