These strawberry filled donuts are a strawberry lover’s dream! They are soft, perfectly fried doughnuts filled with whipped vanilla ricotta cream and sweet roasted strawberries!
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These soft Strawberry Filled Donuts are yeasted donuts fried to perfection. They are filled with sweet roasted strawberries and whipped ricotta cream.
I loved my Lemon Filled Donuts so much that I decided to make a strawberry version.
For more delicious donuts recipes, try my Ricotta Donuts and Sour Cream Donuts.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Fried Donuts: These yeasted donuts are soft, fresh and delicious! There’s nothing like making your own donuts from scratch!
- Roasting strawberries brings out the sweetness and intensifies the strawberry flavor!
- This Vanilla Whipped Ricotta Cheese Cream is perfectly sweet and creamy. It’s also so easy to whip up.
- For a little extra sweetness, toss the donuts in sugar and lemon zest!
Ingredients
Below are useful notes about some of the ingredients.
- Ricotta Cheese: Whole milk ricotta works best for this.
- Powdered Sugar: For sweetening. The recipe calls for 3/4 cup. Add a bit more or less, according to your taste.
- Vanilla Extract: I almost always add vanilla extract to my whipped cream and I like to add it to whipped ricotta cream as well. It adds the most delicious flavor!
See recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Instructions
This is a basic recipe for soft, fluffy donuts. The process is pretty simple.
- Make the dough: I prefer to make the dough using my stand mixer. It’s possible to make make the dough by hand, but using the mixer is much easier.
- Let the dough rise: Transfer dough to a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and clean kitchen towels. Leave dough to double, .
- Roast the strawberries: Roasting the strawberries can be done anytime. I like to roast them while the doughnuts are rising. To roast the strawberries, preheat oven and toss the hulled strawberries with sugar, honey, a pinch of salt. Roast until tender. Set aside in a bowl to cool.
- Roll out dough and & cut into rounds: Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the doughnuts using a 3-inch donut cutter. Line a baking sheet or two with a silicone mat or parchment paper or sprinkle the baking sheets with flour. Transfer donuts to the baking sheets, leaving space between the donuts. Use a clean kitchen towel to lightly cover the donuts and let rise in a draft free, warm/room temperature room until slightly puffed (about 30 minutes).
- Prepare the oil: Heat the oil about fifteen minutes before donuts are ready to be fried. Add about three inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-duty pot and heat on medium until the oil reaches 350 F. Place donuts on a baking sheet lined ith paper towels.
- Fry the donuts: Fry two donuts at a time. Fry 1 minute per side. Carefully remove from the oil and place on paper towels. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.
- Make the ricotta filling: Whip the ricotta in a food processor. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and pulse to combine. Allow donuts to cool before filling.
- Fill the donuts: Discard the strawberry juice and add the berries to the whipped ricotta. Slice the donuts til about in half and fill each donut with the ricotta/berry mixture. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
ABOUT ROASTED STRAWBERRIES
Whatever the season, roasting strawberries makes berries perfectly tender and brings out more of the strawberry flavor and sweetness that everone loves! I especially like roasting strawberries in the wintertime when berries are not as fresh.
If it’s peak berry season and you find yourself with fresh, juicy, perfectly sweet berries, you can definitely skip the roasting. Even though it’s summer and I have fresh berries, I love the tender texture of roasted berries in these soft donuts!
I first roasted strawberries for my roasted strawberry ice cream recipe! If you love strawberries, that ice cream is a creamy, delicious berry treat! Another favorite roasted strawberry recipe are my Roasted Strawberry Crumb Bars!
WHIPPED RICOTTA CREAM
For the cream part of these berries and cream donuts, we’re making whipped ricotta cream! You can absolutely use traditional whipped cream here, but I love the extra special element the whipped ricotta cream adds!
Whipped ricotta cream is super simple to make and is absolutely delicious. It’s creamy, smooth and just makes you feel like you’re eating a real treat!
Instructions – Whipped Ricotta Cream
- Place the ricotta cheese in a food processor and blend until the cheese is smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and pulse until combined.
- Adjust sweetness if desired.
Expert Tips
- Add about 3 inches of oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to fry the donuts.
- The easiest and least messy way to fill these donuts is by slicing them in half. Slice each donut just about in half then spoon the filling in the middle.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Set the temperature to medium heat and heat the oil to 350 F.
One way to check that donuts are done inside is to measure the internal temperature. Donuts should be around 200 F when fully cooked inside.
Donuts are best enjoyed the day they are made. Whipped ricotta cream can be made ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up 2-3 days.
Strawberry Filled Donuts
Ingredients
FOR THE DONUTS
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) whole milk room temperature
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 g) one package active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 ml) warm water 105 F- 115 F
- 1 (1) egg room temperature
- 2 (2) egg yolks room temperature
- 1/3 cup (75.67 g) butter room temperature, sliced into tablespoons
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 11/4 teaspoon (11/4 teaspoon) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon) cinnamon
- 3 1/2 (437.5 g) –4 cups all purpose flour plus more for rolling out the dough
- About 6 cups vegetable oil for frying
- powdered sugar for dusting
FOR THE ROASTED STRAWBERRIES
- 1 pound (453.59 g) strawberries hulled, chopped in half if large
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon (1/2 tablespoon) honey
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon (1/8-1/4 teaspoon) rose water optional and to taste*
FOR THE WHIPPED RICOTTA CREAM
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) whole milk ricotta
- 3/4 cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons (1 1/4 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) lemon zest
Instructions
Donuts
- In a small bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and a pinch of sugar. Stir til yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.** Once foamy, add the yeast mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Add the milk, butter, egg and egg yolks, sugar, salt,cinnamon, and flour. Beat on low until a soft dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and beat 2-3 more minutes. Stop the mixer and check the dough. It should be sticky, but if it’s too sticky to handle, add 1/4 cup more flour. If it’s still too sticky, add an additional 1/4 cup (you want the dough to be somewhat sticky so be careful not to add too much flour.
- Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with oil or butter and transfer dough to that bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a draft free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
- Turn dough out onto a well floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin til dough is 1/2 inch thick. (Lightly flour both your rolling pin and donut cutter). Use a 3 inch donut cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible. Place donuts on a large lightly floured large baking sheet, being careful not to place them too close together.***
- Cover donuts with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft free room at room temperature until they appear slightly puffed, about 30 minutes.
- About 15 minutes before the donuts finish rising, add about 3 inches of oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and heat it to 350 F. While the oil warms, line baking sheets with paper towels and take out a slotted spoon.
- Fry donuts (about 2 at a time) for around 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown. Recheck the temperature of the oil periodically as you go, so as not to let the oil get too cool or too hot. Adjust temprature of oil as needed. Drain on paper towels. Roll the donuts in granulated sugar or granulated sugar mixed with lemon zest while donuts are still warm. Cool to room temperature before filling with ricotta and strawberries.
- Spoon the strawberries (leave out their juice otherwise the donuts will be soggy) into the whipped ricotta and stir to just barely combine. To fill the donuts, insert a knife in each donut and slice it about halfway open. Spoon some of the berry/ricotta mixture evenly into each donut. Top donuts with powdered sugar, if desired.
Roasted Strawberries
- Preheat oven to 350F. Toss the strawberries with sugar, honey, lemon juice, and salt. Place the strawberries on a lined baking sheet lined and roast for 20-30 minutes until tender and just beginning to caramelize, stirring halfway. Pour strawberries and their liquid in a bowl. Add the vanilla and rose water (if using).
Whipped Ricotta
- In a food processor, whip the ricotta until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and pulse to combine. Set aside until donuts have been fried and have cooled to room temperature before filling.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Barbara Briggs Ward
Creamy! Delicious! Strawberries! Heaven!
Natalie
Perfect description! Thanks!!:)