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Homer Simpson inspired donuts

Jump to Recipe· 4.6 from 5 reviews

This recipe was inspired by the iconic Homer Simpson pink donuts. Made with a sweet donut dough, a pink chocolate coating, and colorful sprinkles. The texture of the donuts is fluffy and very soft.  Sweet but not over-sweet, making it the perfect sweet treat.

We love recreating your favorite foods you see online and on TV shows. We have made beignets from The Princess and the Frog, Olive Garden breadsticks, and even Kit Kat crumbl cookies.

I have loved watching The Simpsons since I was little, and it made me dream so many times about trying the iconic donuts, which is why we make them at home!

Using the same donut dough for a base as our maple-glazed donuts, vanilla-glazed donuts, and vanilla cream donuts.

Homer Simpson donuts

To recreate the iconic pink Simpson donuts, you need 1. Donuts 2. A glaze 3. Sprinkles

There were different options for preparing the glaze, but we thought the smoothest and cleanest would be using white chocolate with red food coloring to have a pink tonality. This gave us a very smooth base to work with that is not messy, and you can easily manage.

Sprinkles. Use any birthday sprinkles. We use the colors red, yellow, white, green, and blue, approximately 7 of each on each donut.  

Make sure you use an oil-based food coloring, as we are mixing it with chocolate; water-based food coloring can cause the coating to seize.

Ingredients you will need

To prepare Homer-inspired donuts, you will need about the same ingredients we need in our Nutella donuts, strawberry cheesecake donuts, or pistachio donuts.

We will use two special ingredients, which are an oil-based food coloring and colored sprinkles.

  • Milk: Use whole milk instead of skimmed or semi-skimmed. We need the milk to be at a warm temperature, which is about 110F-115F (43C-46C). A temperature above 120F (49 °C) will kill the yeast, and a temperature under 100F (38 °C) will not activate it.
  • Granulated sugar: This feeds the yeast and also sweetens the dough.
  • Active dry yeast: one of the easiest yeasts to use, which gives the best results. Needs to be activated with warm milk.
  • Eggs and egg yolk: Ensure the egg is at room temperature so it can incorporate easily into the donut dough.
  • Vanilla: paste or extract works amazingly.
  • All–purpose flour: it gives structure to the donuts.
  • Salt: balances the sweetness and makes everything more flavorful.
  • Butter: unsalted and at room temperature. We will add it after 15 minutes of kneading.
  • White chocolate: We are using white chocolate from Callebaut as it melts beautifully and is delicious.
  • Red food coloring: needs to be oil-based so we can mix it with the white chocolate. You don’t need pink food coloring because we will mix the red with the white chocolate, which will create the perfect shade. We used ColourMill for the color.
  • Cocoa butter: to help thin the chocolate.
  • Sprinkles: we need white, red, yellow, blue, and green. You don’t need to buy separate color sprinkles; just a normal birthday sprinkle bag will work.

This donut recipe is not only the perfect inspired recipe from the Homer Simpson TV show, but it is also a perfect birthday treat. For birthday desserts, we have a birthday tiramisu and Funfetti rolls.

How does active dry yeast work

As mentioned above, for yeast to work and be active, it needs to be in a warm environment, you need to feed it (don’t get scared, explaining this in a sec!), and the milk needs to be at a specific temperature.

When I don’t want to measure the temperature of the yeast, I simply touch it with my finger. If it’s too hot for me, it’s too hot for the yeast, and it will kill it. If it’s too cold to the touch, it will be too cold for the yeast to even activate.

But sometimes even when we do things right and have the perfect temperature, the yeast is not expired, it goes wrong. Why? The yeast is not expired, but it’s old! The date on the yeast is not how long it’s good for after you open it. Keeping the yeast in the fridge or freezer makes it last longer.

*Feeding the yeast simply means mixing it (typically) with sugar or honey.  

What makes a donut pillowy soft?

Three very important things matter, plus frying.

  1. Using the right amount of flour. Don’t add any extra flour to this recipe, or the donuts will be too dense. Make sure to weigh the ingredients instead of using measuring cups (we shared the recipe in both, so it’s easily accessible for everyone).
  2. Kneading. Don’t skip this; this is not a stretch-and-fold recipe. It needs kneading. I recommend you use a stand mixer for easier kneading.
  3. Proofing, it needs to be proofed. If you cook them immediately after you knead the donut dough, they will turn hard as rocks.

The same three points are very important in recipes like Nutella brioche, cinnamon rolls, or salted caramel rolls.

To avoid frying the donuts for longer, we use a thermometer. I like to constantly stab my donuts with it, and it always gives me perfectly baked donuts.

Food thermometers are very important. Needed in recipes like Nutella brioche loaf, garlic rolls, or Ferrero Rocher-inspired chocolate bun.

The internal temperature needs to be at 190F (88C).

Safety tips for frying donuts

Frying donuts can be very safe as long as you know what to do. I always like to mention first that water doesn’t mix with oil. In case the pan catches on fire, do not try to stop it with water.

Turn off the stove and put a lid on top of the pan. This should not happen, but it’s very important to mention it just to be safe.

  • We always safely place the donuts into the oil without splashing. We do that by cutting parchment paper into squares that go under your donut, and then you gently lower the paper with the donut into the oil.
  • Avoid splashing, avoid distractions.
  • You will need a tall pan with oil. We don’t want the oil to reach the top. Make sure you are not adding too much oil, or once it starts to bubble, it can overflow the pan.

Have your little frying station ready. A pan with the oil, next to it on one side, the proofed donuts ready to cook, and on the other side, you will need a slotted spoon, a cooling rack, and under the rack, a tray to collect the oil. The papers can go on a plate to throw away later.

I’m an overthinker, so my phone stays far from the oil and the thermometer, where the battery goes; it’s fully covered in adhesive to make sure it doesn’t fall on the oil. Who knows. You never know.

How to decorate Homer-inspired donuts

We were looking at pictures the whole time to make sure we got the sprinkles right, and then it turns out that the number of sprinkles changes sometimes?

Cacao butter, white chocolate, and food coloring. This is what you need for the coating. We use the cacao butter to thin the chocolate a little so we have a thinner coating, but you can use coconut oil instead.

Callebaut white chocolate melts very easily. In a pan, melt your cocoa butter and then turn off the stove. Add the white chocolate and fully melt it with the residual heat. Then, add 4 drops of oil-based red food coloring and mix.

You will use a spoon if you want an effect more like in the movie, where not everything is covered. Using kitchen tongs, carefully place the sprinkles.

Tools needed to make donuts at home

  • Stand mixer, to knead the dough
  • Dough proofer, optional, very good investment.
  • Rolling pin, to roll out the dough to about 0.4 inches (1 cm) thickness.
  • A donut cutter or a round cutter and a smaller one. This is to cut the donut shape. I personally love me a donut cutter because the hole is always in the middle and not a little to the side.
  • Large frying pot, we are using a vintage Le Creuset pan that we honestly love. Warms up really quickly and holds the temperature well. We also need a smaller pot to melt the white chocolate.
  • Slotted spoon, to safely remove the donuts from the oil.
  • Rack with tray under, to drain the donuts.
  • Food thermometer, to check the oil temperature and the donut temperature to make sure it is fully cooked.
  • Tray, to place the donuts to proof.
  • Parchment paper, to safely place the donuts into the oil with the paper. If by any chance the paper sinks into the oil, you can remove it with kitchen tongs.

Most tools you see mentioned here are also mentioned in our Biscoff donuts and donut holes, Oreo donuts, or Nutella swirl donut.

Storing tips

This recipe has a chocolate coating, which can be a little messy if not stored properly. I recommend following the same storage instructions as mentioned in our Nutella chocolate chips brioche.

After you make and enjoy the donuts, whatever leftovers you have are best stored in the freezer to enjoy fresh donuts every time. Place the donuts in a tray with parchment paper, freeze for 4-5 hours, and then transfer them into a freezer bag or container.

Make sure to add the name and date. To reheat them, simply microwave until thawed. Doing this method gives you perfectly fluffy donuts that don’t get dry over time like most homemade donut recipes because we are not using additives or preservatives.

They stay fresh in the freezer for 3 months.

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Q: What’s a food you want to try from a TV SHOW?

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The best Pink donut Homer Simpson inspired recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 5 reviews
  • Prep Time: 55 minutes
  • Proofing time: 3 hours
  • Cook Time: 4 each donut
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 9 donuts + donut holes
  • Category: Dessert, donut
  • Method: Frying
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Delicious Homer Simpson-inspired donuts made with a sweet, pillowy donut dough that gives perfect results every time. 

Ingredients

DOUGH

  • ½ cup (130 ml) whole warm milk
  • 2 tsp (6 g) active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla paste
  • 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (47 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ tsp (5 g) sea salt
  • Slightly under ¼ cup, 3.5 tbsp (50 g) unsalted butter, room temperature 

FRYING

  • 6 ½ cups (1.5 l) sunflower oil, or any other neutral oil

COATING

  • 2 tbsp (28 g) cacao butter
  • 1 cup (150 g) white chocolate callets
  • 3–4 drops red food coloring
  • Colored sprinkles red, yellow, white, green, and blue. 

Instructions

  1. Prepare the donut dough. In a stand mixer bowl, mix ½ cup (130 ml) warm milk, 2 tsp (6 g) active dry yeast, and 1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes; the mixture should have a layer on top with foam.
  2. To this mixture, add 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla paste, 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, ¼ cup (47 g) granulated sugar, and ¾ tsp (5 g) sea salt.
  3. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and knead on a medium-low speed for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, you can add the room temperature slightly under ¼ cup or 3 ½ tbsp (50 g) unsalted butter. Knead for 10 more minutes.
  4. Proof the dough covered with plastic wrap in a clean bowl for 2 hours at an ambient temperature of 80F (27C).
  5. After 2 hours, the dough should double in size. Roll out the dough to a 0.4-inch (1 cm) thickness and cut donuts using a round cutter or a donut cutter.
  6. Line a tray with parchment paper and place the donuts on top with a little separation so they can grow. Cut the paper into squares so each donut has its little parchment paper base.
  7. Proof the donuts covered with plastic wrap again at about the same temperature for 1 hour.
  8. While the donuts are proofing for about 40 minutes, you have 20 left, so start preparing the oil. In a large pot, add 6 ½ cups (1.5 L) of sunflower oil or any other neutral oil of your choice. Heat it at a medium- low temperature.
  9. Once the temperature reaches a temperature of 356F (180 °C), start frying your donuts, do it in batches of 2 at a time. When you remove the donuts, check that the temperature is above 345F (175 °C) as it will go slightly down when you add more donuts. The donuts need about 2 minutes on each side and an internal temperature of 190F (88C).
  10. Have a cooling rack on top of a tray and a slotted spoon to remove the donuts and drain the oil.
  11. Fry all of the donuts, and then we will start with the coating.
  12. In a pan, melt 2 tbsp (28 g) of cacaobutter. Once melted, turn off the stove and add 1 cup (150 g) white chocolate callets. Stir to melt. Then add 3-4 drops of an oil-based red food coloring and mix.
  13. Use a spoon to coat each of the donuts. Then, add the red, white, green, yellow and blue sprinkles. I recommend you don’t go one by one; instead, you follow a pattern, adding all the red ones, then the white ones, etc. You could just sprinkle them on top instead. 

Notes

Ideal milk temperature for the yeast mixture is 110F-115F (43C-46C).

You don’t want the oil temperature to drop from below 345F (175 °C), and you don’t want it to be higher than 374F (190 °C).

I normally let the oil recover to the temperature for about 2 minutes after we remove the donuts.

If we want to follow the same pattern as the show, we will need 63 sprinkles of each color mentioned, approximately.

With the leftover dough, you can prepare donut holes that are perfect for a little snack. 

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