Vegan Jam Donuts are a joy to eat. My advice is to stick to one type of vegan donut to begin with – so if you like chocolate glaze, then do that. We love jam so that’s why we started with Vegan Jam Donuts. Lemon curd is also nice in the middle.
We inject the jam or lemon curd into the centre for that traditional donut look – however, Molly has been known to slice a donut in two and spread jam on each side to make a ‘donut sandwich’ when she’s in a bit of a rush!
You can either dust them with icing sugar, or roll them in cinnamon sugar. But do be warned – the icing sugar goes claggy if the donuts are left overnight so put the icing sugar on as you eat them! Which brings us to our next note – donuts don’t last. Yes, you can eat them the next day but they do go stale quickly. We pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm the up the next day.
Here is our Vegan Lemon Curd recipe if that’s what you want to do, otherwise just grab a pot of jam and go!
Frying
A couple of things will make this easier. Firstly keep everyone else out of the kitchen. Hot oil is dangerous and you don’t need the distraction or the risk of being bumped.
Next don’t lean over hot oil – it can splatter. Only put in two donuts at a time. A crowded pan will cause the temperature to drop. Time your donuts – 2 minutes a side. Don’t go by the colour (when I do that I end up with soggy middles).
Finally don’t increase the heat quickly, do it slowly and keep track of the heat. If your oil gets hot enough to smoke, then its way too hot and will start to taste bitter. I’d chuck it out and start again.
Vegan Jam Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Non-Dairy Milk (tepid)
- 1/4 Cup Aquafaba
- 7 grm Active Yeast
- 1 tsp Caster Sugar (for the milk and yeast mixture)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- 1 tsp Ground Flax Seed
- 1/4 Cup Caster Sugar
- 6 tbsp Dairy-Free Margarine
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 4 Cups Plain Flour
- 1 l Vegetable Oil (for frying)
For Topping
- Icing sugar or 1 cup of Caster Sugar mixed with 2 tbsp Cinnamon
- Either Raspberry, strawberry or lemon curd - a heaped tablespoon per doughnut
Instructions
- Warm the milk - but only until it's tepid, not hot and not properly warm either. So in a pot on a low temp or 10 seconds in the microwave.
- Add in the Aquafaba, 1 tsp of sugar and the yeast and set to one side for 5-10 minutes to froth up. Then add in the Flax Seed.
- Beat the dairy-free butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract together.
- Add in the milky mixture and beat. It won't really come together fully but don't worry.
- Add the flour one cup at a time. Beat to combine after each cup. You'll end up with a nice dough that is a bit sticky.
- Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes and then pop into a lightly greased bowl, cover with greased clingfilm and a tea towel and leave somewhere warm for an hour.
- The dough will have doubled in size after an hour; Roll it out to about half an inch thick and cut out with circular cookie cutters about 3 inches in diameter. You can re-roll the leftover bits. Place on a baking sheet, cover with greased cling film and a tea towel and allow to rise for another 45 minutes.
- While they are rising for the second time either mix 1 cup of caster sugar with the cinnamon or sift your icing sugar.
- Now for the frying - I use a deep casserole dish (cast iron). Add in a full litre of oil and heat to 320°F 170°C - use a thermometer to check. Balancing the oil temperature is key here so keep checking and adjust a little at a time; Put two doughnuts into the oil and set a timer for 1 minute. After a minute the donut should be brown on one side, carefully flip over and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute.
- Drain the cooked doughnuts on a paper towel and then roll in the sugar coating of your choice. I put the doughnuts on the icing sugar and then sift more on top. For the caster sugar and cinnamon combination, I just roll the doughnuts in it.
- Allow them to cool on a separate plate, and then inject them with the jam of your choice. If you don't have an injector you can use a piping bag with a thin nozzle. However, I always need to make the initial hole with a skewer and go from there.
- If you don't have a thermometer to test the oil, drop a cube on bread in. If it sizzles and goes brown then its ready. Handle the donuts carefully when putting them in the oil, as they can deflate in handled too roughly. If this happens, reshape and go again!
If you fancy a different type of wonderful sweet treat take a look here, we adore Cinnamon Buns:
