Each of these fresh homemade jelly-filled donuts are deep-fried to golden-brown perfection, then dusted with powdered sugar for an extra special touch of sweetness. In this blog post, I'll show you how to make donuts and how to fill them with strawberry jelly (my fave), but you can use any jelly or donut filling you like!
Never made homemade donuts before? Don't worry! I've got all my best tips for using brioche dough for donuts, how to fill jelly donuts, as well as deep frying tips for beginners to guide you through the process.
I usually make these deep-fried jelly-filled donuts along with my extra-crispy potato pancakes for Hanukkah (and because I can reuse the oil from the donuts to fry the potato pancakes), but they're honestly great whenever.
But whether you call them Polish packzi, Jewish sufganiyot, German berliners, Italian bomboloni, or British "jam donuts," cultures around the world agree: deep-fried yeasted jelly-filled donuts dusted with powdered sugar are a real treat!
To make these jelly donuts, I used my base brioche bread dough with a bit of vanilla added for a more dessert-y vibe. So if you've made that recipe, the first part of this jelly donut recipe will feel very familiar to you!
I also make my homemade donuts a bit smaller than the giant pillowy jelly donuts you get at a bakery. I'm not the biggest fan of bakery jelly-filled donuts, mostly because they're so messy to eat. So these donuts are my ideal size: three-bite jelly donuts. They're about three times the size of a donut hole, but half the size of a full-size jelly donut. The small size makes them much easier to eat without making a mess!
While some people make jelly donuts by dividing the dough and rolling it into flattened balls (similar to my homemade burger buns), I found that method makes it trickier to get an airy center for jelly.
So I like to roll the brioche dough flat and cut round donut shapes out of it. It's a much more reliable and beginner-friendly method.
Yes, it does leave you with some scrap dough leftover, but you can cut homemade donut holes out of the excess, so none goes to waste.
Filling these homemade donuts is where things can get a little messy, but once you get the hang of it it's quite easy. The trick is to use a true jelly (not jam or preserves, which are chunky) and to open up the center of the freshly fried donuts with a chopstick or paring knife to make room for the jelly.
How to Make Brioche Dough for Jelly-Filled Donuts
These homemade donuts are made with a basic brioche dough. Brioche dough is enriched with fat and sugar and kneaded in two stages. Once the dough comes together, the softened butter is added in a second mixing stage; if added with the liquid ingredients, it would coat the flour and prevent it from absorbing the liquids.
Psst! I've gone into more detail about brioche and how to troubleshoot it in my brioche bread loaf post, and I recommend heading there to read more about it if it's your first time making brioche.
Here's the basic process for how to make this dough:
- Mix the dough - Whisk the dry ingredients together, then whisk the liquid ingredients together and pour them into the dry ingredients. Mix everything together with the dough hook until it comes together in one mass on the dough hook and there aren't any dry bits of flour left in the bottom.
- Knead the dough - Knead on medium until the dough passes the windowpane test.
- Add the butter - Add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time, letting it fully incorporate between each addition.
- Knead the dough - Knead the dough again until it passes the windowpane test a second time.
After mixing, before kneading.
After kneading, before adding butter.
After adding butter and kneading.
How to Make Donuts: Cutting & Frying
Turn the chilled donut dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Try to get it all in one piece or as un-wrinkled as possible to make it easier to roll out smoothly.
Roll out the dough.
Aim for ¼" thickness.
Cut as many donuts out of the dough as you can.
Let the donuts and any other cut dough rise.
12-Piece Set of Round Ring Pastry Cutters
A color coded set of round pastry cutters with the corresponding measurements on the lid. Great for cookies, donuts, biscuits, etc.!
It can be tricky to tell when the donuts have completed their second rise because they're so flat. I know they're ready when they look a little puffy and airy, a little taller than they were when I first cut them.
Towards the end of this rise time, I begin heating the oil so it's ready when the donuts are.
Use a toothpick, paring knife, or the pointy end of a thermometer to gently poke any large air bubbles that appear as they fry. Don't tear large holes in the donuts; you don't want them to be filled with oil!
How I Fill Jelly Donuts
Before I begin filling the jelly donuts, I always make sure there's plenty of room inside each one for the jelly to fit. I also make sure to have a paper towel nearby to wipe off the tip of the piping bag and any overflow jelly from the donuts as needed.
Poke a small hole through the side and wiggle it around to make room.
Slowly pipe in the jelly as you withdraw the piping bag from the donut.
One of the hardest things to learn when you're making a filled dessert like this is figuring out how much filling is actually inside when you can't see it. In pastry school we were taught to get a feel for the weight of the jelly inside the donuts.
To be honest, I never quite got the hang of that particular skill. So I just do my best to feel like I'm applying the same amount of pressure for the same amount of time with each donut.
Regardless of how much jelly filling is actually in the middle, they'll all taste great. So don't sweat it if they're not all perfectly even; it's the taste that matters!
Deep Frying Tips for Beginners
- Use a heavy-bottom pot for your frying. I use this all-clad stock pot but a dutch oven is also a great option. Basically just don't use pots that are copper or aluminum.
- My favorite thermometer to use while frying is one of these though candy thermometers also work really well. The clamp holds the stem at an angle so you can be sure you're getting the temperature in the center of the pot. Adjust your burner regularly to maintain 350F. You may even need to turn the burner completely off for a little bit.
- DON'T WALK AWAY! Hot oil looks a lot like cold oil in the pot, it doesn't start bubbling and boiling like water does. It will start bubbling once you add your doughnut dough. You might need a higher burner temp than you think to get it to the right temp, but once it's at temp you'll likely only need the burner on low-to-medium to maintain the right heat while frying.
- Use a wire spider, metal tongs, or slotted spoon to transfer your food in and out of the hot oil without splashing yourself.
- Dispose of your oil properly — don't pour it down the drain. Use a funnel to transfer the oil (once cool) back to the bottle it came in, then throw out the sealed container. There are great tips for how to reuse oil to reduce waste here.
💭 Have More Baking Questions?
I've rounded up answers to common baking questions and how-to guides, including:
- Ingredient swaps and FAQs
- Why my recipes are written in grams and not cups
- How to quickly bring eggs and butter to room temperature
- Ingredients I use (salt, flour, yeast, etc.)
- Step-by-step guides for bread and baking techniques
See my baking techniques & troubleshooting guide and ingredient swaps and FAQs for more!
TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use dough hook to mix until combined in a shaggy dough.
- Knead until windowpane stage is reached, adjusting dough as needed.
- Add room temperature butter 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated.
- Knead until windowpane stage is reached again.
- Cover and rest the dough for 3-24 hours in the fridge, or 1 hour at room temp followed by 1-24 hours in the fridge.
- Roll the dough ¼" thick and cut the donuts using a 2.25"-2.5" round cutter. Arrange them in rows on a lined sheet pan, cover and rest 45-60 minutes.
- Fry the donuts in 350°F oil for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer to a cooling rack to drain.
- Poke holes with a paring knife, then fill the donuts with jelly and dust with powdered sugar.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Jelly-Filled Donuts (Step by Step!)
Recipe Notes
- Optional: Add 2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest to the dry ingredients when making the dough for a sweet, citrusy flavor.
- If using active dry yeast, use 7 grams instead and mix with the warm milk before adding to the dough instead of adding it to the dry ingredients.
- Room temperature = 72-75°F. If it's cold in your kitchen, the dough may need an extra 30-60 minutes to rise.
- Don't discard the dough scraps — use a small 1" cutter to cut donut holes out of the scraps, or fry the scraps at the end as a little snack for you!
- To get the lighter colored ring around the middle of the donuts, flip the donuts just once halfway through. For donuts that are evenly browned all the way around, flip them more frequently.
- Storage: Jelly-filled donuts are best enjoyed within the first 2-4 hours after frying. Donuts are always best eaten while still fresh.
- Always make more donuts than you need — you want a few extras in case something goes wrong with the frying or filling.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 350 grams all-purpose flour
- 5 grams instant yeast (see notes for active dry yeast)
- 5 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
- 158 grams whole milk (90°F)
- 30 grams honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 85 grams soft room temperature unsalted butter (6 tablespoons)
Frying, Filling & Finishing
- 2-3 quarts canola oil (or other neutral oil)
- 260 grams fruit jelly (NOT jam or preserves)
- 80 grams powdered sugar
Instructions
- Mix the dough. Combine flour, salt, and yeast the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. In a separate bowl, whisk together warm milk, honey, vanilla, and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together in a shaggy messy ball on the dough hook, about 3-5 minutes. The dough will look dry at first, but will hydrate as it mixes. Be patient!
- Knead the dough. Increase speed to medium-low and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, ideally until it passes the windowpane test. If it doesn't pass, cover and let the dough rest for 5 minutes, knead 1 minute more, then proceed to the next step.
- Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. With the mixer running on medium-low, add the butter one tablespoon at a time. Let each piece fully incorporate before adding more. Pause the mixer to scrape the butter down into the bowl occasionally as needed. It can take up to a minute per piece of butter. Be patient!
- Knead the dough again. Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth, shiny, and passes the windowpane test again, about 5-7 minutes.
- Cover and rise. Tuck the edges of the dough under so you have a nice ball with a smooth top. Place in a lightly greased container and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size, then 1-24 hours in the fridge to cool it down before cutting. Alternately, place it in the fridge immediately and let it rise for 3-24 hours in the fridge before cutting.
Cutting & Proofing Donuts
- Roll out the dough. Turn the chilled brioche dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to gently flatten the dough trying to avoid any big wrinkles or creases in the surface. Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick, dusting lightly with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Cut the donuts. Use a 2¼"-2½" round cutter to cut as many donuts out of the dough as possible. Get them as close to each other as possible to get the most out of the dough. Use a 1" cutter to cut donut holes out of the scrap dough.
- Final Rise. Arrange the donuts, donut holes, and any scrap dough on a parchment lined sheet pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 45-60 mins, until the donuts are looking a little bit puffy.
Frying Donuts
- Heat the oil. Toward the end of the rise time, begin heating about 3-4 inches of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, using a candy thermometer or frying thermometer to bring the oil to 350°F. Line a second sheet pan with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack inside it.
- Fry the donut holes. Use a wire spider to gently lower 4-5 donuts at a time into the oil all at once. Fry each batch for 4-5 minutes total, flipping the donuts every 30-60 seconds or once at the halfway mark. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain an oil temperature of 350°F. Remove the donuts to the cooling rack to allow air to circulate as excess oil drains off and they cool down enough to handle, about 15-20 minutes.
Filling Jelly Donuts
- Make sure you have paper towels nearby to wipe off the piping bag and to wipe the donuts if any jelly overflows while you're filling them.
- Poke the holes. Use a paring knife to carefully poke a hole through the side of each donut. Wiggle the knife around, back and forth inside the donut to create a pocket for the jelly.
- Fill with jelly. Fill a small piping bag with jelly. Snip off a small bit at the end and insert the tip of the piping bag into the donut hole. Gently squeeze from the top of the piping bag (where it's twisted to keep the jelly in) to fill the donut with jelly. Slowly pull the piping bag out of the donut as you fill it.
- Dust with powdered sugar. Arrange the jelly donuts on the wire cooling rack so their bottom sides are facing up. Dust with powdered sugar. Flip them over and dust the top sides with powdered sugar too. Serve immediately!
Cherlyn says
Had to make this after seeing your Instagram post and my family is so very glad I did!
It just so happens that I had some homemade jelly on hand (a creative leftover use from a failed attempt to make a berry pie) so it made for a perfect excuse to make these jelly filled donuts.
I actually made the dough by hand using a dough whisk and later a wooden spoon, even though I do have a stand mixer (I was just too lazy to take it all out and make space for it on my counter).
The only thing I would do differently for next time is... make a double batch at the very least 🙂
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed them! And you kneaded by hand and filled them with homemade jelly? So impressive! 🙂
Gabrielle says
This recipe went great for making sufganiyot for Hanukkah! Thank you Rebecca!
Naomi says
How would you advise making this recipe ahead of time? I was hoping I could make them up to the cutting-out stage and then keep them in the fridge overnight, doing the rest in the morning. Or do you think leaving the dough at the first rise stage overnight in the fridge would be better?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You can certainly try that! I haven't personally done it that way so I can't speak to if it definitely does or doesn't work. If you give it a try, I would take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature (about 45-60 mins) before frying them rather than frying them from cold. in
What I have personally done and can say definitely does work is making the dough in advance and letting it rest in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning you'd roll them out, cut them, let them rise, and fry them.