When I think of doughnuts (or is it donut…) one thing comes to mind: a light and airy fried dough that makes it hard to turn down seconds! Cake doughnuts are good, don’t get me wrong, but when I want a doughnut I want a true yeast doughnut and those can be hard to find as a vegan! Cue these Chocolate Strawberry Doughnuts. These doughnuts are essentially chocolate-covered strawberries with a pillowy doughnut as the canvas.
To make these Chocolate Strawberry Doughnuts you start with a vanilla yeast doughnut, fill with strawberry pastry cream, and top with thick chocolate icing. This recipe uses a straightforward yeast doughnut dough, but combined with the chocolate icing and strawberry cream filling it makes for the perfect indulgent treat!
The vanilla doughnut dough is versatile and works with a multitude of toppings and fillings, so it can work with whatever flavor you may be craving. But for a Valentine’s Day treat, I wanted to try making a strawberry pastry cream, and let me tell you, you need to try this! Paired with a chocolate frosting, really you can’t go wrong with these Chocolate Strawberry Doughnuts!
For these vegan Chocolate Strawberry Doughnuts you'll need:
- Non-dairy milk – I always use unsweetened soy milk, the protein content is best for doughs. Other non-dairy milks should work for the strawberry cream and chocolate frosting, but the doughnut dough may not turn out as well.
- Granulated sugar
- Yeast – I use active dry yeast, but instant yeast also works. If using instant yeast you can add all the ingredients together without activating in the warm milk first.
- Flax egg – Make this by adding one tablespoon of flax meal to three tablespoons of water and letting it gel. To get the flax meal to thicken faster use warm water.
- Vegan butter – I prefer Miyoko’s but any vegan butter should work.
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- High-temperature oil for frying – Like peanut, canola, or avocado oil.
- Chocolate chips – I like semi-sweet chocolate chips but dark chocolate would also be delicious. You can also sub for your favorite chocolate bar and chop it up instead. Make sure there’s no sneaky milk in the ingredients though!
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Strawberry puree – Either blend some fresh strawberries or cook down some frozen ones. You can also use strawberry jam if you want a sweeter strawberry flavor.
- Cornstarch
Notes:
Troubleshooting yeast:
If your yeast doesn’t look foamy after 10 minutes that means it’s dead. Either your milk was too hot or the yeast is too old! Start over with cooler milk, max 110℉. If you’re using lukewarm milk and the yeast still doesn’t activate, your yeast is bad and you’ll need to replace it.
Can you use salted butter instead of unsalted?
If you only have salted butter on hand that’s okay, just omit the salt from the recipe.
How do you know if doughnut dough is kneaded enough?
For this dough you don’t need to put a lot of strength into kneading, but you do need time for the gluten to develop! Just keep a good pace without trying to beat up the dough and wear yourself out. You’ll know when the dough is ready when it’s smooth but not sticky and it passes the poke test.
How long does doughnut dough need to rise?
Rise time can be affected by the temperature of the room you’re baking in. If the dough is taking longer to rise because you’re in a cooler area then just keep an eye on it and let it rise for longer. Then utilize the poke test, if you press the dough and it bounces back but leaves a slight indentation you should be good to go.
How long should you fry doughnuts?
Although it should take 1-2 minutes on each side, fry time can vary. So just watch the color of the doughnuts and adjust your heat as necessary.
How much oil do you need for frying?
Don’t fill the pot you’re frying the doughnuts in more than half-way with oil to stay safe! I only do a couple of inches of oil, so more of a shallow fry than deep fry, to prevent oil fires and burns and to save on the amount of oil I’m using.
Do you need to wait for the doughnuts to cool before filling?
Make sure to fill your doughnuts before they cool down too much! It’s much easier to fill while the dough is still warm from frying because it’s more pliable, ensuring you get the maximum amount of filling in each bite!
How should you melt the chocolate?
To melt your chocolate microwaving in 30-second intervals is the fastest method but it can be easy to burn the chocolate. To prevent that, I’ll heat the chocolate until it’s mostly melted and let it sit because the residual heat should finish melting the chocolate. You shouldn’t need to heat it in the microwave for longer than a minute with this method! Alternatively, you can use a double broiler method, but that takes longer and creates more dishes.
Can you fix icing that has solidified?
If your icing solidifies too much before you’re able to ice the doughnuts, just add a tablespoon of milk and mix until smooth and slightly runny again.
How long do these doughnuts stay fresh?
These are the best day of, but can last another day or two in an airtight container in the fridge. The texture won’t be as good when they aren’t fresh though!
Chocolate Strawberry Doughnuts
Ingredients
Doughnut dough:
- 1 c unsweetened soy milk lukewarm (about 110℉)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 flax egg *see ingredient list above
- ¼ c vegan butter room temp
- ½ tsp salt
- 3¼ c all-purpose flour
- oil for frying *see notes
Strawberry pastry cream:
- ½ c unsweetened soy milk
- 2 tbsp strawberry puree or strawberry jam
- ¼ c granulated sugar
- ⅛ c cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vegan butter room temp
Chocolate icing:
- ¾ c vegan chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp unsweetened soy milk
Instructions
First, make the doughnut dough
- Stir together the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Set aside until frothy, about 5-10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt then set aside.
- Once the yeast is frothy, add the flax egg and vanilla and mix.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir until a shaggy dough is formed.
- Next, add in the butter and knead until the dough comes together more.
- Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 5-10 minutes).
- Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place seam-side down in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rest for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Once risen, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until about ½-inch thick. Using a circular cookie cutter or a glass, cut the dough into 12 equal-sized portions, re-rolling the scraps of dough as needed. Alternatively, you can divide the dough and shape it into balls instead of rolling and cutting into rounds.
- Place the dough balls on a lightly oiled baking tray, cover with a tea towel, and let rise again for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
While the dough rises, make the strawberry filling.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, granulated sugar, and strawberry puree over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Make sure to stir frequently and lower the heat if needed to prevent the milk from scorching.
- Once warmed, remove from heat and sift in the cornstarch while whisking constantly to avoid clumps.
- Return to the heat, and whisk until thickened. You're looking for an almost custard-like texture.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and incorporate the butter until smooth.
- Transfer to a container with a lid and chill in the fridge until it's time to use.
Now, it's time to fry the doughnuts.
- Once the dough has risen again, in a tall skillet or dutch oven (I love cast iron for this) heat a few inches of oil to 350℉. If you don't have a thermometer you can test a piece of dough in the oil, if it bubbles once the dough touches the oil then you're good to go.
- Carefully add the doughnuts to the oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pot, and fry until golden brown (about 1-2 minutes on each side).
- Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove the doughnuts from the oil once finished cooking and place on a wire rack. Continue for the remaining doughnuts.
Then fill the doughnuts.
- Before the doughnuts have cooled completely, fill them with the pastry cream. Place the strawberry cream in a piping bag with a long pastry tip or squeeze bottle with a nozzle.
- Insert the tip of the piping bag into the side of each doughnut and squeeze the filling in until you feel the doughnut puff up and no more filling will fit.
- Once each doughnut has been filled, continue to let them cool on the wire rack.
Lastly, time for the icing.
- In a heat-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and butter for 30 seconds and then mix. If not melted, heat again for 30 seconds and mix until all the chocolate chips melt.
- Add in the vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk and mix until smooth.
- Generously spread over the tops of each doughnut, then enjoy!