Last updated on May 14th, 2026.
If you’ve ever dreamed of making bakery-style donuts at home, this recipe’s for you! Made with tender, buttery brioche dough, and stuffed with a smooth vanilla custard, my Bavarian Cream Donuts recipe is fried until perfectly golden then coated with sugar. Let’s make ‘em!
This recipe is different. Yes, it is soft, fluffy and tender, like my other recipes for homemade donuts
and yes, it is generously stuffed with cream much like these Custard-filled Italian Bombolini donuts.
But unlike any other donut recipe, I developed this one out of a serious 10-month craving I had during my pregnancy. It was a very specific cream filled donuts craving: a soft, buttery, easy-to-bite (brioche style) golden brown fried donut coated in sugar. And it needs to be Bavarian Cream donut: bursting with creamy vanilla custard. I tried every bakery within a 25-mile radius before I decided to take matters into my own hands, into my kitchen.
And yes, my baby girl loves donuts!
About The Ingredients
I do not wish to bore you with a long shopping list; you can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. However, for the best results, I included some information about certain ingredients, their role in the recipe, and possible substitutions when applicable.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour. Check the flour’s label to make sure it is unbleached. It is very common but sold next to bleached flour, and mistakes are easy to make (speaking from my own experience). Bleach or cake flour will not do for this recipe; the gluten is too weak and will not rise well.
- Instant dry yeast. My absolute favorite is SAF Instant Yeast, it is fast acting and all we need is to add it to the flour. This is not the case if using Active Dry Yeast, which needs to be activated. Please see recipe card notes for instructions and details.
- Unsalted butter, at room temperature. Like I mentioned before, I wanted the donuts to have a tender buttery bite like a brioche bread, so this recipe calls for a lot of butter. We can not control the amount of salt in salted butter, so it is best to use unsalted.
- Cold water. There is no need for warm water. The fraction from the long kneading processes will increase the temperature, and we don’t want it to be too hot, or it will kill the yeast.
- Whole milk. I used milk because I was out of heavy cream, and it turned out perfect, so you can replace half of the milk with cream.
- Egg yolks. I like using egg yolks only, because it adds another layer or flavor, and cuts that eggy flavor we sometimes get when using whole eggs in custard and creams.
- Vanilla bean. It really does make a difference, and adds a lot of vanilla flavor. It also adds those beautiful black speckles to the custard. But. it is not a deal breaker, and you can use a vanilla paste, or extract instead.
- Heavy whipping cream. To be folded into the cold and set cream.
Enough Talking, Let’s BAKE!
The Dough
The dough is rich in butter, which is why it needs a full 8-10 hours of rest in the refrigerator. But, for a faster option, give this Short Rest Brioche Donuts Recipe a try. Below are the step-by-step instructions on making homemade cream-filled donuts recipe, including my tips and troubleshooting instructions. I highly recommend you check out my complete guide for Brioche dough.
- The dough might seem too dry during the first kneading, but it is ok, and do not add more water. There is water in the butter.
- Rolling and cutting the dough when cold will help get even and symmetric donuts.
- Place the dough scraps in a bowl and refrigerate for about 20 minutes before re rolling.
- The donuts have a tangy smell: You probably over-proofed the dough, make sure to proof them in the refrigerator. And do not increase the amount of the yeast.
Stay put and pay attention to the oil temperature. If it is over 360 reduce the heat (I sometimes turn it off all the way). Also, adding the donuts might reduce the oil temperature, and you might need to increase the heat. It is a delicate game you must pay attention to. I the oil is too hot, the donuts will be raw at the center. If the oil is not hot enough, the donuts will be too oily.
How To Know The Donuts Are Done?
There are two ways to do that:
- Remove the first donut and cut it at the center; this will estimate how long it takes to fry the donuts.
- Insert a meat thermometer from the side and check the temperature. The donuts are done at a temperature of 180F (82C).
Making Bavarian Cream for Donuts
Pastry cream filling, (or Crema Pasticcera for a thicker version) is the base for many desserts and, today, for our cream-filled donuts. You can fill the donuts with the pastry cream or like me fold the pastry cream with whipped cream in this recipe, lightening the cream and adding volume. So this is also a great white cream filling for a donut recipe.
- Bring the milk to a simmer until you notice some bubbles at the sides of the saucepan.
- While the milk is warming, mix the sugar, flour, and salt in the egg yolks.
- Mix a tablespoon at a time of the warm milk into the yolk mixture while stirring. Add the milk gradually and slowly, or else the eggs will cook.
- Once the milk is thoroughly mixed, pour it back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat with a constant string until it is thickened about 90 seconds.
- Remove from the heat, run the pastry through a sieve, and mix in the vanilla extract and butter. Place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Alternatively, you can fill these donuts with Creme Mousseline, Creme Chiboust, Chocolate Whipped Cream, or Ganache (dark or white ganache), or Strawberry Preserve like in these Sufganiyot. You can also or mix 1/3 cup of melted chocolate to the warm pastry cream for a chocolate creme.
STORING
These Bavarian cream-filled donuts are best when fresh; fry them about 3 hours before you need to serve them. Once you fill them, please place them in the refrigerator within four hours for up to two days. You can reheat them in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds.
Freeze. Let it rise for the first time in the refrigerator, shape it, then freeze it. Make sure to wrap the dough so it won’t be exposed to direct air in the freezer. When ready to use, remove from the freezer, unwrap, and follow the recipe (step 6).
The cream needs to be set and cooled in the refrigerator for a few hours before use and can be made up to 3 days ahead.
Soft Bavarian Cream-Filled Donuts (Fried)
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer
- 1 saucepan
- 1 whisk
- Parchment paper
- Large and wide pan
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
Donuts
- 4 Cups (500g) Unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 Tablespoon (9g) Instant dry yeast
- 1/4 Cup (50g) Granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 Cup (180ml) Cold water
- 3/4 Cup (170g) Unsalted butter, soft. Cut into 1/2" pieces
- 4 Cups (960ml) Vegetable oil for frying
- 2 Cups (400g) Granulated sugar, for coating the donuts
Bavarian Cream
- 1 Cup (240ml) Whole milk
- 1/4 Cup + 2 teaspoons (60g) Granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 4 Large (72g) Egg Yolks
- 1 Seeds from 1 Vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) Unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 Cups (360ml) Heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Make The Donuts
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, place the flour (500g), yeast (9g), sugar (50g) and salt (1/2 teaspoon) and mix on low using the paddle attachment.
- Add the eggs (2) and 2/3 cup (180ml) of water and mix until a shaggy mass forms. If you notice dry flour at the bottom of the bowl, add 1 tsp of water and mix for about 10 seconds and check again. Keep adding 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough is hydrated.
- Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and knead on medium for 2 minutes.
- Add the butter (170g), 1 piece at a time allowing the butter to mostly incorporated before adding more.
- Increase speed to medium-high and knead until the dough is separating from the sides and bottom of the bowl and when you gently stretch it, it does not tear.
- Place the dough in an oiled large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a min. of 8 hours or overnight.
- Cut twelve 4×4-inch parchment paper squares and have a large baking sheet ready.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, transfer to a lightly floured surface, and roll it to 1-inch thick.
- Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to cut the dough, and place each circle on a parchment paper square over the pan.
- Spray the top with coil spray, cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot and rest until doubles in size.
- In a deep and wide pan, heat the oil to 360F (182C) then gently drop the donuts into the oil with the parchment paper facing up. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry for 90 seconds on each side then remove from the hot oil and place over a paper towel to soak oil residues. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Measure the coating sugar (400g) into a medium bowl, then coat each donut with sugar, let cool for about 10 minutes then fill with the Bavariab cream.
Bavarian Cream
- In a saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer (240ml), do not let it come to a boil. Once you notice bubbles at the sides of the pan, remove it from heat, and pour it into a measuring cup.
- In a medium bowl, mix the sugar (60g) and flour (1 tablespoon) then mix in the egg yolks (4).
- Pour in the warm milk 1 tablespoon at a time while constantly stirring.
- Once all of the milk has been added, pour it back into the pan and place it on the stove over medium-low heat Keep stirring vigorously.
- Keep stirring until the mixture is thickened, then pour it into a glass container, add the vanilla bean (or other flavoring) and butter, and gently mix until the butter has completely melted. Refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
- Whip the heavy cream until thick and stable, then fold in the Bavarian cram.
Fill The Donuts
- Coat each donut with sugar, or powdered sugar.
- Use a piping bag filled with the bavarian cream to fill the donut. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For the donuts to be light and fluffy the dough needs at least 8 hours in the refrigerator.
- To use active dry yeast: mix 1 Tablespoon of active dry yeast with the warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar and set aside for 15-20 minutes, or until the yeast have been activated and you have a foam layer on top.
- You can re roll and cut the scraps to make more donuts. if you have time, place the dough back in the refrigerator.
- Place the dough over a small piece of parchment paper so you can pick up the donuts without deflating them or deforming their shape. If you forgot, place the tray in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.
- Wait a few minutes before coating the donuts, if the donuts are too warm they might melt the sugar.
- When making the cream, make sure not to bring the milk to a full boil. I like to first pour it into a measuring cup and check that the temperature is not over 140F (60C).
These look amazing. Must try!
Thank you Erin, yes these are really yummy even with no filling!
I can’t find how much Heavy cream I need to add to my cream mixture?
it’s 1 1/2 cups
Hi Dee.. I can’t tell you my excitement when i saw this in my mailbox. As a kid we had a little shop near our house that sold these and they were the most delicious sweet thing i have ever eaten. MY TOP FAVORITE. I have baked a lot but never made doughnuts and this is going to be my next bake. Thank you for bringing back great memories for me and sharing this recipe with such detailed photos to help us along.??❤️ May i just say I noticed a few errors but it’s nothing major… In the section of How to make them No.5 says place the BOWL in an oiled bowl. lol! i think you mean place the DOUGH in an oiled bowl 🙂 and in the ingredients list it says 1 12/ for heavy cream and i am sure you mean 1 1/2 cups 😉 thank you again?
Thank you so much for sharing this Nargess, one of my favorite things about baking is that it sparks our best memories and I am so happy to read this comment!
I can’t wait for you to try this recipe, you will love it.
Also thank you for pointing out those mistakes…LOL!!!
What is the process to fill the donut with the cream? How much cream is added to each donut?
Use a filling tip to gently insert it into the center, then squeeze the filling in as you slowly remove the tip. Pay attention to how the donut looks and fells; it should puff a little; if too much is added, it will break. Hope this helps.
When does the butter & vanilla extract get added to the cream mixture? The recipe doesn’t say
Right after you pout it into the glass container.
Hi Dikla.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Would you mind letting me know how much the butter weighs in grams please?
Our cup measurements arw different in Australia compared to yours, and the inteenet has varying amounts when converted.
Thanks kindly.
Sharon
Yes, of course, it’s 170g.
After all the difficulties I had making these they turned just fine. My husband said they needed more bavarian cream. He really likes them. I can’t eat fried foods because of stomach issues but I did try one and it was delicious. It did need a little more bavarian cream but still worth all the trouble I had. Will definitely make these again.
Thanks for the recipe. I never made fried donuts before only baked but it was a worthwhile experience.
After all the difficulties I had making these they turned just fine. My husband said they needed more bavarian cream. He really likes them. I can’t eat fried foods because of stomach issues but I did try one and it was delicious. It did need a little more bavarian cream but still worth all the trouble I had. Will definitely make these again.
Thanks for the recipe. I never made fried donuts before only baked but it was a worthwhile experience. I just got a comment when I hit send a comment. It said that I said this before but I didn’t write a comment til today. I don’t know what to do!
Hi I want to try this recipe but making the filling worry’s me because I ruined a few fillings when I make other pastries or desserts.What did you do that didn’t ruin the filling because yours looked perfect.
Hi Aliyah,
The pastry cream can get tricky and I’ll be honest and say it took me a few tries to get it right myself.
I recommend making the cream a day or two in advance to have some space for mistakes. I have a post with a complete step by step tutorial and troubleshooting pastry cream.
https://www.onesarcasticbaker.com/crema-pasticcera-italian-pastry-cream/#growSource=search&growReferrer=true
Read it very carefully before you try, and let me know if you have any more questions.
I used warm Water and let it rest ot side and it shortened the time for rising
I’m confused it says cook the doughnuts on each side for 90 seconds than put on paper towels then cook for 5 minutes????
You fry for 90 second on each side then cool for five minutes.