This fun and delicious Rainbow Donuts recipe features warm, fluffy fried donuts dipped in a silky vanilla glaze and finished with piped rainbow-colored vanilla buttercream. These perfectly sized donuts are wonderful to share with friends, family, or coworkers for St. Patrick’s Day—or any time you want a cheerful homemade treat.
Let’s Talk About the Recipe
This version was adapted from an easy homemade donuts recipe. I used a 3½-inch donut cutter and then halved each donut to create the rainbow shape. The success of this fried donut recipe comes down to fresh ingredients (check that your active dry yeast is still good), proper prep, and a bit of patience—especially during decorating. The results are tasty and fun to serve.
Timing: After preparing the dough, allow about 1½ hours for the first rise. After cutting the donuts, they need roughly 1 hour to rest before frying. Frying and glazing takes about 25 minutes once everything is ready. Making the buttercream takes about 20 minutes and decorating can take about 30–35 minutes.
What Ingredients Are Needed?
Donuts:
- Active dry yeast
- Warm water
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk (reserve whites if desired)
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling)
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Vanilla glaze:
- Sifted powdered sugar
- Milk (any dairy; 1% works well)
- Light corn syrup (for shine)
- Vanilla extract
Vanilla buttercream:
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- Sifted powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract (use clear if you want the frosting very white)
- Heavy whipping cream
Can I Use Store-Bought Frosting?
Yes. Whipped vanilla frostings pipe well; cream cheese frostings usually do not pipe as neatly. If using store-bought frosting for the rainbow colors, get two containers to be safe. Whether homemade or store-bought, you’ll likely have extra frosting you can refrigerate for another use.
Using a Deep Fryer to Make Homemade Donuts
You don’t need a deep fryer, but one makes frying easier by controlling temperature and timing. If you fry in a skillet or stock pot, monitor the oil with a thermometer and maintain about 365°F. For more frying tips, consult other reliable donut recipes focused on pan frying.
How to Decorate Your Rainbow Donuts
Decorating is the most fun part, though mixing colors can be a little messy. Prepare your workspace and tools to make the process smooth.
Tools and supplies you’ll need:
- Food coloring (gel or paste is easiest)
- Seven small bowls for dividing frosting
- Small spatula for mixing
- Disposable gloves to protect your hands from dye
- Piping bags (small bags are best)
- Small round decorating tip for the white clouds (optional)
Divide the buttercream into seven portions: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white for clouds. Use more frosting for red, orange, and yellow (about 1/3–1/2 cup each) and less for the remaining colors (about 1/4 cup). Start with a small amount of food coloring and add more as needed—red typically needs the most. Rinse your spatula with hot water between colors to avoid cross-contamination.
To fill piping bags, set each bag in a cup, fold the rim down, and spoon in the frosting. For the rainbow colors you can snip a small portion of the bag tip off—no decorating tip required. For the white clouds, use a round tip or cut the bag larger for a round opening.
Pipe the colors in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, then purple to form the rainbow. If needed, use the piping tip or a small spatula to nudge frosting into place. Finish by piping white cloud shapes along the inner edge of the rainbow, similar to piping small cupcake swirls. Imperfections are fine—each rainbow will be unique.
Recipe Notes
- Prep time includes 30 minutes active prep, 1½ hours rise, and 1 hour resting time for the dough.
- Cook time refers to frying only.
- Allow roughly 20 minutes to make the buttercream and 30–35 minutes for decorating.
- Prep and cook times vary by tools and experience.
- After frying, allow oil to cool completely before disposing of or storing it. Pour cooled oil into a sealed container for reuse or proper disposal—do not pour oil down the drain.
Enjoy These Other Breakfast Sweets!
Chocolate Croissant Loaf
Mini Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins
Lemon Blueberry Streusel Scones
Double Chocolate Muffins
If you tried this Rainbow Donuts Recipe or any recipe on the site, please leave a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Rainbow Donuts
Author: Jennifer
Prep: 3 hrs
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 3 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 18 donuts
Ingredients
Donuts
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Vanilla glaze
- 1 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1/8 cup milk
- 1/8 cup light corn syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Donuts
- Combine yeast and warm water in the mixer bowl with a dough hook and let sit 10 minutes to proof.
- Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and flour. Mix on low and knead until the dough pulls away from the bowl. If too sticky, add 1 tablespoon flour at a time until slightly tacky but manageable.
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, flip to coat, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot about 1½ hours or until nearly doubled.
- Punch dough down, turn onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 6–7 times into a smooth ball.
- Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Dust a 3½-inch donut cutter with flour and cut donuts; halve each donut with a bench scraper to form rainbow shapes. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced about 1 inch apart. Use leftover dough for donut holes.
- Cover with a clean towel and let rest 1 hour or until almost doubled.
Vanilla glaze
- Whisk sifted powdered sugar, milk, light corn syrup, and vanilla until smooth.
Vanilla buttercream
- Beat butter on medium-high until smooth (2–3 minutes).
- On low, add powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add vanilla and heavy cream; mix until smooth and spreadable.
Frying the donuts
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Place the glaze in a bowl and have a second paper towel–lined sheet with a wire rack ready for glazed donuts.
- Fill deep fryer to the max fill line with oil and heat to 365°F. If using a skillet or stock pot, heat oil to 365°F and monitor with a thermometer.
- Fry 3–4 donuts at a time for 1 minute 30 seconds per side, turning once, until medium golden brown.
- Transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Immediately dip each donut into the vanilla glaze and place on the prepared rack to let excess glaze drip off. Let cool slightly before decorating to avoid melting the buttercream.
Decorating
- Divide buttercream into seven bags: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white. Only the white needs a piping tip for clouds.
- Pipe rainbow stripes—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple—then pipe white clouds along the inner edge. Small imperfections are part of the charm.
Notes
- Prep time includes dough mixing, rising, and resting. Additional time is needed for frosting and decorating.
- Frying in a heavy skillet or stock pot requires roughly 3–4 cups of oil; add oil to the pot before heating and heat to 365°F.
- Allow oil to cool completely before storing or disposing; do not pour oil down the drain.
Nutrition
Calories: 381 kcal | Carbohydrates: 60 g | Protein: 3 g | Fat: 15 g | Saturated Fat: 9 g | Sugar: 43 g