These baked rainbow donuts are sure to put a smile on faces. They taste so great and are very easy to make despite what their impressive appearance may have you think.

I love how simple and easy these donuts are to make. They taste just like a tasty cupcake but in the fun shape of a donut. With a little glaze on top, the kids get super excited when they see these on a plate!
I love donuts, and my husband often brings home a dozen or so when he gets the chance. While I'd love to make them from scratch, I simply don't have the time for that! This is a fun and easy little hack to get a great treat from little work.
If you love easy donut recipes, make sure to check out my Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts!
Why This Recipe Works
- It's a fun treat. Make your own baked donuts and have a tasty treat that doesn't require a large pot of hot oil. Less grease, less mess, and a bit healthier too.
- They're customizable. Change out the food coloring options for your favorites or swap out the boxed mix for a different flavor, and these donuts will feel unique every time.
- Minimal ingredients. You will need a few ingredients to make this recipe, but they're the same ones listed on the back of the box of cake mix (plus food colors). So this recipe truly is easy to assemble!
🥘 Ingredients
Boxed Cake Mix- You will need a box of yellow or white cake mix.
Eggs- Use eggs to bind the mixture together so that the donuts are rich and not too crumbly.
Oil- Adding in oils will keep the donuts from feeling dry.
Food Coloring- Use food coloring in your desired colors.
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
BeeyondCereal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make baked rainbow donuts with these simple step-by-step instructions:
- Make your donuts by first preparing the cake mix per box directions. Divide it into 6 bags and add a little food coloring to each.
- Close the bags and swish the batter around until well blended.
- Snip off a corner of the bottom of the bag and then pipe a little of each color into a greased donut pan.
- Bake in the oven at 350F degrees for 15 minutes until a toothpick can come out clean.
- Flip to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make a glaze by whisking together the ingredients and just enough milk to get a smooth pourable consistency. Spoon the glaze over the donuts, add sprinkles if desired, and enjoy.
🍴 Recipe Tips
If you want to add a little fun to the baked donuts recipe, you can always mix in ¼ cup of anything from white chocolate chips to crushed cookies. Just keep in mind that they distract from the rainbow appearance.
If it's near St. Patricks Day you can add some lucky charms to the top of the glaze instead of sprinkles and it will add a little festive fun to your rainbows donuts.
But a big tip is to make sure that you don't over fill your donut pan. They will rise when baking and if you fill them ⅔ of the way full, the donuts will have a slightly wonky side that's bigger than the other. Still tastes great though!
💭 FAQs
Yes, you can! Just make the box as directed and follow along with this recipe. While not every flavor of cake mix will show rainbow colors, plain chocolate or red velvet would still taste great, even if it wasn't multicolors.
They last about as long as you'd expect a cake mix cupcake to. So about a week in an airtight container at room temperature.
Check out these other awesome recipes kids will love!
- Strawberry Mason Jar Ice Cream
- Play Doh Cookies
- 21 Unicorn Food and Drink Ideas
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
📖 Recipe
Rainbow Cake Mix Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 box Yellow cake mix, prepared per box directions ($1.72)
- Food coloring ($0.04)
Glaze
- 1 cup Powdered sugar ($0.13)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract ($0.02)
- 2-3 Tablespoons Milk ($0.01)
- Sprinkles *optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together your cake batter per box directions.
- Divide the batter into 6 bags and add food coloring to each.
- Close the tops of the bags and swish the batter around until it's well mixed.
- Snip a corner off of the bag and pipe a little of each color into a greased donut pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350F degrees until a toothpick comes out clean. Flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- In a bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients, adding just enough milk to make it a good drizzling consistency. Spoon it over the donuts. Add sprinkles if desired.
Leave a Reply