This donuts Recipe is easy to make. Oven-baked yeast donuts are healthier than fried ones. Just 182 calories each donut! Filled with coconut cream and glazed with coconut glaze. Just 45 minutes of rising time. Soft and airy.
These donuts are regular yeast donuts which you could fry in oil, but they are baked in the oven. A lot of baked donuts are cake donuts which are also delicious but technically seen just a piece of cake in a donut shape.
The advantage of baked donuts is that they are less in calories because you save the calories of the oil in which donuts are usually fried. Just 182 calories each donut!
To get the best results use a stand mixer to make the dough. Start with combining lukewarm milk, sugar, and yeast in the mixing bowl. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes until it gets foamy on the surface. Add eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine.
Then add flour and attach a dough hook. Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough doesn't stick to the bowl anymore. Resist the urge to add more flour as needed. The dough should be sticky to touch.
Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl and grease the top of the dough. Let rise for about 15 minutes in the preheated oven (see recipe instructions below).
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough, a ½ inch thick. Take as less flour as possible. Just enough to roll the dough without any problems. Cut out donuts with a floured 3-inch donut cutter. Place on 2-3 baking sheets and let rise for another 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
The donuts are filled with coconut cream and glazed with coconut glaze. Toasted sweet coconut flakes are sprinkled on top.
The filling is super creamy because of the whipped cream which you fold into the chilled coconut cream.
All you need is coconut milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla, whipped cream, and toasted coconut flakes.
The glaze contains powdered sugar, coconut milk, and coconut oil.
Fill cooled donuts with the coconut cream, then dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze and sprinkle with coconut flakes. They are best eaten fresh on the same day.
If you don't get sweetened coconut flakes, combine 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and 1 cup of coconut flakes. For toasting the coconut flakes just lay them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and toast them in the oven at 325°F for about 5 minutes. Watch the coconut flakes while they are in the oven because it goes very fast that they get color.
You may also like Cinnamon Challah Bread, Chocolate Red Velvet Donuts, or Beignets.
Recipe

Coconut Cream filled Baked Yeast Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup lukewarm milk (240ml)
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar (50g)
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (7g / 1 envelope)
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup butter, melted (75g)
- 2 vanilla beans* (or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups flour (480g)
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted for brushing on top of donuts (30g)
Filling
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar (50g)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch (15g)
- 1 ¼ cups coconut milk (300ml)
- 1 vanilla bean* (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream, whipped (90ml)
- ¼ cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted (21g)
Glaze
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (360g)
- 3 tablespoon coconut milk (45ml)
- 1.5 tablespoon coconut oil, melted (22ml)
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted (42g)
Instructions
Filling
- Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl until combined. Add cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Bring coconut milk in a large saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Once, it has reached a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 minutes, whisking continuously. Stir a few tablespoons of the coconut milk into the egg mixture to slightly warm it. Then pour warmed egg mixture slowly into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook until filling is thick, for about 2 minutes. Whisk continuously. Remove pan from the heat and whisk in vanilla* until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic foil to prevent forming a skin. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, stir with a stand or handheld mixer fitted with a whisk attachment milk, sugar, and yeast to combine. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes until it starts to get foamy on the surface.
- Preheat oven to 200°F (100°C). Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add eggs, butter, vanilla*, and salt and whisk to combine. Replace whisk attachment and attach a dough hook. Add flour and stir on low speed until the dough comes together. Turn on medium speed and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should be sticky to touch but shouldn't stick to the bowl anymore. If it sticks to the bowl, add ½-1 tablespoon of flour on low speed and knead another 1-2 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly greased heatproof bowl (brush a few drops of oil in a bowl or use a non-stick spray). Grease the top of the dough as well. Turn off preheated oven and place bowl in the oven to rise for about 15 minutes. Leave the oven door ajar.
- Remove bowl from the oven and preheat again to 200°F (100°C).
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough, about ½ inch (1,2 cm) thick. Take as less flour as possible. Just enough to roll out the dough without any problems. Cut out 3-inch (7,5cm) donuts with a lightly floured donut cutter. Place on prepared baking sheets. Turn off preheated oven and place all baking sheets in the oven to rise for about 30 minutes until they are doubled in size. Leave the oven door ajar.
- Remove baking sheets from the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Brush tops lightly with melted butter. Bake one baking sheet after another for about 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Let cool for about 30 minutes.
Assembling
- Whisk coconut cream until smooth. Fold in whipped cream and toasted coconut flakes (read the post above, if you need to know how to toast coconut flakes). Transfer coconut cream to a pastry bag and fill donuts with the cream.
- In a medium-sized bowl stir sugar, coconut milk, and coconut oil to combine. Place coconut flakes in another bowl.
- Dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze and sprinkle or dip them in coconut flakes. If the glaze gets to firm in-between, microwave it for about 10-15 seconds that it gets liquid again. Let glaze dry for about 10 minutes. They are best eaten the same day. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 day.
Notes
Video
You can find the video in the post above. If you don't see a video, please check your browser settings.
Natalie
Just made these for the first time! Toasted unsweetened coconut with powdered sugar, as I don’t generally used regular sweetened coconut…great tip! I had to YouTube how to fill a donut…guess I need a “donut stick” but chop stick did the trick to make room for the filling. I also did a mix of mango curd and coconut cream filling…tasty! My friends seem to like the mango!
And I used bunny and egg cookie cutters…big and small and turned out perfect…added some colored sugar for Easter to make them a bit more festive!
Great recipe and easy enough for a first time donut maker!!!
I will definitely make this again…next time I’m going to try a dark chocolate glaze on some. Hard to believe I baked something without chocolate…haha!
Kathi McGough
Thank you. I thought that might be the case, but leavening ingredients can sometimes be different. I appreciate your prompt response.
Kathi McGough
If I make a 1/2 recipe, do I use a 1/2 pkg. of yeast or the whole pkg. 24 donuts is a lot for my bf and me to consume in 1-2 days.
Sabine
If you make 1/2 of the recipe you need to use 1/2 of all ingredients including the yeast. I hope that helps!
Lynn
I can't believe how fluffy they are! I was very skeptical but these donuts are as good as fried ones. The filling is delicious as well but the next time I will make them plain just with the glaze.
Sabine
Yes, that sounds great! I eat them often just plain with glaze or dust them with powdered sugar. Thank you so much for your feedback!
Albert Bevia
I will take a box of 12 please! these donuts look amazing! love that they are baked and not fried, and that filling is just divine! great video too
Sabine
Adress? I would love to share with you, Albert. Thank you so much. Have a great day!