Valentina's Corner
This Mini Donut Recipe is a treat that both adults and children enjoy alike. Made without yeast they come together in minutes, you skip the waiting around for the yeast to rise. To enjoy, just drizzle these quick donuts with Nutella, caramel or just dust with powdered sugar, there’s no wrong way to eat these fried mini donuts.
Hi there, Marina from LET THE BAKING BEGIN. Today I want to share a quick recipe for the most delicious donuts that are so fun to make and eat! I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.
mini donut recipe-
This mini donut recipe is made with the addition of ricotta cheese which makes them so perfectly fluffy and moist. When you want something quick but delicious, these no yeast donuts are the perfect solution.
the best oil for frying mini donuts-
Deep-fried donuts need to be fried in temperatures between 350°F – 375°F to achieve the crispy outside without absorbing the oil. For this reason, any neutral oil with a high smoke point will work for this donut recipe. Corn, canola, or vegetable oils are all good choices for fried donuts. I use light olive oil (not the same as virgin olive oil).
how to make mini donuts-
Don’t be discouraged by homemade donuts, they are actually SOO easy to make. Read through the steps carefully so you know what you are doing before you start the process!
- Mix all ingredients except for the flour until smooth.
- Add flour and mix until incorporated.
- Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface, then sprinkle liberally on top and press or roll into a 1-inch thick disk.
- Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as you can fit, then use a 3/4 inch cutter to cut out the middle. Collect scraps into a ball and repeat steps 3 & 4 until all dough is used up.
- Heat about 1-inch or neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to 350°F degrees. Fry donuts in batches for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until they’re golden in color.
- Transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Drizzle Nutella on top or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
NOTE: Though you use anything with a sharp edge to shape the donuts, we found that an actual cutter works best (like THIS one).
TIP from the chef-
Do not add extra flour to the dough when mixing. The dough will be extremely sticky, but that is to be expected. Just dust the rolling surface with flour, but do not mix it in.
You can use any type of pot to fry the donuts, but for better temperature control do use heavy-bottomed or cast iron pot.
OTHER DESSERTS FAVORITE FOR YOU TO TRY:
I’m so excited to have my dearest friend guest post on the blog, I hope you guys love the recipe. She is also the creator behind the Mangolian Beef (which we love), and the Instant Pot Plov. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe with us, Marin. -Valentina <3
Mini Donut Recipe
Ingredients
- 32 oz full-fat ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, measured then sifted
- 1/2 cup Nutella for drizzling
- neutral oil for frying
Instructions
How to make the Mini Donuts:
- In a large bowl mix together ricotta cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla extract, and baking powder until combined. Then, add flour and mix together.
- Next, dust the working surface liberally with flour and dump the mini donut dough out onto it. Sprinkle more flour over the top of the dough, then using your hands or a floured rolling pin roll or press the dough until it's about 1-inch in thickness.
- Using a 3-inch cutter, cut out as many donuts as you can, then collect and press the scraps together and re-roll and cut out more circles. Keep repeating until you have no more dough left. Using a 3/4 inch cookie cutter cut out the centers of each donut.
How to fry the mini donuts:
- Preheat a heavy-bottomed pot with about 1-inch of oil until it registers at 375°F. Carefully add some mini donuts and fry them for about 3-4 minutes per side or until they're nice and golden. Once cooked through, remove from the oil onto a cooling rack to cool.
- Fill a plastic bag with 1/2 cup of Nutella, snip off the end and drizzle the donuts with Nutella or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Enjoy!