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Sugar covered fried donuts in a glass dish.
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5 from 6 votes

Fried Donuts Recipe (Roscos Fritos)

A simple fried donut recipe from Spain. This classic cake donut recipe doesn't need yeast, meaning they are ready in no time. If easy, quick, and delicious donuts sound like your thing, don't miss these!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Cake, Snack
Cuisine: Spanish
Servings: 16 donuts
Calories: 98.71kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil You can substitute another oil such as sunflower or canola oil if needed.
  • 3 tablespoon anise liqueur You can substitute 3 tablespoon of a different sweet wine or liqueur, or reduce to 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (or similar).
  • 3 tbsp whole milk
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 ½ cups plus 2 tbsps of flour (200g)
  • olive oil for frying
  • ¼ cup sugar to cover the donuts (50g)

Instructions

  • In a large bowl whisk the eggs and three tablespoons of sugar together.
  • Add the oil, liqueur or extract, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk until combined.
  • Add the milk and lemon zest and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the flour little by little, until you have a slightly sticky dough. It can't be too sticky to work with, but if you add too much flour the donuts can come out hard. Add extra flour if needed to achieve the right consistency.
  • Heat oil in a wide, heavy frying pan.
  • While heating, form the donuts. Grease your hands with oil and grab a small handful of dough. Poke a hole in the center with your finger and carefully stretch until the hole is about 1 inch (2.5 cm.) in diameter.
  • Gently add the formed donuts into the hot oil a few at a time. Don't overcrowd the pan. Brown on one side and then flip and brown the other.
  • Once fried, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate of paper towels.
  • Cover with sugar on all sides while still hot. Enjoy!

Notes

  • You can skip or substitute the lemon zest if preferred.
  • You can substitute the anise liqueur for any other sweet wine or liqueur, or for 1 tablespoon of extract (either vanilla extract, almond, etc.).
  • Make sure your oil isn't too hot (or too cold) when frying. It should not be smoking. Test the temperature by putting a small bit of dough in. If it starts to gently sizzle and brown, it's ready.
  • These donuts are hand shaped, but some people use a nifty donut cutter instead. If you have one, go for it!
  • Like most cakes and fried goods, these are best when enjoyed shortly after being made. They'll last up to a week, but if not stored in an airtight container they will become stale.

Nutrition

Calories: 98.71kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.48g | Protein: 1.56g | Fat: 3.88g | Saturated Fat: 0.59g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 10.25mg | Sodium: 125.74mg | Potassium: 16.82mg | Fiber: 0.32g | Sugar: 5.42g | Vitamin A: 15.15IU | Calcium: 32.98mg | Iron: 0.67mg