Celebrate the Festival of Lights with this Hanukkah sufganiyot recipe—light, fluffy, jam-filled doughnuts that are fried to golden perfection and dusted with sweetness!
Some desserts don’t just taste good—they feel like a celebration. This Hanukkah sufganiyot recipe is one of them. Golden, pillowy doughnuts filled with jewel-toned jam and showered in powdered sugar, sufganiyot are the heart of every Hanukkah table!
Hanukkah Sufganiyot Recipe – Ingredients
- Yields: 20–24 doughnuts (6–7 cm / 2½–2¾ in)
- Active: ~50 minutes
- Total: ~3 hours (or overnight for deeper flavor)
Enriched Dough
- 260 ml (1 cup + 1 tbsp) warm whole milk or water, 40–43°C / 104–110°F
- 7 g (1 packet) instant yeast (or 8 g active dry; bloom if using ADY)
- 75 g (⅓ cup) sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 60 g (¼ cup) neutral oil or melted unsalted butter, cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 520 g (4 cups + 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour (11% protein), measured by weight
- 8 g (1½ tsp) fine sea salt
- Zest of ½ lemon or orange (optional but gorgeous)
Optional Tenderness Boost: 10 g (1 tbsp) potato starch or 1 tsp vodka (reduces oil absorption)
Frying
- 1.5–2 L neutral oil (peanut, canola, refined sunflower) to a depth of 5–6 cm / 2–2½ in
Filling & Finish
- 360–480 g (1¼–1¾ cups) smooth seedless jam (raspberry, strawberry, or apricot) or vanilla pastry cream (below)
- Powdered sugar, for generous dusting
Gear You’ll Thank Me For
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Scale
- Parchment squares (8×8 cm)
- Clip-on thermometer
- Skewer
- Wire rack set over a sheet pan
- Large piping bag with Bismarck tip (or zip bag + ¼-inch corner snip).
Hanukkah Sufganiyot Recipe – From Dough To Snow!
- Wake The Yeast: In the mixer bowl, whisk warm milk/water with yeast and 1 tbsp sugar. Rest 5 minutes until foamy.
- Build The Base: Whisk in remaining sugar, eggs, oil/butter, vanilla, and citrus zest.
- Flour In, Salt In: Add ¾ of the flour and all the salt. Mix on low 2 minutes to form a shaggy mass; add remaining flour gradually (plus potato starch or vodka, if using).
- Knead To Silk: Increase to medium speed and knead 6–8 minutes until the dough is soft, slightly tacky (not sticky), and elastic. It should windowpane thinly without tearing. Target dough temp: 24–26°C / 75–79°F.
First Rise (Choose Your Path):
- Same-Day: Lightly oil a bowl, add dough, cover, and rise somewhere warm 60–75 minutes until doubled.
- Overnight (Flavor Win): Cover and refrigerate 8–12 hours. Next day, sit at room temp 20 minutes before rolling.
- Roll & Cut For Lift: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a rectangle; roll to 1.3 cm / ½ in thick. Punch out rounds 6–7 cm wide. Place each on its own parchment square—transfer to oil stays tidy. Gather scraps, rest 5 minutes, roll once more.
Second Rise (Don’t Rush):
Cover loosely and proof 35–45 minutes until puffy. A floured fingertip leaves an indentation that slowly springs back—your green light.
- Heat Oil With Discipline: In a deep pot, bring oil to 172–176°C / 342–350°F. Steady temp = light sufganiyot.
- Fry For The Halo: Using the parchment as a sling, lower 3–4 rounds into the oil, parchment up. Peel off the paper with tongs. Fry 45–60 seconds until the underside is golden; flip and fry 45–60 seconds more. Look for an even bronze and that pale equator “belly band.” Adjust heat to hold ~175°C/347°F.
Drain & Season (Yes, Sweet Things Too):
Transfer to a rack. A pinch of fine sugar while hot helps powdered sugar cling later. Keep batches warm in a 95°C/200°F oven.
- Fill The Middle: When warm (not hot), poke a side hole with a skewer and wiggle to create a pocket. Pipe 10–15 g (2–3 tsp) jam or pastry cream into each—stop when you feel gentle resistance.
- Snowfall Service: Right before serving, sift powdered sugar over the top like you’re sending a weather alert.
What Perfect Looks Like (And How You Know)
- Feel: Light in the hand, faintly springy if you press the crown.
- Look: Even bronze with a neat pale ring around the center.
- Crumb: Fine-laced and steamy, no dense line under the crust.
- Sound: The tiniest paper-crackle as you tear it open.
Make-Ahead, Reheat, And Party Timing
- Overnight Dough: Mix at night, proof in the fridge, roll/cut/proof/fry next day—best texture and flavor.
- Par-Fry For Service: Fry 30–35 seconds per side to blond, cool on racks, then finish just before serving 30–40 seconds per side.
- Reheat: Same-day leftovers re-crisp at 160°C/325°F for 5–6 minutes. Dust after reheating.
- Hold Window: Filled sufganiyot shine for 2–3 hours at room temp. If you need longer, fill last minute.
Fillings I Trust (Texture-Safe & Pipe-Ready)
- Raspberry Silk: Whisk 1½ cups seedless jam with 2–3 tsp hot water until glossy and pipeable (not runny).
- Apricot–Citrus: Warm 1½ cups apricot jam with 1 tsp lemon juice; blend smooth; cool.
Vanilla Pastry Cream (Sturdy, Spoonable):
- Heat 400 ml milk with ½ split vanilla bean (or 1 tsp extract) to steaming.
- Whisk 3 egg yolks, 60 g sugar, 20 g cornstarch, pinch salt. Temper with the hot milk; return to pot, whisking until thick bubbles rise; cook 30 seconds more.
- Off heat, whisk in 20 g butter. Strain, press plastic wrap onto the surface, chill. Loosen with 1–2 tbsp milk before piping if needed.
Variations That Respect The Dough
- Cinnamon-Sugar Finish: Toss warm sufganiyot in 100 g sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon; skip powdered sugar.
- Chocolate Truffle Fill: 120 g dark chocolate + 120 ml hot cream; rest 5 minutes, stir smooth, cool to pipeable.
- Mini Sufganiyot: Cut 5 cm rounds; fry 35–45 seconds per side; fill with 1–2 tsp.
Troubleshooting (Real Fixes, Real Fast!)
- Greasy Doughnuts: Oil too cool or under-proofed dough. Keep 172–176°C and proof until puffy with slow spring-back.
- Dark Outside, Raw Inside: Oil too hot or rounds too thick. Lower to 170°C and check thickness (½ inch).
- Flat, No Puff: Second rise was short or dough was rolled thin. Give the proof time; roll to ½ inch.
- Jam Leaks: Overfilled or tunnel pierced through. Wiggle the skewer to make a “pocket,” then pipe until you meet resistance.
- Tough Crumb: Too much flour or over-kneaded/over-fried. Weigh flour, knead to windowpane then stop, and keep the oil honest.
Ingredient Notes (Tiny Choices, Big Payoff!)
- Flour: AP around 11% protein gives structure without chewiness.
- Liquid: Water makes a slightly lighter crumb; milk adds gentle richness and color—both work.
- Fat: Butter tastes luxe; oil keeps things pareve and fries a hair lighter.
- Potato Starch/Vodka: Optional, but they quietly improve tenderness and reduce oil uptake.
Serving Moment (The Part Everyone Sees!!!)
Pile warm sufganiyot on a rack-lined tray, dust generously, and pass a small bowl of extra jam for the dunkers. Add a few lemon wedges beside apricot-filled ones—watch how many people nod in approval like they discovered it.
Light the candles, turn up the flame, and trust your hands—you’re ready. With this Hanukkah sufganiyot recipe, your kitchen becomes a tiny bakery with a line out the doorway, and the only complaint you’ll hear is that you didn’t make a double batch.
Do not miss this Hanukkah Latke Recipe!