Easy Savory Breakfast “Donuts” are here to shake up your morning routine in the most delicious way possible! Imagine this: a fluffy, golden pancake baked into the shape of a donut, but wait - it just gets better. Inside, you find savory breakfast sausage, perfectly cooked eggs, and melty cheese, all tucked into pancake goodness. It’s basically your entire breakfast in one handheld bite.
No flipping pancakes, no messy skillets—just pop them into one donut pan, bake, and enjoy! If you’re looking for a new fun family breakfast idea and never made these pancake breakfast donuts before, today is the day to change that.
The kids will love the fun shape, you will love the convenience, and everyone will enjoy dunking or drizzling these bad boys with maple syrup for the ultimate sweet-savory combo.
Take a shortcut and use any store-bought pancake mix or make them using your favorite to-go pancake recipe. If you don't have one, feel free to use a smaller batch of my Best Buttermilk Pancake recipe! Grab your sausage of choice, shred a little cheese, scramble a few eggs, and get ready to see how easy these savory breakfast "donuts" come together.
Jump to:
All The Ingredients You'll Need
- Store-bought Pancake Mix: Feel free to use your favorite brand. The packages may differ slightly. For this recipe, I used Hungry Jack I had on hand, and just elevated it but using milk (instead of water) and adding a splash of vanilla extract for extra flavor. Whether you use a box pancake mix or make it from scratch, you will need to yield approximately 1¼-1½ cups (300-360g) of pancake batter.
- Breakfast Sausage: You can use any pre-portioned round sausage patties (usually comes in a package of 8) or you can easily divide and shape cylinder sausage rolls yourself. Each one should weigh about 1½ oz (42g).
- Shredded cheese: We always prefer freshly grated block cheese! They melt the best and most importantly, we can use the finely grated side of a box grater - we want the cheese extra thin!
- Eggs: 2 or 3 large eggs, depending on how much eggs you'd like in your donuts.
- Salt & pepper: optional - to season the eggs.
- Maple syrup or powdered sugar: optional.
Equipment
The only special equipment you need is a nonstick donut pan similar to this, approx 8.5"D x 12.38"W x 0.75"H. I love this one from Nordic Ware, but there's a few brands that sells pans almost identical.
How To Make Easy Savory Breakfast "Donuts"
Preheat oven. Prepare pancake mix and set aside. You can follow package instructions or elevate it by adding milk instead of water and a splash of vanilla (optional).
Add sausage to each cavity - nonstick spray or oil is not necessary. To keep the donut shape, be sure to spread it wide. Meat will shrink towards the center as it cooks. Shred or finely grate cheese and set aside.
Remove sausage rings from pan after baking and allow it to cool.
Crack and scramble eggs into spouted measuring cup for easy pouring. Add salt & pepper if desired - use sparingly since sausage usually has seasonings.
Pour eggs evenly into each cavity, approximately 1-1½ tablespoon (15g). If you'd rather scramble eggs in a separate frying pan, you can skip these step and pour in the pancake batter.
Return pan to oven to cook the eggs.
Remove egg rings from pan and allow them to cool.
Pour in enough pancake batter to fill the bottom of each cavity, 25g or approx 2 tbsp.
Lay the egg ring on top the pancake batter, then sprinkle on the cheese.
Place the cooked sausage on top the cheese.
Spread the remaining pancake batter evenly to encase the donut, about 15g or 1 tablespoon each.
Bake until golden.
Allow donuts to cool slightly. Dunk them in maple syrup, or sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional).
Enjoy!
Suzy's Tips For Success
- Allow pancake batter to rest: Once mixed, any batter should rest for 15-30 minutes to prevent rubbery pancakes. Although many scratch-made recipes tell you the batter can be made ahead overnight, I don't feel it's required here for such a quick and small recipe. You can whip them any batter in minutes and allow it to rest while you cook your sausage and eggs.
- Use milk and vanilla to elevate store-bought pancake mix: Completely optional. Both ingredients will add more flavor and is easy to include if you have them on hand.
- Make sausage rings WIDE: Fill each cavity to the edge and leave a wide circle in the center. If you skip this step, it will naturally shrink towards the center and you may lose the donut hole shape.
- Cook the eggs in the donut pan, not in a separate frying pan: Everyone who I've seen making these breakfast donuts scramble their eggs in a separate fry pan and add them to the donut that way. But why not cook the eggs shaped exactly the same as the sausages? They will cook in the oven in 3 minutes flat. It's a no-brainer. Don't dirty a fry pan when you don't need to.
- Press all the layers down firmly before adding the remaining pancake batter: After you add the egg, cheese, and sausage into each cavity, give it a good press down to fill the whole donut cavity. Then spoon on the last of the batter. Try your best to spread it evenly to cover the entire donut.
Best Way To Store/Reheat Savory Breakfast "Donuts"
- Fridge: Store leftovers for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, or in a 350ºF (175ºC) oven for 5-7 minutes.
- Freezer: Seal completely cooled donuts in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Use parchment paper to layer them separately to prevent sticking. To reheat, microwave for 1-1½ minutes or bake 10-12 minutes in a 350ºF (175ºC) oven until heated through. You can also air-fry at 350ºF for 5-7 minutes for a crispier donut.
FAQ
I have not tried it myself, but feel free to use a gluten-free pancake mix or whip one up from scratch using a gluten-free flour blend. As always, this may alter the overall donut texture.
I would suggest making a third (⅓) of my Best Buttermilk Pancakes recipe. At the end, you want to yield approximately 1¼-1½ cups (300-360g) of pancake batter regardless.
Absolutely! Simply divide them into 1½ oz (42g) balls, poke a center hole to create a donut shape and add them to each cavity.
You Might Also Like...
Equipment
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup store pancake mix w/ water or milk
- splash vanilla extract optional
- 6 round breakfast sausage patties
- ⅓ cup any melting cheese finely grated
- 3 eggs
- salt & pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉ (204℃).
- Prepare pancake batter from scratch or following box instructions. Measurements may differ slightly between brands, you need to yield approx 1¼-1½ cups (300-360g) of batter. If their recipe calls for only mix and water, you can elevate it using milk instead and adding a splash of vanilla. Mix batter gently and allow it to rest for 10 mins on the counter while you cook the sausage and eggs.1 cup store pancake mix w/ water or milk , splash vanilla extract
- Fill each donut pan cavity with sausage, using round pre-portioned patties or dividing cylinder sausage rolls into 6 balls (each weighing approx 1½ oz or 42g). Be sure to leave a wide donut hole in the center as it will shrink as sausage cooks. Transfer pan to oven and bake for 8-9 minutes until it is cooked through. Remove sausage rings from the pan and allow them to cool.6 round breakfast sausage patties
- Crack and scramble eggs into spouted measuring cup. Use salt and pepper sparingly. Pour eggs evenly into each donut cavity, approx 1-1½ tablespoon (15g). Return pan to oven and bake for 2½-3 mins until they are cooked through. Remove eggs from pan.3 eggs, salt & pepper
- Pour about 2 tablespoon (25g) of pancake batter into the cavities to fill the bottom. Then place each egg ring on top the batter and press down firmly. Sprinkle in the grated cheese, and finally place the sausage ring. Press down once more, then spoon the remaining pancake batter (approx 1½ tablespoon or 15g) on top evenly to fully encase the donut.⅓ cup any melting cheese
- Bake donuts for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, remove from pan, and enjoy with maple syrup.
Nutrition
Looking for other recipes like this?
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!