How to Make Donuts Using Can Biscuit Dough

Jennifer
by Jennifer
12 donuts
20 min

Crispy, fluffy, hot, sugar-drenched donuts can be made in minutes thanks to a can of biscuit dough. Your family will think you are a donut goddess.

So pour yourself a cup of coffee and sit down while I walk you through making fried donuts.

My mom used to make these easy donuts for me when I was a little girl and now I make them for son, who is 17 and can eat his weight in these. Ah tradition!

Are these healthy? Not really but I think this fried donut recipe is probably better for you than donut shop donuts.

Look at all the crunchy, sugary, fried goodness and all you need are three ingredients!

You don't need a deep fryer. I used a two-quart sauce pan and about two inches of canola oil to fry these biscuit turned donuts. You'll want the oil to be about 360 F.

You'll open up your can of biscuits (the cheaper the better, mind you). I've tried the $3 canned biscuit dough and the .40 cent can of refrigerator biscuits from the big box store and the cheaper version yields a much better, crispier result.

Fry them about a minute per side depending on how hot your oil is. Then drain and drench in granulated sugar. Or powdered sugar, whatever your preference.

How to Make Donuts Using Can Biscuit Dough
Recipe details
  • 12  donuts
  • Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 15 Minutes Total time: 20 min
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Ingredients

  • One 7.5 ounce or 8-ounce can of biscuit dough (the cheaper the better)
  • 2 cups Canola oil or vegetable oil
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling donuts in
Instructions

Pour about two cups of vegetable or canola oil into a sturdy pan and heat over low-medium until it just starts to bubble. If you have a candy thermometer, the oil should be heated to about 360 F. The amount of oil you’ll need will depend on the size of your pan but if you’re using just one can of biscuit dough, two cups of oil should be plenty.
Meanwhile, prepare the biscuit dough.
Unwrap and pop the canister open with your hand or the back of a spoon.
Pull out the biscuits onto a cutting board or a plate.
Push the bottle cap into the middle of each biscuit and twist slightly so you create a hole in the middle of each biscuit, thus creating the donut shape. (Also, those donut holes you’ve just made don’t have any calories once you fry them).
Make sure you have something near the stove to drain the donuts on, like paper towels or a paper bag, as you remove them from the oil.
Start frying the donuts.
Check the temperature of the oil using a candy thermometer. Adjust your heat source up or down as needed.
Using the metal tongs, carefully pick up a donut and slowly place it into the oil.
The donuts will need to cook for 45 to 60 seconds a side.
You’ll know it’s time to flip them over when you start to see a light golden brown on the outside edges of the donut.
I generally only cook one or two donuts at a time. This way the oil stays at temperature and they cook thoroughly.
If you cook the donuts too quickly or at too high a temperature, they get brown on the outside and they stay doughy on the inside.
Once each donut is done, lift it up and give it a shake while it’s still over the pot to drain oil.
Then put the donut on a newspaper or paper towel to further drain the oil.,
Once drained, scoop the donut up with a fork and place in the middle of the granulated sugar, thoroughly covering the donut before setting aside to a plate or into the mouth of a waiting teenager. (Don't use the tongs to sugar the donuts because the sugar will get in the fry oil and get it dirty.)
Repeat until you’ve used up all the dough.
Enjoy!
Jennifer
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Comments
  • Rosemary Goff Rosemary Goff on Jan 10, 2021

    I’ve made donuts like this for years! Family loves them. I also cook the holes. Instead of powdered sugar, I use ready to spread chocolate or vanilla frosting and they are great!

  • Sheila Brown Sheila Brown on Jan 10, 2021

    I used to make these for my children. They always lived them.

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