Mini Blueberry Donuts: when you want a cute treat
These mini blueberry donuts filled with blueberry chunks and dipped in fresh blueberry glaze are tiny, adorable little gems that’ll kick mini muffins to the curb. And yes, like my other baked donuts recipes, it’s an easy one-bowl recipe you can make in under 30 minutes.
Add in some dried rose petals, and you’ve got a mysterious flavor that boosts the floral notes in the blueberries themselves. Intrigued yet? Let’s bake!
| Taste | Texture |
| Floral, fresh | Like a blueberry muffin |
| Active time | Total time | Yield | Difficulty |
| 10 min | 30 minutes | 36 mini donuts | Easy |
Why you’ll love baking mini donuts
- Too cute for words: These little guys are adorable. Tiny is more charming, and that’s science.
- Big blueberry flavor: Just like my strawberry donuts, there is blueberry in the donuts themselves and the glaze. If you love big fruit flavors, this donut is for you.
- In some ways easier than regular baked donuts: Because of the small format, it’s actually easier to get the batter into the pan. All you need to do is scoop and press. Yes, there’s a bigger chance of covering up the donut hole, but I have a perfect hack for that!
- Big batch: This recipe makes 36 mini donuts. If you have a donuts for Dad event, a baby shower, or any kind of brunchy potluck thing to go to, mini donuts are perfect. One of these donuts is way less commitment to eat than a full donut, so you get to eat more flavors. Everybody likes to sample in a buffet situation!
Ingredients for Mini Blueberry Donuts
Blueberry donuts batter
- Blueberries, fresh or frozen
- Butter, melted
- Egg
- Buttermilk (preferably homemade)
- Vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Food grade rose petals (optional) or nutmeg
- Salt
Blueberry donut glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Blueberries, fresh or frozen
- Butter, melted
- Decorative sprinkles (optional)
Equipment needed
- Mini Donut pans (see below)
- Small cookie scoop or a spoon
- Pastry brush (easiest way to prep the pans)
- Countertop blender or immersion blender
- Apple corer or paring knife
Where to find mini donut pans
Hobby Lobby, my people is the best place for mini donut pans. Seriously, they’re $5 when they’re NOT on sale and they work great. They stack up easily just like mini muffin pans, so one pan takes up essentially the same space as a bunch of them. Get 3 pans, and you won’t have to bake these in batches. I’m actually mad at myself that I didn’t follow my own advice. I will pick up more on my next visit!
Of course you can buy mini donut pans elsewhere, though on a casual glance through Amazon, the biggest pan I found had 24 wells. Since this recipe makes 36, this is a bit annoying. I prefer the smaller 12-well pans for these and mini muffin pans because they take up less space. Again, Hobby Lobby wins the day for the price and the smaller footprint pan.
How to make mini blueberry donuts
- Chop: Chop the berries for the batter into chunks. Because these are mini donuts, blueberries are far too large to cram into the tiny molds.
- Grind: If you’re using the rose petals, grind them in a mortar & pestle or a small coffee grinder .
- Melt: Melt the butter in a coffee cup in the microwave. Brush three 12-cavity mini donut pans with a little bit of the butter. If you only have one pan, you’ll have to bake these in batches, which is not that big of a deal since the donuts pop out of the pan almost immediately after baking.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, rose petals, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients: Pour the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla into the well. Crack in the egg and whisk it lightly to break up the egg. Gradually, stir the flour into the wet ingredients to create a thick batter. Fold the chopped up berries into the batter.
- Scoop the donuts: Use a small cookie scoop to scoop a little less than 1 scoop of batter into each well of your pans. Drop the batter into the edges of each well, and then use lightly damp hands to press the dough into the pan. Do your best to leave the hole in the middle of each well visible.
- Bake the donuts in a 350 F oven for 12-13 minutes until the tops spring back when you touch them. Turn out the donuts onto a wire rack.
- Blend: Load up a blender jar with all of the glaze ingredients and then blend until smooth.
- Glaze: Pour the glaze into a small bowl. Dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze.
- Decorate: Pour some sprinkles into a small bowl. Dip the tops of the donuts into the sprinkles. Set the donuts to drain and for the glaze to set on the wire rack.
Can’t see the donut hole? Try this trick for the best looking mini donuts.
Because the wells on mini muffin pans are so small, it’s very easy to end up with mini donuts that have no hole in the middle. It just takes so little batter to make a donut here, so inevitably, the batter will rise over the top of the spike. In this case, your “donuts” will look more like mini cakes with a deep dimple in the middle. The cakes on the left above look like mini bundt cakes instead of the donuts we’re aiming at making.
To fix this, use a small apple corer to punch out the middle of the cake. That’s it. It’s so easy and takes almost no time. If you don’t have an apple corer like this, you can also use a paring knife, which is slightly less efficient but works well. You can do this before or after you glaze the donuts.
More donuts recipes
Mini Blueberry Donuts
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 dozen mini donuts 1x
Description
Tiny blueberry donuts are even more fun than mini blueberry muffins. With a fresh blueberry glaze and a hint of rose, these bright floral donuts bring together all the best about summer berries.
Ingredients
Blueberry donut batter
- 1/2 teaspoon dried food grade rose petals (optional), or 1/4 teaspoon freshly grately nutmeg
- 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted (57 g)
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (preferably homemade), (177 mL)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (53 g)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Blueberry donut glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g)
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (70 g)
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted (57 g)
- 2 ounces decorative sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Make the batter
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Chop the berries for the batter into chunks. If you’re starting with frozen berries, you might need to let them sit for a couple minutes or zap them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make the chopping easier.
- If you’re using the rose petals, grind them in a mortar & pestle or a small coffee grinder .
- Melt the butter in a coffee cup in the microwave. Brush three 12-cavity mini donut pans with a little bit of the butter. If you only have 1 pan, you’ll need to bake the donuts in batches.
- Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ground rose petals, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients.
- Pour the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla into the well. Crack in the egg and whisk it lightly to break up the egg. Gradually, stir the flour into the wet ingredients to create a thick batter. Fold the chopped up berries into the batter.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop a little less than 1 scoop of batter into each well of your pans. Drop the batter into the edges of each well, and then use lightly damp hands to press the dough into the pan. Do your best to leave the hole in the middle of each well visible.
Baking and finishing the donuts
- Bake the donuts for 12-13 minutes until the tops spring back when you touch them. Turn out the donuts onto a wire rack.
- Load up a blender jar with all of the glaze ingredients and then blend until smooth.
- Pour the glaze into Pour the glaze into a small bowl. Dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze.
- Pour some sprinkles into a small bowl. Dip the tops of the donuts into the sprinkles. Set the donuts to drain and for the glaze to set on the wire rack.
- Optionally, if you want to see the holes in the donuts better, use a small apple corer to punch out the middle of each donut.
Storing donuts
Donuts are best eaten the same day that they’re made, though you can store them in the fridge in a lidded container for about 3 days. If you want to freeze the donuts, freeze them unglazed in a plastic bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 2 months. Warm the frozen donuts in a 300 degree oven for about 10 minutes and then glaze them from there.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Morning breads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
