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Best Easy Eggless Yeast Donuts

These Best Easy Eggless Yeast Donuts are pillowy soft, fluffy, and sweet! They’re easier to make than you think and taste like donuts from your favorite bakery. Step-by-Step photo tutorial included. 
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 36 minutes
Servings 6 donuts + donuts holes
Calories 433kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon (8 g) golden flaxseed meal
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (300 g) all-purpose or bread flour (I use bread flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon (3 g) instant yeast
  • 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup (160 ml) whole milk
  • 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • Vegetable or canola oil for frying (see notes)

Glaze:

Instructions

Make the Dough:

  • Mix golden flax meal and water in a small bowl until well combined. Let it rest for 5 – 10 minutes to thicken.
  • Place flour, baking powder, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix to combine.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the milk and butter. Microwave in 30-second increments until the mixture is warmed (110° F / 43° C approx.). It takes me about 1 minute to do so. The mixture should feel warm enough, like the water for a baby bath, but not burn your finger when touch. Using a kitchen thermometer is a GREAT idea, though.
  • Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the warmed milk-butter mixture and the flax meal mixture. Stir on low until combined.
  • If using a stand mixer, knead with a dough hook on medium speed until the dough forms a soft, smooth ball, about 5 – 8 minutes. By hand, knead for about 10 minutes. If needed, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t add too much flour, though. You want a slightly sticky dough.

First Rise:

  • Lightly spray a clean bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5-2 hours or until puffy and doubled in size. Alternatively, you can let the dough rise in the refrigerator for 8 - 12 hours. NOTE: If time permits, I highly recommend letting the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight since it will produce fluffier donuts.

Shape the Donuts:

  • Once the dough has risen, remove the dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead lightly to release the air.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3-3.5-inch doughnut cutter, cut into 6 donuts. If you can’t quite fit 6, re-roll the scraps once and cut more. NOTES: if you don't have a donuts cutter, cut with a round, sharp cookie cutter (about 3″ diameter), then make the holes with a smaller cookie cutter (about 1″ diameter), saving the holes.

Second Rise:

  • Place each cut donuts, and donuts holes, on a piece of parchment or waxed paper, then place them on a cookie sheet. NOTE: This step is optional, but after shaping the donuts and allowing them to rise for a second time, they might be a little bit too delicate to pick up with your fingers. For this reason, I like to place each cut donut on a piece of parchment or waxed paper. This will make the process of grabbing them to fry without misshaping them a whole lot easier.  
  • Loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 30 – 45 minutes, or until slightly puffed. PRO TIP: If your kitchen is not warm, heat the oven to 200º F (90 º C) at the beginning of this step, turn off the heat, and then put the baking sheet with the cut donuts in the oven, and leave the door ajar. This way, you guarantee a warm place for the donuts to puff. 

Fry the Donuts:

  • About 20 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and heat it to 350 º F (180º C). Also, line a large baking sheet or plate with paper towels.
  • Carefully add the donuts to the hot oil, two at a time. When the bottoms are deep golden, after 45 seconds to a minute, use a slotted spoon to flip; cook until they’re deep golden all over. Transfer to the paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining donuts, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the oil at 350 º F (180º C). NOTE: I recommend using a frying thermometer to keep the oil at the right temperature. If the oil is too hot, the donuts will be golden outside but uncooked inside.

Make the Glaze:

  • Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together.
  • Dip each warm doughnut into the glaze, making sure to coat both sides. Place back onto a cooling rack as excess glaze drip down. After a few minutes, the glaze will set. Serve immediately.

Notes

 
Store: Donuts are best enjoyed the same day. Day-old doughnuts are no fun, in my opinion. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 extra days.
Freeze: Shaped donuts can be frozen for up to 2 months. On the day you serve them, let the doughnuts thaw and rest at room temperature for about 4-5 hours. Fry as directed. The fried donuts can be frozen, but I honestly wouldn’t recommend it.
Overnight Instructions: Follow the recipe until you get to the first rising step. Once your dough is ready to rise in the bowl, instead of allowing your dough to rise in a warm environment, place the covered dough into the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours). The dough will lightly rise in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to rise in a warm environment until doubled. After your dough has risen, continue with the next step of shaping the donuts.
Oil: The amount of oil needed to fry the donuts will depend on how wide or tall your pot is. You want the oil to fill at least 1/3 of your pot.
 
If you're making this recipe, please read the whole post content to get lots of tips, tricks, variations, frequently asked questions, and step-by-step photos.
 
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Please note that nutritional information is a rough estimate, and it can vary depending on the products used.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 210mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g