Vegan Doughnuts

vegan donuts : Soft, pillowy vegan doughnuts that taste like they came from a bakery! These doughnuts, made with yeast-risen dough and dipped in sweet vanilla glaze, will satisfy your cravings. Perfect with a cup of coffee!
Okay, so there are a million and one recipes for vegan doughnuts on the internet. However, almost all of them are for baked doughnuts. These are unique in that they taste exactly like they came from a doughnut shop. That’s because they’re made exactly like doughnut shop doughnuts!

Did you know that authentic doughnut shops don’t bake their doughnuts? Doughnuts purchased from a doughnut shop or bakery are not baked. They’ve been fried.

It’s no surprise those suckers are so good. And, yes, I realize that frying isn’t as healthy as baking, but we’re talking about doughnuts here, not a superfood power salad. As a result, I fried them.

Furthermore, authentic doughnuts are typically yeast-risen. That is why baked doughnuts have a slightly different texture.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

vegan donuts made easy

Obviously, these doughnuts will require a bit more effort than doughnut-pan doughnuts. They’re totally worth it! Begin early in the day to give your dough plenty of time to rise.

vegan donuts

FORM THE DOUGH

To begin, warm some nondairy milk in a bowl or liquid measuring cup. If you get it too hot, your yeast will die. Use bath-temperature water. Whisk in a packet of yeast and some sugar. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes. If it doesn’t get frothy during this time, your yeast is dead and you’ll have to start over with a new packet.

Now, using an electric mixer, cream together some vegan butter and sugar. After that, add some vanilla extract and salt, followed by the milk-yeast mixture. Everything should be combined.

Now begin to incorporate some flour. Add a little at a time. You’ll soon have a dough that’s too thick for the mixer to handle; abandon the mixer and use a spoon instead.

You’ll need to knead your dough after you’ve mixed it. Sprinkle flour on the counter and knead the dough for about five minutes, or until it’s smooth and stretchy.

FIRST RISING

Coat a mixing bowl with oil, then add the dough and cover with a damp towel. Set it aside in a warm area of the kitchen to rise. For this, I like to put it in the oven with the light on. Your dough will double in size in about an hour.

vegan donuts

CUT AND ROLL

It’s now time to make the doughnuts!

Roll out your dough using a rolling pin and more flour on the counter. It should be about 12 inch thick. Cut it into doughnuts now! If you don’t have doughnut cutters, you can substitute biscuit cutters or a knife. You’ll need something about 3 12 inches in diameter.

THE SECOND RISE

Place your cut doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a damp towel, and set them aside to rise again. Yes, we’re letting our dough rise for the second time!
Allow your doughnuts to rise until they puff up slightly. This should take between 45 and an hour.

FRYING

Now comes the exciting part.

This is best done in a large Dutch oven. Pour some oil in. Pour in a lot of oil now. It should be at least 12 inches deep.

Heat it up now! This will only take a few moments. Monitor the temperature of the oil with a deep-frying thermometer. When it reaches around 350°F, it’s time to fry!

Cook a few doughnuts at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Because the doughnuts will float while frying, do one side at a time, frying until each side is golden brown. This should take no more than a minute or two per side. Fry your doughnut holes if you saved them!
Place the fried doughnuts on a plate lined with paper towels.

COMPLETING THE DOUGHNUTS
While the doughnuts are cooling, prepare some glaze and/or frosting. I created both!

When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, dip them in the glaze on both sides, coating them completely.
Allow the glaze to harden before dipping the tops in frosting if you want to frost them as well. Sprinkles are a nice finishing touch!

vegan donuts

VEGAN DOUGHNUT TIPS & QUESTIONS

When frying, always use caution! That oil is extremely hot and can easily burn you.

Never leave food frying unattended.

Keep a close eye on the oil temperature.

When placing or removing items from the oil, use extreme caution to avoid splashing.

Pouring unused oil down the drain can result in clogs. Put it in a sealable container and toss it in the trash. You can also save it for later use. Small amounts of oil can also be composted.

This recipe yields enough glaze and frosting to cover your entire batch of doughnuts. Reduce the size as needed.

Doughnuts are best eaten on the day they are made. You can serve them the next day, but they won’t be quite the same.

Can I store my doughnuts in the freezer? To freeze your doughnuts, simply place them on baking sheets and place in the freezer until solid. The frozen doughnuts can then be removed from the baking sheets and placed in sealed freezer bags. They should last at least three months. They’ll never be the same as they were on day one, but they won’t be bad either!