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This French Cruller Donut recipe yields a crispy exterior with a soft and light interior all topped with a sweetened glaze. These are the best and easiest homemade French Crullers! My step-by-step guide will help you through frying up these delicious doughnuts! Do you love doughnuts? You must try my other doughnut recipes found on my site including my Homemade Glazed Donuts.
Fast + Easy Donuts (No waiting on rising dough!)
Sweet, crispy, tender, hot out of the grease Crullers. These are so not the typical doughnut {yeast-risen} but are so delicious in their own way. If you’ve never had a cruller, go get you one. You’ll thank me later.
One thing I happen to love about these doughnuts is you can have the entire batch done in about an hour! No downtime waiting. SCORE. The time thing is what REALLY made me fall in love with these little buggers.
Use a Candy Thermometer When Frying Crullers
A candy thermometer can be used to ensure that the oil used for frying French crullers is at the correct temperature. When the dough is placed into oil that is too cool, the crullers will absorb too much oil and become greasy. On the other hand, if the oil is too hot, the crullers will burn on the outside before the inside is cooked.
The ideal oil temperature for frying these French crullers is between 325-350°F (165-177°C). To use a candy thermometer, simply insert the thermometer into the oil and wait for it to stabilize at the correct temperature before adding the crullers.
It’s important to make sure the thermometer is clean before using it and also keep an eye on the thermometer during the frying process and adjust the heat accordingly to maintain the desired temperature. It’s a good idea to fry them in small batches to maintain the temperature of the oil and also to prevent overcrowding in the pan, which can cause the oil temperature to drop.
How to Make French Crullers
Simple ingredients come together to make pâte à choux, a French pastry dough used to make things like cream puffs and eclairs. In this case, we are going to fry the dough to make crullers. For full details on how to make Crullers from scratch, including ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card down below. Here is step by step directions on how to make these:
Make Pâte à Choux
Bring butter and water to boil in a small pot. Once the mixture comes to a boil, stir in flour and salt until combined. Remove from heat and cool for 3 minutes.
Crack eggs into a small bowl. Mix eggs into the warm mixture one by one until the batter is completely smooth.
Pipe Circles + Freeze
Transfer to piping bag with large fluted tip and pipe into circles on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Place into freezer for 30 minutes.
Make Glaze
While the dough is freezing, stir powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and lemon extract together for glaze until smooth and runny…but not too runny!
Frying Cruller Donuts
While you can bake Crullers, they will come out more like cream puffs than crispy donuts. So I recommend frying! I promise it’s not as hard as it seems.
Fill + Preheat Oil
Pour vegetable oil into a large pot with high sides so there are at least 3 inches of grease. Heat oil to be between 325-350° F so these little guys can get crispy and delightful. Use a candy thermometer to help you know exactly what the temperature of the oil is and avoid overly greasy crullers. See my note above about using a candy thermometer.
Fry Crullers
Once your oil is hot and you can peel your frozen crullers off the parchment paper in one piece, give those babies a hot bath! Drop frozen crullers one by one into hot oil and fry about 1 minute per side or until lightly golden.
Glaze + Cool
Remove crullers from oil to a paper towel to drain and then immediately coat in glaze. Place onto a cooling rack to let excess glaze drip off. After 40 minutes or so, the glaze should harden onto the crullers. Best served warm, immediately out of the glaze.
Storing Crullers
French crullers are best enjoyed the same day they are made. The texture being light and airy can become stale and less crispy over time. However, if you find yourself needing to store a few, place them in an airtight container at room temperature. Avoid putting them in the fridge. The humidity will make them soggy.
If you need to store French crullers, the best way to do so is to place them in an airtight container at room temperature. Avoid using airtight bags, as moisture can get trapped in the bag and cause crullers to become stale.
Can I make ahead and freeze Crullers?
Yes! Allow them to cool completely. Wrap them in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent them from drying out. Crullers will stay fresh in the freezer for 2-3 months.
More Donut Recipes to Try!
- Carrot Cake Donuts
- Red Velvet Donuts
- Donut Holes
- Old Fashioned Pumpkin Donuts
- The Puddin Donut {Gourdough’s Copycat}
- S’mores Donut
- 3-Ingredient Nutella Donuts
- Pancake Mix Donuts
- Cranberry Orange Donuts
These Cruller Donuts are the bomb. I had approximately 42 of these before I stopped myself and dropped the rest off to neighbors.
The printable recipe card is below. If you try this recipe, I would love it if you would give this recipe a star rating. Have a great day, friends!
French Cruller
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- vegetable oil for frying
for the glaze-
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract optional
Instructions
- Bring butter and water to boil in a small pot. Once mixture comes to boil, stir in flour and salt until combined. Remove from heat and cool 3 minutes.
- Crack eggs into a small bowl. Mix eggs into warm mixture one by one until completely batter is completely smooth.
- Transfer to piping bag with large fluted tip and pipe into circles on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Place into freezer for 30 minutes.
- Pour vegetable oil into large pot with high sides so there’s at least 3 inches of grease. Heat oil to be between 325-350 degrees. While oil is heating, stir all ingredients together for glaze until smooth and runny…but not too runny!
- Drop frozen crullers one by one into hot oil and fry about 1 minute per side or until lightly golden. Remove to paper towel to drain and then immediately coat in glaze. Place onto cooling rack to let excess glaze drip off. After 40 minutes or so, the glaze should harden onto the crullers. Best served warm, immediately out of the glaze.
What did you use to pipe them into rings? Regular frosting bag or a cookie press? They look great! Love your site and follow your pins!
Sorry just back tracked nd saw my answer. Thanks
This looks great. What can be used to replace eggs?
[…] Homemade Crullers from Lauren’s Latest look so so delicious. […]
Can I bake instead deep fry?
I made these this morning using Better Batter (a gluten free flour mix). They are HEAVENLY! I also did not have lemon extract but I did have maple extract! They really were easy and wonderful to make and I made them gluten free so I had a special treat!! Thanks for the recipe!
They sound super, but I would like a baked donut recipe, please…don’t like to fry. Thanks!
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I made the dough last night and left them shaped in the freezer until morning where I just had to pop them in the oil to fry them. SOOOOO YUMMY!!!!!!! I love that this uses a lot of eggs because we have chickens and have lots of extra eggs most of the time.
What did you use to squeeze it out of?
1M Wilton pastry tip + bag.
same recipe for churros, just roll them in cinnamon sugar right out of the fryer.
Oh yum!!!!
oh beach body be damned, I need a cruller
[…] Crullers Oh these were insane. Downside is is pretty much took 4 adults and a cooperative 5 year old […]
Made these this weekend and OH MY GOSH! totally amazing. The kids and hubby were gobbling them up as fast as they could be made. Wonderful recipe, thanks for sharing 🙂
My crullers never looked as pretty as yours. 🙁
Now I’m jealous. How can a mommy of an adorable 3 year old who seems busier than a single woman who’s employer is herself make a BETTER looking and perhaps BETTER tasting crullers like this?
Oh well, I have the year ahead to try this out! Love your photos!
[…] until I get my digital nourishment, so to speak) I found a simple recipe for this tasty confection. This cruller recipe from Lauren’s Latest combines some of my favorite things: fat and sugar. The best part? […]
These look RIDICULOUS–in the best way! I need to figure out a way to justify making and eating these, ASAP. Gorgeous!
[…] donuts and Crullers are one of his favorite. I think I will get big bonus points if I make these Homemade Crullers for […]
These look awesome! I’ve never been a huge doughnut eater, but I love them when I make them at home!
Mouth is watering!
Well, who knew I needed a Cruller? I guess you did 😉
I always pronounce it as “crul-lers” as opposed to “crew-llers”. Either way, they are delicious!! hahaI can’t get enough of dounts, so keep the recipes coming! Thanks!!
My all time favorite donut!! I can’t freaking wait to make these!
I can’t get over how easy these look and I can just imagine how good they are! Can’t wait to try some 🙂
Those are beauties Lauren! (who is nice 🙂
Oh those are so awesome – and on my to make list ASAP!
These look perfect and delicate and beautiful!
I want these right now for breakfast! What a great recipe.
I could eat these at alarming speeds right now. Love it!
Died andgone to heaven…mama mia.
Definitely Crew-lers. That glaze step just makes them so ridiculously irresistible.
I didn’t need to know they were *that* easy to make… Crullers are my Achilles heel in the donut world!
I am too afraid to fry anything in hot oil on the stove, as I am scared the oil will splash all over … does this happen to you?
I was going to make your red velvet donuts yesterday (for the 4th or 5th time) and had all the dry ingredients in the bowl and then went to find my donut pan and it is gone!? I threw a little fit and searched my house high and low, and still can’t find it. Now I guess I have to buy a new one – weird hey!?
I use a deep frying pan and these didn’t splash or splatter at all.
OMG these sound so yummy! Any idea if they would work with an alternative flour? Like say almond flour? While they sound so good I am afraid, like you, I would want to eat and eat and eat some more! Not good on a low-carb diet! LOL!
Never tried it….give it a whirl and let me know!
I made these donuts with Bob’s Redmill GF 1:1 Baking flour mix! The dough seemed stickier that when alive made pat They turned out fantastic! I was concerned that without sugar in the dough, maybe they wouldnt be sweet enough—this was not a problem! I wanted to add some Scandinavian flare to my donuts, so I added ground cardamom to the dough (not a traditional crueler, but delish) . I glazed them with amaretto/coffee/sugar
I tried making the crullers gluten-free using 3/4 cup of Cup-4-Cup GF flour and 1/4 cup of millet flour (thinking that the Cup-4-Cup would behave most like wheat flour and the millet flour would add flavor). They came out looking beautiful and have a good texture but they taste weirdly of pancakes. So if you are trying to make GF donuts, I would try a different flour mix!
This is a quick and easy recipe that looks impressive–and I’ve never fried anything before. I’m sure that II will try again–with different flours.
These seem so easy for how fancy they look! And I will take lemon glaze any day of the week, thankyou.
These look amazing!!
Crullers are my mom’s favorites! I’ve got to show her this recipe. =)
Ok, yeah, these are going on the must make list.
My husband who worked at a bakery said they are ‘crew-L-ers’ just in case you were wondering for future purposes! 🙂 This is totally heavenly looking! I am making some right now! Thanks for sharing!
I would have failed the quiz on the first question. I applaud her 7% success.
OK, and these donuts, wow, incredible!
These look so good–I loooooooove crullers! Is it possible to bake these? I avoid frying since I have poor ventilation and it makes all my stuff smell disgusting.
These look so good, I haven’t had the nerve to make homemade doughnuts yet. I’m afraid I might actually eat them all!
Those sound fantastic! I can’t wait to give them a try (even though I try to stay away from making fried foods at home!). I also can’t wait to check out those other 4 doughnut recipes you have. YUM!
Oh wow. I could probably get rid of a dozen of these right this second. Love homemade donuts like no other!
These are my husband’s FAVORITE donuts…I definitely have to make them for him!! (Probably on a day that I need him to hang pictures for me or lift heavy stuff)
Wow – I’ve never even heard of a donut called a cruller but now I want to make them!
wow! never realized this was so easy. and we are SO going to voodoo when me and megs come down! yes?! yes.
Wow. Wowwwwww.
Yum! these look incredible! your daughter is SOOOO cute!
I could totally go for about a dozen of these right now! Yummy!!