Classic Jelly Donuts – Mini Jam Donuts

These deep-fried Hanukah treats are special and addictive with kids and grown-up alike. Jelly donuts are traditionally filled with simple strawberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar. This recipe is so simple and easy you will never need to go to the bakery for Jelly donuts again. These are a little smaller in size making them cute and irresistible.

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It’s almost the end of the year. Soon it will be Thanksgiving and then Christmas. I really feel this year has gone by so quickly for me. With Christmas also comes Hanukah. Here is Israel Hanukah is a huge celebration and the very first things you see are the bakeries start making sufganiyot which are these deep fried Israeli doughnuts filled with strawberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar.

About these jelly doughnuts

I shared the jam doughnut recipe with you many years ago and it’s been one of the popular recipes on this blog. Recently, I made these slightly smaller versions and oh they were so cute I just had to share. I also took a video so you can see just how simple and easy these are to make.

It’s just like making dinner rolls, just sweeter and deep fried. Definitely much easier than making ring-shaped doughnuts.  You do not need to roll and cut them into shapes, just divide the dough and roll them into balls. Prove them and deep fry them. Fill them with your favorite jam or jelly and dust them with powdered sugar. That’s really how simple these are to make.

Once you make these on your own, you will never go buy jelly donuts from the bakery again. The fresh doughnuts are so irresistible and melt in your mouth delicious you will be making a few batches of these. My Aadi loves doughnuts so much that every year we have to make a few batches of these. He gets to invites his friends over too. Usually, I use homemade strawberry jam but I have tried these with many different jams and jellies. My personal favorite is the apricot jam, but that’s because I love apricot jam very much.

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Recipe – How to make Jam Doughnuts aka Sufganiyot (Save/Pin)

Tools

• Stand Mixer – K-mix/ Kitchen-Aid type
• Mixing bowl
• Measure cups& measure spoons
• Spatula, Slotted spoon
• Heavy based deep frypanordeep fryer

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Ingredients

For the Dough (makes 12 mini doughnuts)

• 120 ml ( 1/2 cup) Warm milk  (110 F)
• 260 grams (2 cups) All-purpose flour
• 60 grams (1/2 cup) All-purpose flour (for kneading as required) 
• 1 large Egg
• 1 1/2 tsp Instant dry yeast
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp Freshly grated nutmeg

For  Deep-frying

• Cooking oil for deep frying and to oil the bowl – 1 liter (4 cups)

Filling and Dusting

• Strawberry jam or Jelly for filling – 1/4 cup
• Powdered sugar for dusting – 1/4 cup

Method

Combine wet ingreidnets

• In a cup or bowl – add warm milk, sugar and yeast,
• Stir well and set aside for 3 mins to foam.
• Add the egg and vanilla.
• Mix to combine well

Prepare Dough (video shows method by hand)

• In a larger bowl or mixer with hook attachment.
• Add flour and salt – mix to combine.
• Pour in the yeast mixture.
• Mix on medium speed scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Once all the flour is mixed in – knead for a minute on medium-low speed (or with your hands for 25 minutes).
• This is a soft dough so do not be tempted to add more flour.
• Then add the soft butter.
• Knead for 2 minutes more on medium speed.
• By this time the dough will still be soft and elastic but less sticky and shinier.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until double in volume for about 45 minutes.

Forming the Doughnuts

• Once double in volume and chilled – invert on a floured surface.
• Divide the dough into half and each half into 6 for mini sizes (or 4 for medium)
• Roll each portion into a ball and place it on a flour dusted parchment paper to prevent sticking.
• Once all the balls are rolled – press with your palm on top of each to flatten it slightly. This will make sure it becomes a doughnut shape rather than a ball shape.
• Tip – Always make one or two mini doughnuts for the purpose of testing oil temperature.
• Cover with a damp kitchen cloth and let rise again for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Deep Fry the Doughnuts

• Heat cooking oil in a pot or fryer to about 360 °F to 375 ° F.
• Tip – ideally,  you want the oil hot but not so it will brow the doughnut instantly. These need to be cooked thru before they brown.
• You need enough oil so the doughnuts will float.
• Add a mini doughnut to test the oil.
• Once the oil is ready – add two or three doughnuts at a time.
• Do not crowd the pan as the temperature of the oil will drop/cool down too fast.
• The doughnuts should rise in 30 secs as they puff.
• Let cook for 30 seconds before you flip so it can continue to puff on the other side.
• Cook for another 30 seconds on the other side and again.

Filling and Dusting

• Place jam in a piping bag with a piping tip for easy use.
• You can let the doughnuts cool completely before you fill with jam.
• I prefer to fill them while they are still warm so the jam melts and spreads inside the doughnut.
• When cooled completely dust with powder sugar.

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Classic Jelly Donuts

Author: Veena Azmanov

These deep-fried Hanukah treats are special and addictive with kids and grown-up alike. Jelly donuts are traditionally filled with simple strawberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar. This recipe is so simple and easy you will never need to go to the bakery for Jelly donuts again. These are a little smaller in size making them cute and irresistible. 

5 from 20 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Israel

Keyword: donuts, Doughnuts, Hanukah, Jam, Jelly, Jewish

Adjust Servings Here: 12 Doughnuts

Calories: 897kcal

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 120 ml Warm milk  (110 F)
• 260 grams All-purpose flour
• 60 grams All-purpose flour for kneading as required
• 1 Egg large
• 1 1/2 tsp Instant dry yeast
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg freshly grated

For  Deep-frying

• 1 liter Cooking oil for deep frying 4 cups

Filling and Dusting

• 1/4 cup Strawberry jam or Jelly for filling
• 2 tbsp Powdered sugar for dusting

Metric - US customary

Instructions

Combine wet ingredients

• In a cup or bowl - add warm milk, sugar and yeast,
• Stir well and set aside for 3 mins to foam.
• Add the egg and vanilla.
• Mix to combine well

Prepare Dough (video shows method by hand)

• In a larger bowl or mixer with hook attachment.
• Add flour and salt - mix to combine.
• Pour in the yeast mixture.
• Mix on medium speed scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Once all the flour is mixed in - knead for a minute on medium-low speed (or with your hands for 25 minutes).
• This is a soft dough so do not be tempted to add more flour.
• Then add the soft butter.
• Knead for 2 minutes more on medium speed.
• By this time the dough will still be soft and elastic but less sticky and shinier.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until double in volume for about 45 minutes.

Forming the Doughnuts

• Once double in volume and chilled - invert on a floured surface.
• Divide the dough into half and each half into 6 for mini sizes (or 4 for medium)
• Roll each portion into a ball and place it on a flour dusted parchment paper to prevent sticking.
• Once all the balls are rolled - press with your palm on top of each to flatten it slightly. This will make sure it becomes a doughnut shape rather than a ball shape.
• Tip - Always make one or two mini doughnuts for the purpose of testing oil temperature.
• Cover with a damp kitchen cloth and let rise again for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Deep Fry the Doughnuts

• Heat cooking oil in a pot or fryer to about 360 °F to 375 ° F.
• Tip - ideally,  you want the oil hot but not so it will brow the doughnut instantly. These need to be cooked thru before they brown.
• You need enough oil so the doughnuts will float.
• Add a mini doughnut to test the oil.
• Once the oil is ready - add two or three doughnuts at a time.
• Do not crowd the pan as the temperature of the oil will drop/cool down too fast.
• The doughnuts should rise in 30 secs as they puff.
• Let cook for 30 seconds before you flip so it can continue to puff on the other side.
• Cook for another 30 seconds on the other side and again.

Filling and Dusting

• Place jam in a piping bag with a piping tip for easy use.
• You can let the doughnuts cool completely before you fill with jam.
• I prefer to fill them while they are still warm so the jam melts and spreads inside the doughnut.
• When cooled completely dust with powder sugar.

Recipe Video

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Nutrition Information

Calories: 897kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 86g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1.9% | Vitamin C: 0.8% | Calcium: 1.8% | Iron: 7.4%

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

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Love doughnuts?

Well, check out some of my other doughnuts aka donut recipes here. From simple cinnamon sugar donuts to traditional jam doughnuts as well as glazed chocolate doughnuts. Fall inspired pumpkin doughnuts, mini- baked 

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