Easy Vegan Doughnuts

Name: Easy Vegan Doughnuts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 205 min
Ingredients: 250 g Flour (Bread); 150 g Plant Milk (Soy); 40 g Vegetable Oil (or Vegan Butter/Margarine); 15 g Caster Sugar; 2 g Instant Yeast; 1 pinch Salt; 700 ml Vegetable Oil (for frying); Sugar; Vanilla Powder; Cinnamon Powder (optional)

by Adriana Z. 26th May 2021

written by Adriana Z.

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Easy Vegan Doughnuts Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano

Fluffy, pillowy and sweet, this is all you want from a good old doughnut. These vegan doughnuts are easy to make and they taste exactly like the traditional!

Today I promise you that with a few easy steps you’ll achieve completely at home some delicious plant based doughnuts that will wow whoever bites into them!

This is the traditional recipe for doughnuts: they’re deep fried. I know, I know, it’s not as healthy as oven baked ones, and as much as I don’t like deep frying myself (I literally do it 2, max 3 times a year!), after trying to make them in the oven or even in the air fryer I decided to share the good old way, because, let’s face it, any other version simply doesn’t taste as good.

So make them and enjoy responsibly and maybe do some exercise to burn off the calories, as simple as a 30 minutes walk in the park, so you’ll be completely excuse & guilt free.

How to Make Doughnuts Vegan

Well, the traditional vegetarian recipe for the dough calls for butter and (sometimes) eggs.

Thankfully making them vegan is not a hard task, we will just need to swap the dairy butter for a plant based alternative, omit the eggs and find a bit of balance overall.

You’ll be surprised how little ingredients actually go in the dough:
– Flour
– Plant Milk
– a little Sugar
– Instant Yeast
– Vegetable Oil
– pinch of Salt

You can use ANY plant based milk of your choice, depending on your needs/allergies. I personally prefer to use for this recipe either soy or oat because they tend to be more bodied and creamy.

The flour is recommended to be strong/bread type, but if you don’t have it also regular plain flour will do.

Sugar can be both brown or caster (in this case I use caster sugar). You can also sub it with coconut sugar or any syrups of your choice.

Finally, the vegetable oil. There aren’t major differences between veg oil and vegan butter/margarine or vegetable shortenings. You can use any of these fats, just melt the solid types before adding to the mixture.

As you can see there aren’t any big concerns about the dough as it can be very versatile.

The key for good, perfectly risen doughnuts is to allow them to proof enough time before deep frying.

Let’s now see how this translates into steps:

STEP ONE – Make the Dough

In a large bowl sieve the flour, add the sugar and the instant yeast and mix well. Make a hole in the middle in which you will add the salt, the fat (if melted make sure it’s NOT hot or too warm) and the slightly warm plant milk.

Work all the ingredients until they come together into a dough, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until you reach a smooth mixture. Alternatively you can use a dough mixer.

Cover with a plate or film and allow to proof until it at least doubles its size (it will take between 1 hour up to 3 depending on the time of the year/temperature of your home).

STEP TWO – Form the Doughnuts

Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 1 cm thick sheet.

Press down the dough using a cutter or glass to cut discs of dough, then cut a smaller round in the middle of each disc with a piping nozzle. Alternatively you can use a fancy doughnut cutter.

STEP THREE – Second Proof

Arrange the doughnuts into a tray making sure to place them at least at a couple of centimeters (1 inch) apart, cover with a cloth and allow to proof for at least 1 hour (min 30 minutes in warm conditions).

STEP FOUR – Deep Fry

In a deep pan or wok heat up around 700 ml of vegetable oil. In the meantime prepare a bowl with granulated sugar + some vanilla or cinnamon powder if you like an extra kick of flavour.

Check the oil temperature with a thermometer (180-190°C / 350-365°F) or by simply dropping a piece of dough in the pot. If it floats immediately on the surface of the oil, the oil has reached the ideal temperature. Alternatively you can also dip a wooden skewer in the oil, when bubbles form around it, that’s your clue. Deep fry the doughnuts until golden brown on each side (2 to 3 minutes per side).

Place for a few moments the fried doughnuts onto a kitchen cloth, then dip while still hot (using a pair or tongs is highly recommended for this step) into the sugar mixture and set aside.

Easy Vegan Doughnuts Recipe

Ingredients:
…for the dough…
250 g Flour (Bread)
150 g Plant Milk (Soy)
40 g Vegetable Oil (or Vegan Butter/Margarine)
15 g Caster Sugar
2 g Instant Yeast
1 pinch Salt
…extras…
700 ml Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Sugar
Vanilla Powder
Cinnamon Powder (optional)

Method:
1. In a large bowl sieve the flour, add the sugar and the instant yeast and mix well. Make a hole in the middle in which you will add the salt, the fat (if melted make sure it’s NOT hot or too warm) and the slightly warm plant milk. Work all the ingredients until they come together into a dough, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until you reach a smooth mixture. Alternatively you can use a dough mixer.
2. Cover with a plate or film and allow to proof until it at least doubles its size (it will take between 1 hour up to 3 depending on the time of the year/temperature of your home).
3. Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 1 cm thick sheet.
4. Press down the dough using a cutter or glass to cut discs of dough, then cut a smaller round in the middle of each disc with a piping nozzle. Alternatively you can use a fancy doughnut cutter.
5. Arrange the doughnuts into a tray making sure to place them at least at a couple of centimeters (1 inch) apart, cover with a cloth and allow to proof for at least 1 hour (min 30 minutes in warm conditions).
6. In a deep pan or wok heat up around 700 ml of vegetable oil. In the meantime prepare a bowl with around 1/2 cup of granulated sugar + some vanilla and or cinnamon powder (to taste) if you like an extra kick of flavour.
7. Check the oil temperature with a thermometer (180-190°C / 350-365°F) or by simply dropping a piece of dough in the pot. If it floats immediately on the surface of the oil, the oil has reached the ideal temperature. If the piece of dough comes to the surface but turns brown quickly, it means your oil is too hot, so turn down the heat and wait a few more minutes to drop the temperature. The dough should float, puff up and bubble nicely when the oil is ready. Alternatively you can also dip a wooden skewer in the oil, when bubbles form around it, that’d be your clue.
8. Deep fry the doughnuts until golden brown on each side (2 to 3 minutes per side).
9. Once cooked, place them for a few moments onto a kitchen cloth, then dip while still hot (using a pair or tongs is highly recommended for this step) into the sugar mixture and set aside.
10. Enjoy your homemade vegan doughnuts warm or at room temperature.