Happy Valentine’s Day!
Vegan Boston Creme Donuts coming at ya!
Nothing says I love you like deep fat fried dough!
But watch the video all the way through so you can see my variation using the air fryer!
Yes virtually fat free air fried donuts!
I know what you’re thinking, “But donuts are supposed to be fried!”
And yes I agree with you, but as you get up there into your senior years like me, you have to watch things a bit more closely than you did in your youth!
But hey, I’m just offering up alternatives, you can deep fat fry until your little heart… Umm…. desires!
Homemade sprinkles are my favorite thing about these donuts and I think you will agree, when you see how easy it is to make them and how much money you can save by making your own!!
Now get to work! It’s almost Valentine’s Day!
AIR FRYER TIP! I didn’t show this in the video but if you fill the bottom of your air fryer with about 1 cup of water while air frying (not so much that it touches the basket) it keeps the donuts from getting crispy and hard **even though the directions on my air fryer specifically say NOT TO FILL WITH WATER! I did it anyway! User be ware!
Vegan Boston Creme Donuts
Vegan Boston Creme Donuts Prep time: 3 hours Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 3 hours 5 mins Serves: 12 Donuts The custard made with cornstarch will always make a slightly thinner translucent custard. If you want a thicker, heavier custard you can make it with All Purpose flour (6 Tablespoons instead of the 4 Tablespoons of cornstarch below) same method of cooking.
AIR FRYER TIP! I didn't show this in the video but if you fill the bottom of your air fryer with about 1 cup of water while air frying (not so much that it touches the basket) it keeps the donuts from getting crispy and hard- Disclaimer- while the instructions to my air fryer specifically say DO NOT add water to the basket... Umm.. I did 😉
AIR FRYER TIP! I didn't show this in the video but if you fill the bottom of your air fryer with about 1 cup of water while air frying (not so much that it touches the basket) it keeps the donuts from getting crispy and hard- Disclaimer- while the instructions to my air fryer specifically say DO NOT add water to the basket... Umm.. I did 😉
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- Soy Milk ¾ cup (180ml) warmed to 65°F
- Dry Yeast 1 Tablespoon (6g)
- Flax Meal 1 tablespoon (8g)
- Hot Water 3 Tablespoons (45ml)
- Vegan Granulated Sugar 1 Tablespoon (14g)
- All Purpose Flour 2½ cup (325g)
- Baking Powder ½ teaspoon (3g)
- Salt ¼ teaspoon
- Nutmeg Ground ⅛ teaspoon *optional
- Cardamom ⅛ teaspoon *optional
- Vegan Butter or Coconut Oil 4 tablespoons (56g)
- Peanut or your favorite Vegetable frying oil approx 2½ cups
- For the Custard:
- Soy Milk 2¼ cup (533ml)
- Granulated Sugar ¾ cup (150g)
- Cornstarch 6 Tablespoons (50g)
- Turmeric ¼ teaspoon
- Vegan Butter 1½ Tablespoons (21g)
- Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon (5ml)
- For the Glaze:
- 4 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 5 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1½ Tablespoons agave
- For the Sprinkles:
- Confectioner's Sugar 1½ cup (180ml)
- Salt pinch
- Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon (5ml)
- Aquafaba or Water 1 Tablespoon (15ml)
- Color as needed
Instructions
- For the Dough:
- Sprinkle the dry yeast over the warm milk and allow to proof for about 5 minutes until slightly frothy
- Melt the earth balance and then get the flax meal combined with the hot water and let it stand to thicken for 5 - 10 minutes
- In a mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment combine all the ingredients including the frothed yeast/milk mixture EXCEPT FOR OIL~ the oil is for frying the donuts!
- Mix on low speed until everything is incorporated for about 30 seconds
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to help it along and mix on low to medium for 8 more minutes on medium speed.
- Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and set in a warm spot, covered for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes, fold the dough over onto itself and continue the rest for another 30 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it to ¼" - ½" thick
- Cut dough with a 3" heart shaped cookie cutter
- It is not great to re-roll this dough so I like to take the scraps and twist them up to make crullers.
- Transfer the donuts to a parchment lined sheet pan and allow them to rest for 30-45 minutes and then heat the frying oil.
- In a large, deep heavy bottom sauce pot heat 3 cups of frying oil to approximately 360°F (190°c)
- Fry the donuts for approximately 2 minutes on each side using a metal or wooden utensil to do the flipping.
- Be very careful working with hot oil it is very dangerous if it spills or splatters on your skin.
- Remove the donuts to a cooling rack or a sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- For the air fryer method brush the donuts lightly with oil and then fry at 400°F for 10 minutes or until golden
- For the Custard:
- Combine all the ingredients except for the vanilla extract and butter in a medium sauce pot over medium to high heat and bring to a boil stirring occasionally .
- Once it starts to bubble be sure to stir constantly to avoid burning on the bottom, and let it boil on low heat for about 30 seconds.
- Add the vanilla extract and the vegan butter and stir to melt the butter
- Pour into a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap to avoid forming a skin, then refrigerate until cold
- For the Glaze:
- Combine all ingredients together in a small sauce pot and heat on low stirring constantly until melted
- For the Sprinkles:
- Combine all the ingredients together and stir to form a stiff dough, add color as desired
- Fill the donuts as shown in the video
Notes
Like any yeast pastry, donuts will stale quickly so they are best eaten the day they are made.
I found the fat fried donuts to still be soft after 1 day but the air fried donuts were heavy and bread-like on the 2nd day, more than when they were fresh
For the cornstarch vs flour comprehension: One tablespoon of cornstarch thickens one cup of liquid to a medium consistency. It takes two tablespoons of flour to thicken the same amount of liquid and why I have an increased amount of flour for those wanting to use flour rather than cornstarch.
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I found the fat fried donuts to still be soft after 1 day but the air fried donuts were heavy and bread-like on the 2nd day, more than when they were fresh
For the cornstarch vs flour comprehension: One tablespoon of cornstarch thickens one cup of liquid to a medium consistency. It takes two tablespoons of flour to thicken the same amount of liquid and why I have an increased amount of flour for those wanting to use flour rather than cornstarch.
3.5.3226
Hi Dear
How are you? Thank you very much for all the recipes.
I had a question, if there are any boston creme doughnuts leftovers, should we refrigerate them or keep them outside?
It’s very hot where I stay actually.
Thanks alot.
Loadz of love :* :*
I left mine out overnight and ate them the next day and they were fine. Refrigerating the dough will make them hard, so if you do it- just be sure to heat them up slightly before re-serving
Can this custard filling be used for filling a layered cake? Do you have any go to filling I can use in a chcolate wedding cake:)
Yes! I did it here in my Boston Creme Pie recipe
Hi! Gretchen.
Can I just keep the custard donut at room temperature without refrigerate during the summer month?
Plant milk is still perishable at room temperature so you would have to keep the leftovers refrigerated. Obviously you don’t want to eat cold donuts~ so these are best served just after you make them. They will be fine at room temperature for the first day though
Your recipe says let proof second time for 30min but your video says 1 hour. I made these and they weren’t fluffy or golden brown?
Hi Jennifer, I’m sorry this happened to you! When it comes to yeast doughs, proofing time is never an exact due to conditions in your kitchen and even the temperature of the dough after mixing. I think in the video I may have been referring to the entire time- as written: Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and set in a warm spot, covered for 30 minutes
After 30 minutes, fold the dough over onto itself and continue the rest for another 30 minutes.
Again, yeast doughs are definitely a “touchy-feely” kinda recipe that can’t be chained to exact times, but another factor in this could be your yeast? Sometimes yeast gets old and won’t perform optimally (which is a good reason why we “prove” it in the first step of mixing to make sure it gets nice and frothy otherwise the recipe will never come out light and fluffy.
Sorry for any confusion I may have posed here, but definitely check your yeast (a lot of times yeast doesn’t sell in supermarkets quickly- you could have gotten a dead pack)
Thank you so much for the quick reply I did get quite a lot of foam but not as much as needed i guessI will try with newer yeast next time. Thanks!
I should add (as I re-read my answer) that you could just need to proof them longer. The conditions in your house will be different than mine, and so that could also vary
Gretchen:
I just wanted to say I LOVE your Modern Vegan Baking cookbook! I use it so often it is ragged and food-stained. I love your yeast donuts! So fast and light and tasty. I feed them to all my non-vegan family and friends and they are a true vegan ambassador when it comes to promoting how great the food can be.
I also love your baked triple chocolate donuts. AAARRRRRRGGGG! So good! My husband and I eat all of them ourselves.
Oh, and I add chopped nuts to your cooked chocolate frosting and pour it into a pyrex dish and refrigerate it to make the most delicious fudge.
Anyhow, clearly I could gush!
Thank you so much for your great food.
WOW awesome! thank you sooo soo much for the great review!!
Terrible. Came out tasting like bread. Nothing resembling a desert.