The Best Donut Recipe

How about combining two of the best desserts in the world – croissants and donuts? You will get the best donut recipe. Croissant shaped donuts that look charming and taste unbelievably good! Please don’t confuse this with cronuts (I am still working on perfecting this recipe).

These croissant-shaped donuts combine the light, airy texture of fried dough with the elegant look and buttery flavor inspiration of classic croissants. They are soft on the inside, lightly crisp on the outside, and absolutely irresistible when still slightly warm. Their beautiful crescent shape makes them feel extra special and instantly turns a simple homemade treat into something bakery-worthy.

Unlike cronuts, which are made from laminated croissant dough, these donuts are much more approachable and beginner-friendly while still delivering an indulgent result. The dough is soft, rich, and easy to work with, creating donuts that puff beautifully during frying and develop a delicate golden crust. Once finished, they can be coated in sugar, glazed, filled with pastry cream, chocolate, jam, or simply enjoyed plain with coffee.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is how fun the shaping process is. The croissant-inspired form gives them a unique appearance that always impresses guests and family members alike. They are perfect for brunches, holidays, weekend baking projects, or anytime you want something playful and delicious.

Served fresh, these croissant donuts are fluffy, buttery, and wonderfully comforting — the kind of pastry that disappears almost immediately once placed on the table.

Sourdough version of the donut recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

Dough

• 250g  lukewarm milk
• 2g dry instant yeast 
• 100g sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 500 g bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 50g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 10g salt
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Vanilla Donut Glaze

• 170g powdered sugar
• 30g melted butter 
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Custard Filling

300ml milk
2 yolks
2tbs cornstarch
100g sugar
1 vanilla bean

Whipped cream

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
75g sugar

Directions 

Dough

• 8 am mix milk, dry instant yeast, eggs, sugar, yeast and flour(let it autolyse for 30 minutes).
• During the autolyse period the flour becomes fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• 8.30 am mix the dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Add salt and mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should form a ball.
• Add soft butter, increase the speed, mix for 10-15 minutes until the dough comes up together. If its not coming up together, feel free to add a little more flour (20-40g).

• 9 am  cover the dough and let it proof for 2-3 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.
• During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
• The dough should become puffy.
• 11 am move the dough to fridge for at least 2 hours, or until next day.
• 1 pm remove the dough from fridge, sprinkle work surface with flour, roll the dough  in a rectangular with sides about 70 x 27cm and about 0.5 cm thin.
• Cut triangles with base 8.5-9cm
• Roll them as a croissants.

• Let them proof for 2 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.
• Preheat the oil for about 30 minutes, and fry the doughnuts for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
• Prepare the glaze, by mixing all ingredients until smooth.
• Then dip doughnuts into the glaze or simply roll donuts in granulated sugar and enjoy.

Note: also you can fill the donuts with custard or your favorite jam.

Custard Filling

Boil milk, in separate bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and yolks, pour hot milk over yolk mixture, bring to a medium heat, whisking constantly, until custard will get thicker. Cover and let cool off. Whisk heavy whipping cream with sugar until soft peaks. Combine both custard and whipped cream and fill the donuts.

Croissant-Shaped Sweet Yeast Donuts

336kcal

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Prep 40 minutes mins

Cook 20 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total 7 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

An extraordinary and charming twist on a classic dessert, these sweet yeast donuts are shaped like elegant croissants to yield an unbelievably light, pull-apart interior with a perfectly golden, crispy fried crust. Enriched with milk and eggs, the dough utilizes a built-in autolyse phase to maximize tenderness and structural stability during frying.

Servings 12 Large Donuts

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1x2x3x

The Enriched Dough

• ▢ 250 g Lukewarm milk
• ▢ 2 g Dry Instant Yeast
• ▢ 100 g Sugar
• ▢ 2 Large eggs
• ▢ 500 g Bread Flour (plus extra for dusting your workspace)
• ▢ 50 g Unsalted butter (softened completely to room temperature)
• ▢ 10 g Salt
• ▢ High-smoke point vegetable oil (for frying)

The Vanilla Donut Glaze

• ▢ 170 g Powdered sugar
• ▢ 30 g Melted butter
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

Optional Pastry Custard Filling

• ▢ 300 ml Milk
• ▢ 2 Egg yolks
• ▢ 2 tbsp Cornstarch
• ▢ 100 g Sugar
• ▢ Vanilla bean
• ▢ 1/2 cup Heavy whipping cream + 75g sugar (whipped to soft peaks)

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer (fitted with the dough hook attachment)
• ▢
  Deep Fryer or Heavy Dutch Oven (for frying)
• ▢
  Candy/Deep-Fry Thermometer (crucial for tracking oil temperature)
• ▢
  Rolling Pin
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Slotted Spoon or Wire Skimmer
• ▢
  Wire Cooling Racks

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Autolyse and Enriched Mechanical Kneading

1. 8:00 AM: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 250g of lukewarm milk, 2g of dry instant yeast, 100g of sugar, 2 large eggs, and 500g of bread flour. Mix with a spatula or your mixer hook on the lowest speed just until all dry flour pockets vanish.
2. Cover the bowl and let the mixture rest undisturbed for 30 minutes for the autolyse phase. This step fully hydrates the flour particles and activates natural gluten pathways before heavy mixing begins.
3. 8:30 AM: Mix the dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or speed 3 on a KitchenAid for 3 to 4 minutes) until cohesive. Sprinkle in the 10g of salt and mix for 2 more minutes until a solid dough ball builds around the hook.
4. Add the 50g of softened room-temperature butter in small chunks. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and knead continuously for 10 to 15 minutes. The dough will look wet and slick at first, but it will eventually absorb the fat completely and clear the sides of the bowl. (If it remains too sticky after 12 minutes, add an extra 20g to 40g of flour).
5. 9:00 AM: Shape the dough into a smooth ball, cover the container, and let it proof for 2 to 3 hours at a warm ambient temperature of 76–80°F (24–28°C). Perform two separate rounds of stretch-and-folds during the first 90 minutes. The finished dough should feel light, delicate, and noticeably puffy.
6. 11:00 AM: Transfer the covered dough directly into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or leave it overnight) to chill the fats and stabilize the dough matrix for clean rolling.

Croissant-Style Shaping and Final Proofing

1. 1:00 PM: Remove the cold dough from the refrigerator. Lightly dust your countertop with flour and tip the dough out. Using a rolling pin, roll it out evenly into a long, thin rectangle measuring roughly 27×10 inches (70×27 cm) and approximately 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) thick.
2. Using a sharp pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough sheet into tall triangles with a base measuring roughly 3.5 inches (8.5–9 cm).
3. Starting from the wide base, roll each triangle up tightly toward the narrow point to form a beautiful, multi-layered crescent croissant shape.
4. Arrange the shaped donuts onto large baking trays lined with parchment paper. Cover loosely and let them proof for exactly 2 hours at 76–80°F (24–28°C) until they are fragile, pillowy, and doubled in volume.

Frying, Glazing, and Custom Filling

1. Fill a deep fryer or heavy Dutch oven with vegetable oil and heat it steadily for 30 minutes until it reaches 350–365°F (175–185°C).
2. Gently lower the proofed donuts into the hot oil in small batches. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a slotted spoon, until the exterior expands into a beautiful, uniform golden brown. Lift them out and drain on wire cooling racks.
3. Prepare the glaze by whisking together the 170g of powdered sugar, 30g of melted butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until smooth. Dip the warm donuts directly into the glaze (or roll them in plain granulated sugar if preferred).
4. Optional Custard Filling: If filling, bring the 300ml of milk and split vanilla bean to a boil in a saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk together 100g of sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch, and 2 egg yolks. Pour the hot milk slowly into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly, return to medium heat, and cook until thickened. Cool completely, fold in your sweetened whipped heavy cream, and pipe the pastry cream directly into the sides of the fried donuts using a pastry bag.

Nutrition

Calories336kcalCarbohydrates65gProtein9gFat11gSaturated Fat6gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat3gTrans Fat0.1gCholesterol87mgSodium93mgPotassium150mgFiber1gSugar19gVitamin A410IUVitamin C0.1mgCalcium81mgIron1mg

Notes

• Why the Low Yeast Dosage Matters: This recipe calls for a surprisingly small amount of yeast (only 2g of dry instant yeast for 500g of flour). This intentional restriction forces a much slower, controlled fermentation timeline. A slow rise allows the flour complex carbohydrates to break down gradually, developing a much deeper flavor profile and preventing the heavy, unpleasant “yeasty” aroma often found in rushed commercial bakery donuts.
• Mastering the Oil Temperature Spectrum: To ensure your croissant donuts turn out feather-light rather than heavy or greasy, maintaining your oil between 350 degrees Fahrenheit and 365 degrees Fahrenheit is absolutely critical. If your oil drops below 350 degrees, the dough will act like a sponge and absorb excess grease; if it spikes above 365 degrees, the exterior skin will burn rapidly while leaving the inner raw dough layers unbaked and gummy.
• Extending the Refrigerator Rest Window: The 2-hour refrigeration step is highly flexible and can easily be extended to accommodate your schedule. You can safely keep the covered dough block in the fridge for up to 24 or 48 hours before rolling it out. Just ensure your refrigerator is running cold (39°F / 4°C or lower) to stop over-proofing, which lets the dough develop even more complexity.
• Baking Alternative Adjustments: While these sweet rolls achieve their signature melt-in-your-mouth interior from traditional deep-frying, they can also be successfully baked if you prefer a lighter profile. Arrange the proofed croissant shapes across your tray and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) for 15 to 18 minutes until golden. Brush with melted butter immediately out of the oven before coating in sugar.

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