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This vegan yeast doughnut recipe is absolutely delicious. Making doughnuts with it will be super easy and fun! The doughnuts will turn out soft, chewy, full of flavor and perfect to fill with chocolate spread, jam or custard.

Making these doughnuts is super easy all you'll need are 6 ingredients and a little time.
Before you jump into the kitchen I suggest you read this blog-post carefully. The doughnuts are easy to make but there are a few tricks that are helpful to know before making them.
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Yeast doughnuts vs. cake doughnuts
There are two types of doughnuts: those leavened with brewer's yeast (yeast doughnuts) and those leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda (cake doughnuts).
This vegan yeast doughnut recipe uses brewer's yeast. There are 3 specific reasons why: the doughnuts come out lighter, fluffier and slightly chewier.
So if you're looking for the perfect vegan yeast doughnut recipe keep reading, you'll thank me later ;).
Ingredients
All you need to make these delicious doughnuts are the following 5 ingredients:
- soy milk
- brewer's yeast
- sugar
- all purpose flour
- vegetable oil
- custard and/or homemade nutella
How to make yeast doughnuts
To make soft and light yeast doughnuts it's important to let the dough rise 3 times.
start by mixing the ingredients in a large bowl, when the dough starts to come together knead it until the dough is smooth. Then cover it with a wet dishcloth and leave it to rise for an hour.
Once risen, knead it for a few seconds releasing some of the air incorporated. Then cover it a second time with a wet dishcloth and let it rise for another 45 minutes.
Finally, we the dough into 6 portions and shape them into balls. Then brush them with vegetable oil and let them rise for 1 hour. Once they've doubled in size, the doughnuts will be ready to be deep fried!
How to deep fry doughnuts
Deep frying doughnuts is super easy but you have to be careful. When you fry them the oil temperature should be between 160 - 170°C (320 - 340°F). If the temperature is higher, they will cook too fast in the outside and stay raw in the inside. If the temperature is too low they'll turn out soggy and extra oily.
I recommend using a jam thermometer to check the temperature. If you don’t have one, dip a toothpick into the oil if it starts steadily bubbling, then it's hot enough for frying.
Can I bake the doughnuts?
You can bake doughnuts instead of frying them. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and bake them for 20 minutes. Just be aware, they won't be as moist and chewy as when they're deep fried.
Can I make doughnuts in an air fryer?
You can totally make the doughnuts in an air fryer. Spray your air fryer basket with oil and transfer the donuts to the basket in a single layer. Then brush the donuts with vegetable oil and cook them at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 4 minutes or until golden brown. Fill them with the filling of your choice and serve them straight away!
Filling
I filled my doughnuts with two of my favorite fillings: homemade nutella and vegan custard. For the custard I used the exact same recipe I used for the Torta della Nonna but only made ⅓ of the amount.
That said, you can also use any jam/cream you like.
How to store doughnuts
You can either store them in the fridge or freezer (depending on how long you want to store them for).
Fridge: Place doughnuts in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to for 3-4 days. Reheat for a couple of minutes in the oven before serving.
Freezer: Wrap the doughnuts in cling film or place them in an airtight container. This will prevent them from absorbing flavors from other food in the freezer. You can store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Allow to thaw completely before serving and reheat for a couple f minutes in the oven before serving.
More Delicious Desserts
- Creamy & Easy Vegan Baked Cheesecake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Croissants
- Extra Fudgy Vegan Butter Beans Brownies
Have You Tried This Recipe?
If you try this recipe for no bake chocolate cheesecake, let me know! You can leave a comment, rate the recipe, and don’t forget to tag a photo #carlocao or #vegaliciously on Instagram!
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📖 Recipe/Rezept
How To Make The Best Yeast Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 150 ml soy milk lukewarm ((⅗ cup))
- 2 tsp brewer's yeast
- 30 g sugar ((1 oz))
- 240 g all purpose flour ((8½ oz))
- ½ tsp salt
- 40 ml 2 tbsp vegetable oil ((⅕ cup))
- 1 l vegetable oil for frying ((4 cups))
Filling**
- 300 g vegan custard*** ((10 oz))
- 300 g homemade nutella ((10 oz))
Instructions
- To make the dough: mix sugar, yeast and soy milk in a large bowl. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Then add in flour, salt and oil (40 ml) and knead. until the dough is smooth (the dough should be slightly sticky so don’t add extra flour).
- Cover the bowl with a wet towel and allow to rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Knock back the dough and rest again for 45 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 6 portions and shape into balls.
- Set on a floured cutting board, brush with vegetable oil and allow to rest for at least 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan to 160 - 170°C (320 - 340°F), check the temperature with a jam thermometer. If you don’t have one, dip a toothpick into the oil if it starts steadily bubbling, then it's hot enough for frying. Just be sure that the oil is not extremely hot or the doughnut will fry in the outside and stay raw in the inside.
- Fry the doughnuts for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Then transfer to a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
- Once the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, roll them in granulated sugar or powdered sugar.
- Spoon the custard or nutella into a pastry tube with a wide nozzle, and poke a hole in the side of each doughnut with it; pipe the filling into the cooled doughnuts.
- Serve right away.
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