If you're looking for an easy recipe for Crème Brûlée donuts, you're in the right place!
Crème Brûlée has been making a comeback recently - I see different variations of it all over Instagram and TikTok, and I'm not complaining! There's something about the silky custard topped with the thin, crispy caramel. So it only makes sense to combine it with another popular dessert, donuts! These Crème Brûlée donuts use a tangzhong dough base, are easy to make, don't require a blow-torch, and don't waste any egg whites!
HOW TO MAKE CREME BRULEE DONUTS
This recipe is not meant to be difficult, but it does require precision and care, so let's talk through the three main steps in detail!
1. Make the tangzhong donuts
Of course, the first and most important thing is to make the donuts correctly! Following this recipe carefully will give you extremely light, airy, soft and fluffy donuts. You need to take care of a few things here:
- Firstly, make the tangzhong. It is a simple mixture of flour and milk cooked on low heat until they form a thick paste.
- Then, knead the dough properly until it is soft, stretchy and smooth on the surface. Half of the butter is incorporated after an initial kneading. This butter laminated the dough, giving it brioche like texture. Using a standmixer fit with a dough hook will lead to the best results!
- Take care not to under- or over-proof the dough . This is critical in getting the soft texture of the donuts. The first proof is roughly 60-90 minutes until the dough doubles in size. The second proof is after shaping the donuts for 30-40 minutes
- Lastly, fry your donuts at 350F for about 2 minutes per side. Precision is critical when frying donuts to make sure they are cooked inside without browning too much on the outside, and don't soak too much oil! Use an oil thermometer for the best results
I have shared more in depth notes about perfecting the donuts in my Nutella Donut recipe!
2. Make the Crème Pâtissière filling
Crème Pâtissière sounds fancy, but it is basically just a pastry cream (or custard) and not difficult to perfect! Here's how you make it:
- Whisk the eggs, sugar, salt and corn starch in a bowl. Most recipes use only egg yolks, but in order to avoid waste, I've formulated this recipe to use full eggs and find the results to be just as good!
- Heat milk and vanilla essense until they just start to boil
- Slowly pour about a third of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking quickly alongside. This will temper the eggs so that they don't curdle and cook when mixed with hot milk. Then pour the full egg mixture into the milk and whisk to combine
- Cook the mixture on low heat in a non-stick pan, constantly stirring, until it thickens into a custard consistency
- Add butter to the custard and stir until it melts and combines
- Remove from heat and pass through a strainer to make sure the pastry cream is smooth in texture
And, a little secret - if your cream feels grainy or lumpy, don't worry! Just chuck it in a blender and blend for 30 seconds until it is smooth again 😉 My Nutribullet comes in very handy in these times.
Once the cream is cooled down, fill it in a piping bag fit with a Bismarck tip and fill your donuts!
3. Make the caramel coating
Because we need a thin caramel coating on the donuts, I like to use the wet caramel method for this recipe. Combine the water, sugar and salt in a non-stick pan and heat on low heat, without stirring, until the sugar fully dissolves and starts to caramelize. Stir slowly at this stage until the caramel reaches a deep golden color.
Make sure to smell the caramel as it cooks - it is easy to overcook and burn it! It should smell deep and caramelized but not burnt and bitter.
At this point, you can start coating your donuts. You need to do this while the caramel is still hot and runny. Hold the donut with a firm grip and dip on side into the caramel. Let the excess drip off for a few seconds and place the donut on a wire rack to cool down so the caramel solidifies.
As you do this, the caramel will likely start to cool down and thicken, making it harder to coat the donuts. Reheat on the stove to make the caramel runny again and then proceed with the remaining donuts.
Check out the video below to see these donuts in action!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is tangzhong?
Tangzhong is a slurry or roux made by cooking flour and milk on low heat, constantly stirring, until they form a thick paste. It is added to breads as it allows adding a lot more moisture to them, and result in much softer bread which stays fresh for longer. It is used in the fluffy Japanese milk breads we love!
Why are my donuts dense?
This could be due to a few reasons:
- Your yeast is no longer fresh, and as a result your dough is not rising properly. Check if your yeast is still fresh by mixing a teaspoon in ¼ cup of warm milk and resting for 10 minutes. It should start to foam up. If it doesn't, buy new yeast!
- Your have underproofed the dough. Make sure your dough nearly doubles in volume and springs back partly when poked gently. Only start shaping the donuts after this point.
- Your oil is too hot. This will cause your donuts to fry very quickly without there being enough time for them to rise and fluff up. Make sure you are monitoring the oil temperature.
Why are my donuts oily?
This can happen due to 2 common reasons:
- You have overproofed the dough. When overproofed, the dough will start to deflate and lose volume, and can become oily when fried. Make sure you don't leave the dough for too long!
- Your oil temperature isn't right when frying. If not hot enough, your donuts will take longer to fry and will absorb more oil. You need the oil to be around 350F for the ideal donuts.
Why is my caramel sticky instead of crispy?
This is most likely because you have cooked the caramel for too long, causing a lot of the water to evaporate and leaving behind mostly sugar, which starts to set quickly as it cools and becomes really sticky. To get a thin and crispy coating of caramel, make sure your caramel is still quite watery and hot when dipping your donuts in.
Let's make these, shall we!?
Looking for other flavors to try for my donuts? Check out my Nutella donut recipe!
EASY CREME BRULEE DONUTS RECIPE
- Total Time: 3-4 hours
- Yield: 12-14 4" donuts
Description
This recipe brings together the best of two incredible desserts: soft, fluffy and light donuts filled with a silky smooth creme patisserie filling and topped with a thin, crispy caramel coating!
Ingredients
Dough ingredients:
- Tangzhong: 4 tablespoon milk (50g), 1 tablespoon flour (10g)
- ¾ cup milk (180g)
- 1.5 tsp yeast
- 3 cups all purpose flour (400g)
- 2 tbsp milk powder (15g)
- ¼ cup sugar (50g)
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 5 tbsp softened butter, in 2 parts (70g)
- ½ tsp salt
Creme patisserie:
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sugar (110g)
- 2 tbsp corn starch (20g)
- 2 cups milk (460g)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Caramel:
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Donuts
- Make the tangzhong by stirring the flour and milk in a nonstick pan over medium heat until they form a thick paste
- Mix the tangzhong with cold milk and yeast in the bowl of your standing mixer and let sit for 5 min. The heat of the tangzhong will bring theoverall temperature to a luke-warm ideal for the yeast
- Add all the other ingredients for the dough, leaving out half of the butter. Knead at medium-high speed using a dough hook for 5 min until the dough starts to come together
- Add the remaining butter and knead again for 5-8 minutes until a smooth and stretchy dough has formed. It should pull away from the edges of the bowl
- Cover and let the dough rise for about 1 hour until it doubles in size (or overnight in the fridge, but don't rise at room temperature and then leave the dough in the fridge)
- Roll the dough into a ½ inch thick sheet. Cut out 4” circles. Repeat until all the dough is used up
- Place the circles donuts onto small pieces of parchment paper, and transfer them to a tray. Rest for about 30-45 min at room temperature
- Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a wok over medium heat. Once it has reached 350F, carefully drop in a test donut, removing the parchment paper, and fry for about 2 min per side. Test for doneness and adjust timing as needed. Fry all donuts, and keep the raw donuts in a cool place as you fry so they don’t overproof
- Let the donuts cool down on a wire rack at room temperature while you make the creme patisserie
- Creme Patisserie:
- For the creme patisserie, whisk the eggs, corn starch, salt and sugar in a bowl
- Place the milk and vanilla in a nonstick pan and bring to a boil
- Carefully pour the milk mix into the egg mix while whisking continuously, then pour back the whole mixture into the pan
- Cook on low heat while stirring constantly until you get a custard like consistency. Add the butter and mix it in
- Remove from heat and pass through a strainer to make sure there are no lumps. If the cream feels lumpy, blend it for 30 seconds to make it smooth
- Place in the fridge for at least 15 min to cool down
- Transfer the crème patisserie into a piping bag with a Bismarck tip. Carefully puncture the donuts and fill them with the custard until they feel heavy
- Caramel coating
- For the caramel, mix the sugar, salt and water in a nonstick pan and place on low heat. This will take some time, try not to stir
- Slowly the sugar will dissolve and start to caramelize. Once your caramel reaches a deep golden color, take it off the heat
- While the caramel is still hot, carefully dip your donuts on one side so they get a thin caramel coating. If the caramel starts to harden, reheat it until it becomes runny again
- The donuts should form a crispy coating once they cool
- Serve & enjoy!
Notes
- These are best consumed within a few hours
- Keep the donuts uncovered at room temperature. If you cover them, the humidity will cause the caramel to become soggy
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 4 min per donuts
- Category: Donuts
Note: This post contains affiliate links. By using these links, you can help keep Bake With Zoha in business!
Javaria says
Crème brûlée is my favourite dessert so I thought to give it a try. I would give it five stars as it came so good taste wise. However, I have a question though. My caramel got thick in a second and it’s coat on doughnut got hard instead of crunchy. What did I do wrong?
Zoha says
Hi Javaria! Thank you for trying this recipe. You didn't do anything wrong, caramel cools down and becomes thicker very quickly. You have to dip the donuts quickly, and if the caramel starts to get stiff, just reheat it until it is runny again.
Ayma Malik says
It looked so daunting at first but your instruction was easy to follow! Worth the fun of trying something new as it's now one of my top favourite dessert ?
Zoha says
Yay!! Thank you Ayma!
Sally says
Made this today for my little siblings, but did half Creme brulee and half Nutella , it was a big hit! The sound of the creme brulee donut being opened in half , is literally the best sound i've ever heard in my life!
Zoha says
Awww!!! SO pleased to hear that! Thank you for the kind words
Marlene says
HI! Can I make these but smaller, like munchinks?
Zoha says
Yes!
Afraa Fahima says
do we have any substitute for milk powder.if yes what to be used and measurement please.
I triedd matilda cake,it came out really well..tons of thanks n love for ur family❤️
Zoha says
unfortunately i dont have a substitute, but thank you for trying my cake!
Esca w says
Hi! These look amazing and I'm looking to try them but I'm wondering what kind of yeast you use for the recipe? Fresh or something else? I'm keen to stick as clos3 to your method as possible
Ash says
Haven’t tried yet, but really want to. Just curious though I know says best if consumed within a few hours, what happens if you leave it for the next day will it still crack if you keep it in the fridge?
Zoha says
The caramel will become sticky after a few hours, won't remain crisp anymore. Still delicious!
Sameera says
hi
today i tried this recipe and its the best so far, I've tried so many of the donut recipe but this one will gonna be my favorite as my kids approved it,
that powder milk and tongzhong takes this to next level. thanks Zoha for sharing the awesome recipe.
Zoha says
Thank you so so much, Sameera! I am really happy to hear that 🙂
Link says
low temperature (like the fridge) kills the yeast. so if you want to prepare the dough beforehand, you have to first let it proof, then put it in the fridge to stop the proofing process.
Tiffany says
For the first rise, can I leave it overnight in the refrigerator? Then shape, rest, and fry them the next day? I was planning on giving some to my friends, however I want them to be as fresh as possible. Thanks!
Zoha says
Yeah, you can do that!
Heather Nierhaus says
I just want to make sure I'm doing it right...I use whole eggs in the pastry creme filling? Or egg yolks?
Zoha says
In this recipe, I just add whole eggs so as to limit waste 🙂
Hunaiza says
hi, can I knead the dough using my hands?
Zoha says
Hi! you can but it won't be easy. Dough will be very sticky and messy, and will take at least 15 min to properly knead!
Sheila says
I don't have a wok. What is a good pan to use instead?
Thank you.
Zoha says
Hi! You can use whatever you normally use for deep frying, it should be deep enough for 2" oil
Anna says
Hi
What can I use if I don’t have milk powder
Holly says
I'm seriously disappointed! I took hours to do this whole recipe. You might've mentioned that the filling needed to be completely chilled. 15 minutes is nowhere near long enough. The filling was running out of the 3 donuts I tried to fill, luckily I stopped and put it back in the fridge. You should alter your directions so it's not misleading. I had to look up another recipe to get that Intel.
Douglas McMillan says
I followed the directions to a T, left the dough in the fridge overnight, then took it out of the fridge and left it out to come back up to room temp. It did not double in size. It looks like it only increased in volume by about 10-20%. What could I have done wrong? The yeast is good, everything else was good.
Hugh says
The low temperature effects the yeast activation and essentially stops the rising process. If you want to use it the next day, I would encourage you to let it proof first for the required amount of time and then put it in the fridge to stop the proofing process so as to not over nor underproof. Hope this helps!
Jessica says
can you use dry active yeast?
Gel says
Hi, do you happen to have this recipe in metric? Thank you
Mariyam says
Heya!
I loved the recipe! Even though I have tried to make it before, this recipe turned out to be the best doughnut recipe ever. I'm making them for a potluck I have tomorrow. How can I ensure the caramel doesn’t become soggy? I also find frying dough quite challenging, do you have any tips for that?
Zoha says
Hi Mariyam! Unfortunately the caramel will become soggy so i don't recommend making these donuts ahead of time. What are you finding challenging with the frying step?
Uswa shahid says
i want to try this recipe can you please update this one also with the steps picture...