Strawberry Paczki (Polish Donuts)

Name: Paczki recipe
Prep time: 210 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 240 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast; 3/4 cup flour (100 grams); 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar; 1 1/4 cups 2% or whole milk (warmed to between 100 and 110 degrees); 3 egg yolks; 1 egg; 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon real lemon juice; Pinch salt; 3 cups all-purpose flour (400 grams); 4 tablespoons butter (melted); Neutral oil for frying (such as vegetable or peanut oil); 1 1/2 cups strawberry jam or other filling of your choice; Granulated sugar (for coating); Powdered sugar (for coating)

May contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.

ByCourtney UpdatedFebruary 12, 2025

54 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Enjoy traditional Polish jelly donuts at home with our easy to follow recipe for homemade paczki! Usually enjoyed on Fat Tuesday, you can keep the party going year round with these fried, yeasted donuts filled with fruit or custard and finished with a sprinkling of sugar.

Do you need your donut fix in a hurry? Try our Air Fryer Donuts or Chinese Donuts!

Homemade Paczki: Polish Jelly Donuts

Stack of custard and strawberry paczki on a metal baking sheet.

Table of Contents

My husband introduced me to paczki soon after we got married, I think partially to impress me and partially because he was horrified I had never heard of them before.

These Polish jelly filled donuts are incredibly popular in the Michigan town where my husband grew up. Traditionally, paczki are enjoyed en masse around Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras as a way of using up sugar, butter, and eggs before the Lenten fast begins.

Before I tell you more about these powdered sugar dusted pillows of fried dough, let’s get one thing out of the way. Paczki can be pronounced “punch-key” or the more traditional Polish pronunciation “poanch-key,” pronounced pone(rhymes with cone)ch-kee.

There are endless varieties of paczki, but our favorite is strawberry and custard. Don’t have a Polish bakery in your city? With our simple to follow strawberry paczki recipe, you can have your own Fat Tuesday celebration right at home!

Loaf pan filled with four paczki donuts.

What’s the difference between paczki and donuts?

Paczki is very similar to common jelly filled donuts. Like its American counterparts, paczki are yeasted, deep fried donuts that are filled with all kinds of fruit and custard fillings.

Paczki dough is slightly sweeter and denser than traditional yeast donuts, with a texture that is more chewy and sproingy than fluffy. Paczki are also typically not glazed, but instead rolled in granulated sugar or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Paczki is filled with a variety of different fillings, from fruit options like apple, blueberry, and lemon to creamy custard and even prune (a traditional Polish favorite).

Key Ingredients

Vegetable oil, eggs, butter, lemon, sugar, powdered sugar, strawberry jam, milk, and flour on a white background.

Instant (or Rapid Rise) yeast– I prefer to use instant yeast in most of my bread baking (try it in our favorite Amish White Bread). It shortens the rise time considerably and has always led to consistent results for me. You can use instant or rapid rise yeast interchangeably in this recipe.
Flour- You’ll need all purpose flour for the yeast starter and the dough itself.
Sugar– Granulated sugar gives the dough a touch of sweetness, and can also be used to coat the warm, fried donuts.
Milk– Warm milk helps activate the yeast and enrich the dough. I recommend using 2% or whole milk.
Eggs– We’ll use 3 egg yolks and just one whole egg for a rich, golden flavor.
Butter– Have I mentioned these donuts are rich? Butter is the last key to a great flavored donut!
Neutral oil, for frying– Deep frying requires a neutral oil with a high smoke point. You can use peanut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil. Keep in mind you’ll need quite a lot of oil for deep frying. Canola and vegetable oil or the more affordable options.
Fillings– Choose a fruit preserve (we love Bonne Maman’s strawberry preserves), make your own pastry cream (we used this recipe!), or pick up some lemon curd or Nutella.

How to Make Paczki

Yeast, milk, sugar, and flour whisked together in a measuring cup.

Step 1: Make the yeast starter. Whisk together yeast, warm milk, sugar, and flour. It will be lumpy. This is just fine!

Step 2: Rest 1 hour. (Isn’t that the best instruction? Don’t mind if I do!) Let the mixture rest for 1 hour, until it nearly doubles in size. It will be frothy and foamy looking.

Step 3: Whisk eggs and sugar. Add the eggs and sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk until frothy. Stir in butter and vanilla extract.

Step 4: Add the vanilla, lemon juice, salt, and butter and whisk again.

Yeast starter added to eggs in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 5: Add starter. Add the starter along with 3 Tablespoons of the flour and beat until well combined. Switch to the paddle attachment.

Step 6: Add remaining flour, then butter. Add the rest of the flour in ½ cup increments, beating well after each addition. Beat in butter at the end. The dough is ready when it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and is tacky but not wet.

Step 7: Knead and rest. Transfer the dough to a very lightly floured surface and knead for about 1 minute, or until it smooths out.

Yeast risen paczki dough in a mixing bowl.

Step 8: Rise. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with saran wrap, and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Step 9: Shape the donuts. Break off ¼ cup sized balls of dough and roll in your hands. (Alternatively, roll the dough out to ¾ inch thick, and cut with a biscuit cutter). Line them on parchment paper then drape loosely with a cloth. Rest for 30 minutes, until puffed.

Fried paczkis lined up on a baking sheet.

Step 10: Fry. Heat neutral oil in a deep, wide pot to between 340-360 degrees. Use a slotted spoon to lower the dough into the oil, 4-5 at a time. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, flip, and fry another 2 minutes.

Paczki being dipped into granulated sugar.

Step 11: Sugar. If using granulated sugar, roll the donuts while they’re still warm. If using powdered sugar, wait for them to cool, fill, then sprinkle with sugar.

Chopstick poking a hole for a jelly donut filling.

Step 12: Fill. Use a chopstick or sharp paring knife to poke a hole in one side of the donut, about ¾ of the way through, spinning it to create a cavity. Fit a piping bag with a round tip and fill with your desired filling. Insert the tip into the donut and squeeze until the filling reaches the top. Repeat with remaining donuts, then enjoy!

Storage and Make Ahead Instructions

Paczki are best enjoyed on the day they’re made, but there are some ways you can make them ahead of time or enjoy your leftovers.

Storage: Wrap leftover paczki with saran wrap and store at room temperature, unless they have perishable fillings. Then they will need to be kept in the fridge.
Make Ahead: You can prepare the paczki dough ahead of time and let it rest in the fridge overnight. Follow the instructions through step __, then place the dough, covered, in the fridge to rise overnight. Let it come to room temperature, then proceed with the recipe.
Freezing paczki- Freeze unfilled, unsugared paczki double wrapped in saran wrap and stored in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Reheat it briefly in the oven or the air fryer, then fill and sugar as usual.

Custard filled paczki with a bite taken out of it.

Pro Tips + Helpful Equipment

Always check the expiration dates on your yeast. If the yeast doesn’t bubble up and expand in the first step, discard it and start over with fresh yeast.
Use a thermometer to make sure your milk is not too cool or too hot. Aim for between 100 and 110 degrees.
Measure your flour using the spoon and level method to ensure you aren’t adding too much flour. Avoid scooping your measuring cup into the flour, as this compacts the flour and can result in dense, dry baked goods.
You can see some of my donuts were a little misshapen. For more uniform shaped donuts, roll the dough out to ½ inch thick. Use a 3 inch biscuit cutter to cut out the donuts.
I preferred to fry these in my wide, deep chicken fryer. A Dutch oven also works well.
You’ll also want to use a thermometer to get your oil to the right temperature. Aim for between 340-360 degrees.
Fry a test donut! Just like with cookie recipes, I like to start with a test donut to see if the oil needs to be hotter or cooler and get a feel for how long they’ll take to cook through. Plus, then you get to sample the tester!
Use a chopstick or thin, long knife to poke a hole in the donut.
This piping bag and round tip is the perfect size for filling.

Fillings for Paczki

The filling options for these donuts are as vast as your imagination! Use any kind of fruit preserve (cherry, blueberry, apple, peach, etc), lemon curd, Nutella, or custard.

Try making your own filling by using the fruit compote in this Strawberry Rhubarb Fool or the apple pie filling in our Caramelized Apple Pie (chop the apples small so you can pipe it!).

The paczki you see pictured here used strawberry preserves and this homemade pastry cream recipe. You can also add whipped cream to pastry cream (this is called crème légère) for a lighter custard filling.

FAQS

Should you cover paczki in powdered sugar or granulated sugar?

We have enjoyed paczki with granulated sugar, powdered sugar, or a thin icing sugar glaze. It’s really your preference!

I like the texture of the granulated sugar, but my kids preferred powdered sugar. We’ve even done both!

The joy of making homemade donuts is getting to make them exactly how you like!

Do you have to refrigerate custard filled donuts?

I recommend refrigerating custard paczki if you’re not eating them within 12 hours. Wrap individual donuts tightly with saran wrap to keep them from drying out.

More Donut Recipes to Try

Air Fryer Donuts– This short cut donut recipe is done in less than 30 minutes and can be topped with any of your favorite icings.

Chinese Donuts– These sugar dusted donut holes were popularized at Asian buffets, but can be made easily at home with refrigerated biscuit dough.

Fried Honey Citrus Cakes– Glazed with honey and citrus, these bite sized cakes are a unique treat!

Apple Cider Donut Cake– Inspired by our favorite apple cider donuts, this cinnamon sugar dusted bundt cake is a favorite, especially in the fall!

Paczki recipe

Paczki are Polish yeast donuts filled with fruit, lemon curd, or custard.

4.8 from 5 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time: 3 30

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 4

Servings: 16

Calories: 188kcal

Ingredients

For the starter:

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 cup flour (100 grams)
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups 2% or whole milk (warmed to between 100 and 110 degrees)

For the donuts:

3 egg yolks
1 egg
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon real lemon juice
Pinch salt
3 cups all-purpose flour (400 grams)
4 tablespoons butter (melted)
Neutral oil for frying (such as vegetable or peanut oil)
1 1/2 cups strawberry jam or other filling of your choice
Granulated sugar (for coating)
Powdered sugar (for coating)

Instructions

To make the starter, whisk together the yeast, flour, sugar, and milk in a large measuring cup. The mixture will be lumpy. Rest for 1 hour, or until it's frothy and doubled in size.

For the donuts:

Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk until frothy. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and salt and whisk. Switch to the paddle attachment.
Add the starter and 3 Tablespoons of the flour and beat until smooth.
Add the rest of the flour in about 1/2 cup increments, beating well after each addition. The dough is ready when it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and is tacky, but not super wet. Add the butter at the very end and beat until just combined.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 1 minute, or until the dough smooths out.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Grab about a 1/4 cup portion of dough and roll it into a ball in your hands. Repeat with remaining dough. Alternatively, roll the dough to about 3/4 inch thick, then cut rounds with a biscuit cutter. Cover the dough balls and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Heat 4-5 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed pot to 345-660 degrees. Use a slotted spoon to lower the dough into the hot oil 4-5 at a time and fry for 2-3 minutes each side, or until golden brown. (It can be helpful to start with a test donut to make sure the oil isn't too hot or cold and see how long it takes for them to cook clear through.) Use tongs to remove the donuts and place them on a paper towel lined plate.
Fill a shallow bowl with granulated sugar and roll the donuts in the sugar while still warm. (If using powdered sugar only, skip this step).
When the donuts are cool enough to touch, use a chopstick to poke a small hole about 3/4 of the way through the donut. I like to twist it around slightly to make sure there is enough space for the filling. Fill a piping bag with strawberry jam, insert the tip into the donut and squeeze until the jam starts to pool at the top. Repeat with remaining donuts.
Sift powdered sugar over top of the donuts. Serve warm or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

Yeast- You can use instant or rapid rise yeast in this recipe. Make sure it’s not expired! If the starter does not foam up, discard it and start with fresh yeast.
Fillings– We used this recipe for the pastry cream filled donuts. You can use any storebought preserve, pie filling, lemon curd, Nutella, or even chocolate frosting.
Powdered sugar or granulated sugar– You can finish the donuts with one or the other or both!
I like using my deep 12 inch chicken fryer to fry these, but a Dutch oven also works well.
Don’t throw away those extra egg whites! Check out my collection of over 50 egg whites recipes!

Equipment

CUISINART Chicken Fryer, 12″

Instant Read Meat Thermometer For Grill And Cooking

Wilton Tip Set, X-Large

Course Dessert

Cuisine Polish

Keyword filled donuts, strawberry paczki

Nutrition

Did You Make This Recipe?Leave a review, Mention @NeighborFoodie, or tag #neighborfoodies!