Donuts are a very tempting and popular dessert food in many countries which you can purchase in bakeries, food stalls, supermarkets…and you can also prepare it at your own home.
Yes, it is an easily prepared dessert that you would love to have daily with your morning coffee or as an evening snack that would make your day as cheerful as your taste.
Need for Donut Pan Substitute
Preparing Donuts at home would require you a donut pan so that you get those sweet dough confection baked in the desired donut shape.
But, most people would not prefer to buy a donut pan just to prepare one single dish, i.e., donuts. As you can’t just use the donut pan for other bakery items… but you can do the vice-versa.
A donut pan substitute will help you save your cost, which you would otherwise use to buy a donut pan just to serve the purpose of preparing donuts.
Ways to prepare Donuts without Donut Pan

If you are also looking for a donut pan alternative to bake your delicious donuts without buying separate equipment, we have got some innovative DIYs for you to achieve the same.
Muffin Pan
One of the easiest ways to substitute a donut pan is by using a cake or muffin pan. You can use parchment paper or tin foil to create the center holes.
To achieve it, grab some parchment paper and roll it up to a size you can adjust in your regular muffin pan. Roll each piece with a flat bottom so the little log can stand up in a muffin pan.
Grease your muffin pan with any oil. Keep the paper or tin foil roll in the middle of the cake/muffin pan. Use a pastry bag and then fill the muffin pan with donut mixture as it is very easy and avoids all mess like dripping batter with a spoon when you try to get it even.
DIY Donut Pans
To create fake donut pans, get some tissue or parchment paper, and roll it up into a cylinder.
Wrap the foil tightly around the roll to secure it and make the thickness as desired for your donuts. Now, curve the cylinder part into a circle and secure the ends with tape.
To prepare molds, cut a large sheet of foil… fold in it half and cut it into two. In the middle of the sheet, push the foil donut you had just prepared carefully. Take some more foil and add it around the edges of the donut and then remove the center foil piece.
Free Form Donuts
If you don’t have any equipment like a mold, cookie-cutter, or a muffin pan, you can make your donuts free form also. On a baking sheet, put about three to four spoons of batter.
You can simply use your fingers or an offset spatula to shape the batter into a ring or try giving it a round shape. Use a spoon to make it smooth.
Create a hold using your finger and keep trying until you get the shape you are looking for. You will feel very creative and exciting using the free form method to bake your donuts.
Using a Round Mold
Molds are easily available in the market, and you get every shape of molds in which the common one is around the mold.
If you don’t want your donuts to have a muffin bottom and need a nice round shape, use a round mold that you can simply lay on the baking sheet or parchment paper-lined sheet.
Fill up the round mold up to three-quarter space as the doughnut batter would rise. Use either a small cap of a bottle or simply your fingers to make a hole in the middle of the batter… make it a little thick as the hole will close up as the batter rise.

Cookie Cutter
Another easy way of making donuts is by using a cookie cutter. After you make the dough for your donuts and it rises into double size… Roll the dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface about half-inch thick.
Related: Best Cookie Scoops
Using a 2-inch or 3-inch circular cookie cutter, cut circles out of the rolled dough.
Transfer these circles cut using a cookie cutter to a cookie sheet. Use a small olive oil bottle cap, a screw-top wine bottle, or similar item to cut smaller circles in the center for the desired donut shape.
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Conclusion
Donut Pan substitute can help all those home bakers who love donuts but don’t have a donut pan. These small baking hacks would help you replace a donut pan with these substitutes delivering you the amazing and delicious donuts in the desired shape.
So, you can now make an astonishing and tasty dessert without buying any special equipment.
Thank you for the ideas! If you have pictures of each of these, it would be helpful to see!
Thank you for your suggestion.