Vegan Donuts

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Soft, warm, and encased in a sugary glaze, these vegan donuts are like a plant-based version of Krispy Kreme!

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Resting/Rising Time 3

Total Time 3 40

Servings donuts

Calories 201

Author Jessica Hylton

Equipment

Deep fry/candy thermometer
Large, deep, heavy skillet
Donut or biscuit cutters

Ingredients

For the tangzhong:

2 tablespoons all purpose flour 15g
¼ cup non-dairy milk 60mL - preferably a high protein milk like soy milk but anyone should work
2 tablespoons water 30mL

For the donuts:

3 cups all-purpose flour + up to 2 tablespoons more for kneading 360g
¼ cup brown sugar 50g
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
½ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup non-dairy milk warm to touch ranging between 110°F to 120°F (180mL) - preferably a high protein milk like soy milk but anyone should work
⅓ cup melted vegan butter 69g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
6 cups peanut oil or other frying oil

For the glaze:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
¼ cup non-dairy milk warmed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract

Instructions

To make the tangzhong:

In a small pan, whisk together the AP flour, non-dairy milk and water until mixed together. Add the pan to the stove over medium high and stir until the mixture thickens up which will happen quickly, within 1 minute or 2. It’ll look thick, almost like a pudding or a slurry. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes in the fridge. I like to do this first while I’m assembling the rest of the ingredients.

To make the donuts:

Whisk the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. In a second, smaller bowl, whisk the tangzhong mixture, non-dairy milk, vegan butter, and vanilla extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Knead by hand or with the dough hook on your mixer until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
After the dough has rested, knead it for 6 to 8 minutes. If you’re doing this by hand, you can simply reach in the bowl and knead it in there—no need to transfer it to a work surface at this point. You can knead in up to 2 tablespoons of flour while kneading. The dough will be smooth, soft, and just a bit sticky.
Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and place it in a warm spot, away from drafts. Let it rise for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk.
Gently punch down the dough in the bowl, then transfer it to a floured work surface. Gently pat or roll the dough into a rectangle between 1/4- and 1/2-inch thick. (1/4 inch is too thin, but ½ inch is too thick, so it really should be just in the middle.) If the dough feels too sticky to work with, you can add a bit more flour, but don’t overdo it—too much flour will give you tough donuts!
Use a donut cutter, a large and small biscuit cutter, or the lip of a cup to cut the doughnuts.
Piece together any scraps, re-roll them, and cut donuts from that too. Rather than discarding or re-rolling the donut holes, you can fry them separately—they’re great for testing your oil, especially if this is your first time deep-frying.
I found splitting them onto 16 parchment pieces made frying them so much easier!
Cover the donuts with greased plastic wrap and let them rise until they’re about doubled in size—this should take 45 minutes to an hour.
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy skillet to 350F/180C and line a large baking sheet with paper towels.
Keep a close eye on the temperature the whole time you’re frying and adjust the heat as
needed to keep it right around the 350 mark. Slide a lightly floured bench scraper or metal spatula under a donut and carefully drop it into the oil. (If you’re good with chopsticks, you can use those instead for both dropping the dough into the pan and taking the fried donuts out.)
Depending on the size of your skillet, you should be able to fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time.
Fry the donuts until they’re golden brown on the bottom, then flip them and fry the other side.
This should take about a minute per side. Use a slotted spoon to remove the donuts from the oil and transfer them to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet.

To glaze the donuts:

Place a large wire rack on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, warm milk, and extract in a large bowl. Dip the donuts in the glaze while they’re still warm, but not hot. If you also fried the donut holes, you can reserve those for the end; put them all in the bowl at the same time, and toss them to coat.
Place the glazed donuts on the wire rack to let the excess glaze drip off before serving. These donuts are best eaten right away, but they will keep up to a day.

Notes

These donuts are best eaten right away, but they will keep up to a day in an airtight container.

Nutrition

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