Dunkin’s French cruller stands apart from every other donut with its incredibly light, airy texture and distinctive ridged shape. This copycat recipe captures that perfect balance of crispy exterior and cloud-like interior, topped with their signature honey vanilla glaze. Unlike dense cake donuts, crullers are made from choux pastry, the same dough used for éclairs and cream puffs.
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
French crullers rely on choux pastry (pâte à choux), which creates steam pockets during frying that result in the signature hollow, airy texture. The key is achieving the perfect dough consistency that pipes beautifully and puffs dramatically when it hits the hot oil. The honey vanilla glaze provides the perfect sweet finish that doesn’t overpower the delicate pastry.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – Creates rich flavor and helps build the pastry structure
- Sugar – Adds sweetness to the dough and helps with browning
- Salt – Enhances all flavors and strengthens the dough structure
- All-purpose flour – Provides the protein structure needed for proper puffing
- Eggs – Create lift and richness while binding the dough together
- Vegetable oil for frying – High smoke point oil perfect for deep frying
- Powdered sugar – Forms the smooth base for the glaze coating
- Vanilla extract – Adds classic bakery flavor to the sweet glaze
- Honey – Provides Dunkin’s signature flavor and glossy finish
- Water – Thins the glaze to proper dipping consistency
Equipment Needed
- Pastry piping bag
- Large star tip for piping bag
- Deep fryer or large heavy pot
- Wire cooling rack
How to Make French Crullers
- Bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil then remove it from the heat.
- Stir in the flour until a smooth dough forms.
- Let it cool before adding the eggs and egg whites one by one.
- Cut 4-inch squares of parchment paper.
- Fill a piping bag with the dough.
- Fill a pot with vegetable oil, at least 4 inches deep.
- Heat the oil to 370 degrees.
- Pipe each cruller on a piece of parchment paper.
- Depending on the size of your pot, fry the crullers in small batches.
- Place each cruller in the hot oil.
- After 1½ to 2 minutes, turn the crullers over.
- Place each cruller on a wire cooling rack before glazing.
- Make the glaze by mixing powdered sugar, vanilla, honey, and water together.
- Dip each cruller in the glaze and place it on the rack.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Pâte à Choux
- Temperature Control: Keep the oil temperature steady at 370°F. It is too cool, and the crullers absorb oil. It is too hot, and they brown before cooking through.
- Egg Addition: Always beat eggs together first, then add gradually. Humidity and flour variations affect how much egg you’ll need.
- Cooking the Flour: Don’t skip cooking the flour mixture on the stove. This removes excess moisture and improves texture.
- Patience is Key: Take time to achieve the perfect dough consistency. This determines your final results.
Frying Techniques for Success
Use a large cast iron skillet or heavy pot for even heat distribution. When transferring to oil, the parchment paper method prevents the delicate dough from losing shape. Wait for the paper to naturally release before removing it with tongs.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Room Temperature Storage: Store uncovered on a plate for up to 24 hours. The crispy texture benefits from air exposure.
- Serving Method: Best enjoyed at room temperature within 24 hours of making
- Freezing: Not recommended, as the delicate texture doesn’t survive freezing well
Enjoy a Dunkin Donuts beverage with your cruller!
Favorite Breakfast Recipes
- Apple Muffins
- Cherry Coffee Cake
- Chocolate Pancakes Recipe
- Donut Muffins
- Funfetti Pancakes
- IHOP Cannoli Pancakes
- Krispy Kreme Donut Recipe
- Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
Check out more of my easy breakfast recipes and the best copycat fast food recipes here on CopyKat!
Dunkin French Cruller – Light Airy Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
French Crueller ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1-2 egg whites, slightly beaten
- vegetable oil for frying
Donut glaze
- 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 – 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil and remove from heat.
- Stir in the flour until a smooth dough forms.
- Let it cool for about 15 minutes before adding the eggs and egg whites one by one.
- Once the dough is ready, cut small squares of parchment paper 4 by 4 inches.
- Fill a piping bag with the dough, use a very large star tip a Wilton 199 or an Ateco 869 are recommended.
- Fill a pot with vegetable oil, at least 4 inches deep.
- Heat the oil to 370 degrees and check with a small drop of dough. the dough should bubble and cook rapidly.
- Pipe each donut on a piece of parchment paper.
- Depending on the size of your pot, fry the crullers in small batches.
- Place each cruller in the hot oil, facing parchment paper up.
- Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, the pastry should brown. Should the donut begin to burn remove the donut, and turn down the heat. But don’t worry, the lightly burnt ones are also delicious with the glaze.
- Place each donut on a cooling rack before glazing.
- Make the glaze by mixing the ingredients with a hand mixer.
- Dip each cruller in the glaze and place it on the rack.
Now this is a donut
Once piped can they be placed in freezer or refrigerator and fried after
No you need to fry these immediately, they will lose shape over time.
What is a piping bag? Is it required?
It’s a bag you will put the batter into to form the donut. It is required to make the recipe. You could drop the dough into the batter, but it will look like balls of dough and not be donut-shaped.