French Cruller Donut Recipe

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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!

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4.82 from 16 votes

French Cruller

This French Cruller doughnut recipe is so easy and to die for! My step by step guide will help you through frying up these delicious doughnuts!

servings 24 small

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

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

US Customary – Metric

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.
  

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 17mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: Cruller, Cruller Donut, French Cruller