Grandma's Doughnuts

Can I give this 10 stars?!? My son LOVES donuts and I promised him donuts for breakfast this morning...however, we awoke to a terrible rainstorm and I didn't want to drive 11 miles to the closest donut shop. I found this recipe and was apprehensive because we are donut snobs and the thought of heavy 'biscuit' donuts just didn't appeal to me, however, I thought I would give it a try. I found that I only had "Reduced Fat Flaky Layers" type of biscuits so I was worried, but OH MY LORD...they were absolutely wonderful! They puffed up beautifully and were light and airy inside and crispy on the outside. They were amazing! My sons eyes lit up when he took the first bite and the magic words came from him mouth...'Mom, these are the best donuts I have ever tasted"...ahhhhh success!!! I made vanilla and chocolate glazes and they were great and also did a few with cinnamon sugar...YUMMMMM. I melted a chocolate truffle and added it to the chocolate glaze…that shot the taste into outerspace! My son can't wait me for me to make these again, but my husband has begged me not to ever make them again...because he ate 3 of them!! I hit it out of the park on this one!

My grandma used to make doughnuts like this too. I love them. She made a glaze of confectioner's sugar and milk and pour over them - YUMMY.

I always make my doughnuts like this. In fact i use a turkey baster and jelly sometimes and i make jelly doughnuts as well. They come out great!

OMG! I can't believe how easy it was to make these doughnuts!! I also made a chocolate glaze. My son loved them! Thanks for the recipe!

I learned this way of cooking donughts in middle school in 1963. You do not need that much oil. Just enough to put about 1/2 to 1 inche in a frying pan. Turn them half-way through. We used cinnamon and sugar combined in a paper bag and tossed them to coat. The biscuits will float when they are cooked through.

The whole family (and our neighbors!) loved these. We put the powdered sugar in a sifter and let the kids "snow" the doughnuts. We also had a bowl of holiday-colored regular sugar and cinnamon to dip them in too. Great with milk! I know this wil be a special request from my daughter for years to come! Thanks for sharing!

I have been making these doughnuts for years, and it really doesn't get any better for a fast, good breakfast treat (or anytime treat) that everyone likes. Try adding cinnamon to the powdered sugar, or even a little nutmeg too for an old fashioned taste. Just remember to make plenty..they are addictive.

These were quick, easy, and yummy! I can whip up 6 doughnuts (and doughnut holes!) in no time! :-) I love them with chocolate glaze; my kids liked them better with powder sugar. A keeper!

My mom used to make these and I have made them just like this a few times. They're fine but they always still have that refrigerator biscuit flavor. that is the reason for the 3 stars. A doughnut made from a real raised doughnut dough doesn't have that slightly weird flavor and would earn 4 or 5 stars. Frying canned biscuit dough really isn't a recipe so much as it's a technique. The recipe part happened at the factory that made the biscuits.

My GrandChildren Loved Them...!

Why is this considered a 'recipe'?? Open up a can & fry isn't a recipe. There is nothing new here which is noted by the sheer number of people posting they've made these for years. I learned to do this in 7th grade Home Ec class 45 years ago. They aren't very good either. Not even when baked at biscuits! I was looking for a good old fashioned Grandma recipe I'd be proud to serve. This certainly isn't it. I'm very disappointed that it's even been allowed to be posted.

This was an excellent recipe, and so easy to fix in the mornings. My family and I LOVED it!!!

This is absoutely amazing! I had no idea that you could do this! I also tried using cinnamon roll dough. They came out really well, and we used the icing in the package on top. You have to try using crescent roll dough! You just fry it unrolled, and it tastes like an elephant ear! Just make sure your oil isn't too hot. They fry rather quickly. This was by far my favorite! My 3 year old loved decorating these. We did powdered sugar, chocolate (I used the chocolate ganache recipe on this site) and a sugar glaze made with powdered sugar and milk. I will be making these again on Christmas morning for sure!

I have used this method for years and it works well and they are good. BUT...2 quarts of oil for a package of canned biscuits is a bit much. You can just put a couple of cups in a frying pan and do the same thing.

These are "emergency" treats. Got unexpected company at 10 am or pm? Make these. Kids need an after school snack? Ditto. I gave these to the men who installed our gutters on a freezing March morning and they begged for the recipe. I use lemon juice to make powdered sugar into a glaze that friends dubbed "Lemon Lorraine". These are fun quick treats but eat them up fast because once they cool completely they get hard as hockey pucks. Are they gourmet fare? - no! Do most people ask for more? - absolutely. I always keep a can on hand for emergencies. We all need a selection of fast, easy recipes for days when we lack the time, energy or appliances to cook up some "real food".

Easy to make for a delicious result

My mom used to make these all the time when I was growing up...usually as a late night snack. I found this recipe on here and was so excited...I only changed one thing. Instead of rolling the doughnuts in the sugar I made it into a glaze by adding water to it and putting the glaze on it. Delicious. Thanks so much for a great memory.

I have made for many years and always put the powdered sugar in a paper bag or baggie and dropped "doughnuts" in and shake for even coverage. Have also made with my own biscuit dough which I sweetened slightly. I also mixed powdered sugar with a little milk and drizzled over the doughnuts while warm. My 5 children loved them and now grandchildren and grt grandchildren.

Why did I ever buy bakery doughnuts? These are amazing - and almost a dozen (including holes) for less than $1.50! I use a medium-sized saucepan so I can get more of a "deep-fry" effect without using as much oil. It takes a little longer but it saves on oil. Cinnamon sugar rocks!

my grandmother wouldn't use anything store bought... all is homemade. I just wouldn't use anything in a can. Sorry..

Made these treats for breakfast before church today. Our 10 & 13 yr. old granddaughters are with us for the week & they loved these doughnuts. I sprinkled some with powdered sugar, cinnamon & sugar & also dipped some in a vanilla glaze. Nice to be a Nonna still learnng new tricks to impress my bambinos. This is a keeper...thanks Tiffany!!!

Love this recipe! We used a really cheap brand of some butter flavor Texas biscuits. The doughnuts turned out really amazing. We whipped up a glaze and dipped the doughnuts in it after they cooled for about a minute or two. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth..... Oh my goodness!

Very good! Easy, and delicious. Make sure to even them out, flatten them a bit, otherwise they will be raw in the middle! Trust me :) lol. Oh and if you put powdered sugar on them, wait until they cool first, otherwise the sugar gets moist and doesn't stay powdery.

We made these back oh 50 years ago, we would do different sugars, powder and granulated and lightly shake them in a brown paper sack. We used a washed ketchup lid as the perfect hole.(back then) What a decadent treat these are.

Really very good, much better than I thought it might be. I would rate the taste a 4, but the easiness of the recipe makes it a 5. A couple tips: I made two batches. The first batch I used a small tube of bicuits and the second time a big tube - like grands size - to make regular sized doughnuts. The small biscuits work MUCH BETTER than the big ones. The glaze that I put on them really balanced the biscuit taste so that it tasted much more like a doughnut than the second batch, which had a way too high dough-to-glaze ratio. Also, the big ones were doughy unless fried for a much longer time, and tasted a little too done for my liking by the time the insides were done.

Totally easy and awesome! I just fried them in a quarter inch of oil! What any easy, fun dessert.

I've been making this years too. Just want to mention that our families favorite way to make them is to fry, let them drain on a paper towel lined plate & then shake them in a small paper bag with plain white sugar. You can use a brown paper bag like you can buy for making lunches or what I LOVE to use is the left over sugar bag. It is a bit thicker. And why not repurpose the sugar bag if you can?! Hey, I like being green when I can. ;)

Easy peasy doughnuts! The only problem with this is that the biscuits have that particular taste that a certain brand of buscuits have. Maybe it's me that tastes that bit of bitterness in the biscuits. My kid engulfed the doughnut holes, & my neigbor thought they were awesome. I used sugar & cinnamon since I'm not a fan of powdered sugar doughnuts. You have to watch them carefully because if they turn dark brown the taste wasn't very good.

Really easy for a quick fix when your family wants something sweet!.. I found that the outside cooked fast and inside was raw so I had to turn my temp. down to med/low heat. I just placed them on some paper towels a few minutes to drain;I made a maple glaze and dipped while warm. They were as good as a donut shop (hubby says).. :)

This was wonderful. I messed up though, i didnt realize that i bought the buttery donuts, and it gave it a salty taste. But i did it again the next day with regular buttermilk biscuits, and mmmmmm, yummy, i did half powdered and the other cinnamon sugar...

Easy and delicious! My dad was sceptical, thinking they'd just taste like biscuits, but they really tasted like doughnuts! SO GOOD! Next time, I think I'll try it with a glaze, but powdered sugar was quick, easy, and yummy.

I used to make these for my kids when they were little. It was always a favorite. I didn't have a deep fryer so I just put some oil in a skillet. We would roll ours in a sugar, cinnamon mixture. These taste best when warm.

Great easy recipe! Donuts made to order... I used a variety of leftover icing and toppings. THANKS! :)

Good and simple. Keep an eye on your oil temp, otherwise you end up with a beautifully browned donut with a doughy center!

I made these with cinnamon sugar instead of confectioners sugar. I have a 50/50 success rate. I've been trying to find the balance between not too done on the outside and not doughy on the inside. It seems like if I make these to my preferred brownness on the outside, they are doughy on the inside. If they are done on the inside, then they are too brown on the outside. I'm sure it has something to do with the temperature of my oil, but I just can't seem to get it right.

I was suprised of how great these donuts taste. So easy and a lot of fun to decorate. You can be quite creative with icing flavors, fillings and shapes. The texture of the donuts resemble beignets to me. When I tasted one with powdered sugar, I thought I was in New Orleans at Cafe Du Monde. I can't wait for my 6 year old niece come for a visit. She loves donuts. I will be the best aunt in the world in her eyes.

Um...no. They tastes like biscuits. My eight year old ate one. I did not care for this recipe.

I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS. I FIND IT EASIER TO LET THE DOUGH GET SLIGHTLY WARM THEN FLOUR YOUR COUNTER TOP OR BOARD LITELY. PAT EACH BISCUIT OUT A LITTLE AND CUT THE CENTER OUT. DROP IN OIL AND FRY TILL LITE BROWN. I TAKE THEM OUT OF THE OIL AND DROP THEM INTO A MIXTURE OF SUGAR,CINNEMON AND BROWN SUGAR IN A PAPER BAG,SHAKE THEM AROUND AND THEN PUT ON A PLATE TO SERVE. MY FAMILY LIKE THIS BETTER THAN THE POWDERED SUGAR. YOU CAN ALSO USE SPLENDA BROWN SUGAR ON THEM INSTEAD FOR THE DIABETICS OUT THERE.

Love love love this recipe. So easy! I couldn't of even gone to the doughnut shop that quick and they tasted better. I made a glaze out of powder sugar and did some with Cinnamon and sugar. Then shook the holes in a paper bag with powder sugar. YUM

Used to make these when my sons (now in their 30's) were young and would come in from skating, playing in the snow with all their friends. They are good, quick and easy. I used to make them, fill zip lock bags with confectioner's sugar and another with cinnamon and sugar and let them shake their own. They are not as wonderful as homemade, but still very good.

These were good, my kids loved them. They are a little heavy but will make them again.

A guilty, guilty pleasure. I prefer mine with cinnamon sugar rather than powdered sugar though. No, it doesn't taste exactly like a real bakery doughnut, but it does taste GOOD!

I have done this with biscuits before and I'll give you a simple tip for making the hole,use the bottle top from a plastic 2 liter coke bottle,it works great. from:tazbaby

It tasted great and all but i like using recipes that don't use instant stuff like the can of buttermilk biscuit dough

Hubby has been making these for many, many years. I was skeptical at first, but that leaves when you taste them. We just cut the biscuits into fourths (in half, then each half in half), making donut holes. We've tried them with the powdered sugar, and a mix of granulated and cinnamon. It's all good! So quick and so easy... in fact, we keep biscuits around just for this snack attack now.

Very good- very simple- will make again if I have a need for doughnuts!

I love these donuts, and seem to be craving them since I tried em! I coat mine with fine sugar, I think they are much better than any sugar donut I can buy.

These were so easy and very professional looking due to a variety of glazes and toppings: chocolate glaze with chopped peanuts, coconut, or sprinkles, etc. However, they really need to be eaten right away! The ones that made it to the next day looked awful and tasted terrible.

OMG! These are not good at all for the waistline!!! I followed recipe for a batch or two and then followed another reviewer and left whole and used turkey baster to fill with jam! These aren't on weight watchers or Jenny Craig diet.... pfft! Awesome Tiffany!

We really liked these! The only problem we had was that when I fried them they did not cook all the way through (don't have a deep fryer so I think the oil I heated in a pan on the stove may have been too hot) so we had to bake them in the oven for 10 minutes. Other than though, they tasted great and we will be making these again! As a tip, I used the glaze from the "Crispy and Creamy Doughnuts" recipe on this site and it was awesome. Thanks for the recipe!

Awesome, easy recipe. Will definitely be making these for my kids again. We like the powdered sugar on them the best.

Okay this was a late night sweet tooth episode my husband and I had and it was super dangerous because they are SO GOOD!!!! But, I do suggest 350 degrees because they brown up quick. Also, I made a chocolate glaze using milk chocolate and semi sweet chips with a little milk. Super yummy!! Oh the doughnut "holes" were delicious with cinnamon sugar. Thanks for the recipe.

My Mom made these when I was a child and I have made them for my kids. She would use the cap off the vanilla bottle to make the holes. We would shake some in cinnamon and sugar or powdered sugar or frost with white or chocolate frosting and then sprinkle with nuts or coconut or sprinkles. It was great making the doughnuts with my Mom and will always be a treasured memory.

I've been making these since I learned how to make them at Vacation Bible School. Not only do I love these for the memories that come back when I eat them, but now my kids love to make them and eat them, too. Very fun!

i think our oil was to hot at first, because they browned so quickly and were still doughy inside. but after we cooked them some more, they were delicious!

This one get's 5 stars for the memories alone. Like another reviewer stated, I thought this recipe was my mom's secret, lol. We have some wonderful, family recipes that have been passed down by my Swedish great-grandma but this simple, quick snack that was introduced by my mother when we were kids and continued by myself with my kids and grandchildren is very special. My daughter has made them on occassion as well. Nothing fancy but is such a memorable experience for children that make's them feel like top bakery chefs :)

This was easy and delicious. I used a tall shot glass to make the doughnut holes. I may try stuffing them with a baster using pudding next time.

made these for an after school snack, the kids and the hubby loved them! will definitely make again!

my grandma and now i have made these as long as i can remember. but we also do in addition to begniets we dip them in syrup and it is sooo good. grandma did this with me and now i do it with my neices right before sendign them home :) thats why auntie's hosue has a 10am pick up time

Am amazed at this recipe. 5 stars on all accounts; taste, ease, cost, time. Doesn't get much better than that! Yum :)

I made this doughnuts, and they came out great. I made a few changes: Instead of using confectioner's sugar, I made a cinnamon sugar instead.

What a delicious, easy treat! I used large buttermilk biscuits, and the cap off a soda bottle to make the holes. They really puff up nice and big! Just be careful not to over-cook them, they will taste greasy. Besides dipping cinnamon-sugar and powdered sugars, I dipped some in "dipping chocolate", let it sit in the fridge till it hardened, and man, was that good! I'm making some again this weekend!

Made these this am for a quick sweet treat. They came out perfectly delicious.

they looked nicer than they tasted. No matter what topping is put on them, they are still just a glorified biscuit.

you wouldnt think these would be all that good, but they are sooooo delish!!!! I used flakey biscuit dough because that was all that I had on hand, but it turned out terrific!!!!

I love this simple recipe and the doughnuts taste great! I have also done these with raspberry filling and then done the powdered sugar on top. Pair with a great cup of coffee and you have a great start to your morning!

Very good. Make one at a time in small pot. Check temp. and make sure it is 375 and not hotter or outside of donuts cook too fast before inside is cooked. Cover with chocolate frosting (heat in microwave 15 secs. to thin)

I made these last night, and they were amazing! My boyfriend came home from work and asked, "where did you get those fluffy doughnuts?" When I told him I made them, he didn't believe me. I made some with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and some with a chocolate peanut butter frosting. He ended up eating five doughnuts by himself! These are an amazing quick fix when you're craving something sweet. Thanks for the easy amazing recipe.

These are a fun tasty treat, but I have to give it 3 stars because it's not a real recipe. I have found the same directions in a family magazine along with craft ideas. these are not really doughnuts just deep fried biscuits. Albeit tasty.

In N Carolina they call these "puffs" and serve them with a drizzle of honey instead of sugar. Restaurants bill them as Puffs and Honey. They certainly are not doughnuts but they are delicious.

Easy to make with really good flavor.Kids loved em.

Great idea! I used the small buttermilk biscuits and fried at 325 degrees. I didn't bother to cut holls. Rolled in powdered sugar and they were divine.

These are great! I liked the Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits the best, rather than the cheaper brand flaky style. I rolled some in cinnamon and sugar while still hot and some I frosted with the Satiny Chocolate Glaze recipe after they cooled. Try the frosted with a sprinkle of coconut. Yum!

These are delicious! They are also great with a glaze - just mix powdered sugar with a little bit of milk and glaze each donut. I've also just rolled them in a cinnamon sugar mixture.

This is exactly what I was looking for! Perfect with cinnamon & sugar. Without a topping/coating, they taste like a fried biscuit. But with the cinnamon & sugar they taste just like cider mill dougnuts - very pleasantly surprised. I'll never make doughnuts from scratch again!!

I'm one of those grandmas now, but when my children were growing up my mother taught me how to make these and even now have been told by my grown nephews and nieces one of their fondest memories when they stayed overnight at my house we sometimes had these for breakfast. Thanks for the memory!!

love em it was quick and easy a quick snack for the kids in no time and add 50 more stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been making donuts like this for years. The kids and I make an event of it, I fry them up and they get to glaze and decorate them. We also always fry up the centers that we cut out and make donut holes. Delicious, fun and quick!

These are good for what they are, but a fried can of biscuits will never be as delicious as a real donut...

My mom always made donuts this way and I've continued with my kids. They can be just as easily fried in a frying pan if you don't want to mess with your deep-fryer. I gave them four instead of five stars only due to the high calorie/fat content, not taste...everyone loves them!

Excellent. Easy to make and very fresh when you eat them right out of the oven.

My husband and I were having a craving so I went to work finding a donut recipe. (Allrecipes really does have anything :D)When we found this recipe we were a bit skeptical about the idea of a biscuits but we were pleasently surprised how good these were! These were AWESOME!! Thanks so much for the recipe!

Yum! But still a bit 2 much sugar. I think that this recipe is my favoriteif if I use 3/4 cups of sugar. Otherwise it just taste like sugar.

Simple and delicious! Great for a quick treat for my kids. I made a basic glaze out of water and powdered sugar. The donuts were light and tasty.

I have made these before but I roll the biscuit out and place a marshmallow on top and fold the biscuit over. Pinch sides to seal. They are soooooo gooood!!!!! Just as the others have mentioned, make sure the oil is not too hot. They will brown on the outside and doughy on the inside.

In our cafe we used to roll the biscuit to a round shape and then deep fry. While still hot shake them in a paper bag with sugar and cinnamon. For some reason we found that the cheaper brands worked better for this application.

Surprisingly good and easy! Use coconut oil to fry them in and they are light, fluffly and not overly oily/greasy. We tried sugar glaze, chocolate, strawberry, etc.- fun to make!

I used to make these when my children were young. But we would stretch the biscuit into a rectangle and fry. Then we put already made cream cheese frosting on them. They were kind of like the longs johns you get in the bakery. Very yummy

I used to make this for my girl's when they were young. they are 33,& 31 now. I loved them,but i have to be on a glutin free diet. But i will give this 5 star's because they are so yummy. Wish i could eat them again.

Loved these!!! So delish! Quick, easy alternative to store bought. But my crazy kids, 8 and 5, did not care for these!?!?!?

I've been making these for years and both my kids and grandkids gobble them up. This is how those little doughnuts at your favorite Chinese place are made.

OK as a quick fix, but I'll still go to Dunkin D's when I want a quality donut.

My Nana would melt a T of butter and mix with a half cup of confectioner's sugar, stirring in a tsp of water at a time until a perfect glaze formed for the doughnuts. Thank you for posting this! Brings back memories.

Wow, I thought my grandma was the only one who ever did this. Mine taught me this shortcut to making doughnuts when I was nine years old. I loved them!! We made them almost every weekend. When I got this recipe in my email it brought back so many memories. Thank you for sharing.

My college roommate and I used to make these in our dorm room, using our popcorn popper!

Maybe I used the wrong dough??? Pillsbury homestyle buttermilk biscuit dough. I could only find a 14 oz or a 7.5oz container. I bought the 14oz which worked fine for my donut cutter. The flavor wasn't good at all and my husband and son didn't even eat them up. They tasted like a fried biscuits and no real donut flavor. Any ideas what went wrong? Next time I will just make the dough as nobody cared for this at all!

These were great. Just like the doughnuts at the cider mill. Dipped in cinnamon sugar. These will burn very quickly. Fried at 300 degrees.

Just learned about this type recipe at a ballgame. I had a sweet craving so I tried it...They are delicious! Taste a lot like funnel cake with the powered sugar, but the entire family loves them!

GREAT! We've made them this way since we were kids. I'm sure they have easier ways, but we always used a (clean) medicine bottle to make the doughnut holes & fry them up also. If you like a little frosting/icing on the doughnut, we like to mix a small batch of conf. sugar, evap. milk & vanilla to dip the doughnut & holes in...yummy, but fattening. :)