Gluten-Free Jelly Donuts (How to Make Sufganiyot)

Hanukkah is such a fun holiday, and it’s made even better when fried, yeasty jelly donuts are on the table. For years I could not enjoy jelly donuts, but now, with a few tweaks of the recipe, I’ve come up with the perfect gluten-free jelly donut recipe (known as sufganiyot). This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

Hanukkah is a holiday my kids can really sink their teeth into, literally. It’s a time when we throw caution to the wind and eat anything and everything deep fried in oil. Lots of oil.

This is the one time of year where I eat unhealthy bits of deep fried food, and I enjoy every bite in the process. 

In just a few weeks, I’ll be eating healthy again, trying desperately to forget all the sweet and fried things I feasted on at the end of this year.

Why do Jews eat foods cooked in oil for Hanukkah?

Hanukkah is a holiday that celebrates the victory of the small group of Jewish warriors, known as the Maccabees, in their victory over the grander Syrian army. The Syrians had forced the Jews to assimilate to their culture and destroyed the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

The Maccabees revolted and won, taking back the Temple in Jerusalem and re-dedicating it to G-d. The re-dedication required the Maccabees to relight the menorah, which required olive oil as fuel. The amount of usable oil they found (and wasn’t destroyed by the Syrians) should have only lasted for one night, but instead it miraculously lasted for eight nights.

To celebrate the “miracle of the oil,” we eat things like potato latkes, or potato pancakes, which are fried in oil too. We also eat jelly doughnuts (donuts) or sufganiyot, which is a round doughnut that is deep fried in oil and filled with sweet jelly.

Finding a fried, yeasty gluten-free jelly donut is impossible… unless you’re willing to make them yourself at home. And I’d do anything to celebrate the miracle of the oil and sink my teeth into a delicious fried jelly donut.

How to Make Gluten-Free Jelly Donuts (Sufganiyot)

I found a recipe for jelly donuts on the Food Network and have since made it my own recipe. Of course, the original recipe is not gluten free, but I made it gluten free by using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. I had to adjust the amount of flour, but once I figured it out, it worked like a charm!

To make the donuts, you’ll want to first prepare your yeast. Combine the yeast with warm milk (or dairy-free milk), whisk it together and allow it 3-5 minutes to bubble.

If the yeast bubbles, it’s alive and well. If it doesn’t bubble, discard and get fresh yeast. You want healthy yeast so the dough sufficiently rises.

Once the yeast is happy, add the sugar, salt, vanilla and eggs to the bowl and continue to whisk by hand until well blended.

Next, add the gluten-free flour blend to bowl and mix ingredients together well using your standing mixer. Mix for about three minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides. Then add the butter and continue to mix until smooth.

You’ll then want to lightly grease a large glass bowl. Add dough to the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let the mixture rise for about 2-3 hours. It will rise more quickly in a warmer location (do not refrigerate).

After the dough rises, prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust it with your gluten-free flour. Also generously dust your countertop or other flat surface with your gluten-free flour because we’re about to dig into that dough! 

Place the dough on your floured countertop or surface. If it’s really sticky, add more flour, by hand, until the dough is workable without sticking to your hands or rolling pin. Roll out the dough to about one inch in thickness. Don’t press hard; be very gentle when handling the dough. 

Next, using a round cookie cutter, cut out circles and place them on your parchment lined baking sheet. Reroll excess scraps until all dough is in cookie-sized circles on your baking sheet. 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest and rise for another hour in a warm place before frying ’em up.

Once the donuts have finished rising, heat a large pot of vegetable oil (about 2-3 inches deep). If you have a deep fry thermometer, the temperature should register at 360º. If you don’t have a deep fry thermometer, test oil by adding a small piece of scrap dough to the oil. If it floats and begins to brown, the oil is hot enough.  

Add each donut to the oil and cook for about 30-40 seconds on each side, using tongs or a skimmer to turn the donuts once the first side is slightly brown. This process goes quick! Don’t take your eyes off the donuts and remove them if they start to brown too quickly.  

Add each cooked donut to a paper towel-lined platter and continue to work donuts in batches until done. 

As the donuts cool on your baking sheet, prepare to pump them with jelly. Fill a pastry bag with jelly, then insert the tip into the side of the donut (or both sides of the donut if you prefer) and gently squeeze to fill. 

I personally like to use a straw to carve out a hole inside the donut before filling it with jelly – you’ll get more jelly inside there when you first dig out a center with your straw. 

Lastly, dust donuts with powdered sugar and serve immediately. These gluten-free jelly donuts taste best when served right away.

Store leftovers in a zip top bag and reheat them in your microwave for 10 seconds before enjoying on Day #2.

The Taste Test

As you bite into these yeasty, fried jelly donuts, you will be taken back to your pre-gluten-free days. You’re actually eating a real, fried donut. Freaking awesome, right?

My kids were impatiently waiting in the wings as I fried up these gluten-free jelly donuts. They could not wait to get their hands on them. As soon as I filled the first few with jelly, my kids helped themselves… and they were begging for more.

Happy Chanukah to all my gluten-free friends. Chag Sameach (happy holiday)!

PS:  Here is a video by Laura Vitale (love her!) for jelly donuts. My recipe is slightly different (and of course mine is for gluten-free jelly donuts), but I thought this was worth watching so you could see the jelly donut frying techniques I learned from her.

More Recipes

Celebrating Hanukkah? Try my gluten-free latkes recipe.

There’s always a Shabbos Hanukkah, so don’t forget the gluten-free challah.

Like donuts? Try my gluten-free chocolate donuts or gluten-free pumpkin donuts instead. These are both cake donuts vs. yeast/fried donuts.