Never fear if you’re in the mood for some fried donuts but don’t have a deep fryer! With simple ingredients and a few tricks up your sleeve, you can easily fry up some delicious donuts right in your kitchen. So if you are wondering how to fry donuts without a deep fryer…read ahead and find out.
What are Donuts?
Donuts are a type of fried dough that is often associated with breakfast. They come in many different shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: they are delicious!
Donuts are traditionally made with a sweet dough that is fried and then coated with sugar or glaze. This gives them their characteristic flavor and texture. Some of the most popular varieties include chocolate, jelly, and powdered sugar donuts.
Can you Fry Donuts Without a Deep Fryer?
The thing about donuts is that they are deep-fried. Deep frying gives them a golden top and a fluffy texture. The main equipment used for deep frying is a deep fryer. However, not everyone owns a deep fryer. So, the question is, is there any other way to deep fry a donut? The answer is Yes; you can fry donuts without a deep fryer.
Different ways of frying a Donut Without a Deep Fryer
Donuts are often fried in a deep fryer, but there are other ways to fry them if you don’t have a deep fryer. Here are two simple ways:
- In a saucepan: When it comes to frying a donut in a saucepan, choose a heavy-bottomed pan. You can also use a Dutch oven. This will help to evenly distribute the heat and prevent the donut from burning.
- Air fryer: Frying donuts in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to make a delicious treat. The best thing about using an air fryer is that it cooks without oil, making the donuts fluffy and delicious.
Tips to Remember
Here are a few tips you should remember when frying donuts without a deep fryer:
- Make sure your oil is hot enough. You’ll need to heat the oil between 360 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit to get the best results.
- When you are frying donuts, it’s important not to overcrowd the pan. This will help ensure that each donut cooks evenly and doesn’t stick to the others.
- Use neutral oils such as safflower oil or peanut oil. They do not have a strong flavor.
- After allowing the oil to cool completely, manually sieve it, then pour it into a container for future use. The oil may be reused up to three more times.
- Use a slotted spoon to place the donuts in the hot oil, making sure they do not splash.
How to store donuts
If you want to keep donuts fresh while storing them, there are a few things you can do:
- Store donuts in a cool and dry place. Heat and humidity will make donuts stale faster than cooler temperatures will.
- Avoid storing donuts in an airtight container. Again, the goal is to keep them as dry as possible, and an airtight container will trap moisture inside the donuts.
- If you must store donuts in an airtight container, be sure to put a piece of bread in with them. The bread will help absorb any moisture that gets trapped inside the container.
How to Fry Donuts Without a Deep Fryer
- Preparation time: 5 minutes
- Cooking time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 35 minutes
- Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 tbsp. active dry yeast
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ cup warm milk
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- Canola oil for frying
- Sugar, for rolling the fried donuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add yeast, ½ tsp. of sugar, and warm water, stir until well combined, then leave for 5 minutes until frothy.
- Add milk, salt, egg, butter, and remaining sugar.
- Gradually add flour while stirring continuously. Continue to add and stir until it begins to sit and gather in the middle of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until the dough becomes elastic and smooth.
- Once done, shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel, and leave it rising for 2 hours until the volume doubles.
- Once risen, transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll it out using a rolling pin until ¼” thick. Then cut out donuts using a 3″ diameter donut cutter, also cut from the center to make a hole.
- Place the cut-out donuts on the pre-cut parchment papers and arrange them on a large tray. You can reuse the wasted dough to make more donuts.
- Pour 3″ of oil into a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Carefully add the cut-out donuts to the hot oil without parchment paper and cook side for 2 to 3 minutes or until the color turns brown, then flip side and cook for 1 minute.
- Once done, transfer the donuts to a large tray lined with a paper towel. Leave there until drained.
- Finally, roll the donuts in the powdered sugar and serve.
How to Fry Donuts Without a Deep Fryer
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 tbsp. active dry yeast
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ cup warm milk
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- Canola oil for frying
- Sugar for rolling the fried donuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add yeast, ½ tsp. of sugar, and warm water, stir until well combined, then leave for 5 minutes until frothy.
- Add milk, salt, egg, butter, and remaining sugar.
- Gradually add flour while stirring continuously. Continue to add and stir until it begins to sit and gather in the middle of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until the dough becomes elastic and smooth.
- Once done, shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel, and leave it rising for 2 hours until the volume doubles.
- Once risen, transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll it out using a rolling pin until ¼" thick. Then cut out donuts using a 3" diameter donut cutter, also cut from the center to make a hole.
- Place the cut-out donuts on the pre-cut parchment papers and arrange them on a large tray. You can reuse the wasted dough to make more donuts.
- Pour 3" of oil into a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Carefully add the cut-out donuts to the hot oil without parchment paper and cook side for 2 to 3 minutes or until the color turns brown, then flip side and cook for 1 minute.
- Once done, transfer the donuts to a large tray lined with a paper towel. Leave there until drained.
- Finally, roll the donuts in the powdered sugar and serve.