Name: Vegan Brioche Donuts (with a vanilla glaze)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 350 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup nondairy milk ((I used almond)); 1 tbsp active dry yeast; 1 tbsp warm water; 2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour; 1/4 cup sugar; 1 tsp kosher salt or sea salt or pink salt; 3 tsp pure vanilla extract; Scrapings of half a vanilla bean ((optional)); 2 tbsp applesauce ((or aquafaba)); 8 tbsp vegan butter ((or extra virgin olive oil)); Vegetable oil ((for deep frying)); 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar; 1/4 cup hot tap water; 1/4 cup pure vanilla extract; 1 tsp salt; Scrapings of remaining half of vanilla bean ((optional))

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These are the best vegan donuts you'll ever eat! They rise a mile high and have a vanilla glaze that crunches between your teeth before you bite into the soft, fluffy, tender donut. A soy-free, nut-free recipe.

A close up of two vegan brioche donuts on a white plate with a stack of donuts and doughnut holes in the background, and a gray napkin on a black background.

Sometimes you just need to eat a doughnut. Not a whole wheat donut. Or a baked donut. Not one made with no fat or with avocados or sweet potatoes or beets. I am talking here about a real, melt-in-the-mouth, beautifully glazed donut that dares you to eat it if you are woman enough. Or man enough.

For those of you who are, I have the best damn vegan brioche donuts ever. With a dreamy vanilla glaze.

An overhead shot of a white plate stacked with square and round donuts with donut holes on a black background.

This donut is the stuff of your dreams. And mine. It has the soft, tender texture and buttery flavor of a brioche. And the glaze! Creamy, smooth, and luscious, this vanilla glaze crunches slightly between your teeth before you bite into the delicate, perfect crumb. (Oooh, I think I just died and went to heaven.)

I first made these doughnuts about three years back--and shared them with you--after becoming a little obsessed with a brioche donut recipe featured in The Washington Post (not vegan). I just had to have one, asap. But there isn't always time to make your vegan brioche donut and eat it too. So the newspaper clip with the recipe sat at my elbow while I worked at my computer at home. During an occasional break I would look, dewy-eyed, at the lovely, square beauties in the photographs, and my passion for them would be reignited.

It took me some trial and error to come up with a perfect vegan version of those donuts, but I did hit the jackpot. And I have since dared to make them quite a few times, because I have a 12-year-old around who is only too willing to prise them off my clutching hands and into his mouth. 😉

Even if you don't have one of those around, try 'em. At least once. It's like eating a soft, sweet, fluffy cloud, and you'll be a changed person.

A cross section of a vegan brioche donut, light and airy, on a white plate with star-shaped sprinkles and a pink napkin. More donuts in background.

What we love about these donuts

They are perfect--exactly as donuts are meant to be. Fluffy, tender and melt-in-the-mouth.
They are easy to make and quite foolproof. Be sure to follow directions.
The vanilla glaze adds so much oomph and flavor and texture. You can flavor the glaze with lemon zest or cinnamon as well, for flavored donuts!
They are a fun recipe to make with your kids. Jay usually helps me cut out the donuts and the parchment sheets.
They need just a handful of ingredients that are likely already in your pantry.

How to make the best vegan brioche donuts

In the Post's kitchen, the doughnut was loaded with butter and eggs. I've used vegan butter and olive oil at different times to make the recipe, and both work fine, although I'm partial to the version with the butter. There's a subtle flavor improvement, I think, with the butter.
Instead of the eggs, I have used either aquafaba--chickpea brine--or applesauce. Again, both work. The aquafaba is a trick I'd adapted from my Vegan Olive Oil Brioche with Aquafaba and if you can use that, great. I think it makes the donuts a little lighter. I do usually use applesauce though because the aquafaba doesn't always agree with Desi, for some reason.
The dough will be a little tacky when you first make it, and that's fine.
You need to start your donuts the day before you plan to make them, or at least early in the day if you want them the same day. That's because you will need to let the dough proof for 4-16 hours. The long proofing time will help the flavor of the donuts develop. If doing a short proof, do it at room temperature. For the longer time, refrigerate the dough.
After you've cut out your donuts, let each rise on a square of parchment paper. That way you won't deflate the donut when you lift it off the baking sheet, where it was rising, and into the frying pan. The parchment paper will float loose in the oil and you can just remove it with a pair of tongs.
These donuts rise a mile high, which gives you that wonderful, airy texture. I cut them square, like the ones in the Post recipe, because I think their height does better with a square cut. Unfortunately I didn't have a square cookie cutter for the holes, so I ended up using a round cutter for those, which created a geometrically interesting--albeit rather cute--look. I think.
You should fry the donuts at a lower temperature than you may be used to when you deep-fry: around 325 degrees Fahrenheit. That will ensure the doughnut cooks through without overbrowning. Try and use a deep-fry or candy thermometer to keep the oil at the right temperature.
You will need a lot of vanilla in this recipe--for the donuts and again for the scrumptious glaze. I also used a vanilla bean, but it's not necessary at all. Just use more extract. I know it's expensive, but these are so worth it.
Dip the donuts in the glaze as soon as they are cool enough to handle, about three to four minutes after they come out of the frying pan. Use a pair of tongs--gently--if you aren't comfortable handling the donuts. Then set them out on a rack for the glaze to thicken and cling to the donuts.

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