King Cake Donuts Mardi Gras

There's something about Mardi Gras season that makes me want to bake donuts instead of sleep. My kitchen was a mess of purple, green, and gold sprinkles the first time I attempted these King Cake donuts, and my hands were sticky from glaze for hours afterward. But watching my neighbor's face light up when she saw the festive colors stacked on a plate made every sticky finger worth it. These baked donuts capture that New Orleans spirit without needing a trip to a bakery, and honestly, they taste even better when you've made them yourself.

I made a double batch for my book club last winter, and somehow these donuts became the thing everyone remembered, not the fancy appetizers I'd stressed over. One friend called the next day just to ask if the lemon zest was really necessary, and now she makes them for her own gatherings. There's a quiet pride in sharing something homemade that people actually crave.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: Two cups gives you the right structure for donuts that are tender but hold their shape, and measuring by weight is more reliable if you have a scale.
• Granulated sugar: A half cup sweetens the batter itself, not just the glaze, so each bite has depth.
• Baking powder: Two teaspoons is your leavening agent, and make sure it's fresh or your donuts won't puff up properly.
• Ground cinnamon and nutmeg: These warm spices are nods to the traditional King Cake, and the cinnamon in particular makes the whole kitchen smell festive.
• Salt: Half a teaspoon rounds out the flavors, trust it even though it seems small.
• Large eggs: Two eggs bind everything together and add richness that you actually taste.
• Whole milk: Three quarters of a cup keeps the donuts moist without making them greasy or dense.
• Unsalted butter: Melted and at a quarter cup, this is the fat that makes them tender, and melting it first prevents lumps.
• Vanilla extract: One teaspoon adds that subtle sweetness that rounds out the spices beautifully.
• Lemon zest: From one lemon, this is the secret ingredient that people taste but can't identify, and it cuts through the sweetness.
• Powdered sugar: One and a half cups for the glaze creates that smooth, dippable coating.
• Green, purple, and gold sanding sugar: These are the whole point, so don't skimp or use regular sprinkles if you want that authentic Mardi Gras look.

Instructions

Prep your pan and oven:

Heat your oven to 350°F and spray your donut pan generously with nonstick spray, getting into every corner so nothing sticks.

Combine the dry ingredients:

Whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl, making sure there are no lumps hiding at the bottom.

Mix the wet ingredients:

In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and lemon zest until everything looks uniform and pale yellow.

Bring it together gently:

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined, maybe fifteen seconds total. Overmixing develops gluten and makes tough donuts, so resist the urge to keep stirring.

Fill your pan:

Spoon or pipe the batter into each donut cavity, filling it about two-thirds of the way up so it has room to rise without spilling over.

Bake until golden:

Bake for ten to twelve minutes until the donuts spring back when you press them gently and a toothpick comes out clean with no wet batter clinging to it.

Cool with patience:

Let them sit in the pan for two minutes so they firm up enough to move, then transfer to a cooling rack where they can cool all the way down.

Make your glaze:

Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together until you have a smooth pourable consistency, adding more milk one tablespoon at a time if it's too thick.

Dip and decorate:

Dip each cooled donut into the glaze, let the excess drip off for a second, then immediately sprinkle with green, purple, and gold sanding sugar in sections to create those signature King Cake stripes.

Let it set:

Give the glaze a few minutes to firm up before you bite into them, or eat them warm if you have no patience, which is also valid.

Save

My mom watched me decorate these for the first time and said they looked like little celebrations I could eat, and that stuck with me. Since then, I've brought them to offices, potlucks, and quiet mornings when I just wanted something beautiful on my breakfast plate.

The Magic of Lemon Zest

That lemon zest is doing more than you'd think. It brightens the cinnamon and nutmeg so they don't feel heavy or spice-forward, and it gives the batter this subtle complexity that makes people pause mid-bite. The first time I made these without it, I thought something was missing, and that's when I realized the zest was the whole secret all along.

Why Baked Over Fried

Baked donuts are honestly easier to manage in a home kitchen, and they let the actual donut flavor shine instead of masking it with oil. You can make them on a weeknight without turning your whole apartment into a deep fryer, and they still have that tender crumb you want.

Mardi Gras Vibes Year-Round

These donuts don't need to wait for February to make sense. I've made them for spring brunches, summer cookouts, and December parties, and every time they feel like an excuse to celebrate something, even if it's just the weekend. The colors are so cheerful that they work anytime you want the kitchen to feel like something good is happening.

• You can swap the sanding sugar for pearl sugar or regular sprinkles if that's what you have on hand.
• A pinch of cardamom in the batter adds another layer of warm spice if you want to get fancy.
• These stay fresh in an airtight container for two days, but honestly, they rarely last that long.

Save

These donuts are proof that you don't need a bakery or complicated equipment to make something that feels festive and special. Bake them when you want your kitchen to smell incredible and your breakfast to feel like a party.

Recipe FAQs

→ What gives these donuts their Mardi Gras colors?

The colors come from green, purple, and gold sanding sugar or sprinkles applied to the glazed donuts to mimic traditional Mardi Gras hues.

→ Can these donuts be baked instead of fried?

Yes, these donuts are baked for a soft texture and easier preparation compared to frying.

→ What spices provide the flavor in the donuts?

Cinnamon and nutmeg add warm, aromatic notes that enhance the classic King Cake-inspired flavor.

→ How should the glaze be prepared for these donuts?

The glaze is made by whisking powdered sugar with milk and vanilla extract until smooth and pourable.

→ How long do these donuts stay fresh?

Stored in an airtight container, these donuts remain fresh for up to two days.

→ Are there suggestions to enrich the flavor further?

Adding a pinch of ground cardamom to the batter or filling the donuts with cinnamon cream cheese adds extra flavor dimension.