Effortless 3-Ingredient Pressure Cooker Donuts: Your Go-To Instant Pot & Ninja Foodi Recipe for Any Time!
Get ready for a treat that will redefine your breakfast or dessert routine! These pressure cooker donuts are an absolute game-changer, incredibly simple to make with just three main ingredients. Imagine soft, fluffy donut holes, perfectly cooked in your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi, then generously coated with melted chocolate and colorful sprinkles. It’s a delightful experience that’s both easy and fun, making it an instant family favorite!
There’s nothing quite like the joy of homemade donuts, especially when they come together with such minimal effort. We recently experimented with “baking” in our Instant Pot, and these donut holes were such a hit. Whether you own an Instant Pot or a Ninja Foodi, you can achieve these delicious results with the same simple method. These easy pressure cooker donuts are a fantastic addition to our ever-growing collection of effortless Instant Pot recipes, proving that your multi-cooker is capable of so much more than just savory meals.
We’ve become quite enamored with pressure cooking around here. Honestly, I can barely recall the last time I even bothered to turn on my traditional oven! Ever since these incredible multi-functional kitchen appliances entered our home, they’ve completely transformed the way we cook, making everything from weeknight dinners to special desserts quicker and more convenient.
If you’re new to the wonderful world of pressure cooking, welcome! You’re in for a treat. We have a vast collection of easy one-pot meal recipes, but first, let’s equip you with some essential tips to get started:
- Make sure to Bookmark our Instant Pot recipes page. We regularly add new and exciting recipes each week, so you’ll always have fresh inspiration!
- For mastering cook times effortlessly, print this handy Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet. It’s an invaluable tool for understanding how long various ingredients like meat, vegetables, and beans take to cook perfectly in your pressure cooker.
- We highly recommend investing in this non-stick inner pot for your pressure cooker. It makes cleanup a breeze and significantly reduces the chances of food sticking.
- While it’s always good to know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing, this improved liner will minimize any issues, ensuring a smoother cooking experience.
- For all our recipe creations, we primarily use a 6-quart Instant Pot model, offering a perfect balance for most household needs.
You might be asking, “What is the best pressure cooker?” This is a common question, and thankfully, there are fantastic options available that cater to different cooking styles:
- We’ve been loyal Instant Pot users since its early days, and now proudly own three different sizes to accommodate all our culinary adventures! Its versatility and reliability are unmatched.
- The Ninja Foodi is another stellar appliance, ingeniously combining the functions of an air fryer and a pressure cooker. This dual capability has made it incredibly popular in the cooking world, allowing for a broader range of cooking methods in one convenient device. We absolutely adore its ability to both pressure cook and crisp food.
- To help you get started with these fantastic machines, we offer a free Ninja Foodi cookbook, packed with easy pressure cooker and air fryer recipes. Additionally, you can find a free Instant Pot cookbook right here, featuring some of our favorite recipes!
Crafting Perfect Pressure Cooker Donut Holes
One of the charming aspects of these homemade treats is that they don’t need to be absolutely “perfect” straight out of the mold. A quick flip will ensure a lovely rounded top, and once you lavish them with melted chocolate and let the kids unleash their creativity with sprinkles, any minor imperfections simply disappear. In fact, that’s part of the fun – embracing the rustic, homemade charm! Perfection is, after all, delightfully overrated when it comes to delicious desserts. The joy of making and decorating them together is what truly counts.
To whip up these delectable Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi breakfast donuts that your entire family will adore, here’s what you’ll need:
- Box of Cake Mix: This is the magical base ingredient! We opted for a triple chocolate fudge mix, but feel free to swap it for any flavor you love. Chocolate cake donuts have always been a personal favorite, and these perfectly capture that rich taste.
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray: Essential for ensuring your donut holes release easily from the mold, preventing any sticking.
- Silicone Egg Bite Mold: This specialized mold is key to creating perfectly shaped donut holes in your pressure cooker. Its individual compartments make steaming easy and consistent.
- Buttermilk: This ingredient adds incredible moisture and a subtle tang that enhances the donut’s flavor and texture.
- No buttermilk on hand? No problem! Here’s a quick and easy buttermilk substitute you can make at home.
- Eggs: Just one egg helps bind the mixture and adds richness, contributing to that soft, cake-like texture.
- White Chocolate Chips (Optional, for Frosting): If you plan to frost your donuts, white chocolate chips melt beautifully for a sweet, creamy topping.
- Coconut Oil: A small amount of coconut oil is the secret to achieving a wonderfully smooth and glossy melted chocolate consistency, perfect for dipping or spooning.
- Sprinkles: A must-have for decoration! Use any color or shape to make your donuts extra festive and fun.
Wondering if you can double this recipe?
- Absolutely, yes! The recipe below yields approximately 10 delicious donut holes. Since a standard egg mold usually holds 7 holes, you can easily make two batches to serve a larger crowd or save some for later.
How to Make Cake Mix Donuts in a Traditional Oven
While this article focuses on pressure cooker donuts, we’ve also successfully made delicious cake mix donuts in a conventional oven! It’s a fantastic alternative if you prefer traditional baking or don’t have a pressure cooker handy. Here’s a quick overview of how you can achieve them:
- Just follow the detailed directions outlined in our dedicated cake mix donuts post for a step-by-step guide.
- In essence, you’ll mix your ingredients in a bowl, just like for our pressure cooker version, and prepare them for baking.
- You will need this donut pan to achieve the classic donut shape when baking in the oven.
- A clever trick for easy filling: Transfer your batter into a pint-sized freezer bag, snip off one corner, and squeeze the batter neatly into the donut pan cavities. A pastry bag works too, but a freezer bag is a cost-effective and convenient alternative.
- Bake these semi-homemade donuts in your oven according to the recipe instructions.
- Once baked, allow them to cool on paper towels before moving on to the fun part.
- Frost and decorate them just like we do with these delicious pressure cooker donuts – melted chocolate and sprinkles are always a hit!
- Enjoy your perfectly baked homemade donuts!
For those who love classic fried donuts, we also have a fantastic fried donut recipe available here.
The Secret to Perfectly Melted White Chocolate Chips
Melting white chocolate chips for frosting might seem tricky, but with a simple method and one key ingredient, it’s easier than you think! Achieving a smooth, pourable consistency is essential for beautifully coated donuts.
- Begin by placing 1 cup of white chocolate chips into a small, microwave-safe bowl. We often use paper bowls for easy cleanup, as melted chocolate can be quite stubborn to wash off.
- Add approximately 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil into the bowl with your chocolate chips. This is the magic ingredient that helps the chocolate melt smoothly and gives it a lovely, glossy finish.
- Microwave the bowl for 30 seconds. This initial burst of heat begins the melting process gently.
- Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir the chocolate chips well with a spoon. You’ll notice they’re starting to soften.
- Return the bowl to the microwave for another 30 seconds of cooking time.
- After the second microwave interval, stir quickly and continuously. The residual heat, combined with the stirring and the coconut oil, should be enough to completely smooth out any lumps, leaving you with a perfectly smooth, ready-to-coat chocolate mixture for your doughnuts.
- To coat your donut holes, gently hold each one by the side and spoon the liquid white chocolate over the top half.
- Place the coated donut on a non-stick surface, such as a cutting board or parchment paper, to allow the chocolate to set without sticking.
Pro Tips for Perfect Instant Pot Donuts Every Time
Making delicious donut holes in your Instant Pot is incredibly straightforward, but a few key tips can elevate your results from good to absolutely perfect:
- Generously Spray Your Egg Mold: This step is crucial for easy release! Ensure you thoroughly spray the inside of each hole in your silicone egg mold with non-stick cooking spray. This prevents the donut holes from sticking and ensures they pop out cleanly, maintaining their beautiful shape.
- Remove Foil Immediately: As soon as you take the egg mold out of the pressure cooker, peel off the foil cover without delay. This prevents condensation from dripping back onto the donuts, which could make them wet and soggy.
- Allow for Initial Cooling: Once the mold is out and the foil is removed, wait a few minutes before attempting to pop out each donut hole. This brief cooling period allows them to settle and firm up slightly, making them less fragile and easier to handle. It also prevents you from burning your fingers!
- Cool Completely Before Frosting: Patience is a virtue here. Ensure your donut holes have cooled completely before you attempt to coat them with your melted white chocolate. If the donuts are still warm, the chocolate won’t set properly, resulting in a runny, messy glaze instead of a firm, smooth coating.
- Sprinkle Immediately After Frosting: If you’re adding sprinkles or other toppings, do so immediately after spooning on the melted chocolate. The chocolate hardens relatively quickly, and if you wait too long, your festive toppings won’t adhere properly.
Beyond these essential tips, enjoy the simplicity and deliciousness of making these Ninja Foodi donuts! This recipe works perfectly in any electric pressure cooker, whether it’s an Instant Pot, a Ninja Foodi, or even a Crockpot Express pot. The process remains largely the same across different brands.
- For the Ninja Foodi specifically, you will use the pressure button function with the pressure lid (the one that is not attached to the unit). Follow the general directions below for the pressure cooking sequence.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for another delightful donut experience with your Ninja Foodi, you can also make this fantastic air fryer donut recipe! Our biscuit donuts are also incredibly fabulous and worth a try for a different texture.
Are you eager to explore other pressure cooker dessert recipes? Your multi-cooker is a dessert powerhouse! Here are a few more irresistible ideas:
- Pressure cooker brownies are wonderfully fudgy and rich. You can even use the same egg mold from this donut recipe to create perfect brownie bites!
- An Instant Pot angel food cake is surprisingly easy to achieve, resulting in a light and airy dessert that can be made in any brand of electric pressure cooker.
- If your Ninja Foodi comes with an air fryer lid, don’t miss out on trying these delightful air fryer apple fritters for a crispy, cinnamony treat.
For those who enjoy baking from scratch, we also have an easy recipe for homemade donut holes here that allows you to control every ingredient. We would absolutely love to hear about your experience! Let us know in the comments below, or send us an email, to share how much you loved making these delicious Instant Pot donuts yourself!
Watch the video below to see just how incredibly easy these donut holes are to make:
Pressure Cooker Donuts
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Ingredients
- 1 1/3 c cake mix, basically half a box of cake mix, we used triple chocolate fudge
- 1/2 c buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1 c chocolate chips, white, for frosting
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil, for melting chocolate
- Sprinkles (optional), for decoration
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Silicone Egg Bite Mold
Instructions
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In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine your cake mix, buttermilk, and egg until smooth.
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Generously spray the inside of each hole in your silicone egg mold with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
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Place a trivet inside your pressure cooker pot and add 1.5 cups of water.
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Fill the egg mold holes approximately 3/4 full with your donut batter. Cover the mold tightly with aluminum foil. Use a foil sling to carefully lower the egg mold onto the trivet in your pot.
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Close the lid of your pressure cooker and ensure the steam release valve is sealed. Set the cooker to High Pressure for 12 minutes.
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Once cooking is complete, allow a Natural Release for 2 minutes, then perform a Quick Release to let out any remaining steam.
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Carefully remove the mold from the pot using the foil sling. Immediately remove the foil cover from the mold to prevent condensation. Allow the donuts to cool in the mold for a few minutes.
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Gently pop the donut holes out of the mold and place them on a paper towel or wire rack to cool further. They can be enjoyed immediately if you’re not adding frosting.
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If adding frosting: Place white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds.
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Stir the chocolate mixture, then microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Stir vigorously until all lumps are smoothed out and the chocolate is glossy.
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Spoon the melted white chocolate over the tops of the cooled donut holes. Immediately place them on a non-stick surface (like parchment paper) and sprinkle with your desired toppings. Allow the chocolate to cool and harden completely before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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