Classic Jelly Donuts are the ultimate comfort food of fluffy, sugar coated homemade doughnuts filled with sweet jelly fried to perfection!
Whether it’s simple Glazed Donuts, fancy Boston Cream Donuts, or these jelly-filled sugary treats, there’s nothing like hot, fresh deep-fried pieces of dough. When you make them at home, donuts can be Breakfast, Dessert, or whenever you get a craving for sweet, fried deliciousness!
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Jelly Donuts Recipe
We all have a favorite donut and if your favorite is soft, fluffy donuts filled with Strawberry Jelly then this is the recipe for you! Why wait in line at a donut shop at the crack of dawn when you can make fresh homemade jelly-filled donuts and sleep in a little? You probably even have all the ingredients you need to make these delicious sweet jelly filled donuts in your pantry and fridge right now!
My homemade jelly donut recipe takes a bit longer than versions made with biscuit dough, but the extra work will be totally worth it when you bite into the sugary, perfectly fried chewy dough. If you’ve never made donuts before, this recipe has easy to follow instructions and all the troubleshooting tips you need to make perfect pillowy donuts on your first try.
Ingredients
- Yeast: Active dry yeast goes bad quickly so always check to make sure it has not expired before starting your dough. I prefer active yeast over instant yeast and taking the time to activate it.
- Flour: I use regular all-purpose flour because it has a good gluten content for a stretchy, smooth dough. Make sure to have plenty of flour for your hands and your floured work surface too.
- Sugar: The sugar serves a few functions in this donut recipe. First the sugar is used to activate the yeast because yeast “feeds” on sugar. Then it is used to make the dough slightly sweet. Finally the hot donuts are covered in more sugar for a crunchy, sweet coating.
- Warm Milk: The milk needs to be warm so the yeast will stay active and it helps these donuts get light and fluffy without adding leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder.
- Egg Yolks: This yeast donuts recipe is made with only egg yolks so the dough is a bit richer and chewier. Egg yolks add moisture to a dough recipe and help it hold it’s shape by binding the water and fats together.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Stand Mixer: You could also make the doughnut dough in a regular mixing bowl with hand beaters or work the dough by hand.
- Dough Hook: Even though I use my hands to knead the dough on a floured work surface, I like to use the dough hook attachment when mixing for a more smooth dough.
- Wire Rack: I use a cooling rack with paper towels underneath. The layers of paper towels traps the grease and the rack keeps the hot batch of donuts from soaking it back up.
How to Make
- Activate Yeast
Combine the dry yeast, warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a stand mixer and let it sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. If yeast does not foam, start over and check the water temperature is 110-115. If it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast and if it’s too cold it won’t activate the yeast.
- Make the Dough
Once the yeast mixture is foamy, mix in the milk, butter, egg yolks and salt on low speed. Then add flour, in ¼ cup of flour increments until just combined. Do not over-mix the dough.
- Proof
Grease a large bowl and roll the dough in the bowl until it is coated as well. Cover with a tea towel or loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until it has doubled in size.
- Prep Dough
Punch the dough down to release air, then place on a floured surface and gently knead dough 5 times. Divide dough into 2 equal balls.
- Shape Donuts
Roll one dough ball flat piece until it’s 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch round circles with a biscuit cutter, large glass or can. Repeat with the second dough ball.
- Fill Donuts
Spread ½ tablespoon jam in the middle of half of the donut circles. Brush egg whites around the edges of donuts with jam and cover with the remaining dough circles. Press edges to seal.
- Second Proof
Line baking sheets with parchment paper and place donuts on baking sheets. Cover with a towel and let rise for another 40 minutes.
- Fry Doughnuts
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or skillet with deep sides. Fry in batches, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and puffy. Transfer cooked jelly donuts to a baking sheet or wire rack with a slotted spoon while you fry the remaining donuts.
- Coat
Add sugar to a large shallow bowl. Toss donuts in sugar until coated all over.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Jelly Donuts:
- 1/2 cup warm water , 110-115 degrees
- 2 packets active dry yeast , (0.25 ounce each)
- 1/3 cups sugar , divided
- 1/2 cup warm whole milk , 110-115 degrees
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 2 large egg whites , beaten
- vegetable oil , frying
To Finish:
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
Jelly Donuts:
- To your stand mixer add the water, yeast and 1 tablespoons of sugar, stir to mix.
- Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add in milk, butter, egg yolks and salt and mix on low speed.
- Add in flour ½ cup at a time until just combined.
- Grease a large bowl, add donut dough, turn to coat.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes until it doubles in size.
- Punch dough, then remove to a floured surface.
- Knead gently 5 times.
- Cut dough in half and roll 1/4" thick on floured surface.
- Using a 3" biscuit cutter, cut out circles.
- Repeat with second half of dough.
- Add a half tablespoon of strawberry jam to the middle of half the donuts.
- Brush egg white around the edge of the donuts, then top with the second half of the donut dough circles.
- Press along the edges to combine.
- Place gently, using a spatula onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 40 minutes.
- Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees.
- Without crowding the pot, fry donuts and donut holes in batches.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on both sides.
- Remove with slotted spatula onto a baking sheet.
- Note: Fry the remaining edges and enjoy as a treat for the cook!
To Finish:
- Add sugar to a shallow bowl.
- Carefully coat the fried donuts in sugar and place onto clean baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: Jelly Doughnut or Sufganiyot?
My homemade donuts are richer than most Sufganiyot recipes because they are made with 3 egg yolks instead of 1-2 whole eggs and lots of butter instead of vegetable oil. However the biggest difference between Jelly Donuts and Sufganiyot actually comes down to a religious and cultural reason. Sufganiyot donuts hold special meaning and are traditionally made during the Jewish holiday Hanukkah, whereas jelly-filled donuts are eaten year round for any reason.
Can this be made ahead of time?
There is nothing compared to fresh homemade jelly-filled donuts from the fryer, so I wouldn’t fry the donuts ahead of time. You can make the dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge overnight but don’t cut the donut shapes or fill time until you’re ready to fry them.
Nutritional Facts
How to Store
- Serve: Fresh donuts are always best the day they are made! You can store them at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Store: To keep these donuts a bit longer, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to serve.
- Freeze: These donuts can be frozen up to 2 months in a large freezer safe bag. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before bringing them to room temp or warming in the microwave to serve.
Alternative Cooking Techniques
Air Fryer Jelly Donuts
- Prepare the batch of donuts as usual.
- Spray the inside of the fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray or oil.
- Brush the donuts lightly all over with vegetable oil.
- Cook in batches, about 2-3 at a time, so they aren’t touching.
- Cook on one side for 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook another 3 minutes until they are puffy and golden.
- Roll in granulated sugar. Dip them in butter (shake off any excess) if sugar is not sticking.
Baked Jelly Donuts
- Prepare the dough and fill each donut with jelly.
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake the donuts for 10-12 minutes, without flipping, until golden brown and puffed up.
- Let them cool for 5 minutes before dipping in melted butter. Let the excess drip off then roll in sugar.
Frequent Questions
If your donuts drain on paper towel instead of a wire rack, it will make the outside greasy and soggy. The paper towel traps the hot oil and it gets sucked back into the hot donuts.
The main thing about frying donuts is maintaining the oil temperature between 375-385 degrees. If it’s too hot, the outside of the donuts brown too fast before cooking on the inside. If the oil is too cool, they take longer to cook which causes soggy, oily donuts. To keep the correct oil temperature, use an instant read thermometer or candy thermometer and don’t overcrowd your pot.
The truth is that both doughnuts and donuts are correct spellings. Doughnuts is the original way they were spelled which makes sense since they are made with “dough”. Thanks to popular branding like Dunkin Donuts though, it’s evolved into donuts and that spelling is now officially recognized too. No matter how you spell them, they still are irresistibly delicious especially when you make them at home!
You want the donuts to be golden brown, like the color of soft caramels, and they should be puffed up. Jelly Donuts cook a bit longer than our regular yeast donuts because of the filling, but they should only take about 2-3 minutes on each side.
You can either fill each donut with jelly before you fry them or after they are cooked. My jelly doughnuts have the jelly sandwiched between two pieces of dough and then they are fried. You could also fry the dough circles first, let them cool for about 10 minutes, and then pipe the jelly into the center with a piping bag with a long tip.
Variations
- Jam: These donuts have strawberry jam but you can use any fruit preserves you like better! Make an assortment of flavors with raspberry jam, orange marmalade and blackberry jelly.
- Cinnamon Sugar: Instead of plain white sugar, add a teaspoon of cinnamon for a cinnamon sugar coating. You could also use spices like nutmeg or Pumpkin Spice Blend, or give it a citrus flavor with lemon zest.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is another popular way to coat these donuts instead of granulated sugar. Allow your donuts to cool before rolling so the sugar doesn’t melt. Brush the donuts lightly with melted butter (let excess drip off), then roll them in powdered sugar until coated.
- Other Fillings: If you aren’t a jelly fan, you can stuff these with creamy fillings like Chocolate Pudding, Lemon Curd, or Whipped Cream. So they don’t melt, you’ll want to pipe these fillings in after the donuts have cooled. Add the filling to a pastry bag with a long round tip. Cut a small slit in the side and stick the tip, then gently squeeze until the filling pushes back.
- Glaze: Coat them in a classic donut glaze, like I use in my Potato Donuts or Copycat Krispy Kreme Donuts.
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