Strawberry Doughnuts
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I love that these are a true yeast doughnut, so you get that light, bakery-style texture with golden edges and a soft center. The freeze-dried strawberries are the little trick here because they add strong strawberry flavor without making the dough wet or heavy.
My Favortie Doughnuts Growing Up
These strawberry doughnuts are such a fun one to make when you want something a little more special. They’re soft, fluffy, and have that real strawberry flavor without using anything watery in the dough. The freeze-dried strawberries go into both the dough and the glaze, so every bite has that sweet berry flavor. They’re best fresh, and honestly, warm strawberry glazed doughnuts are hard to beat.
If you love making doughnuts at home, I have a few more worth trying too. My Homemade Doughnuts with Maple Glaze, Boston Cream Doughnuts, Banana Brioche Doughnuts, and Easy Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts are all so good when you want a bakery-style treat at home.
Why You’ll Love These Strawberry Doughnuts:
These are soft, fluffy yeast doughnuts with strawberry flavor in the dough and glaze. The freeze-dried strawberries give them a stronger berry flavor without changing the texture, and the glaze makes them sweet, pretty, and so good fresh. They’re perfect for brunch, spring baking, holidays, or a weekend baking project.
Ingredients For Strawberry Doughnuts
- Warm milk
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Freeze-dried strawberries
- Instant yeast
- All-purpose flour or 1:1 gluten-free flour
- Salt
- Canola oil or vegetable oil, for frying
- Powdered sugar
- Melted butter
- Freeze-dried strawberries
- Milk
How to Make Strawberry Doughnuts:
- Add the warm milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and finely crushed freeze-dried strawberries to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix for about 1 minute.
- Add the instant yeast, flour, and salt. Start mixing on low, then increase to medium-low and knead for 7 to 9 minutes. The dough should be sticky but formed and pulling slightly from the sides.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a towel over the top. Let the dough rise in a draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 to 3 hours.
- Cut parchment paper into 5-inch squares and place them on baking sheets.
- Flour a work surface and gently turn out the risen dough. Roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thick.
- Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out the doughnuts, then use a 1-inch cutter to cut out the centers. Place each doughnut on a parchment square.
- Gently rework the scraps as needed. If the dough starts to resist, let it rest for a few minutes before rolling again.
- Cover the cut doughnuts with a towel and let them rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffed by about 50%.
- Heat canola oil or vegetable oil in a deep skillet to 350°F. Use a thermometer to keep the temperature steady.
- Fry 1 to 2 doughnuts at a time for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Transfer the doughnuts to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Dip the warm doughnuts into the strawberry glaze, then place them on a cooling rack to set.
Tips for the Best Strawberry Doughnuts:
- Keep the milk under 110°F so it does not kill the yeast.
- Do not overcrowd the pan when frying.
- Use a thermometer to keep the oil at 350°F.
- Let the dough rest if it becomes hard to roll.
- Dip the doughnuts while they are still slightly warm.
- Serve fresh for the best texture.
Storage:
These strawberry doughnuts are best served fresh the day they are made. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Strawberry Doughnuts
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Deep skillet or heavy-bottomed pot
- thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups warm milk (no hotter than 110°F)
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup finely crushed freeze-dried strawberries
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, or 1:1 gluten-free flour (plus about 1/2 cup more for rolling)
- 1 tsp salt
- Canola oil or vegetable oil, for frying (enough to cover 2 inches of the pot using)
Strawberry Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp butter (melted)
- 3 tbsp finely crushed freeze-dried strawberries
- 5 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Add the warm milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and finely crushed freeze-dried strawberries to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix for about 1 minute.
- Add the instant yeast, flour, and salt. Mix on low, then slowly increase to medium-low. Knead for 7 to 9 minutes, until the dough is sticky but formed and pulling slightly from the sides.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a towel over the top. Let the dough rise in a draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 to 3 hours.
- Cut parchment paper into 5-inch squares and place them on two baking sheets.
- Flour a work surface and gently turn out the risen dough. Roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thick.
- Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out the doughnuts. Use a 1-inch cutter to cut out the centers.
- Place each doughnut on a parchment square and transfer to the baking sheets.
- Gently rework the dough scraps into a ball as needed. If the dough becomes tight, let it rest for a few minutes before rolling again.
- Cover the cut doughnuts with a towel and let them rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffed by about 50%.
- Add oil to a deep skillet or heavy-bottomed pot, about 3 inches deep. Heat to 350°F.
- Fry 1 to 2 doughnuts at a time for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Transfer the fried doughnuts to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Mix the powdered sugar, melted butter, finely crushed freeze-dried strawberries, and milk until smooth.
- Dip the slightly cooled doughnuts into the strawberry glaze, then place on a cooling rack to set.
Notes
- Best served fresh.
- Use freeze-dried strawberries for the strongest strawberry flavor.
- Keep oil at 350°F for the best texture.
- Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
