Love is in the air when you bake our easy recipe for Red Velvet Donuts! Intense red color, cake-like texture and deep chocolate flavor make these doughnuts perfect for Valentine's Day breakfast or dessert!
When I think of Valentine’s Day I immediately think red, Red Velvet Cake Donuts, that is!
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Red Velvet Donuts
Our red velvet doughnuts are so delicious you’ll want to start your day with them for breakfast and end your day with them for dessert too!
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Our red velvet donuts recipe bakes in a donut pan. These homemade donuts are so easy to make and take only minutes to bake!
An intense red color and fabulous chocolate flavor guarantee these Red Velvet Donuts will let those special people know just how much they are loved. Top them with a vanilla glaze and valentine sprinkles and love is in the air!
Because, after all, there’s nothing quite like a homemade buttermilk donut, now is there?
Red velvet cake shaped like donuts make you just feel that Valentine love!
So heat up your oven, it's time to bake a batch of these red velvet donuts for the people you love!
Be sure to visit the Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for GG's personal kitchen recommendations!
How to make baked donuts
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Preheat your oven to 400F and coat 2 donut pans with cooking spray.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder and kosher salt in a large bowl and whisk until blended.
- Whisk buttermilk, butter, eggs and vanilla in another bowl until combined.
- Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until blended.
- Stir in red icing food color.
- Pour batter into the 12 donut cavities and bake 10-12 minutes or until the tops of the donuts spring back when touched.
- Cool 5 minutes in pans and then transfer donuts to a wire rack. Cool completely.
- While donuts are cooling, combine confectioners’ sugar and warm water in a small bowl stirring until a glaze forms.
- Coat donuts with glaze and decorate with valentine sprinkles.
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- Add mini chocolate chips to the batter
- Don’t have buttermilk? Make your own buttermilk by combining 1 cup milk and 1 Tablespoon vinegar. Let stand until the mixture thickens.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the glaze for added flavor
Substitutions
- Substitute green color in place of the red food coloring for green velvet donuts
- Make Hannakuah donuts with blue color for blue velvet donuts
- Substitute melted white chocolate for the confectioners sugar glaze
- Replace the sugar glaze with cream cheese icing, a classic flavor combination with anything red velvet
Storage
- Store red velvet donuts at room temperature in an airtight container.
- Donuts will stay fresh for about 2 days.
- As always, I find it helpful to visit the FDA website for food storage guidelines
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients for red velvet doughnuts:
- all-purpose flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- baking powder
- kosher salt
- buttermilk
- butter
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- no taste red icing food color
- powdered sugar
- warm water
- Valentine sprinkles
Red Velvet Recipes
If you love red velvet cake as much as I do, and agree that anything red velvet is perfect for Valentine’s Day, then you'll want to check out these easy recipes too!
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies is an easy recipe that combines two favorite desserts, brownies and cheesecake. A homemade red velvet brownie cake is topped with a creamy cheesecake batter and baked to perfection. Just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Our Red Velvet Mini Cake Recipe is an easy from scratch cake recipe for your Valentine’s Day dessert. Mini cake layers have a deep intense red color and are flavored with cocoa powder for a delicious chocolate flavor. Frost with a homemade buttercream frosting and decorate with Valentine sprinkles and you’ll have adorable red velvet mini cakes that are perfect for sharing on Valentine’s Day.
The ever popular red velvet cupcake just became a cookie! Top with a peppermint glaze and crushed candy canes and Peppermint Crunch Red Velvet Cookies are all dressed up for the holidays! Make it for Valentine's Day without any peppermint and top with valentine sprinkles for a dessert for your sweetie pie!
Red Velvet Donuts Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons no taste red icing food color
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 4-5 teaspoons warm water
- Valentine sprinkles
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Coat 2 donut pans with no-stick cooking spray.
- In one bowl whisk flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder and kosher salt until blended.
- In another bowl whisk buttermilk, butter, eggs and vanilla until combined.
- Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir until blended. Add red icing food color and stir until batter has turned a deep red color.
- Divide batter evenly between 12 donut cavities.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until tops of donuts spring back when touched. Cool 5 minutes in pans. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in small bowl combine confectioners’ sugar and warm water until a glaze forms.
- Top cooled donuts with glaze and valentine sprinkles.
Notes
- Add mini chocolate chips to the batter
- Don’t have buttermilk? Make your own by combining 1 cup milk and 1 Tablespoon vinegar. Let stand until mixture thickens.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the glaze for added flavor
- Substitute green color in place of the red color for green velvet donuts
- Make Hannakuah donuts with blue color for blue velvet donuts
Nutrition
Be sure to check out these awesome Valentine recipes from amazing bloggers! Just click on the links for the yumminess!
Yellow Heart-Shaped Rainbow Funfetti Cookies from Julie of The Little Kitchen
Peanut Butter Cookie Cake from Julie of Julie Blanner
Cherry Coconut Macaroons from Miranda of Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
Brownie Cookies from Mel of Mel's Kitchen Cafe
No-Bake Chocolate Candy Cookies from Debi of Life Currents
Double Dark Chocolate Chery Black Forest Cookies from Jamie of Southern Revivals
White Chocolate Valentine Madeleine Cookies from Marlynn of Urban Bliss Life
Pillowy Soft Sugar Cookies from Stephie of Stephie Cooks
Steak with Pink Peppercorn Sauce from Sonja of Ginger & Toasted Sesame
Creamy Beet Risotto from Rachel of Copper & Verdigris
Valentine's Day Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Denise of Chez Us
Red Velvet Donuts from Gwynn of Swirls of Flavor
S’mores Brown Butter Panbanging Cookies from Marybeth of babysavers
Gluten-Free Chocolate Kiss Cookies from Audrey of Mama Knows Gluten Free
Gluten-Free Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies from Brianna of Flippin' Delicious
Rose Meringue Cookies from Kirsten of Comfortably Domestic
Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Curry from Shashi of Savory Spin
Double Chocolate Meringue Cookies from Dee of Meatloaf and Melodrama
White Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie from Sarah of Sarah Cooks the Books
Cream Wafer Cookies from Kelly of Live Laugh Rowe
White Chocolate and Raspberry Cookies from Wanda of My Sweet Zepol
Raspberry Fudge Cookies from Jessica of A Kitchen Addiction
Raspberry Cookies from Courtney of Know Your Produce
Syltkakor Raspberry Jam Cookies from Megan of Stetted
No-Bake Chocolate Tart from Rachel of Rachel Cooks
Heart-Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies from Angela of About a Mom
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies from Lisa of TasteCookSip
Chai Latte Shortbread Hearts from Sue of It's Okay to Eat the Cupcake
Soft and Sweet Sugar Cookie Bars from Carlee of Cooking With Carlee
Strawberry and Cream Cookies from Ashley of A Cup of Charming
Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies from Lisa of Blogghetti
Galete Waffle Cookies from Shaina of Food for My Family
Almond Shortbread Cookies from Denise of addicted 2 recipes
Easy Strawberry Fudge from Chrysa of Thrifty Jinxy
Valentine's Day Mug Hug Cookies from Aimee of Southern From Scratch
Doughnut Sandwich Cookies from Bree of Baked Bree
Chocolate Nutella Cookies from Melissa of Modern Honey
Easy Crinkle Cookies from Amy of The Nifty Foodie
Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Becca of The Salted Cookie
Love Cake from Sara of Confectionary Tales
Meringue Cookies from Sara of My Imperfect Kitchen
Rose White Hot Chocolate from Susannah of Feast + West
Gluten Free Lavendar Shortbread Cookies from Carolann of Apron Warrior
Fruit Filled Chocolate Waffle Cones from Nicole of For the Love of Food
Chocolate and Vanilla Sweetheart Cookies from Sheila of Life, Love, and Good Food
Raspberry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies from Nancy of The Bitter Side of Sweet
Chai Spiced Snickerdoodle Cookies from Ashley of Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
Heart Happy Valentine Cookie Chocolate Cheesecake from TammyJo of The Chocolate Cult
Persian rice cookies from Caroline of Caroline's Cooking
Chocolate Dipped Espresso Shortbread Cookies from Julianne of Beyond Frosting
Fudgy Chocolate Sixlets Cookies from Barbara of Barbara Bakes
Red velvet and doughnuts! Two of my favs!
Such lovely donuts! I know these will make my family happy! And, the Cookies for Kid's Cancer is sure to make kids happy as well!
I agree Jamie! Put the two together and I'm in heaven!
Thanks Debi! I hope your kids love them and yes, Cookies For Kids Cancer is such a good organization helping kids!
These red velvet donuts are so beautiful and perfect for a day like today. So nice to have *met* you through this group effort!
Thank you Sonja! Nice to "meet" you too! Thanks for stopping by!
So beautiful!
Thank you so much for your kind words!