Sufganiyot (pronounced soof-gahn-eeyot) are traditional Hanukkah jelly-filled doughnuts fried in oil. These delectable sweet Israeli treats have a fascinating history. Here I present a step-by-step recipe for perfect homemade sufganiyot. I also share all the secrets for making a truly bakery-worthy confection.
Sufganiyot History
Much like latkes, sufganiyot (singular – sufganiyah) have become synonymous with the Hanukkah holiday. Fried foods, like jelly doughnuts, commemorate the miracle of the menorah oil. However there is quite a bit more to it than that. In his Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, my friend Gil Marks traced the history of jelly-filled doughnuts to a German cookbook first published in 1482 called Kuchenmeisterei – “Mastery of the Kitchen.” The basic recipe was to take two round pieces of bread, put jam in the middle, and deep fry the whole thing in lard.
This heavy sort of treat spread all through Europe, and the Jews wanted to get in on the action – but lard isn’t kosher. So Jewish communities adapted and used schmaltz – goose or chicken fat – to fry them. In Yiddish the doughnuts became known as ponchiks.
Prior to World War II, many Jews left Europe due to rising anti-Semitism, bringing their jelly doughnuts with them. In Israel, there was already a tradition from North African Jews of making smaller deep-fried doughnuts called sfenj. Sephardic Jews had their own fried doughnut traditions for Hanukkah. My husband’s family – he’s half Sephardic – makes these scrumptious doughnut-like treats they call levivot, fried dough drizzled in sweet syrup. When the European Jews came to Israel, their doughnut traditions mingled with the North African and Sephardic traditions.
The Israeli labor union called Histadrut popularized the idea of jelly doughnuts for the holiday. Latkes – the most well known Hanukkah treat – are easy to make at home. However, to make a truly tasty sufganiyot is a lot of work. Most people would rather just buy them at the bakery. That’s what the labor union wanted – to keep people employed throughout the holiday season. Doughnut demand went through the roof, and employment rose to meet that demand. Today sufganiyot is considered a true Hanukkah culinary tradition.
Common Issues When Making Sufganiyot
Yes, sufganiyot are difficult to make. Figuring out a foolproof recipe for sufganiyot has taken me years of patience, trial and error. To be honest, it’s much easier going to the bakery! But many readers have requested a from-scratch recipe through the years, so I made it my mission to develop a reliable and delicious one.
I developed this recipe after copious experimentation. I tried recipes from classic Jewish holiday cookbooks and chefs, some better than others. Several problems popped up along the way… including those on the following list.
- The dough cooks too fast on the outside, leaving the center uncooked.
- Some recipes leave you with a dense texture.
- The dough is delicate and tough to shape.
- They are difficult to fill in a nice, neat way.
I took the best tips learned along the way and combined them to create this recipe. If you follow the steps here carefully, you should end up with some truly delicious sufganiyot!
Food Photography Beauty Shots by Kelly Jaggers
Sufganiyot
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water or milk divided (use water to make parve)
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar divided
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 18 ounces unbleached all purpose flour (500 grams, roughly 3 3/4 cups, plus 1-2 cups more for dusting rolling surfaces)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vodka, brandy, ouzo, or arak
- 1 1/4 cup fruit jelly or jam (10 ounces, 280 grams) - if using a berry jam, double the amount and strain of seeds and pulp before using (directions below)
- 3 pints oil with high smoke point for frying (48 fluid ounces) - avocado or grapeseed work well
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar for dusting
NOTES
Instructions
Instructions
- Pour active dry yeast into a small mixing bowl with 1/4 cup of the lukewarm water or milk and 1 tbsp of the sugar, whisk together to dissolve the yeast and sugar. Wait 10 minutes. The yeast should activate during this time, making it look expanded and foamy. If it doesn’t, your yeast may have expired — make sure you work with fresh yeast before proceeding, or the dough won’t rise.
- If yeast is foamy, whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup of lukewarm water or milk, remaining 3 tbsp granulated sugar, 1/4 cup canola oil, 2 large eggs, and 3/4 tsp vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, sift together 18 ounces of flour and 1 tsp salt so they are well mixed.
- Pour in the wet ingredients (yeast mixture). Set stand mixer to low speed and mix the wet ingredients together with the dry for 10 full minutes, until a very sticky dough forms. The dough will come together, but will stick to the bottom of the mixing bowl. If the dough seems dry, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time, until the texture becomes sticky. Alternatively, if the dough seems too wet, add a little more flour.
- Add 1 tbsp of liquor (vodka, brandy, ouzo or arak) and continue to process on low for 2-3 additional minutes until the dough comes together again (it should look sticky but not overly wet). At first, after adding the liquor, it may seem very wet - don't worry, it should continue to come together after 2-3 minutes and return to a more sticky, doughy texture.
- Grease a large mixing bowl with a little of the cooking oil, then scoop the sticky dough into the bowl.
- Cover with a clean slightly damp tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for roughly 2 hours until it doubles in size. It may take even longer than 2 hours - go by the size. It should really double in size and look big and poofy.Lightly flour a baking sheet and set to the side.
- Flour a flat surface like a cutting board large enough for rolling out the dough. Take the dough out of the bowl, place it on the lightly floured surface, and flour the top of the dough as well. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough out into a rough circle about 1/2 inch thick. Proceed carefully, as you can easily roll it too thin. It should be gently stretched. Make sure you use plenty of flour on top and bottom, loosening the dough as you roll to keep it from sticking.
- Dip your circular cookie cutter in flour lightly, then starting at the outer edge of the dough, cut a circle by pushing down firmly and twisting slightly.
- As each circle is cut, remove it from the larger dough circle, scoop it up with a small spatula, and place it gently on the prepared floured baking sheet. When the dough has no room for circles left, re-roll it to 1/2 inch thickness and cut circles again, repeating the process until you’ve cut as many circles as you can from the dough.
- Lightly dust the tops of the circles with flour. Cover the circles gently with a clean dry tea towel and let them rise for about 45 minutes longer.
- While sufganiyot are rising, add roughly 1 1/4 cups of strawberry jam to a squeeze bottle. If your jam has chunks of fruit or seeds in it, you will want to run it through a strainer before adding it to the bottle to ensure it squeezes smoothly into the sufganiyot.
- If straining the jam, you'll need roughly double the amount (2 1/2 cups) to end up with the proper amount of strained jam.
- In a 5 quart sauté pan or 6 quart pot, heat frying oil to 325 degrees F, using a candy or deep-fry thermometer to measure the heat. Be careful not to let the oil get hotter than this or you run the risk of cooking the outside of the sufganiyot while the inside remains raw. The oil should be bubbling very lightly when the sufganiyot are added.Using a small spatula or flat knife, transfer the circles one at a time into the hot oil, flipping them gently as you place them in the oil so that the puffy top side is facing downward into the oil. Transfer up to 4 circles at a time into the oil.
- Let them fry for about 90 seconds, or until golden brown on the bottom. Gently flip them to continue frying on the other side for another 90 seconds (roughly 3 minutes total), until the sufganiyot are nicely browned on both sides. If your oil cools a bit it may take slightly longer.Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked sufganiyot to a wire rack or a parchment-lined baking sheet to drain of oil. Continue frying in batches of 4 until all of the sufganiyot are cooked.
- Wait until the sufganiyot have cooled slightly before starting the filling process - they can still be somewhat warm, but should not be hot. Use a straw to tunnel into each sufganiyot, creating a narrow hollow hole in the top center of the pastry.
- Use the squeeze bottle to squeeze jam into the center of each sufganiyot, just until the jam slightly overflows the hole in the center.
- Dust with sugar just prior to serving. Pour powdered sugar into a mesh strainer. Gently dust each sufganiyot with powdered sugar, coating with a nice layer of white sugar. The jam dots in the center will soak up the sugar, leaving you with a pretty dollop of red jam in a couple of minutes.
- Serve. Sufganiyot are best served fresh; the powdered sugar will soak into the doughnut over time, and it will appear soggy. You can also freeze the sufganiyot; if you do, freeze them after the frying step (before filling). When ready to serve, defrost completely, fill with jelly and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Here is what they look like inside, in case you're curious... one reader was. 🙂
Clara says
Great recipe, thanks Tori! I kneaded the dough by hand because I didn’t have a standing mixer and it still worked out perfectly!
Ash says
Hi there Tori! I am so excited to try this recipe, the results look amazing and I can’t stop staring at your pictures! Since I am but a humble household of two, I am not sure about making so many sufganiyot at once since we wouldn’t get to them all in proper time! Have you ever tried freezing some portions of this raw dough for frying later? I have done this with things like brioche but of course that’s a pretty different kind of dough. I’d feel so bad about wasting them in any case, so should I just try halving the recipe instead? Thanks!
Tori Avey says
Hi Ash! No, I haven’t frozen the dough, but I have frozen the unfilled baked sufganiyot and that worked out fine – you can defrost, fill them, and powder them before serving. Not as nice as freshly fried, but they’re still quite good.
Rita says
This was my first time making donuts and they turned out great! Was a huge hit among family members. Some of them didn’t puff up in the oil and ended up being quite dense – do you have any tips on how to avoid this? Thanks!
DK says
These came our great! I loved all the pictures and the clear instructions and tips, they made the recipe very easy to follow. I was surprised by how easy it was overall. The biggest challenge was probably keeping my oil at the right temperature.
Elie says
My family loved it. Thank you, Tori!
Ruth says
Looking forward to tasting these tonight! Mixing up two batches with my son right now.
Wanted to give you a tip that I learned from the Amish, if you use cornstarch instead of flour to dust with you don’t have burnt flour in the oil, and the donuts are easier to handle before frying. For some reason the cornstarch doesn’t absorb the moisture of the dough and get sticky over time like flour does.
Tori Avey says
Interesting!
Mariana Rosen says
I just made the sufganiyot following your recipe and they are the best ever. They turned out fluffy and light and very easy to follow the instructions. I’m so happy that I found your recipe. Made the dough in the bread machine and it was much easier. Thank u and Happy Hanukkah
Liat David says
Hiya!
quick question- can I make the dough 1 day prior and leave in fridge to rise until the next day?
Tori Avey says
I haven’t tried it with this recipe, but I do it with challah sometimes and it works well – guessing it probably would here, too.
Ilana says
I surprised myself by having the sufganiot come out perfectly on the first try! Thank you Tory- my Israeli husband and my kids all enjoyed them and said that they are better than the ones from the Jewish grocery store. (I used raspberry jam)
Jessica says
Hi, I commented earlier, and the sufganiyots turned out great. I was wondering if they would work if I tried them in the oven?
Tori Avey says
Hi Jessica, this recipe was developed for frying- I have not tested it baked, so not sure. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Jeannette says
Hi there! I know you mentioned poking a hole through with a straw. How will I ensure that there is enough jelly dispersed inside and not just in the small hole? Is there a special technique or are there air bubbles inside that allow for the jam to spread out?
Thanks!
Tori Avey says
Hi Jeanette, there are air bubbles inside so the jelly should disperse a bit, but still be contained in the center third of the sufganiyot. As for amount, it’s sort of an eyeball-it kind of thing… wish I had a more exact description. A firm squeeze or two should do it. 🙂
Robert says
Really pleased with the outcome on the final night of Chanukah. Have tried other double rise recipes that did not come out as well. Definitely will make again.
Tori Avey says
Glad to hear it!
Deborah says
I love your recipes. I had a few hits and misses this year. Latkes were perfect,
Fennel salad wonderful, kartoffelpuffers were not a bit. Southampton were fine until I added the vodka and after that would not rise. After several hours I started adding flour til not sticky. Cut with cookie cutter and they started to rise! They were fabulous, filled with chocolate ganache or strawberry.
Regina says
Have been eyeing this recipe for quite a while and finally attempted it yesterday because we recently moved to a part of the country with a small Jewish community…hence, no good sufganyot. These came out great. I know because my picky kids (yes, even picky with dessert) approved! I had never attempted to deep fry before, so was a bit confused about whether I needed to change oil between frying batches of donuts, but figured since it wasn’t explicitly stated in the recipe, I should keep it for frying all the batches, and it worked out. Thank you for this recipe, Tori, and for gifting our family a taste of Hanukkah tradition!
Tyler says
My family and I tried this for the first time tonight, and they were great! We made two changes (not for any particular reason, just playing around): We used vanilla almond milk in the dough and cherry pie filling for the jelly. Of course, we had to blend up the pie filling beforehand so it could be put into the squeeze bottle, but they were a hit!
Thanks for all the great recipes… they definitely make the holidays more fun!
Tori Avey says
So glad you had a chance to try this! And kudos for taking the time and making the effort. 🙂
Liat Suvorov says
Hi Tori, how many grams of yeast are in a packet? I buy my dry yeast in bulk (meaning a few ounces at a time…).
Tori Avey says
1/4 ounce in a packet. 🙂
Jaycee says
Hi Tori,
How does a sufganiyot look like when broken open! Would love to see a pic of one jelly filled split in half.
Tori Avey says
Just added a pic especially for you! 🙂 Last one on the page.
Cheryl says
Hi Tori! I need to make these parve but am wondering if I could use a non-dairy milk instead of water – is there any benefit to having the creamier consistency or does the water yield the same result as having used milk? Many thanks!
Tori Avey says
Just use water. There is very little difference between the water and milk versions here – the milk adds a slight flavor boost, but a non-dairy milk wouldn’t give the same flavor, and it’s really a barely noticeable difference. 🙂 Enjoy!
Tali Shalom-Barak says
Hi Tori,
I love your recipes. I did made sufganiot in past years, but worried about calories and such. Love your idea of poking a hole with a straw, and squeezing in the jelly with a squeeze bottle (I just used a teaspoon).
I also have a question for you, did you ever try to fry them in an air fryer? It seems like it should work. I don’t own one, but I am tempted to buy just to try it with sufganiot.
Cheers & Happy Holidays!
Tali
Tori Avey says
Hi Tali! I don’t own an air fryer so not sure about that one. I’m with you on the calories, this is a “once per Hanukkah” splurge for us – not an “all eight nights” kind of treat! 😀 Happy holidays!
Eva Paley says
Hi Tori, I’d like make your delicious looking Sufganiyot. Could you let me know if it’s necessary to use liquoir? End do you think I could make it the day before serving and just fill them and dust on the day I’m serving them. Thank you!
Tori Avey says
Hi Eva! While not necessary, the liquor really helps with the texture and makes the center more flaky/light. It all cooks off during the frying process so you won’t taste it at all (and nothing intoxicating as far as I know). But it’s not completely necessary, no – it just helps with the finished product. Yes, you can make them one day ahead, just keep them in a sealed container and as you mentioned, wait to fill and dust until just before serving. Enjoy!