14 Unexpected Canned Ingredients To Elevate Store-Bought Donuts

Your grocery store's bakery section is filled with a plethora of treats, ranging from cakes and cupcakes ready for a birthday party to single bagels that are just waiting to get toasted and slathered with cream cheese. It's also the home of one of the most underrated items: a 12-pack of store-bought donuts. Or, you can take a stroll over to the flourescent-lit display to pick out a single donut that speaks to you. I've purchased both before and have come to appreciate how easy it is to grab a box of various donuts or plastic tin of glazed ones and leave it on the table so my breakfast guests can pick at them like vultures over a carcass. 

While these donuts have their merits — mostly that they pacify a hankering for something sweet — they tend not to be as flavorful as a donut you'd get from a dedicated shop or upscale bakery. But not to fear, there's another aisle in your grocery store that you should visit to get some inspiration for how to spruce up your store-bought donuts: the canned foods aisle. Canned foods are just as convenient to purchase as the pre-made donuts at your local grocery store. With a little bit of creativity, a knack for all things sweet, and guidance from a fellow donut lover, you too can give your crullers, chocolate frosteds, and blueberry cake donuts the edge they need. 

Where would we be without canned frosting? While it's always been an easy topping for a batch of birthday cupcakes or when you need to add a kid-friendly edge to something sweet, you can't help but be overwhelmed by its cloyingness.

Granted, one place where canned frosting really shines is on a donut. This is because the base of the donut is rather bland, so it doesn't amplify the frosting's sweet punch. If you get the bakery seconds and are stuck with a batch of old-fashioned or plain glazed donuts, consider adding a schmear of canned frosting to them to doctor them up a little bit. Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are three standard options, but you can also venture into more unconventional canned frosting flavors. Pillsbury, for example, makes a caramel latte frosting that would pair well with chocolate sprinkles or shavings, while coconut pecan frosting would be excellent for a twist on a Girl Scouts Caramel Delite donut. Just add a drizzle of melted chocolate, chopped pecans, and toasted coconut, and you'll be in sugar heaven. 

Canned pie filling is yet another canned item that I can't help but ask, "Why would you ever?" This stuff is so saccharine and sweet, and depending on the brand you get, you may get something that is complete mush or contains actual chunks of apple (or whatever fruit flavor you select) interspersed throughout the syrup. While it saves you the labor of having to make your own apple pie filling, you have to play with the sugar levels of whatever you're making to ensure that you get the perfect balance. 

Luckily, donuts are relatively basic. There's very little sweetness to them, which makes them an excellent pairing for the sweet apple pie filling. If you're working with a circular ring donut, like a glazed or old-fashioned, you can always add the apple pie filling to the top of the treat. Or, you can enhance the flavor of filled donuts, like an apple spice variety, by filling a piping bag with the apple pie filling and squirting a little extra in the center. After all, those store-bought donuts tend not to be so generous when it comes to fillings, so a little extra won't hurt. 

Sweetened condensed milk is an ingredient that every baker has, or should have, in their pantry. It's milky, flavorful, and tooth-hurtingly sweet — which makes it good company to a donut. One of the easiest ways to convert this canned dairy product into something useful is to whip it up into a frosting. This frosting is more commonly known as a Russian buttercream, and it's made using only two ingredients: a can of sweetened condensed milk and butter. You'll need about two sticks of butter for each 14-ounce can of condensed milk. 

Like classic buttercream, you'll want to start this recipe by whipping the butter and incrementally adding the condensed milk. The flavor of this mixture is slightly vanilla-y, but that doesn't mean you can't play with extracts and flavorings to make it uniquely yours. Try adding an almond extract to make it slightly nutty, or add some lemon juice to make it mesh better with a lemon curd-filled donut. 

Did you know that they make canned bacon? This might seem like a revolutionary concept, and one that will save you a ton of time in terms of future breakfasts. You should keep canned bacon in your pantry because it's already pre-cured and pre-cooked. When you're ready to use it, unfurl it from the can, remove any wrapping, and enjoy. 

If you want to give your donuts an edge, consider chopping up the bacon to sprinkle it on top. I'd recommend pairing this topping with a maple-frosted donut since the saltiness of the bacon balances out the sweetness of the maple and the sugary donut base. If you are wary (and rightfully so) of the texture of the canned bacon, you can always give it a quick toast in the oven or air-fryer. Or, make it extra sweet and turn it into maple-cinnamon candied bacon. It's a little extra work than just chopping it up straight from the can, sure, but the flavor you get from it will be totally worth it. 

When it comes to sprucing up your donuts, you'd be better off not just looking at things to put on or in your donuts, but also things to serve alongside them. A dipping sauce can elevate the flavor of the donut already, and it can take an already tasty treat to new heights. 

One sophisticated way to make a donut accompaniment is to convert canned fruit into a fruity compote. I would recommend starting with a simple recipe, like blueberry or strawberry compote. Generally speaking, compote is much more chunky and dense than jam, which means that you're more likely to get mouthfuls of fruit. This will diversify the bite of the donut, which tends to be spongy and one-note. Use canned fruit, preferably not the variety in syrup, so you can add in the sugar and the lemon juice to your liking. Compotes pair well with relatively basic donuts, like old-fashioneds and glazed, but you can also use your compote to heighten the flavor of your pre-existing fruity filling. 

Pumpkin puree is one ingredient that I will always have on hand in my kitchen. It has so many different uses, including as a base for fall cakes and as a tantalizing addition to a cheesecake. But, you can also use it as a sweet filling or topping for your donuts. For one, you can try your hand at a pumpkin frosting by mixing the puree together with butter, powdered sugar, and milk. This tasty topping can transform a classic glazed donut into something more autumnal, but it can also be a great way to add some warmth and flavor to a cinnamon-coated cake donut. 

If you have empty donut rounds, you may also consider whipping up a pumpkin custard to add to the center. This sugar, egg, and pumpkin-based filling will give your donuts a sublime mouthfeel and a creamy taste that will have you dreaming about pumpkin patches and falling leaves. 

Yes, chocolate pudding doesn't just come in a box. You can purchase large cans of pre-made chocolate pudding at the store; they're really helpful to have on hand if you're making dirt pudding for a crowd. But they can also be the secret to giving your store-bought donuts a sweet upgrade. 

If you don't want to go through the arduous process of making a homemade donut filling from scratch (or the process of making a silky-smooth custard is your version of a nightmare), then chocolate pudding (or whatever other flavor of it you find) is your secret weapon. You can fill a piping bag with the pudding and pipe a dollop into the center. When I'm filling donuts myself, I'll wait for the little resistance on the bag, or until the pudding starts to come out of the donut hole, to stop piping. 

Here's another easy one for you. Caramel sauce, like the stuff you pour from the can or jar onto scoops of vanilla ice cream, and dulce de leche, are two items that are about as easy as pie (err ... donuts) to add to your breakfast treats. There are tons of different ways to use them, but the one I've found to be the easiest is just to add a drizzle of the stuff on top of your donut. This hack is one of the more versatile ones, as you can use it on chocolate-frosted, cake donuts, maple frosteds, or even apple fritters. If your sauce is not viscous enough to pour it, you may want to warm it up in a microwave-safe container before you try and drizzle it over your donuts. 

You can also serve the caramel sauce as a dipping sauce for your donuts or transform it into a delectable caramel frosting. Just remember to avoid being too heavy-handed with it, since it's very, very sweet and can easily make your donuts too cloying. 

You probably don't see your can of sloppy Joe sauce and the 12-pack of glazed donuts on your counter and think, "Oh yeah, what a combination!" But, it's about time you did. Day-old glazed donuts can easily be swapped out for sandwich bread because they have enough structural integrity to hold the fillings while also adding a sweet flavor to each bite. While the glazed donut burger may be overdone, there hasn't been as much interest in the donut sloppy Joe — which I personally think is a far superior pairing. The sloppy Joe has that slightly sweet sauce that's brimming with brown sugar and umami tomato notes, which will easily play on the donut's sugary glaze.

Store-bought sloppy Joe sauce is the key to a good sandwich. Plus, it allows you to customize the different fillings to fit your preferences. So, you could use ground beef, turkey, or even a plant-based meat substitute to make this sandwich uniquely yours.  

Bacon and donuts are a pairing that we know works well. But, it's far from the only meaty addition that would be well-suited for your donuts. Canned Spam, sliced and fried to crispy perfection, would provide the salty match for your sweet donut. All you need to do is slice your glazed donut in half like a bagel and add your strips of cooked Spam to the center. 

The key to this hack working, though, is to make sure that your Spam is cooked well. You don't want any limp, spongy slices inside of your donut. One of the biggest mistakes people make when cooking Spam is crowding the pan with too many slices or using too much oil. In order to get the perfect cook, you'll want to spread your slices out and avoid adding excess oil; there is enough fat in the block to achieve the perfect cook. It's also really best when it's hot, so you'll want to waste no time getting it from the pan to the inside of your donut, and then to your mouth. 

Eating donuts out of the package or the bakery bag is suitable, but there are also tons of different ways that you can repurpose your leftover store-bought donuts for other recipes. One of these is a warm bread pudding. The donut pieces will replace the bread chunks and will easily soak up the custard. And if you want to take this already upgraded bread pudding to new heights, you're going to want to add something fruity in to the mix. Grab your canned fruit, drain off any of the excess moisture or syrup, and add it in to your recipe. The fruit will impart a delectably sweet flavor to your dish and also provide little pops of moisture for an interesting and dynamic mouthfeel. 

There are several fruits that you can use for this hack, including canned blueberries (either wild or conventional) or strawberries. Even canned pineapple can be used in this recipe; just be sure to chop it into small pieces so you get a little bit in every bite.  

Tres leches is a simple dessert that conveys a lot of flavor. It's typically made with a sponge cake that's been poked so that the milk can seep through into the sponge and imbue it with flavor. But, this same hack can also be used for cake donuts, as well. Cake donuts lack lightness, and they aren't usually topped with a frosting or glaze to give them an edge. But, when you add condensed and evaporated milk to the top of a donut, you'll get the glaze effect, extra sweetness, and that sublime milky flavor. 

Of course, you will have to put in some legwork to make this hack happen — mostly poking the cake donut with a fork to create little pockets where the milk can soak down into the center. But, you'll be rewarded with tasty old-fashioneds and a newfound appreciation for this classic, albeit stodgy and heavy, donut. 

This is a little bit of a Robbin Hood hack, as it steals from one to give to another. But, in my defense, a cinnamon roll is sweet and gooey enough; it doesn't need a layer of icing on top to make it fantastic. 

Adding canned cinnamon roll icing to the top of your donut is a great way to repurpose this sweet spread to give a donut new life. If you find the existing glaze on your donut to be inadequate, simply add a schmear of this icing on top and watch your donut be transformed. You may even be lucky enough to get your hands on a cream cheese icing, pumpkin icing, or even a maple variety for your donut. You can also serve your donut with a side of this leftover icing for dipping; it will allow you to better control how much sugar you're getting in each bite.

It's peanut butter jelly time! No, really, it is peanut butter jelly time. Although you might not be able to think about this sandwich out of context, like stuffed inside of a donut, you'll find that this sweet new way to eat a PB&J is nothing short of blissful. 

Start with a can of grape jelly. While it's the classic accompaniment to the nutty peanut butter, you can always substitute out a strawberry or raspberry variety instead. Then, when you're ready to prepare the sandwich, slice open your donut (both glazed and cake work for this hack), and slather in your fillings. Each bite will be filled with a sweet flavor of the jelly, along with the creamy and salty texture of the peanut butter. Plus, since the donut is much heartier than a slice of sandwich bread, you'll find that it won't soak through the donut as rapidly. It's a win-win-win for flavor, texture, and novelty.