This French Crullers Dunkin’s Donuts Copycat recipe makes delicious fluffy doughnuts with a sweet glaze coating. They are the ultimate breakfast indulgence!
Crullers
If you’ve ever tried a Dunkin Donuts French cruller, then you know just how delightful they can be. This is the best crullers recipe because it’s fun, easy, and delicious!
These cruller donuts have a classic ridged texture and fluffy dough inside. Coated in a deliciously sweet glaze, you are in for the ultimate sweet treat. It’s the perfect thing to pair with your morning coffee!
Why You’ll Love this Dunkin Donuts Copycat Recipe:
- Easy: This French cruller recipe is surprisingly easy. If you’ve never made your own homemade donuts before, this should be a good step-by-step guide starting point.
- Classic: These delicious French crullers taste near identical (if not better) than the classic chain shop version you know and love!
How to Make French Crullers
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- In a medium saucepan, combine the listed ingredients (see recipe card for measurements and further details) and bring to a boil.
- Add in flour until it coats the bottom of the pan and then remove from heat.
- Pour this mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix lightly until cooled.
- Keep the mixer going and add the eggs one at a time. Continue to mix until the dough takes shape.
- Preheat oil in a large stockpot. Prepare parchment paper and spoon the dough into a piping bag with a large star tip. Then pipe dough circles onto the parchment paper.
- Place it into the hot oil and gently remove the paper with tongs. Fry donuts until caramel golden brown.
- Once complete, place on a cooling rack over paper towels to collect excess oil. Repeat the steps for any remaining dough.
- For the glaze, combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Dip crullers into the glaze using a fork and turn over to cover the entire French doughnut. Let the donut sit to allow the excess glaze to drip off.
- Serve and enjoy your homemade crullers!
Ingredient Notes
- Make sure you wait until the oil has been heated to the correct temperature before frying the crullers. Hot oil will give the crullers a nice crisp outside, while the inside will remain soft and delicate.
- To restore freshness, heat the crullers in the microwave for 5-8 seconds.
French crullers are a type of donut made from choux pastry (like churros or chocolate eclairs) instead of a yeasted dough.
French crullers are different from regular donuts, as they are made with pâte à choux– a very light, eggy pastry dough– rather than traditional donut dough. This leads to a lighter, airier donut with a crisp exterior. They also commonly have a ridged exterior that is perfect for catching glaze.
Yes, but the crust will be firmer and the insides will be less gooey, so they may seem a bit drier. To bake, preheat oven to 425°F and place crullers with 2 inches between them on a lined baking sheet. Place in the hot oven and bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes. Turn off the oven, crack the door open slightly, and allow the crullers to sit in the oven for 10 minutes before removing and dipping in glaze.
Crullers are cooked through when they are deep golden brown on both sides. This should only take about 2-3 minutes per side.
If the pastry dough is not chilled enough, then the crullers may split when fried. Furthermore, if there is not enough oil in your Dutch oven or the temperature is not quite right, the donuts could get stuck to the bottom or fry too quickly, causing them to split.
If your crullers are not cooked all the way through, they can collapse after frying. Another reason may be the type of flour used. While you can use all-purpose flour, I often recommend making these donuts with bread flour to make them sturdier and less likely to collapse.
What is the texture of these crullers?
These crullers have a nice, golden crisp outside with a soft, light and delicate texture on the inside. Coated in a sweet and smooth glaze.
Make Ahead Instructions
Cruller dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to pipe and fry.
The dough can also be piped frozen for up to 1 month. To freeze, set the piped crullers on a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bag to store. Let thaw slightly on the countertop while the oil heats, then fry, adding an additional 1-2 minutes to the total fry time.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover French crullers in an airtight container or Ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat for 5-10 seconds in the microwave or 5 minutes in a 350°F air fryer.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze French crullers in a single layer on a lined baking sheet until solid, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bag to store for up to 2 months. Let thaw on the countertop before reheating.
Substitutions
- You can use vegetable shortening in place of the butter. Keep in mind that the flavor will be slightly different.
- While I recommend using bread flour for more stable crullers, you can also use all-purpose flour.
- You can use almond extract in place of the vanilla for a slightly different flavor.
- Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the glaze for cinnamon crullers.
Tips for the Best French Crullers
- The easiest way to tell if your choux pastry is cooked to the right consistency is to perform the “V” test. Place a rubber spatula upright into the dough, stir a little, then lift directly up. If the dough forms a “V” shape at the end, it is ready to be piped.
- Pipe the crullers onto individual parchment squares to avoid a mess. Choux dough is sticky and soft and will not hold its shape if you try to lift it with your hands only.
- To prevent the edges from burning, use a wet fingertip to gently press down the point where your crullers meet after piping them.
- Make sure you wait until the oil has been heated to the correct temperature before frying the crullers. Hot oil will give the crullers a nice crisp outside, while the inside will remain soft and delicate.
- Carefully place the crullers into the oil to avoid burning yourself!
- Do not overcrowd the oil; this will reduce the temperature and lead to soggy, undercooked crullers.
- If you notice that your crullers are splitting when frying them, try chilling the dough for 10 minutes before frying the next batch.
- Let the glaze set completely before storing to prevent the crullers from sticking together.
I hope you love this French crullers recipe! I’d love to know how they turned out. Let me know in the comments below!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
French Crullers Recipe
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- 1¼ cups water 284 grams
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
- 4½ teaspoons granulated sugar 19 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 grams
- 1¼ cups bread flour 150 grams (or all-purpose flour)
- 4 large eggs 200 grams, room temperature
- 2 egg whites 70 grams, room temperature
For the Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar 226 grams
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup 20 grams
- 2-3 teaspoons water 9-14 grams, hot (180-200°F)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8 grams
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
For the Donuts
- In a medium-sized saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the water, butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Add the flour and stir until incorporated.1¼ cups water, ½ cup unsalted butter, 4½ teaspoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1¼ cups bread flour
- Continue cooking and stirring the mixture until it begins coating the bottom of the saucepan in places. Remove from the heat.
- Carefully transfer the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Mix on a medium-low speed for a few minutes, or until the mixture has cooled slightly.
- While the mixer is running, add the eggs one at a time, letting each one incorporate into the mixture before adding the next.4 large eggs, 2 egg whites
- Once all of the eggs have been added, continue mixing until smooth and glossy and the dough starts to hold a little shape.
- In a Dutch oven, preheat 3-4 inches of oil to 375°F. Cut a piece of parchment paper into 3-4-inch squares.
- Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a very large open star tip. Pipe dough circles about 3-4 inches in diameter onto the parchment squares.
- Place the piped dough circles with the parchment into the preheated oil. Gently remove the parchment paper with tongs and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until a caramel golden color.
- Once cooked and golden, carefully remove the crullers from the oil and place on a wire cooling rack over paper towels to let any excess oil drip out. Repeat the frying process with the remaining dough.
For the Glaze
- Add the powdered sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and vanilla to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Start with 2 teaspoons of water and add more until desired consistency is reached.2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon corn syrup, 2-3 teaspoons water, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- One at a time, dip the warm crullers into the bowl of glaze. Using a fork, turn the doughnut over to completely cover it with the glaze. Lift the donut out of the glaze and let as much excess glaze drip back into the bowl as possible, then place it onto a wire cooling rack to let the remaining excess glaze drip off.
Notes
- You can use vegetable shortening in place of the butter. Keep in mind that the flavor will be slightly different.
- While I recommend using bread flour for more stable crullers, you can also use all-purpose flour.
- You can use almond extract in place of the vanilla for a slightly different flavor.
- Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the glaze for cinnamon crullers.
- The easiest way to tell if your choux pastry is cooked to the right consistency is to perform the “V” test. Place a rubber spatula upright into the dough, stir a little, then lift directly up. If the dough forms a “V” shape at the end, it is ready to be piped.
- Pipe the crullers onto individual parchment squares to avoid a mess. Choux dough is sticky and soft and will not hold its shape if you try to lift it with your hands only.
- To prevent the edges from burning, use a wet fingertip to gently press down the point where your crullers meet after piping them.
- Make sure you wait until the oil has been heated to the correct temperature before frying the crullers. Hot oil will give the crullers a nice crisp outside, while the inside will remain soft and delicate.
- Carefully place the crullers into the oil to avoid burning yourself!
- Do not overcrowd the oil; this will reduce the temperature and lead to soggy, undercooked crullers.
- If you notice that your crullers are splitting when frying them, try chilling the dough for 10 minutes before frying the next batch.
- Let the glaze set completely before storing to prevent the crullers from sticking together.
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