Make an easy and simple but yummylicious treat that both kids and adults will love with these foolproof jam donuts, filled with homemade strawberry jam! Nothing beats a classic dessert!
Jam filled Donuts
I’m a sucker for classic desserts just like these jam filled donuts! Making these delicious jam doughnuts takes little to no effort and they turn out super yum! I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love jam filled donuts! In fact, donuts of any kind!
We all grew up eating donuts, most of them made by our mothers and grandmas, so it would be great for us to carry on this easy and delicious recipe.
What is in a jelly Doughnut?
A jelly donut, also known as jam donut is a simple donut filled with jam filling. My recipe for jam donuts makes light, fluffy donuts, filled with just the right amount of strawberry jam for the perfect tea time treat.
The ultra traditional donut recipe could be played up all kinds of different ways but I personally prefer this simple version of strawberry jam donuts which I believe is a great dessert in any season.
There are countless fillings you can use for these donuts: jams of any kind – apricot, blueberry, rosehip, raspberry, cherry – marmalade, chocolate or vanilla cream, yoghurt, peanut butter sweet cheese, anything you like and can pump into them or spread on a dough round.
These jam filled donuts taste even better with homemade strawberry jam and I personally like them cold from the fridge but room temperature works just as great too. Some people even like to serve these hot! A glass of milk is a great companion for these delicious donuts!
Similar posts you might like:
- Strawberry jam Linzer cookies
- Jam filled chocolate covered cookies
- Apple jam with green tomatoes
- Blackberry jam pastries
- Raspberry swirl cheesecake
There’s nothing quite like freshly cooked donuts! All it takes to make this jam doughnut recipe is just a few simple ingredients to make wonderfully moist, puffy and difficult to resist jam donuts! An easy to follow recipe that produces an unbeatable treat, especially when served fresh and warm, dusted with sugar!
I remember when my grandma used to make these delicious treats. She would cook them, my mother would sprinkle and everyone else was eating even before they were all ready. I used to steal one at a time and run around the house while eating it, so that I wouldn’t get caught. It was the same with my cousins, but we were running from one another to avoid being stolen the precious desert. It was no use calling us back and telling us we should only eat them after eating “proper food” for lunch or dinner!
How are jelly donuts made?
To make this amazing dessert you won’t need a lot of ingredients and chances are you already have them or most of them in your pantry. You’ll need flour, salt, dry yeast, milk, sugar, eggs and butter. You’ll also need oil to fry the donuts and confectioners’ sugar to dust the donuts (optional).
Don’t just limit yourself to the sugar! For Christmas, for example, you can also sprinkle cinnamon on the donuts for a special flavor. If you want to go the extra mile, you can also sprinkle nutmeg. The taste will be even more special.
And of course you’ll need jam. I used strawberry jam but feel free to use your favorite jam. I like to make my own strawberry jam and use it fresh, right after making it but store bought strawberry jam would do the trick too. Just make sure it’s not too solid, you need it smooth and soft so you can pipe it easily into the donuts.
How to make fluffy donuts?
To get fluffy donuts, mix the yeast with some milk and sugar and let the mixture sit in a warm place until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Once the dough is prepared don’t rush making these jam filled donuts. Instead, let the dough rise for a couple of hours. Allow the donuts to rise some more after cutting into rounds and laying them on a flat surface, covered with a warm but dry towel. This will help the donuts become fluffy and airy which is not only good for your taste buds but it will make some room for the jam when you fill the donuts.
If you want the flavor to be stronger, you can add lemon or orange zest, vanilla essence or vanilla sugar. Another way of filling the donuts, if you don’t have a filling tool at hand, is to cut two rounds for one donut, add the filling on one of them, then add the second on top and press a bit to stick them. In this case, you will need to make a thinner dough and thinner jam.
For those that don’t like deep-fried donuts or are not allowed to eat fried foods, oven donuts are a great alternative. They may be a bit less puffy than usual donuts, but just as tasty!
Now for some interesting donut facts:
- In the U.S., there are at least 10 people whose last name is “Donut” or “Doughnut” and at least 13 people with their first name “Donut”;
- Canada has the most donut shops per capita than any country in the world. In America, Boston is the city with most donut shops per person.
- The donut variety cooked in France, a bit different than the American round one, was called “Pet de nonne”, meaning “nun’s fart” LOL;
- The Guinness World record for eating donuts is held by John Haigh. He managed to eat no less than 29 donuts in just over 6 minutes;
- The largest donut ever was made on 21st January 1993 and weighed 1.7 tons. It was a jelly-filled donut;
- The most expensive donut in the world contains edible diamonds, 24k edible gold and aged chocolate balsamic vinegar. We don’t know the rest of the ingredients as they are secret, but these donuts sell for $100 per piece;
- Originally, donuts sold by Dunkin’ Donuts had handles;
- Speaking of Dunkin’ Donuts, no more than 8% of their sales actually come from donuts;
- It has been scientifically proved that the size of the hole in the donut is opposite to the quality of the economy – the better the economy, the smaller the hole;
- In Michigan there is one donut shop run entirely by cops;
- Why are cops always depicted eating donuts? Well, this iconic image emerged in the 40’s and 50’s, when policemen were working nightshifts. There weren’t a lot of food options available at the time, but donut shops would usually open very early in the morning and close very late at night, so most of the times this was the only thing at hand.
Celebrities fun donut facts:
- Clark Gable explained the proper etiquette for dunking donuts in 1934’s “It Happened One Night”. He said that dunking for too long will only make the donut soft and fall off. You only need to do a quick dip before you eat it;
- Renee Zellweger had to gain weight fast for her Bridged Jones role, so she had 20 donuts a day. Apart from this, she used to eat potatoes swimming in butter, milkshakes, pizza, a Big Mac and chips.
Jam donuts
Ingredients:
- 4 to 4 1/2 cup flour plus more for dusting
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- two large eggs beaten
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- strawberry jam or jam of choice
- vegetable oil for frying
- icing sugar for dusting
Kitchen tools you need:
- mixing bowl
- small bowl
- rolling pin
- round cookie cutter (a drinking glass with thin walls will work just well if you don’t have a cutter at hand)
- baking sheet
- fryer
- pastry bag for filling (you can also use a pastry syringe)
- 1/2″ round tip
Instructions:
Prepare the dough
1. Mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons of the milk and 2 tablespoons sugar and let sit until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes then add to the flour with the remaining milk.
2.In a mixing bowl combine 4 cups flour and salt then add the yeast.
3. Add the eggs and butter to the flour mixture.
4. Begin to mix the ingredients into a soft, but not sticky, dough. Add a little extra milk if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time or work in extra flour if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
Allow the dough to rise
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
7. Punch down the risen dough then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few seconds.
8. Lightly flour a rolling pin then gradually roll out the dough to about 1/2″ thick. Cut out into 3 to 4-inch rounds with a lightly floured cookie cutter. Re-roll the scraps to make more rounds.
9. Place the doughnuts on lightly floured baking sheets, spacing them apart so they don’t touch when rising, and cover lightly with a dry towel. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
Fry the donuts
10. Fill a fryer 3-inches high with vegetable oil and heat at about 350 F. Fry the doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden and puffed, turning frequently, about 5 minutes.
11. Lift the doughnuts from the oil and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Fill with jam
12. Let cool slightly and fill a pastry bag, fitted with a 1/2″ round tip, with jam.
13. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Print the recipe
Jam donuts with homemade strawberry jam
Ingredients
- 4 to 4 1/2 cup flour plus more for dusting
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- strawberry jam or jam of choice
- vegetable oil for frying
- icing sugar for dusting
You will also need:
- mixing bowl
- small bowl
- rolling pin
- round cookie cutter
- baking sheet
- fryer
- pastry bag
- 1/2 round tip
Instructions
- Mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons of the milk and 2 tablespoons sugar and let sit until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes then add to the flour with the remaining milk.
- In a mixing bowl combine 4 cups flour and salt then add the yeast.
- Add the eggs and butter to the flour mixture.
- Begin to mix the ingredients into a soft, but not sticky, dough. Add a little extra milk if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time or work in extra flour if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Punch down the risen dough then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few seconds.
- Lightly flour a rolling pin then gradually roll out the dough to about 1/2" thick. Cut out into 3 to 4-inch rounds with a lightly floured cookie cutter. Re-roll the scraps to make more rounds.
- Place the doughnuts on lightly floured baking sheets, spacing them apart so they don't touch when rising, and cover lightly with a dry towel. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
- Fill a fryer 3-inches high with vegetable oil and heat at about 350 F. Fry the doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden and puffed, turning frequently, about 5 minutes.
- Lift the doughnuts from the oil and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Let cool slightly and fill a pastry bag, fitted with a 1/2" round tip, with jam.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve.
What do you love most as filling for your donuts? Do you know any unusual donut recipes that you’d like to share? Also, if you have an interesting or funny story involving donuts, we would love to read about it in the comments section below.
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Chanel says
Hi, does the butter have to be melted?
Petro says
Hi Chanel. Yes, melted and cooled
Kristi says
I have not made this yet, but you might want to switch steps 1 and 2. It is confusing to say to add the yeast to the flour in the first step, which if you did, you wouldn’t be able to do step 2 with the yeast and milk.
Petro says
Hi, Kristi! Thanks for letting us know! We’ve made some updates to the recipe and forgot to update these steps.
Scha says
Hi what brand of jam is this?
Petro says
As mentioned in the article, it’s homemade jam.
Victoria says
Do you have a post with your recipe for making the homemade strawberry jam? Every time I’ve ever used store bought jam or jelly for donuts the flavor just isn’t strong enough for what I’d like. I’m hoping for better results with a homemade filling.
Petro says
Hi, Victoria! Happy to hear you liked my recipe & decided to give it a try! You’ll love it! I made the strawberry jam the exact same way I made the mixed berry jam topping in this cheesecake recipe, I just mashed the strawberries real good first https://theseamanmom.com/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookie-cheesecake/
George Whipps says
Hello. Thank-you for the Jelly doughnuts recipe. George
Petro says
Hi, George! I’m glad you liked the recipe!
Jeannette says
My sight will not allow me to fry these yummy looking doughnuts. (Meaning, my depth perception is on existent and I can only see with one eye—I had an aneurysm ) So, could I bake them or do I need to ask for help from someone?
Thank you!
Petro says
I’m sorry, Jeannette. I’m not able to give any advice on baking these as I’ve only made them fried.
Mala says
Hi I made these today. The best so far. They were light and fluffy. Thank you. Only thing I might just add is a 1/2 teaspoon vanilla just to give the dough more flavour. Great recipie thanks.
Petro says
Hi, Mala. Thanks so much, you just made my day! So happy you liked my recipe!
Nicole says
Beautiful recipe <3 My donuts fail 80% of the time but this was foolproof! The dough was simply delightful to work with. However I proofed the yeast with only 1 tsp of sugar and a tad more of the liquid cos the first time I did it as instructed my yeast died haha. I made some subs using 6T aquafaba instead of eggs and I used non-dairy milk as well. Divided the dough in half and made filled donuts and the others with a hole in the middle. I used a bunch of different toppings but even the base itself was super flavourful and fluffy. This is definitely a keeper. Thanks <3
Petro says
Aww! I’m so excited the recipe work great for you too! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂