Cream Filled Donuts – 2 Methods, 6 Fillings

These homemade cream filled donuts are soft, fluffy, and filled with delicious pastry cream. I’ll show you two easy ways to shape and fill them, plus six filling variations, including vanilla, chocolate, and fruit creams. With step-by-step photos and practical tips, you can make bakery-style filled donuts right at home.

I’ve always loved cream filled donuts, especially the ones with a generous amount of filling in every bite. And while they may look complicated, they’re surprisingly manageable once you understand how to work with the dough.

Over the years, I’ve made these using two different methods. Both work well, but each gives a slightly different result. I’ll walk you through both so you can choose the one you prefer.

The best part is the fillings. I use one pastry cream base to create different flavors, so you can make a whole assortment without preparing six separate recipes.

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Step-by-step: Cream-filled doughnuts

Donut dough

• Dry ingredients – In a bowl, combine flour and salt.
  Pro tip – You can add spices like cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice to add some fall flavor.
• Wet ingredients – In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, with the dough hook attachment, combine warm milk, sugar, yeast, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
• Wet to dry – Add the flour mixture to the yeast egg mixture and combine on medium-high until all the flour is incorporated. Then, knead on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes.
  Pro tip – Avoid adding too much extra flour when kneading. We want a soft, elastic, slightly sticky dough.
• Butter – Add the room-temperature butter and continue kneading on medium-low speed for 8 to 10 minutes more, until smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky.
• Bowl – Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise on the counter for 60 to 90 minutes or until doubled in volume.
  Pro tip – You can also leave the dough in the fridge to slowly rise for up to 24 hours. Thaw on the counter for an hour.

Pastry cream

• Combine – In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine egg yolks and sugar. Add the cornstarch – combine well with a whisk. Then, add the salt and vanilla extract. Followed by milk and heavy cream. Stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
  Pro tip – Gradually, add the milk a little at a time to prevent lumps.
• Simmer – Then, place the pan on medium-low heat and continue to cook the pastry cream, stirring all the time. When the pastry cream is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon or spatula, add the butter and take it off the heat.
  Pro tip – The liquid must come to a low boil, which will transform from a foamy liquid to a thick custard with no foam at all.
• Strain – Strain through a mesh or sieve – discard the vanilla pod as well as any curdled eggs. Then, cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap.
  Pro tip – Straining will ensure a smooth texture and remove any curdled or thickened milk solids.
• Cool – Let it cool completely before you store it in the fridge. Once cooled, whip vigorously with a whisk until smooth.

Start with the homemade pastry cream, then choose from six delicious donut filling variations. Each uses pastry cream as the base, so you don’t need to make six separate fillings from scratch.

• Pastry cream filling – Add the pastry cream to the piping bag with a round or Bismarck piping tip.
  1. Strawberry cream filling – In a small bowl, combine the pastry cream, strawberry puree, and strawberry extract. Use a whisk to ensure it is smooth. Then, transfer to a piping bag with a round or bismarck piping tip.
  2. Raspberry cream filling – In a small bowl, combine the pastry cream, raspberry puree, and raspberry extract. Use a whisk to ensure it is smooth. Then, transfer to a piping bag with a round or bismarck piping tip.
  3. Blackberry cream filling – In a small bowl, combine the pastry cream, blackberry puree, and blackberry extract. Use a whisk to ensure it is smooth. Transfer to a piping bag with a round or bismarck piping tip.
  4. Blueberry cream filling – In a small bowl, combine the pastry cream, blueberry puree, and blueberry extract. Use a whisk to ensure it is smooth.
  5. Cream cheese/Cheesecake filling  – In a bowl, combine the pastry cream and cream cheese until smooth. Then, transfer to a piping bag with a round or Bismarck piping tip.
     Pro tip – Make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature; otherwise, it will be very lumpy.
  6. Chocolate cream filling – In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly. Then, add the pastry cream and combine well. Transfer to a piping bag with a round or bismarck piping tip.

Shaping the donuts

• Once doubled in volume, invert on a floured surface. Press down and reshape into a ball.
  Pro tip – Press down and remove all air pockets. Otherwise, you will have big air pockets, which will collapse during deep frying.

• Method 1 – Divide the dough into two halves and each half into 6 portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball. Then, flatten it with your fingers.
  Pro tip – Always make one or two mini doughnuts for the purpose of testing the oil temperature.

• Method 2 – Transfer to a well-dusted work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 3-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out as many discs as you can.
  Pro tip – If you roll the dough too thin, the donuts will not be fluffy. It is best to make fewer yet light and fluffy donuts than many flat, hard donuts.

Proof and deep fry

• Proof – Place each donut on a baking sheet on parchment paper squares. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise on the counter for 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in volume.
  Pro tip – Alternatively, you can also leave the donuts to slowly rise in the fridge overnight. Thaw on the counter for 30 minutes before deep frying.
• Deep fry – Pour oil into a heavy pot or deep fryer and bring to about 350°F (175°C). I like to use my Dutch oven pan.
  • Cook the donuts on each side for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the donuts from the oil onto a cooling rack or drop them on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
    Tip 1 – Make sure you have enough oil so the donuts will be at least half immersed in oil when puffed.
    Tip 2– You want the oil hot, but not too hot, otherwise the donuts will become too dark. Adjust accordingly.
• Dust – Place the sugar in a bowl and coat each donut in the sugar as soon as it is hot out of the oil.

Filling

• Place the donuts vertically in a tray and poke a hole with a knife.
  Pro tip – Keeping the donuts in a tray vertically helps so you don’t have to hold the sugary donuts in your hands. Can be messy!
• Poke the piping tip deep into the donuts and squeeze as much filling into the donuts as possible.
  Pro tip – I piped a little jam to help identify the donuts. As you fill each donut, it will become heavy.

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Storage and Make Ahead

• Room temperature – Unfilled donuts are best enjoyed fresh but can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Donuts filled with pastry cream or cream cheese should not be stored at room temperature.
• Refrigerator – Store cream filled donuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The dough will gradually lose its softness, so they’re best eaten fresh.
• Make ahead – Prepare the pastry cream up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate it in a covered container. You can also prepare the donut dough the night before and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator. Bring it out, shape, and proof before frying.
• Freezing – Unfilled donuts can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and refresh briefly in a low oven before cooling completely and filling. Freezing pastry-cream-filled donuts isn’t recommended because the filling can separate and become watery.