Apple Pie Donuts

JUMP TO RECIPE PRINT RECIPE

These apple pie donuts are made with an incredibly soft and fluffy brioche dough filled with a tender cinnamon apple filling that tastes just like apple pie filling.

Two rows of apple pie donuts lined up in a baking dish.

Jump to:

Notes from the baker
Why you'll love this recipe
Tools
Ingredient notes
Tips for making the best apple pie donuts
Storage
Frequently asked questions
More donut recipes to try
Recipe

Notes from the baker

Ever since perfecting this brioche dough recipe and making my Mango Brioche Donuts for the Summer, I knew I had to make an apple version for the Fall.

These apple pie donuts are everything I've ever dreamed of. I basically stuffed apple pie filling into a fluffy fried dough. If that also sounds like exactly what you want, this is the recipe to make.

In each bite of these donuts, you get the soft and chewy yeasted dough and then the little cubes of apples that have been cooked down and covered in a jammy cinnamon-brown sugar glaze. You just need to try them!

Why you'll love this recipe

Incredibly airy and fluffy brioche donuts. This dough becomes so soft and pillowy once fried while maintaining a satisfying chewy texture.
Lightly crisp exterior. The golden brown exterior is lightly crisp when fresh and the classic sugar coating gives it a bit of crunch.
Apple filling that tastes like apple pie filling. The filling is tender and juicy with the perfect amount of warmth and spice.
Overnight cold proofing so you can make the dough ahead of time. You can let the dough rise for 1-2 hours or you can pop it in the fridge overnight and continue making the donuts the next day. Perfect for breaking up the recipe over two days.

An apple pie donut ripped in half to show the apple pie filling inside.

Tools

Electric stand mixer - The easiest way to make brioche dough is in a stand mixer with a dough hook because you can leave it kneading for several minutes and it does all the work for you! You can knead the dough by hand but but I prefer using a stand mixer for consistent results and no oily hands from the butter.
Large pot - You'll need a large stock pot to fry the donuts. Ideally, you should be able to comfortably fit 3-4 donuts in the pot at a time.
Thermometer (optional) - A thermometer is the best way to ensure the oil is at the correct and consistent temperature when frying the donuts and in case of fluctuations in between batches of donuts. If you don't have one, you can try sticking a wooden chopstick into the oil - if small bubbles start coming off of it slowly, it's at around the right temperature.
Piping bag - You'll need a piping bag to pipe the apple filling into the donuts.
Large round piping tip - You can always just cut the tip of the piping bag off and use it that way but a metal piping tip will help the bag from bending and crumpling on itself when inserting it into the donuts. Make sure you use one that's big enough for the diced apples to pass through.

Ingredient notes

As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.

Apples - Use a tart apple that you would use in an apple pie like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Ambrosia apples. Peel and finely dice them so that they are small enough to be piped into the donuts.
Brown sugar - Brown sugar coats the cooked apples in a beautiful glaze that's warm in flavour.
Cornstarch - This helps thicken the juices that cook out of the apples into a jammy consistency.
Ground cinnamon - You can't have that classic apple pie taste without a little cinnamon (or a lot).
Lemon juice (optional) - Lemon juice enhances the tartness and flavour of the apples but it's entirely optional. I usually omit it if I don't have any lemons on hand.
Warm water - Use warm water that's around 100-110°F (38-43°C) to activate the yeast. If you don't have a thermometer, just use warm water that's lukewarm to the touch.
Granulated sugar
Instant yeast or active dry yeast - If using active dry yeast, let it sit in the warm water and sugar for 5 minutes. With instant yeast, you can add the rest of the ingredients right away.
All-purpose flour
Salt
Eggs - These should be at room temperature to avoid lowering the temperature of the dough.
Unsalted butter - Roughly cube the butter and let it soften to room temperature to be used to make the buttery brioche donut dough.

Two apple pie donuts on a plate on a wooden platter.

Tips for making the best apple pie donuts

Do a windowpane test on the dough. After kneading the dough in the stand mixer, take a small piece and stretch it in between your fingers into a square shape until it becomes thin enough for light to shine through it. If it appears translucent without the dough breaking, then it's ready.
Punch the air out of the dough after the first rise. Punching the dough isn't just something that's fun to do. It actually gets rid of any large air bubbles in the dough so you don't end up with hollow donuts or air pockets that cause them to puff up into spheres or fry unevenly. So punch away! Or simply press down the dough all over before dividing it.
Weigh the dough for evenly sized donuts. The dough for each donut should weigh between 60-70g (usually around 65g for me). Remove small pieces of dough from the heavier ones and add them to lighter ones. You can always eyeball it but I like weighing them for consistency.
Pop any large air bubbles with a toothpick. If any large air pockets form and cause the donuts to become lopsided during frying, you can try poking them with a toothpick to release the air.

Storage

These apple pie donuts should be enjoyed fresh on the same day they're made and filled. If the donuts haven't been filled with the apple filling, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.

Once filled, they will need to be stored in the fridge and will keep for up to 3 days but the texture will change and they will lose their softness once chilled.

Frequently asked questions

Why are your measurements in grams? Why do you mix gram measurements with tablespoons/teaspoons?

Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.

Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.