Whipped Caramel Doughnuts
These caramel doughnuts are fried, pillowy perfection, stuffed with whipped caramel sauce. This delicious treat takes a bit of time to make, but it’s worth it!

I love homemade doughnuts so much. I’ve got a few variations on the blog, like lemon curd blueberry brioche and buttermilk. These caramel doughnuts have quickly reached the top of my top favorites!
The dough is lightly enriched with milk, egg, and butter and is soft and lovely to work with. It’s cut bomboloni style, like big round circles. This way, once they’re fried, they can be stuffed with the caramel filling. For the filling, I used whipped caramel, which is just caramel sauce whipped up until it’s thick and airy!
Equipment
- Stand mixer – The dough takes around 10 minutes of mixing to develop the gluten. This is easily done in a stand mixer, however, it can be done by hand too, you just need a bit of elbow grease!
- A round cookie cutter or jar lid to cut the doughnuts, around 3.5 inches/9 cm in diameter.
- Parchment paper – The donuts can be fried on parchment paper, which makes transferring them easier. If you don’t have parchment paper, you can transfer the donuts without it, but it can be a little trickier as the dough is quite soft.
- A deep fryer or large pot and candy thermometer – If you’re not using a deep fryer (which usually comes with a thermometer) you’ll need a candy thermometer for this. One that can handle reading at a high temperature.
- Electric hand beater – For whipping the caramel sauce.
Here’s how it’s done
- Begin with your caramel sauce
- Melt sugar in a saucepan into an amber-colored liquid.
- Whisk in butter once the sugar has melted.
- Then add in cream.
- Whisk into a smooth sauce. Let it cool completely.
Dough
- Mix the dough ingredients except for the butter into a shaggy dough. Add in the butter.
- Mix the dough for at least 10 minutes for the best gluten development. The dough should feel smooth, soft, and strong.
- Let the dough rise until doubled in size.
Shaping
- Roll the dough out into a rectangle and cut out circles.
- Place each cut doughnut onto some parchment paper.
- Let them rest for 30-60 minutes until they are puffy. Use kitchen scissors to cut around each on the parchment paper so each doughnut is sitting on an individual piece of parchment.
Frying
- Fry the proofed doughnuts for around 2 minutes on each side. Let them drain on paper towels.
- Then toss in superfine sugar.
Filling
- Whip the cooled caramel until it lightens in color and it’s thick and airy.
- Pipe into the doughnuts.
Storing
Store your caramel doughnuts in an airtight container to keep them fresh for the next day. You can also keep them on a cooling rack with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Variations
- Cinnamon Caramel Donuts: Toss the fried doughnuts in a sugar + cinnamon mixture.
- Instead of caramel, you could also stuff them with pastry cream, ganache, blueberry filling, lemon curd or strawberry filling.
Whipped Caramel Doughnuts
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 42 g butter room temperature, cut into cubes
- 160 g Heavy cream room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Donut Dough
- 7 g instant yeast or active dried yeast
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 180 g milk lukewarm
- 405 g all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 45 g butter softened
Frying
- 1-2 quarts neutral oil – enough to fill the pot around 3″ deep.
Coating
- 100 g granulated sugar
Instructions
Caramel sauce
- Begin by measuring your butter, cutting it into cubes, and setting it aside. Melt the granulated sugar in a deep, medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula while it melts. The sugar will initially clump together.
- It will gradually melt into an amber-colored liquid. Do not rush this process; avoid turning up the heat or letting the sugar darken excessively, as this could result in a burnt and bitter flavor.
- Once the sugar has completely melted, switch to a whisk and add the butter cubes. Begin whisking immediately as you add the butter, and continue until all the butter has melted.
- With the butter fully incorporated into the melted sugar, it's time to pour in the heavy cream and continue to whisk as you do. Be careful here, as the cream will cause the caramel to bubble and rise even more. Keep cooking and whisking continuously until you achieve a cohesive sauce.
- Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the salt and vanilla. Leave the caramel sauce to cool for 5-10 minutes, then pour it into a clean jar or bowl.
- Let it cool in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours until it's thick and scoopable.
Dough
- Add the warm milk and stir in the yeast and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- Add the eggs, flour, and salt to the milk mixture. Turn the mixer on low speed or use your hands to combine until it forms a sticky, thick dough. Mix this dough for around 2 minutes to begin developing the gluten.
- Add the butter. Turn the mixer on medium speed until the sticky dough strengthens and comes together. In the mixer, it should pull away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Mix the dough for at least 10 minutes for the best gluten development. The dough should feel smooth, soft, and strong.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a lightly greased large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it proof in a warm spot until doubled in size. You can also proof the dough in the refrigerator overnight for extra flavor.
Shaping
- Punch down the dough and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. If it is refrigerated, it will be stiff. Form it into a mound and lightly flour the top. Then roll it into a ½ inch/ 1.3cm thick rectangle.
- Use a cookie cutter or jar lid to cut out rounds about 3.5 inches/9 cm in diameter. Place each round on parchment paper.
- Any dough scraps can be kneaded back into a ball and rolled out again. Leave the dough scraps to rest for a few minutes before rolling out again. This allows the gluten to rest again so the dough doesn't spring back when rolled.
- Let the doughnuts rest for 30-60 minutes until they are puffy. If drying out, lightly brush the tops with a little water. Use kitchen scissors to cut around each doughnut on the parchment paper so each is sitting on an individual piece of parchment.
Frying
- When nearly ready to fry, pour the frying oil into a deep fryer or a deep pot and heat it to around 340°F / 171°C – 347°F / 175°C.
- Carefully drop 1-2 doughnuts into the oil and remove the parchment paper with tongs. Fry for 2 minutes on one side, flip them, and fry for 2 minutes on the other side.
- Ensure the oil in the pot stays hot, but don't let it surpass 350°F / 177°C, or the doughnuts will burn before they can cook in the middle.
- Remove the fried doughnuts with a slotted spoon and let them drain for 20-30 seconds before placing them on paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
Filling
- Toss the doughnuts in a bowl of superfine sugar and set aside.
- Scoop the cold caramel into a mixing bowl and whip it with an electric mixer for around 3-4 minutes until it lightens in color and it's thick and airy.
- Spoon the whipped caramel into a piping bag with a round tip. Insert the tip of a small knife into the sides of the cooled doughnuts to make a hole for the filling.
- Pipe the caramel through the hole into each.
Along with the flour and eggs 🙂 thanks!