This Brioche Donuts Recipe will make the best brioche donuts you’ve ever tasted. Rich, buttery, yet still fluffy, brioche donuts are easy to make and are a delicious dessert or sweet snack at any time of day.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love this Brioche Donuts recipe because it’s the ultimate in rich and delicious donuts. We like to add fillings, like Nutella or jam, making these a real treat to enjoy on the weekend or serve to guests.
- TASTE: These Brioche Donuts are wonderfully rich and buttery. They have a yummy flavor that you won’t be able to get enough of.
- TEXTURE: These donuts are perfectly fluffy. The light and airy texture is delicious when paired with creamy fillings.
- TIME: This recipe takes 2 hours and 30 minutes, but most of that is for proofing.
- EASE: Donuts can be intimidating, but this recipe will easily walk you through all the steps for making your own homemade brioche donuts.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Water- Warm, to activate the yeast.
- Whole milk- Warm
- Active dry yeast– Instant yeast gives the donuts their fluffiness.
- Granulated sugar- This is to activate the yeast and be added to the dough.
- Salt
- Eggs- These give the donuts a richer flavor.
- Unsalted butter- Adds the buttery flavor brioche is known for.
- Flour- All-purpose is a better option than bread flour.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Give them a chocolatey flavor- Add some unsweetened cocoa powder to the dough to create a chocolate donut you can fill with chocolate ganache or custard.
- Give them a fruity vibe- Add lemon zest and lemon filling to these donuts, or enjoy them with a raspberry or strawberry jam filling.
- Make them gluten-free- Substitute all-purpose gluten-free baking flour in this recipe to create a gluten-less dessert everyone will love.
- Top them- Drizzle on your favorite frostings and add some sprinkles, crushed cookies, and other sweet or savory toppings for an amazing sweet treat.
How to Make the Best Brioche Donuts
- Froth the yeast. In a measuring cup, add the warm water and milk to 1 Tbsp. of sugar and the yeast. Whisk. After about 10 minutes, it should be frothy.
- Combine the ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, salt, sugar, frothy yeast, and eggs. Using the hook attachment, mix together at medium-high speed.
- Add the butter. When the dough starts to come together, add the softened butter and mix again for about 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise. Place it in a greased bowl and cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Allow it to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until it doubles in size.
- Punch and proof again. Punch the dough down, reshape it, and allow it to rise to twice the size again (about an hour).
Pro Tip: Do not let the dough rise too long or it will hurt the taste and texture of the donuts. It should take about an hour to double in size.
- Roll the dough out. Place the dough on a well-floured surface. Dust more flour on the dough and then roll it out with a rolling pin until it’s about 3/4-inch thick.
- Cut and let rise. Cut the dough out with a biscuit cutter and place the donuts on a baking sheet. Allow them to rise for 30 minutes.
- Fry the donuts. Pour about 2 inches of oil into a heavy-bottomed pot and heat it to 360-375ºF. Fry the donuts for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Let cool. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil. Allow the fried donuts to cool before rolling in sugar. Once they have cooled to room temperature, fill them with Nutella, raspberry jam, or Boston cream custard.
Recipe Tips
- Be patient when proofing- It’s important to allow the dough the time needed to proof, so don’t rush it. This gives the brioche donuts the fluffy texture you want.
- Let the dough rise overnight- You can also make this brioche recipe by allowing it to rise overnight in the fridge. By placing the dough in the fridge, it prevents over-fermentation.
- Keep the oil at the right temp- You want to make sure that the temperature of your frying oil is between 360-375 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil that is too hot will burn the outside and leave the inside raw, while too cool oil will take longer to cook, leaving the donuts dry inside.
FAQs
Brioche donuts are just a richer version of your standard donut recipes. A regular donut recipe only has water, flour, salt, and yeast, whereas a brioche will contain plenty of eggs, milk, and butter. Hence the term “rich bread.”
Brioche donuts are full-flavored donuts with a rich buttery taste that is combined with slight sweetness and a mild yeasty flavor. These donuts pair well with sweet fillings, like Nutella, strawberry jam, and vanilla and chocolate custards.
Serving Suggestions
These Best Brioche Donuts are versatile and scrumptious. You can pair them with your favorite desserts, coffees, or make them a breakfast treat. Here’s some great ways to serve them.
- Cake pops: Serve these donuts with a mini treat, like these Chocolate Cake Pops, Oreo Cake Pops (VIDEO), Red Velvet Cake Pops (VIDEO), or Vanilla Cake Pops (VIDEO).
- Cookies: Pair your homemade Brioche Donuts with White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, Double Chocolate Cookies (VIDEO), and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Breakfast: Enjoy them with a savory breakfast dish, like a Croissant Breakfast Sandwich, Crispy Breakfast Burrito (VIDEO), or Easy Poached Eggs with Caramelized Onions.
- Coffee: You’ll love these donuts with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Frappuccino (Starbucks Copycat), or Iced Caramel Macchiato.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can make this donut recipe a day in advance by placing your covered brioche dough in the fridge overnight to rise. Then, on the next day prior to using your brioche dough, make sure to punch your dough down and reshape it. Let it rise once more before rolling it out and cutting out the donuts.
Storing: You can store these brioche donuts tightly wrapped and in an airtight container or bag. They will last for 1-2 days at room temperature, 1 week in the fridge, and 2-3 months in the freezer. If you’ve filled your brioche donuts, then they should always be stored in the fridge or freezer, and not left out.
Freeze: Wrap them tightly in aluminum foil and then place them in a ziplock freezer bag. When you are ready to eat them, allow them to defrost at room temperature before reheating them in the oven, or in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, checking for doneness after the first 10 seconds.
More Delicious Donuts!
Full Recipe Instructions
Best Brioche Donuts
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add 5 1/2 cups of flour(spooned and leveled off with a knife), 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 cup sugar, the frothy yeast mixture, and 5 large eggs. Mix everything together on medium-high speed using the hook attachment.
- When the brioche dough begins to come together add 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter. Continue mixing on medium-high speed for about 8 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
- Place the donut dough in a greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Then let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
- After the brioche rises, punch it down, reshape it, and let it rise again until it becomes twice the size (about an hour),
- Now remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a well-floured surface. Dust some more flour on top and roll it out using a rolling pin. You want the dough to be about 3/4 inch thick.
- Now cut out the donuts using a biscuit cutter and place them on a baking sheet. Then let them ride for about 30 more minutes.
- Pour about 2 inches of corn or vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and let the oil come to 360-375 degrees Fahrenheit (I used this instant-read thermometer). Now fry each side of the donut for a few minutes per side or until golden brown.
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil. Allow the fried donuts to cool before rolling in sugar. Once they have cooled to room temperature fill them with Nutella, raspberry jam, or Boston cream custard.
Notes
Storing brioche donuts
You can store these brioche donuts tightly wrapped and in an airtight container or bag. They will last for 1-2 days at room temperature, 1 week in the fridge, and 2-3 months in the freezer. If you’ve filled your brioche donuts, then they should always be stored in the fridge or freezer, and not left out. Love brioche recipes? Then try these brioche buns!Nutrition
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Joy says
This dough is amazing – i have experimented on at least 3 other brioche recipes and this one is the best. I only made half the recipe. I split the half recipe into 2 balls – one that I let rise as per the instructions and fried into 8 donuts immediately after the required rise, and the other, i refrigerated and used 2 days later. I thawed the refrigerated dough and baked them into sugar brioche buns with pearl sugar, and they were delicious. I am definitely making this my go-to brioche recipe. Thank you for sharing it!
Dina says
Wow that’s incredible Joy! Thank you for sharing your kind recipe feedback! 🙂
Ashlee says
Can you freeze the dough to thaw and fry fresh later?
Dina says
Hi Ashlee, yes you can freeze the un-fried donuts and fry them later after they have thawed and proofed.
Annie W. says
These are delicious! I doubted my baking abilities to do this recipe, but it worked perfectly. I halved the recipe and made about a dozen donuts. I tried air frying one of them and it didn’t work. They simply baked like a roll, whereas frying them created an air pocket in the middle for the filling and a light fluffy texture. The dough is definitely stickier than I expected. I filled them with chocolate pastry cream. Thanks for a great recipe!
Dina says
Hi Annie 🙂 So happy to hear you loved these brioche donuts! Love the chocolate addition! The dough is a bit sticky but that is what makes them so delicious! Thank you so much for your feedback and support! I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog! 🙂
Penny Ronk says
Can these donuts be fried in an air fryer? What temp and how long?
Dina says
Hi Penny, I recommend cooking them in a preheated air fryer at 345 degrees F for about 5-6 minutes. I hope you love this recipe!
Cyndi G. says
Hey Dina,
I was wondering if I could use Instant Yeast instead of dry, active? And would the process be any different?
P. S. Thanks so much for the metric measurements!
Dina says
Hi Cyndi, yes you can use instant yeast. All that you would need to change is skip the first part where you let the yeast mixture froth up in the milk. All you need to do is throw everything into the mixer bowl and that’s it 🙂
Natasha says
hello!
just wondering how to reheat the donuts after freezing?
Dina says
Hi Natasha 🙂 First, you want to let them thaw out fully at room temperature. Then you can reheat them in the microwave, oven, or air fryer. Hope that helps 🙂
Debbie says
Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe but I’m wondering if it can be done in the airfryer? Thank you
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Debbie, I have never tried this specific donut recipe in an air fryer so I am not too sure. I can’t give any advise on this without testing it out myself.
D. Laughlin says
Can you possibly add ounces or grams to your measurements? I t would be a major help.
Dave Laughlin
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Dave 🙂 I just added metric conversions to the recipe card. You can click on that option just under the ingredient list. However, it is an estimated number. I didn’t weigh them out myself. I have noticed slight discrepancies in the conversions. I hope that helps. Let me know how it goes 🙂
rara714 says
Can these donuts be baked instead of fried?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi, I believe it should work in the oven 🙂 I wish I could tell you the exact time and temperature. But I have personally never baked them before.
emma says
these. are. amazing. i ended up proofing them once in the bowl for an hour and then punched the dough, cut the donuts, and let them rise for about 45 minutes (i forgot to do the second proof) and they still turned out unbelievably good. i filled mine w chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding, and lemon whipped cream. sooo good!! i think a visual aid for the brioche dough would’ve been nice though, since i was worried about how sticky the dough was. overall absolutely wonderful! thanks for this recipe 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
Yay! So happy to hear that these brioche donuts were such a hit Emma!! Love all the fillings you used 🙂 Yes, this dough is a bit stickier than normal, next time I will keep that in mind for those kinds of pictures 🙂 Thank you so much for your awesome feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Carina says
These are sooooooo good! I filled half with Nutella and half with raspberry preserve. First time making these and they are already gone. Now everyone is asking for more, so i’ll be making them again this weekend!! Thanks for the awesome recipe, Dina! I seriously feel like a professional baker now!!
simplyhomecooked says
OMG thats awesome Carina!! 🙂 I totally know the pro-baker feeling after mastering any kind of yeast dough recipe. Anyone who tries these becomes obsessed… and about 2 pounds heavier lol. Totally worth it though!
Luke says
Hi, can I please get your recipe in grams? Thank you
Dina says
Hi Luke, if you scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, you will see an option that says “metric” and it will automatically convert the recipe to grams. I hope that helps! Enjoy 🙂