These Strawberry Cream Donuts (Small Batch) are pillowy brioche donuts dipped in a sweet glaze made with real strawberries and heavy cream. If you want no artificial flavoring strawberry donuts, then you have come to the right place!
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The inspiration for these came from a pair of earrings I was kindly gifted from Tiny Hands, a small shop that makes tiny scented food jewelry! Mei from Tiny Hands sent me pink frosted donut and cupcake earrings. I have also been wanting to make donuts for awhile now, so this was perfect timing.
I love using freeze-dried fruit in baking. It is the best way to get real fruit flavor in a baked good without adding extra moisture. I have used freeze-dried strawberries before in my Strawberry Macarons, as well as my Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes. This freeze-dried strawberry donut glaze packs the perfect strawberry flavor, without any artificial flavoring.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- This recipe uses real strawberries (freeze-dried)
- The glaze is creamy
- This is a small batch recipe, perfect for when you don’t need a lot
- The dough can be made in a stand mixer for easier prep
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour is the base of this brioche dough
- Butter and eggs are what enriches the dough
- These doughnuts are risen with instant yeast
- Freeze-dried strawberries and heavy cream flavor the glaze
- Granulated sugar sweetens the dough and powdered sugar sweetens the glaze
- The overall flavor is balanced by kosher salt, vanilla extract and lemon juice (not pictured)
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize these to your liking:
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- Another fruit — sub freeze-dried strawberries for another freeze-dried fruit like blueberries or mango
- Store-bought dough — fry store-bought biscuit dough instead of making your own
- No heavy cream — use half and half or whole milk (start with less and work up if using whole milk)
- Garnishes — garnish with sprinkles, more freeze-dried strawberries, coconut flakes or strawberry powder
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make strawberry donuts
Step 1: Roll out the dough and punch out donuts.
Step 2: Carefully transfer donuts to the prepared parchment squares and trays.
Step 3: Fry the donuts 2-3 at a time. Remove to the cooling rack.
Step 4: Prepare the glaze and dip the tops of the donuts.
Hot tips
- Dip a wooden spoon, skewer or chopstick into the oil to test if it is ready. If small bubbles form around the wood, it should be ready.
- Sift the powdered sugar and freeze-dried strawberries together to remove any clumps.
- If you do not have a donut cutter, use one larger and one smaller cutter to form the donut shape, or just use one large cutter and leave it holeless.
Recipe FAQs
Store donuts in an airtight container for 1-2 days. These are best eaten fresh.
This is not recommended as the recipe has not been tested without the eggs.
Yes, you can hand-knead donut dough.
Yes, but you must replace it with milk, water or more lemon juice and it will be more transparent rather than opaque.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make these Strawberry Cream Donuts recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Cream Donuts (Small Batch)
Equipment
Ingredients
Brioche donuts
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (270g)
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast (4g)
- 1 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar (18g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt half the amount if using table salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature (56g)
- ½ cup water 110ºF-115ºF (4oz)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ gallon peanut oil or vegetable oil (for frying)
Strawberry cream glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted (80g)
- 1 oz freeze-dried strawberries finely ground and sifted
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream plus more as needed
- 3 teaspoon lemon juice or water plus more as needed
Instructions
Make the dough
- Whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the hook attachment. Turn the mixer to low speed, add in the eggs and egg yolks, followed by the softened butter, water and vanilla extract.
- Once combined, turn the mixer to medium-low to knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoons of flour if the dough is too sticky. Every so often perform the windowpane test. Do this by grabbing a small bit of dough and stretching it between your fingers. If it stretches without tearing, it is ready. If it tears when stretched, keep kneading.
- Remove the dough to a lightly-greased bowl and cover. Proof for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Line a large baking sheet with 6-8 4x4” parchment paper squares. Lightly grease or flour your work surface.
Roll and cut
- Punch down the dough and place it on the work surface. Roll to ½-inch thick with a rolling pin.
- Punch out as many donuts as you can with a donut cutter. Re-roll scraps and repunch.
- Carefully set each donut on an individual parchment square on the sheet pan. Place the donut holes together on a parchment sheet as well.
- Cover the baking sheet with a towel or another inverted baking sheet, and proof for 30 minutes.
Fry
- Cover another baking sheet with paper towels and set a wire rack on top.
- Ten minutes before the donuts are done proofing, heat the oil in a large pot over high heat to about 360°F, then lower the heat to medium/medium-high. Keep the oil within 10 degrees of 360°F. I used both a candy thermometer and an instant read to double check throughout the frying process.
- Place 2-3 donuts in the oil at a time. Carry one at a time by its parchment paper and release it into the oil away from yourself, removing the parchment as it falls. Take care not to burn yourself.
- Fry the donuts for 1-2 minutes on each side, turning the donuts with a slotted spoon or chopsticks. Remove to the wire rack setup to drain and cool a bit.
Make the glaze
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder and salt. Add the heavy cream and lemon juice. Start with less heavy cream and add more as needed.
- Test dipping a donut hole first to see if the glaze is the consistency you would like. Then dip all of the donuts. Garnish with more freeze-dried strawberries or sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
- The glaze should not be too loose otherwise it will run off the donut.
- Peanut and vegetable oil are recommended for frying because they have a higher smoke point. Check the smoke point of the oil you want to use before frying. It should be at least 400ºF.
- Plain glaze: Whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, small pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon corn syrup and 1 tablespoon water. Add more water as needed until you get a consistency you like.
