Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Since the doughnuts themselves aren’t very sweet, the sugar coating balances everything out into a perfectly sweet bite.
Texture: Crunchy sugar coating on a golden brown doughnut, with a slightly crisp exterior and a fluffy, light interior. Heaven!
Ease: Super simple and ready in just 1 hour!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Quick, homemade, delicious copycat recipe that will totally satisfy your craving.
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Homemade Chinese Doughnuts bring the nostalgic buffet classic straight to your kitchen – no takeout required!
Most recipes utilize store-bought refrigerated tubes of biscuit dough, but I wanted a from-scratch version. So, I went to work in the kitchen to perfect a homemade version.
This recipe is sort of a sweet biscuit dough variation, deep fried, and finished with a generous sugar coating – all made with simple pantry staples. The exterior crunch is marvelous, and the inside is soft and tender.
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These sweet treats are simple to make, ready in 1 hour, and they’re even egg-free! Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the best dessert ever.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Chinese Doughnuts
What are Chinese Donuts?
Chinese Doughnuts are the round Americanized versions of the traditional fried Chinese sweets known as youtiao. Common in most American Chinese restaurants (especially buffets), they are the perfect sweet treat after a big dinner.
Can I Substitute the Milk?
I recommend using whole milk in this recipe. Using 2% milk, 1% milk, or vegan milks may change the flavor and richness of the doughnuts, so it’s worth the extra trip to the store for whole milk.
Do I Really Need to FRY These Doughnuts?
Chinese Doughnuts are definitely best when fried in oil. If you want to experiment with air frying or baking, note that the texture and appearance of your doughnuts will be more biscuit-like.
Tips for Frying Doughnuts
- Use a thermometer for the oil. Always use a deep fry thermometer to ensure your oil is at the perfect temperature throughout the process.
- Be sure your oil is at 350°F to avoid greasy, over-browned, or undercooked doughnuts. I preheat mine 5–10°F hotter to offset the temperature drop upon adding the dough. Adjust your stove slightly as needed throughout the frying process to ensure your temperature is consistent. Note: never leave hot oil unattended.
- I recommend using a Dutch oven for frying. They’re heavy and sturdy, and the size and shape help avoid oil splatter.
Which Oil for Frying?
I recommend using canola oil here, but any neutral oil with a high smoke point (such as vegetable oil) should work just fine. Avoid flavored oils or oils with a low smoke point, such as olive oil.
How to Tell When Chinese Doughnuts are Cooked?
Use a cake tester or toothpick to check the middle of your doughnuts for doneness.
How to Store Chinese Doughnuts
As with any fried foods, Chinese Doughnuts don’t keep well. Once fried, these are best served the same day. Store leftovers inside an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts
- Krispy Kreme Copycat Glazed Doughnuts
- Classic Cake Doughnuts
- Pumpkin Old Fashioned Doughnuts
Homemade Chinese Doughnuts
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (255 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) whole milk
- Canola oil for frying
- Granulated sugar, for coating
Instructions
- Pour 2 inches of canola oil into a heavy bottomed pot with a deep-fry thermometer attached. Heat to 350°F.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and pulse several times to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. You can also do this by hand with a pastry blender. Stir in the milk until combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and dust the dough with flour. Gently pat the dough out until it’s a 1/2-inch in thickness. Use a 2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out circles.
- Fry the doughnuts a few at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side, being careful not to let them burn. Let drain on a paper bag (or paper towels) to soak up the excess grease.
- While still hot, generously coat each doughnut in granulated sugar. Serve. Doughnuts are best served the day they are made.
The best chinese donuts I’ve ever had. Easy to make, and delicious.
Hi! Would you adjust this recipe for high altitude? I’m in Flagstaff (7,000 ft elevation)
Hi Dawn! Unfortunately, no one at Team Handle the Heat has experience baking at high altitudes, but this King Arthur Baking resource has some great tips. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
Very dry and soaked up oil so much. Ate one and threw out the rest. Very disappointing, nothing like the restaurants.
Hi Tricia! I’m sorry to hear that these doughnuts didn’t turn out as they should! Do you have a thermometer to test the temperature of your oil? It sounds like the oil may not have been quite hot enough, which can cause the doughnuts to soak up too much oil. I hope that helps, and I hope you give these doughnuts another dry – they really are so goo! 🙂
Excellent recipe. Turned out great. Family loved them. Will definitely will make it again.
The Chinese doughnut had no flavor. it wasn’t as light as the doughnuts that I’ve tasted in Chinese restaurants. it was a little heavy on the inside of the doughnuts. The taste was bland.
Can’t wait to make this delicious donuts
Hi Luz! Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think once you have tried them! 🙂
I know the world does not need all things airfried, and I certainly don’t need my sweet carbs faster, but do you think these would work in an air fryer.
We haven’t tried that! But please let us know if you do!
Can I use salted butter?
It’s hard to know how much salt is actually in salted butter when using in recipes, so I usually recommend unsalted butter; however, if you do try salted butter, just don’t add salt to the recipe. Good luck!
OK, OK, I see you Tessa! I’ve made this recipe several times, and each time was better than the last. It’s hard to mess this up, with such a solid recipe base you can really get creative. I don’t own a food processer so I just whisk the dries and butter until it’s crumbly. I’ve made a few adjustments after making them for my family so many times ; Firstly, I mix some grated nutmeg and a pinch of salt in with the sugar coating (I’m not sure why, but it ups the game of your doughnut). I also used coconut oil for frying the dough and, honestly, it adds another dimension to the whole aroma of the doughnut, along with the nutmeg, without really affecting the taste. I felt lazy so instead of pressing the dough out with a cutter, I rolled them into balls just enough so the doughnut creases wouldn’t divide the dough as it cooked. I wouldn’t be too worried about burning them, on account of it being so good when it’s crunchy. I’d say what you’ve gotta watch out for is all the oil being evenly heated, so I rotate the pan. Thanks Tessa, you really know your shit!
Yum! I can only imagine how amazing they would smell fried in coconut oil! I’m so happy you love this recipe, Aurora, and have been able to make your own additions with great success!
this was so good. I am 12 years old and this recipe turned out great. I have one question do i put it in the fridge to save it?
Wow, that’s amazing! You can store at room temperature, but these doughnuts are best served the same day they’re made.
Made these in the shape of a heart for Valentine’s Day and they were delicious! And I don’t have to use canned biscuits! Thank you for the recipe!
That sounds amazing! Hooray!
Would these be similar using a 1:1 gluten free replacement flour?
I’m not sure, I don’t use gluten-free flour personally!