Food & Treats · Free in the app
How to Draw a Donut
An easy step-by-step drawing for kids and beginners: 12 steps, about 3 minutes, on paper.
- 12steps
- 3 minabout
- Colorat the end
Quick answer
Draw a donut in 12 steps: draw the left side, draw the right side, draw the hole, then carry on one line at a time and color it in. It takes about 3 minutes with a pencil or a pen.
- Steps: 12
- Time: about 3 minutes
- You need: paper, a pencil or a pen, something to color with
- From: the Food & Treats path in Paper Coach
This donut starts as one big circle with a small circle in the middle. Then a wavy line of icing goes around the hole, with one bump that hangs low like a drip. Five little sprinkles and four colors finish it, so it works well as a first treat to draw together.
Step by step
Draw it in 12 steps
Each picture shows the lines so far: the faded ones are done, the dark ones are this step’s.
1Draw the left side
A donut is one big circle. From the top, curve round the left side to the bottom.
2Draw the right side
Now close the circle. From the top again, curve round the right side.
3Draw the hole
Every donut needs a hole. Draw a small circle in the center.
4Draw the icing
Next, the icing. Its edge is wavy. From the top, draw two soft bumps down the right.
5Icing along the bottom
Carry the wavy edge round the bottom. One bump hangs lower, like a drip.
6Finish the icing
Last, two bumps up the left side. They meet the top, and the icing is closed.
7Draw three sprinkles
Sprinkles go on last. Each is a tiny bar with round ends. Draw three.
8Two more sprinkles
Two more, each leaning a different way. That makes five.
9Color the dough
Color the dough orange.
10Color the icing
The icing is pink.
11Color the sprinkles
Color two sprinkles yellow and two blue.
12Color the last sprinkle
The last sprinkle is purple.
Tips
Draw a donut well
Tips for drawing a donut
- Draw the big circle in two halves, left then right, both starting at the top. Meeting at one point makes it easier to close the circle evenly.
- Keep the hole small, about a quarter as wide as the whole donut. A big hole leaves no room for the icing and sprinkles.
- Draw the icing edge halfway between the outer circle and the hole, so you can still see a band of dough around the outside.
- Make the bumps soft and rounded, like the edge of a cloud. Use about six bumps around the whole ring, plus the one longer drip at the bottom.
- Space the five sprinkles around the ring and lean each one a different way, so they look scattered, not lined up.
Common mistakes
- The icing edge runs right up to the outer circle, so no dough shows. Pull the wavy line inward. Leave a clear strip of dough between the bumps and the outside edge.
- The sprinkles come out as dots or long lines. Make each one a short bar with round ends, about as long as a bump of icing is wide.
- Color spills between the icing and the dough. Color the dough first, then the icing, and slow down along the wavy edge so each color stays in its own space.
Make it your own
- Pick a different icing color, like light brown for chocolate or white for vanilla, and keep the orange dough.
- Give your donut two or three drips along the bottom instead of one.
- Add more sprinkles in your favorite colors, still leaning each one a new way.
- Draw a second donut next to the first, a little smaller, to make a pair.
Done
Your finished donut
Color it in as you like: the colors here are only a start.
Print it
All the steps on one page
Save it, pin it or print it, and draw from the paper.
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Good to know
How do I draw a round circle for a donut?
Draw it in two curves. Start at the top and go down the left side, then start at the top again and go down the right. Light, slow lines are easy to fix.
Where should the donut hole go?
Right in the center of the big circle. Check that the space from the hole to the edge looks about the same on every side.
How do I make the icing look like it is dripping?
Keep most of the wavy edge as short, even bumps, then let one bump at the bottom hang lower and rounder than the rest.
Can a young child draw this donut?
Yes. It uses only circles, a wavy line and tiny bars. A grown-up can draw the big circle while the child adds the icing bumps and sprinkles.
How long does it take to draw a donut?
About 3 minutes for the lines, and a few more to color it in.
Can kids follow this guide?
Yes, children from about six can follow it on their own, and younger ones with a grown-up beside them.
What do I need?
Paper and a pencil or a pen, and crayons, markers or colored pencils for the colors. An eraser helps but isn’t needed.
Updated 2026-10-27
Draw it with Lina
Paper Coach shows each line of a donut being drawn, then waits while you draw it. This lesson is one of the free ones. 10 lessons on the Food & Treats path, and more on every path.
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