Adorably cute and delicious as can be, these Unicorn Donuts are always a hit at our house. These canned biscuit donuts take literally minutes to make. They're golden brown outside with a fluffy center, then dipped into a sweet swirl of colored icing to make a fun unicorn breakfast.
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If you are looking for a fun breakfast idea—or even a birthday breakfast—these Unicorn Donuts are the answer. No matter what the occasion, kids will go nuts for these donuts!
This Unicorn Donuts recipe is...
- Made with 7 ingredients
- Kid-friendly
- Easy to make
- Colorful
How to Make Unicorn Donuts
- Prep cooling rack and begin heating oil in a pan.
- Stretch biscuits then cut out the centers.
- Heat oil in pan, fry donuts on both sides till golden.
- Make frosting, add different colors, and swirl.
- Dip donuts straight down and up to create a marble effect.
- Add sprinkles and serve.
Full directions for how to make Unicorn Donuts are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Tips & Trick for Unicorn Donuts
Oil for Frying
Make sure that you use oil with a high heat level. Oils like olive oil will smoke once they get too hot and burn your donuts. Instead, use oils like peanut, canola, or even vegetable oil.
Cutting Donut Centers
You can use a shot glass or even a round cookie cutter to cut the centers of your donuts. All you need is a circle cut out of the center. This helps the donut to cook evenly as it swells.
Variations to Unicorn Donuts
Frosting
I made a homemade frosting to dip my donuts in, but you could also use storebought. You can also change up the flavor of the donuts by adding a flavoring extract—or even try using a chocolate frosting.
Powdered Sugar
Try dusting your donuts with powdered sugar instead of frosting them. For a thicker coating, you can roll your hot donuts in powdered sugar. Alternatively, let the donuts cool a bit before giving them a light dusting of the sugar.
Cinnamon Sugar
Mix together some cinnamon and sugar, then roll your hot biscuits in the mixture. Once you've coated them well, place all the donuts on the cooling rack.
More Donut Recipes
Unicorn Donut FAQs
What should I do with the donut hole dough?
Take the circle holes you cut out of the biscuits, and fry them up as well. They will cook fast since they're tiny, but they are just as delicious as the donuts.
Can I use cinnamon rolls instead of canned biscuits?
Want to use a can of cinnamon rolls? Go right ahead! Just follow the same steps of cutting the centers out and frying the roll dough as donuts. To finish, drizzle your cinnamon rol donuts with the cinnamon roll frosting.
How should you store biscuit donuts?
These donuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days. After a short while they dry out like a traditional donut. The donuts will taste best fresh and warm.
Can you freeze donuts?
These donuts can definitely be frozen. Simply place them in an airtight container and freeze them for 2–3 months. When you are ready to eat the donuts again, thaw them in the fridge overnight, on the counter, or warm them up in the microwave.
What is the best way to reheat your donuts?
Place a donut on a plate and heat it in the microwave for 20–30 seconds. You can put it in again for another 20 seconds if the donut isn't warm enough. Heating up the donuts will make them soften up and taste fresher.
Recipe
Unicorn Donuts
Ingredients
- 16 oz refrigerated biscuits canned; typically 8 biscuits
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- food coloring pink and purple or colors of your choice
- ¼ cup unicorn sprinkles or any sprinkles of your choice
- canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Place a cooling rack on top of a baking tray and set aside.
- Lay out the pre-made biscuits on a flat surface like a cutting board. Stretch each biscuit out a bit to enlarge and flatten—they should be about ½" thick. Cut a hole from the center to form a donut shape. You can simply cut the holes out with a sharp knife or you can use a small glass as a cookie cutter for a perfect circle.
- Place your frying oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Heat until hot enough for frying. For best results, use a candy thermometer to bring the oil to 350°F.
- Once the oil is hot, fry each donut individually for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown.
- Set each fried donut on the cooling rack to allow the excess oil to drain off. (The baking tray underneath is to catch the excess oil!)
- Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract.
- Add one drop of pink food coloring and one drop of purple food coloring to separate spots in the bowl of vanilla glaze. Then use a butter knife to swirl the colors together lightly, achieving a pretty marbled effect.
- Dip each fried donut into the marbled vanilla glaze to coat the top, then place them back on the cooling rack and immediately sprinkle with sprinkles. Allow donuts to sit until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.
Notes
- You will need approximately 4 cups of oil to fry the donuts, but the amount will differ based on the size of your pan. You want at least 3–4" of depth. You can use any neutral flavored oil that you prefer, such as canola or vegetable oil.
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