These light and airy glazed yeast-raised gluten free donuts taste like they're from your favorite bakery from way back when. Now, you can fry them in oil, or make them in your Air Fryer with almost no oil. Either way, don't forget the glaze!
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Why this is the best yeasted gluten free donut recipe
Don't get me wrong: cake donuts are quite nice. But when you're craving a fluffy donut, the cake variety isn't going to do it for you.
This fried donut recipe is what I imagine a Krispy Kreme gluten free doughnut would taste like, if there was such a thing. These homemade donuts are golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside and soft, rich, and fluffy on the inside — just like Krispy Kreme donuts!
What's especially nice about this gluten free doughnuts recipe is that there's room for variation. Love to deep fry? We've got your covered. Prefer to air fry? We've got instructions for that too.
What if plain glazed doughnuts are not quite your thing? That's okay — you don't have to hunt down other gluten free donut recipes. With these fried morsels, you can make a jelly donut, a powdered sugar donut, donut holes, and more.
Ingredients for Yeasted Donuts
- Gluten free flour blend – my go-to gluten free flour blend is Better Batter. If you use a different gf flour, I can't guarantee that you'll get the same results as me, especially with yeast breads. As always, click through to our all purpose gluten free blends page for full info on this super important topic.
- Tapioca starch/flour – replacing some of the all purpose flour with additional tapioca starch gives the donuts more elasticity, makes the dough a bit easier to handle, and helps make the donuts fluffier and more tender. Even if your all purpose blend contains tapioca starch, you still must add this ingredient.
- Salt – salt brings out and ties together all the other flavors in these donuts; it also helps keep the yeast from overproofing the dough.
- Cream of tartar and baking soda – when these ingredients combine, they create a reaction that helps these gluten free yeast donuts puff up and help them brown
- Sugar – sugar makes the donuts sweet and tender
- Instant yeast – I use instant yeast to make my gluten free yeast donuts, but you can also use dry active yeast if you use 25% more, by weight, and soak it in some of the milk first before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
- Apple cider vinegar – helps make the rise more stable and adds flavor.
- Eggs – an egg and an egg white help bind the donut dough together, and helps the rise.
- Milk – warm milk adds moisture and richness
- Melted butter – butter adds tenderness and flavor
- Oil – use vegetable oil or another neutral oil with a high smoke point to fry your donuts
How to make this gluten free donuts recipe
Make the raw dough & let it rise
- Whisk together all the dry ingredients (yeast and nutmeg last)
- Add the wet ingredients (vinegar, eggs, milk, melted butter)
- Beat the ingredients very well to form a wet dough
- Let the dough rise in a sealed container in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour
Shape the donut dough & let them rise
- Divide the dough in half, sprinkle with more flour, and shape into a round
- Roll the dough about 1/2-inch thick
- Cut out round shapes from the dough, and small center holes
- Place the donuts (and donut holes) on a lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour
Fry the risen donuts & glaze
- As soon as the donuts appear to be nearly 1 1/2 times as big as they started (not a full doubling), bring your frying oil to a bit over 350°F
- Fry the risen donuts and holes a few at a time without crowding the oil
- Flip and let fry all the way through on the other side
- Dip warm donuts on both sides in a simple sugar glaze, then let set on a wire rack
- Serve immediately!
How to cook your gluten free donuts
Oil frying gluten free
Old-fashioned donuts like made from this yeast-raised gluten free donut recipe are meant to be fried, not baked. If you'd like to begin with baked donuts, I've got plenty of recipes for cake donuts from classic gluten free vanilla donuts to gluten free chocolate donuts. For cake donuts, you'll make them in doughnut pans, which are like muffin pans but with wells shaped like donuts, with a raised center.
When you bake a yeast-raised donut, it mostly tastes like, well, a really light gluten free bagel. Deep-frying can be messy and time-consuming, but it shouldn't result in oily donuts at all.
Just be sure your oil is hot enough, and the outside of the donut will seal quickly once it hits the oil. Then, the inside of the donut will just cook evenly and without any oil for the rest of the time.
Use “dirty” oil for the best gf fried donuts
Oil that is not quite clean is best for frying. Frying a few chunks of old bread in the oil before using it for the doughnuts will help all of your doughnuts come out golden brown and delicious. They brown quickly.
I first published this gluten free donut recipe way back in 2012, long before I had ever even heard of an Air Fryer. I fried them, and many of you who have made them over the years have done the same.
When they're deep fried in oil, donuts are more tender inside and crisp outside when they're deep fried in oil. An air fryer is so incredibly easy, though…
Air frying your gluten free donuts
As we discussed when we made our gluten free chicken nuggets, an Air Fryer is not really created to “fry” anything at all. I think of it more as a very efficient, rather small convection oven.
But by making fried wontons in the Air Fryer, I learned that you can make foods that do taste like they were, in fact, deep fried in the Air Fryer. Of course, you don't use nearly as much oil as you do in deep frying, where you use at least 2 inches of oil for frying.
You can still give food cooked in the Air Fryer that “fried” taste. Just spray or brush the food generously with nonaerosol cooking oil spray.
You can also use another high-heat-safe cooking oil, like avocado oil. It's just easiest to evenly distribute it on the food when it's in spray form. You'll still be using far less oil than you otherwise would.
More tips for making the best gluten free donuts
Use the right gluten free flour blend
In gluten free baking, the most important ingredient is the gluten free flour blend you're using. After all, I'm replacing conventional wheat flour and building a whole recipe around a well-balanced all purpose gluten free flour blend.
If you use one of my recommended gluten free flour blends and follow the recipe precisely, including how to handle the dough and what temperature the ingredients must be in, you'll be rewarded with perfect fried donuts! If you use an inferior blend, and unfortunately there are many, in a shaped yeasted gluten free bread recipe, it won't turn out.
Use a stand mixer if you can
If you've got access to a stand mixer, I highly recommend you use it for mixing your donut dough. It will be a lot less work for you, and the dough will come out nice and smooth with all the ingredients properly incorporated. Otherwise, try using a food processor, but this isn't the sort of dough you can make successfully by hand.
The longer the raw dough chills, the better the flavor
Once you've made the dough, refrigerate it in a sealed container for at least an hour. This gives the flour time to absorb the liquid, making it much easier to handle—and the yeast time to develop flavor. Although the dough is suitable for use after chilling for an hour, try leaving it in the fridge overnight, if possible.
Don't skip the candy thermometer
If you're frying these gluten free yeast donuts the old-fashioned way in a pot of oil, you definitely want to use a candy thermometer to ensure your oil reaches 350°F.
If your oil is too cold, your gluten free fried donuts will absorb oil as they cook, resulting pale, greasy lumps. If your oil is way too hot, the outsides of your doughnuts will darken and possibly burn before the center is done cooking. Your donuts should bubble vigorously and begin to fry as soon as you place them in the oil.
How to store fried gluten free donuts
Gluten free recipes, especially for baked or fried goods, have a bit of a reputation of coming out dry. This is because gluten free flour tends to be drying; it absorbs the moisture in recipes like a sponge.
However, not only do these gluten free fried doughnuts come out soft and fluffy, they stay that way for several hours. That comes from a recipe that was properly developed to be made gluten free from the start, with the right balance of ingredients, measured properly.
For as delicious as these gf fried donuts are out of the fryer or when still warm, they don't store well beyond a few hours. After about five hours, you'll notice these donuts hardening up. You can always keep the dough in your refrigerator and fry a gluten free donut (or three) as needed.
Can I make the dough in advance?
Absolutely! You can enjoy fresh yeasted doughnuts whenever you'd like by preparing the donut dough in advance and storing it in the fridge. Remember, the raw dough stays good in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, so you can fry up warm donuts rather than settle for cold, hard ones.
Gluten-free donuts substitutions and ideas
Dairy free
I've made these donuts dairy free quite easily by replacing the unsalted butter with virgin coconut oil and using unsweetened almond or coconut milk (in the carton). Those substitutions work perfectly well.
You can also replace the butter with Melt VeganButter or Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, each melted and cooled.
Egg free
Since there are only one egg and one egg white in this recipe, you can try replacing the egg with a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).
Try replacing the egg white with aquafaba (the brine from a can of chickpeas). I haven't tried either of these substitutions, so you'll have to experiment!
Apple cider vinegar substitute
In place of apple cider vinegar, you can another neutral or full-bodied vinegar. I would not use a particularly bright, tart vinegar, like white wine vinegar.
White balsamic vinegar is rather mellow. That works well in place of apple cider vinegar. You can also use freshly-squeezed lemon juice.
Refined sugar-free?
The gluten free donut recipe makes dough that is only lightly sweet, with only 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in the whole batch. If you'd like to make the donuts without refined sugar, you can try.
You can try replacing the granulated sugar with an equal amount, by weight, of coconut palm sugar. The donuts will be darker in color.
If you'd like to try using a sugar replacement, I recommend Lankato monkfruit white sweetener or Swerve granulated sugar replacement. You may have to add some more milk as those sugar replacements tend to be drying.
The glaze is essentially all sugar confectioners' sugar. If you can't have refined sugar, I recommend just eliminating it entirely.
Filling and topping ideas
Plain gluten free glazed doughnuts are amazing, but if you're seeking something a little more exciting, here are a few ideas:
- Chocolate – let your gluten free fried donuts cool a bit, then drizzle them or tip them in a chocolate glaze
- Jelly donuts – use a pastry bag to make gluten free jelly doughnuts — just skip the hole in the donut, and pipe your favorite flavor into the center of the donuts after frying
- Pie filling – for a richer taste, use your favorite pie filling in place of jelly
- Powdered sugar coating – roll a freshly fried donut in powdered sugar as soon as it comes out of the fryer. Let it set, then coat it again after it's begun to cool for a completely covering.
- Sprinkles – most sprinkles don't add a lot of flavor, but they do add some texture and look beautiful. Just be sure to sprinkle them on before the glaze has set, so they'll stay in place.
FAQs
Unfortunately, most donuts are not gluten free. This is because manufacturers use wheat flour to make their doughnuts. These donuts are gluten free because they're made with a gluten free recipe!
No! There is no such thing as a Krispy Kreme gluten free donut. I'm serious when I say that my recipe for gluten free yeasted donuts is good enough to be a Krispy Kreme copycat recipe.
You may have overmeasured the milk a bit, but generally this is a relatively sticky dough. Feel free to sprinkle the surface and the dough lightly with more gluten free flour as you shape it to prevent it from sticking. Just work with a light touch so the dough doesn't absorb all of the extra flour. If the raw donuts are too dry, they won't rise.
Yes, I now recommend allowing this donut dough to have the first rise in a sealed container in the refrigerator. When I first made this recipe, I honestly didn't bother. At the time, gluten free yeast bread dough wasn't considered stable enough to shape properly.
Ever since I developed the recipes for Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread, though, I'm more inclined to let gf yeast dough rise twice. The first rise, ideally, is slowly in the refrigerator. It not only makes the dough easier to shape, but it allows the dough to develop that yeasted flavor that I really love. The second rise is after shaping.
The differences between cake donuts and yeast donuts lie in how they're prepared and their textures. Cake donuts tend to be sweeter, and because they're not made with yeast, they don't have the same airy texture. As they're generally cooked in an oven using doughnut pans, these baked donuts are a bit more dense, like cake. Yeast donuts, on the other hand, are soft and fluffy after they've been fried.
I have baked these donuts in the oven, and they taste okay, just not like donuts. Frying them ensures that they cook quickly while maintaining their fluffy center. If you'd rather have baked donuts, try my gluten free chocolate donuts. We also have gluten free apple cider donuts, if you're in the mood, or our gluten free vanilla donuts for a more neutral flavor. If you're looking for a soft, tender yeasted dough that you don't fry, try our baked gluten free cinnamon rolls instead.
Vegetable oil is probably the most popular oil for frying donuts, but you can use any neutral oil of your choosing. You can go the route of Krispy Kreme and use vegetable shortening, or you can try canola oil, peanut oil, or sunflower seed oil. Anything with a comparably high smoke point will work.
Yes! It's easy to turn plain gluten free doughnuts into jelly donuts. Don't cut a hole in the center of the donuts before you rise and fry them. Then, fit a pastry bag with a long angled Bismark piping tip, or just snip off the end. Place a jam or jelly of your choosing (I love grape jelly and strawberry jam) into the bag. Cut a hole in your doughnut using a small knife or skewer (or the end of your Bismark tip), and then pipe the filling into the doughnut just until it starts to spill back out.
Gluten Free Donut Recipe
Equipment
- Candy thermometer or electric deep fryer or Air Fryer
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click through for full info on appropriate blends without which the recipe will not turn out), plus more for sprinkling
- 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ⅓ cup (47 g) tapioca starch/flour add this ingredient even if your all purpose blend contains tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast also called breadmaker or rapid rise yeast
- ½ teaspoon fresh finely-ground nutmeg optional
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature
- 1 (25 g) egg white at room temperature
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature, plus more as necessary
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- Oil for frying or non-aerosol oil spray for Air Frying
For the glaze
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons (42 g) Lyle’s Golden Syrup (or honey)
- 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) water plus more as necessary
Instructions
Make the donut dough.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, place 2 1/4 cups flour, the xanthan gum, tapioca starch, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda and sugar. Whisk to combine well. Add the yeast and optional nutmeg, and whisk again to combine well.
- Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the vinegar, egg, egg white, milk and melted butter, and mix to combine. Mix on low speed until the liquid is absorbed by the dry ingredients, then turn the mixer speed to high and mix for about 2 minutes or until very well-combined. It should take on a bit of a whipped appearance.
- The dough will be wet but should scrape easily off the sides of the mixer with a spatula. Beat in more milk a drop at a time as necessary to get the dough to move freely in the mixer.
- For best results, spray the inside of a lidded bucket or bowl with cooking oil spray, scrape the donut dough into the container, and cover the bucket or bowl.
- Place in the refrigerator to rise and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 days. You can work with the dough immediately, though, if you prefer. It will just be stickier and a bit harder to handle, and will have less flavor.
Shape the dough.
- Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
- When you’re ready to work with the dough, divide the dough in half and place the first half onto a lightly floured surface.
- Sprinkle the dough lightly with some extra flour and turn over on itself a few times to create a smoother dough.
- Press the dough into a disk, sprinkle lightly with more flour, and roll it out about 1/2 inch thick. The dough will begin as relatively sticky, so keep sprinkling lightly with more flour to prevent the rolling pin from sticking, and move the dough frequently.
- Flour a doughnut cutter or biscuit or large round cookie cutter (about 7 cm in diameter), and cut the dough into donut shapes. If you’re using a large plain round cutter instead of a donut cutter, use a much smaller cutter to cut out donut holes from the rounds (about 2.5 cm).
- Place the donut shapes and the holes on the prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2-inches apart from one another. Gather scraps and reroll, then cut more shapes.
- Repeat with the other half of the dough either now or in a few days. The dough keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Let the dough rise.
- Cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap, and place in a warm, draft-free spot and allow to rise to about 150% of their original size. They won't fully double, but instead will end up about 1 1/2 times as large as they began.
- This usually takes 45 minutes to 1 hour, but it can take less time in warm, humid environments and more time in cold ones. Be sure that the dough has begun to swell before you consider it done rising, or your donuts will be dense.
Air Fryer Instructions.
- Spray the bottom of the Air Fryer basket with non-aerosol cooking oil spray. Place as many donuts and holes as will fit comfortably in the basket of your Air Fryer in a single layer, without crowding.
- Spray or brush the tops of the donuts generously with cooking oil, and place in the Air Fryer. Set the machine to fry at 380°F for 12 minutes. Allow to cook for about 6 minutes.
- Remove the basket carefully from the fryer and, using heat-safe tongs, flip each of the donuts and holes over. Spray or brush again generously with cooking oil, and return to the fryer.
- Finish frying until lightly golden brown all over. Remove the donuts and place on a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining donuts and holes.
Deep-frying directions.
- In a large, heavy-bottom stock pot or electric deep fryer, heat at least 2 inches of oil to a bit more than 350°F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet or tray with paper towels, then place a heat-safe wire rack on top.
- Once the oil reaches temperature, fry the donuts and holes in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown all over.
- Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on the prepared wire rack and baking sheet.
Make the glaze.
- Make the glaze while the first batch of donuts is hot from the oil. You want to glaze them while they're still warm.
- In a small-to-medium-sized bowl, place the confectioner’s sugar. Add the syrup or honey, and mix to combine into a thick paste.
- Add water, a teaspoon at a time, and mix well until you have achieved a smooth and thickly pourable glaze.
- Immerse the whole donut (or donut hole), while still warm, in the glaze, covering it on all sides. Lift the glazed donut from the mixture using a fork, allow any excess to drip off, and then return to the wire rack to set.
- If the glaze thickens between batches, sprinkle in a drop or two of water and whisk again until smooth. Finish the the remaining donuts.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Hadley says
Hi
I was wondering if you can use this recipe to make doughnut holes?
Nicole Hunn says
Sure, Hadley. I do have another recipe for donut holes, but you can use this one as is.
Anne Sweeney says
As long as you eat them the day that you fry them, light, airy and amazing. Smuckers Raspberry Jam is perfect for jelly doughnuts. Brought them to work and no one thought they were GF. Made chocolate & vanilla glazed and Jelly. Next time I will fry up half and save half the dough for the next day. The refrigerator rise makes that easy to do.
Second day they are not very good. But that’s true of most fried doughnuts.
Dan says
These were easy to make and pretty decent overall. I airfried one just to test it. It was fine but definitely less “donut” like. I fried the rest. They were good but not as light as KK. I know GF’s going to be different but I do miss light and airy donuts.
Nicole- keep up the good work. I’m a big fan and have all your cookbooks. I always look to you as a key resource for GF baking. Thanks!
Emira says
I followed the recipe to a T and ended up with very wet and sticky dough which could not be manipulated (the GF flour I used is a combo of rice, amaranth and quinoa). I needed to add *a lot* more flour to have workable dough. The doughnuts, however, ended up very dense and heavy, more like a bread or bagel than a doughnut. Frying each side of the doughnuts for a minute resulted in doughnuts that were thoroughly burned (I measured the temperature with a candy therometer before each batch) and even 30 seconds per side proved to be too long. I wonder if this might be attributable to the GF flour I used, although it’s one of the best on the market here in Canada, recommended by many cooks who do GF recipes. Which ingredients do you favour for your GF flour mixes?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid you simply can’t use those flours to make my recipes, Emira. Please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page, linked in every recipe that calls for one, for full information.
Amy says
These were fantastic! I tried both air frying and deep frying so I could compare the flavors. The air fryer version was ok and easier, but the deep fried were perfect and well worth the hassle. I deep fried the donut holes too and I think I liked them the best. They were super light and airy. I made a maple syrup glaze and these tasted exactly how I remember maple bars tasting.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Amy. I totally agree that the air fryer version doesn’t really hold a candle to the deep fried one. You could most certainly make these into the shape of maple bars, too, if you’d like. That sounds really delicious.
Grace says
I’m curious if you have used your bread flour blend to make a yeasted donut.
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, I have, Grace, but the recipe is only available in my bread book, which must be purchased online or in bookstores. It’s called “Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread.”
Grace says
Wonderful, Thanks!
Grace says
I downloaded the booked and tried the recipe. They came out very dense and bready. Amy idea of what I could have done wrong?
Nicole Hunn says
If you’re referring to a recipe from my published cookbook about gluten free bread, please see the Bread FAQs here on the blog if you are having trouble.
K.Shearer says
Thanks so much for being an excellent resource for my Celiac family! I recently tried the frozen Katz gluten-free cranberry donuts, which are shockingly decent. I air fried them for 2-3 minutes from frozen and they turned out lovely. I found your recipe while searching for something similar I can pull from the freezer at home.
A few questions on essentially meal prepping–have you ever frozen these doughnuts? Could you fry them, rest to room temp for an hour, then freeze them on a sheet tray and transfer them to a safer container once frozen? Are there any weird fryer-to-freezer issues I should consider? If you have any suggestions on my attempt, I’ll be happy to report back :)
Thank you again for all your amazing experiments in making a gluten-free life tastier!
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, you can definitely freeze them after they’ve cooled, but I’m afraid that all fried foods are simply best when you eat them fresh. If you’d like to freeze them, I’d stick with the Air Fryer directions.
Violet says
I folllowed this recipe exactly, used the same ingredients, used a scale, made no adjustments. These donuts were disappointing. They came out of the fryer tasting like bread and were dense like bread, not light and fluffy like a Krispy Kreme donut at all. I wonder if I added too much flour during the rolling process. I let the dough rest in the fridge for 2 days and it was still incredibly sticky. This is definitely not a winning recipe.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience with this recipe. Everyone says that they “followed the recipe to a T” but it’s rarely the case, in ways you just don’t realize are important, but are.
Here are some considerations and questions to ask yourself as you attempt to figure out where you deviated from the recipe as written:
Did you make ingredient substitutions, particularly the gf flour blend? They are not all created equal at all. Please see the AP GF flour blends page, which is linked in every recipe that calls for one.
Did you measure by weight, not volume? You can’t measure properly by volume, especially dry ingredients like flour, as human error is unavoidable.
With respect to yeast bread, did you allow the dough to rise long enough, and was your dough covered properly? Overproofing is a function of rising too much, not too long. It can take a long time for yeast bread to rise properly in a cool, dry environment, especially.
Al says
Made these using several substitutions due to allergies, and the dough was still very sticky and hard to work with, even after giving it 4 hours in to raise.
I made the following substitutions:
5tbsp of “just egg”
Almond milk
Vegan Butter
Was a pain rolling and cutting the them, but they tasted perfect. Do you have any advice on how I can work with the dough easier?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid all of your substitutions would definitely make the dough harder to handle, Al. I’d also have a look at the gluten free flour blend you’re using, as many have used blends that I recommend against, like King Arthur Flour, and then had trouble handling the dough. Plus, be sure you’re measuring by weight, not volume.
Al says
I measure everything by weight, except the tsp ingredients (salt, baking soda, etc).
Not using any of the flours you advised against. I’m using open nature brand because it’s the closest in ingredients to the one you recommend.
Donuts still came out amazing, was just really messy making them. Thank you for the recipe!
Nicole Hunn says
It’s most likely your flour blend, Al. I’ve never heard of that blend, but there are many and most of them aren’t very well balanced. I couldn’t possibly test them all, as most aren’t at all available to me, but if you want results like mine, I’m afraid you’ll either have to buy one of my recommended blends, or build one using my mock recipes.
Melissa says
Okay, so funny story.., I have only made gf cake donuts once. I finally got around to making these. Our favorite were Long Johns or Boston cremes. I used too big of a biscuit cutter and the dough rose into giant flat disks! :0 Because I use a very expensive Caputo GF flour, I decided to cut them in half circles (definitely not tossing) I cut the parchment around the shapes and laid into the oil and shimmied them off paper. They ended up looking like fried empanadas (sadly can’t post pic here :( My daughter in law called them donadas. I filled them with dairy free pastry crème and dipped in a classic dairy free chocolate donut glaze. They were delish! We have invented a new donut shape! 🤷♀️😋
Nicole Hunn says
That actually sounds pretty cool, Melissa! For others’ benefit, I don’t use Caputo GF flour as it’s made with “deglutinized wheat starch,” and I’m just not comfortable with that. I’ve heard great things about its performance, but I don’t feel safe using it. No judgment at all! I just wanted to explain that for others’ benefit.
Kathleen says
Carole, when you make a jelly donut, the jelly goes in after you cook so you should be able to make these into jelly donuts oil fried or air fried. I have never made them but I believe you pipe the jelly in using a pastry bag while the donut is still warm. Good luck! Send some my way. I haven’t had a good donut in years! I generally find GF donuts to be on the yucky side. This recipe looks good though.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Kathleen, Actually you can definitely fry the donuts with the jelly inside if you make sure the dough is wrapped around it properly. I prefer them that way myself because the jelly doesn’t seep out, then. But you can definitely fill them afterward—or fill them with pastry cream!
Carole says
Could you make jelly donuts in the air fryer using this recipe?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Carole, I don’t see why not! You’d have to be sure that the jelly was really in the very center of the dough, though, or it could end up all over the air fryer. :)
Kim says
Whyfry the chunks of bread? I hate to waste any expensive gf bread
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Kim, As I explain in the post, slightly dirty oil fries better than virgin oil. A couple tiny pieces of bread will dirty the oil a bit. You can skip that step, or put something other than bread in there first, too.
Tami says
I made these today and they are yummy! I received a new kitchen scale for Christmas so I wanted to use that, instead of measuring. I think that may have messed me up a little because my dough was really sticky. I ended up using tapioca flour (because that’s what’s in my ap flour) and after a few tries, that helped a lot! I usually have the worst luck with baking but I’m thankful for the yummy end result!=)
Nicole says
Hi, Tami,
If the dough was really sticky, it sounds like maybe that was a function of the flour blend you used. But it sounds like you were able to work around it.
xoxo Nicole
Stephanie B says
I have a 1/2 batch of doughnuts raising right now. I bet this dough would work really nice for sticky pull apart buns too. Hum…maybe I’ll try that tomorrow.
I got 8 full sized doughnuts from a 1/2 batch of the recipe–to get that I just used the holes and scraps to make the last doughnut. So, I really got 8 doughnuts and 1 hole. :)
Nicole says
Hi, Stephanie,
The dough would definitely be nice for lots of things. It’s nice dough. But it really is best when it’s fried. It’s not nearly as remarkable when it’s baked. I baked a couple of the holes, and they were … just not the same. :)
xoxo Nicole
Stephanie B says
We loved the doughnuts! they were lovely and light with a nice crumb and great flavor. I agree that they are best fried, but I did make some sandwich buns with them tonight and they were very nice too. I used buttermilk instead of the milk and cider vinegar and they raised really well and baked light and fluffy. The trick will be to see what they are like in the morning. :)
Looking forward to the new cookbook. I’m really enjoying the first book too. Cheers!
Nicole says
Sandwich buns? Ooooh interesting, Stephanie! Lovely and light is the perfect way to describe them. If you eat them the next day, I would spray them with a bit of water and microwave them for a few seconds. They’ll be right as rain. The oven dries, but the microwave can moisten.
xoxo Nicole
susan says
I am testing 30 days gluten free with my 6 year old whom has bad excema. He will devour these!!
Nicole says
Hooray, Susan! Enjoy.
xoxo Nicole
Rochelle says
wow you made making donuts look so easy…this one I am going to try!
Nicole says
It’s as easy as making rolls, or cutout cookies, Rochelle. Honest.
xoxo Nicole