Julie Clark
Posted:
Cruller Donut Recipe
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Light and delicate, this cruller donut recipe is a whole new way to enjoy donuts. The glazed crullers are perfect for weekend brunch with a cup of coffee.
If you’ve ever made cream puffs or profiteroles, you’ll be surprised to know that cruller dough is made the same way, pâte à choux. Make French cruller dough in about 15 minutes, refrigerate for an hour, then pipe the dough onto parchment paper, fry until golden brown and glaze.
About this Cruller Donut Recipe:
If you know me well, you know I love a good homemade donut. Having grown up near Amish country, we often traveled to get Amish donuts for special occasions.
At home, its often easier to make baked donuts like our red velvet donuts or chocolate chip donuts. This French cruller donut recipe is the best of both worlds because it is light and airy, has that lightly crisp fried texture, and you don’t have to wait for yeast to rise.
This cruller donut recipe makes 12-14 cruller donuts, perfect for holidays like Christmas or Easter brunch when you have the whole family together, but you can easily halve the recipe when that donut craving hits.
Enjoy! -Julie
Cruller Donut Recipe
Light and delicate, this cruller donut recipe is a whole new way to enjoy donuts. The glazed crullers are perfect for weekend brunch with a cup of coffee.
Servings 12
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 21 minutes
Equipment
- parchment paper cut into 3-inch squares
- piping bag
- large star tip
Ingredients
For the choux pastry dough:
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 cup bread flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- vegetable oil for frying
For the vanilla glaze:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- dash salt
Instructions
- In a small pan over medium heat, add the water and butter. Heat the two together until the butter is melted and steaming hot (but it does not need to come to a rolling boil). 1 cup water, ½ cup salted butter
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and the sugar. Remove the saucepan from the stovetop and add the flour mixture. Mix well until the flour is completely incorporated. 1 cup bread flour, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Then put the saucepan back on the warm burner with the heat off. Cook and stir constantly until mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate. This will happen quickly (about 2-3 minutes) so watch it carefully.
- Move the dough to another bowl (either the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or another bowl to use with an electric hand mixer). Allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed between each addition. Once the eggs are added in, mix for 1 additional minute on medium speed, and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until the mixture is smooth. Press plastic wrap on top of the dough and cover the bowl, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but up to 8 hours. 4 large eggs
- Pour vegetable oil in a skillet to be about 2-3" deep. Set to medium high heat until the oil reaches 375ºF. Use an instant read thermometer to check the oil and adjust heat as needed to keep it as close to 375ºF as possible. vegetable oil
- While the oil is heating, place a large star tip (Wilton 1M or 2D) in a pastry bag. Fill the bag with the pastry dough. Line a baking sheet with the parchment squares. Pipe dough in circles, one onto each square of parchment to make 12-14 donuts.
- Place each uncooked donut into the hot oil, parchment paper side up. Work in batches so you don't crowd the donuts. After about 30 seconds, use tongs to remove the parchment paper. Allow the donuts to fry for a total of 2-3 minutes on one side until golden brown, then use a slotted spoon to flip the donuts and fry for an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side.
- Remove the donuts to a wire rack to cool. Continue with the remaining dough, checking the oil temperature before you continue to fry.
- While the donuts are cooling, whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. Dip each cruller donut into the glaze, then place glazed side up on a wire rack. Serve immediately. ¾ cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, dash salt
Notes
- If you only have unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Storage: The crullers are best eaten right after frying them. If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container at room temperature, but they will be come less crispy as they sit.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks. The calories shown are based on the recipe making 12 cruller donuts, with 1 serving being 1 donut. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Ingredients
Here are the supplies you’ll need for making crullers at home:
- Bread flour. Because this pastry dough yields such light, tender results, I prefer to use bread flour for just a little more structure. Use all-purpose flour in a pinch.
- Water. Some cruller donut recipes call for milk in the dough for richness, but I prefer water so they stay as light and airy as possible.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and amounts.
How to Make Cruller Donuts: Step by Step
- In a small pan over medium heat, add the water and butter. Heat the two together until the butter is melted and steaming hot (but not boiling).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and the sugar. Remove the saucepan from the stovetop and add the flour mixture. Mix well until the flour is completely incorporated. Then put the saucepan back on the warm burner with the heat off. Cook and stir constantly until mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate. This will happen quickly (about 2-3 minutes) so watch it carefully.
- Move the dough to another bowl (either the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or another bowl to use with an electric hand mixer). Allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed between each addition. Once the eggs are added in, mix for 1 additional minute on medium speed, and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed, until the mixture is smooth. Press plastic wrap on top of the dough and cover the bowl, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but up to 8 hours.
- Pour vegetable oil in a skillet to be about 2-3″ deep. Set to medium high heat until the oil reaches 375ºF. Use an instant read thermometer to check the oil and adjust heat as needed to keep it as close to 375ºF as possible.
- While the oil is heating, place a large star tip (Wilton 1M or 2D) in a pastry bag. Fill the bag with the pastry dough. Line a baking sheet with the parchment squares. Pipe dough in circles, one dough circle onto each square of parchment to make 12-14 donuts.
- Place each uncooked donut into the hot oil, parchment paper side up. Work in batches so you don’t crowd the donuts. After about 30 seconds, use tongs to remove the parchment paper. Allow the donuts to fry for a total of 2-3 minutes on one side until golden brown, then use a slotted spoon to flip the donuts and fry for an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side.
- Remove the cruller donuts to a wire rack with paper towels underneath to drain and cool. Continue with the remaining dough, checking the oil temperature before you continue to fry.
- While the donuts are cooling, whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. Dip each cruller donut into the glaze, then place glazed side up on a wire rack. Serve immediately.
Variations
Switch up this cruller donut recipe!
- Make lemon crullers. Add lemon zest to the batter when you mix in the eggs. Then add lemon juice and zest in place of milk and vanilla for the powdered sugar glaze.
- Add a honey glaze. Make a honey glaze with ⅓ cup powdered sugar and ¼ cup honey. Whisk well and dip the donuts.
- Air fryer or bake in the oven. People often ask if you can air fry or bake cruller donuts instead of frying in oil. You can, but they end up looking and tasting like cream puffs at that point. If you’d like to try it, air fry in batches on squares of parchment paper at 360ºF for 10 minutes. Or bake at 425ºF for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350ºF and bake another 12-15 minutes.
