Boston Cream Donuts Recipe
These homemade Boston cream donuts are a rich, dreamy indulgence layered with silky custard and finished with glossy chocolate glaze. Each bite is a coffee shop classic made better at home.
Filled with velvety vanilla pastry cream and fried to golden perfection, homemade Boston cream donuts are a weekend baking adventure worth every minute. Don’t be surprised if they vanish fast!
The Donut Dream Team: Key Ingredients for Homemade Boston Cream Donuts
- All-purpose flour – Provides structure and softness for the fluffy, chewy donut base.
- Instant yeast – Speeds up the rise and gives the donuts that signature airy texture.
- Whole milk – Adds richness and moisture to keep the dough tender.
- Unsalted butter – Enhances the flavor while contributing to the soft crumb.
- Eggs – Help bind the dough and add a bit of richness.
- Vanilla extract – Infuses the dough with subtle, warm sweetness.
- Homemade pastry cream – The luxurious heart of each donut, rich with vanilla and silky smooth.
- Chopped chocolate or chocolate chips – Melts into a glossy glaze that delivers deep cocoa flavor.
- Heavy cream – Blends with the chocolate for a thick, pourable glaze.
How to Make Them: Homemade Boston Cream Donuts in a Nutshell
Start by preparing your pastry cream first—it needs several hours to chill and thicken. Then, mix the dough using flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until smooth and slightly tacky, then let it rise until doubled.
Once risen, roll the dough and cut into rounds. Let them puff up again while your oil heats. Fry the donuts in batches, cooking until golden brown on each side, and cool before filling.
Use a piping bag to fill each donut with chilled pastry cream. For the glaze, melt chocolate and heavy cream together until smooth. Dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze, then let them set before serving.
Sweet Success: Tips for Perfect Boston Cream Donuts
For the fluffiest texture, avoid adding too much flour—slightly sticky dough ensures light, pillowy donuts. Be patient with rising times; this helps create those irresistible airy centers. When frying, monitor your oil temperature closely to avoid greasy or undercooked results.
If your pastry cream seems too thick to pipe, give it a quick whisk to loosen it before filling. For the glaze, use good-quality chocolate for that glossy finish and rich taste. Want to make a twist? Add a splash of espresso to the glaze or swap vanilla pastry cream for chocolate or coconut versions.
Saving the Sweetness: How to Store Homemade Boston Cream Donuts
Though best enjoyed fresh, these donuts can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Keep them chilled to preserve the filling and glaze texture. Avoid stacking to prevent smearing the chocolate.
To reheat, warm them gently in the microwave for just a few seconds to restore some of the softness—though the filling may become warm and gooey, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Freezing is not recommended as the pastry cream may separate upon thawing.
Boston Cream Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup 157 ml whole milk
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 Tablespoons 85 g unsalted butter, melted
- 3 ½ cups 438 g all-purpose flour, divided, plus more as necessary
- ½ cup 118 ml heavy cream
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten and at room temperature
- ⅓ cup 67 g granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 batch homemade pastry cream prepared in advance
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 3 oz 85 g chopped chocolate or ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare the pastry cream in advance and refrigerate it for several hours to allow proper chilling.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together 2 cups (250 g) of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
- Warm the milk to 110–115°F (43–46°C) using the microwave. Add the warmed milk to the dry mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
- Mix in the melted butter, beaten eggs, and vanilla extract until the dough begins to come together.
- Gradually add the remaining flour while mixing with a wooden spoon, spatula, or dough hook until the dough is smooth, cohesive, and slightly tacky but not sticky. Adjust the flour quantity based on texture if needed.
- Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free location until doubled in volume, approximately 30 to 60 minutes.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll or pat to a thickness of ¾ inch (2 cm), cut into rounds using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet with at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between each. Cover and let rise until puffed and nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, begin heating the frying oil.
- Pour vegetable oil into a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan to a depth of 2–3 inches (5–8 cm) and attach a candy thermometer. Heat the oil over medium heat until it consistently holds a temperature of 350°F (175°C).
- Carefully lower one donut at a time into the hot oil and fry until light golden brown on both sides. Allow the oil temperature to recover between batches. Transfer fried donuts to a cooling rack or paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly before filling.
- Insert a Wilton 12 piping tip into a piping bag filled with the prepared pastry cream. Use a sharp knife to pierce each donut halfway through, then insert the tip and squeeze in the filling. Repeat for all donuts.
- To make the glaze, combine the chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until the mixture is smooth. Dip the top of each filled donut into the glaze and return them to the rack to set.
