Cronut Recipe
Cronuts are soft and flaky pastries that taste like a donut and a croissant had a baby. You won't believe how easy these are to make and how great they taste!
A Cronut is a croissant donut hybrid. The original version takes 3 days to make and has lines 100 people deep. To say that I'm not a morning person is an understatement. The last thing I'd ever want to do is wait in a bakery line at 6 AM. That's why I was determined to make a copycat cronut recipe that would allow me to enjoy these at home. I've successfully made copycat beignets and Krispy Kremes in the past, so I knew I could come up with a solution. This recipe takes no time at all and tastes AMAZING!
We love making them for weekend and holiday breakfasts. They'd also be great for Mother's Day brunch. These are some of the best donuts I've ever had! Bonus: You can enjoy them in your PJs!
❤️Why I Love These Doughnuts❤️
- Affordable: Why pay $5 a donut at the fancy shops when you can make a whole batch for that price?
- Texture: The croissant dough gives them a unique texture with layers of flaky dough.
- Glaze: A generous amount of glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Crescent Sheets: Look for these near the refrigerated biscuits in your supermarket. If you can't find them, puff pastry dough can also be used. However, I find the crescent sheets to give a moister fluffier donut.
- Vanilla Pudding: Refrigerated or shelf-stable pudding will both work.
- Powdered Sugar: You can add more or less to reach your desired level of sweetness/consistency.
Vegetable Oil
Always fry in neutral oil with a high smoke point. The original Cronut is fried in grapeseed oil. I prefer vegetable oil, but canola or peanut oil would also work well.
How to Make Cronuts At Home
- Prep work: Fill the pan with oil, and heat.
- Dough: Fold dough in half twice once in each direction. Cut using a biscuit cutter, and then cut a small hole in the center of each.
- Fry: Fry for 30 seconds per side.
- Fill: Cut in half and fill with pudding if desired.
- Glaze: Combine all ingredients and drizzle over donuts.
Leftovers
These are best eaten the day they are made.
️Krystle's Tips️
- Use a biscuit cutter or a small glass to cut your donut shapes. The whole in the middle can be easily made with the round end of a pastry tip.
- Use a Deep Fry Thermometer: Try to keep the oil at 350 degrees. Bring the oil up to temp. between batches as well. Fry only a few at a time to avoid bringing the oil temp. down.
- If it's too hot, they'll burn on the outside, but be raw on the inside.
- If the oil is too cold, you'll end up with a greasy doughnut.
- Reuse your oil: Strain and cool your oil for frying similar food in the future. If you need suggestions, try: Krispy Kreme Donuts, Zeppole, or Cinnamon Delights next.
- Save your scraps: Roll dough scraps into donut holes, or, as we like to call them, Crobits. Fry for around a minute.
Fry In Batches
Fry only a few at a time: This will help keep the oil at the right temperature.
❔Frequently Asked Questions❔
Yes, air fry at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes.
They will float to the top of the oil. In addition, they should appear golden brown.
More Breakfast Ideas
📖 Recipe
Easy Cronuts Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 Packages Pillsbury Uncut Crescent Sheets
- 1 Vanilla Pudding Cup
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon Milk
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
Instructions
- Fill pan with around 2 inches of oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees over medium heat.
- Fold dough in half in one direction then fold in half in the other. Cut about 3" circles from the dough using biscuit cutter of cup/glass.
- Then Cut about 1" circles from center of each 3" shape. Reserve 1" circles to cook as cronut holes.
- Gather up scraps , roll ,and cut an additional cronut.
- Fry the donuts about 90 seconds on each side until golden brown.Drain on paper towels, and allow to cool before glazing.
Glaze
- Mix powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add additional milk as needed.
- Split a cooled cronut in half and fill with 2 tablespoons of pudding then replace top.
- Drizzle top with glaze and allow it to set.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
- Crescent Sheets: Look for these near the refrigerated biscuits in your supermarket. If you can't find them puff pastry dough can also be used.
- Vanilla Pudding: This makes such a dreamy filling. Refrigerated or shelf-stable pudding will both work.
- Powdered Sugar: You can add more or less to reach your desired level of sweetness/consistency.
- Vegetable Oil: Always fry in neutral oil with a high smoke point. I prefer vegetable, but canola or peanut would also work well.
Pro Tips
- Use a biscuit cutter, or a small glass to cut your donut shapes. The whole in the middle can be easily made with the round end of a pastry tip.
- Use a Deep Fry Thermometer: Try to keep the oil at 350 degrees. If it's too hot they'll burn on the outside, but be raw on the inside. If the oil is too cold you'll end up with a greasy end result. Bring the oil up to temp. between batches as well.
- Fry only a few at a time: This will also help prevent a drop in the oil temperature.
- Reuse your oil: Strain and cool your oil for frying similar food in the future.
- Save your scraps: Roll dough scraps into donut holes.
Nutrition
Oh my goodness, I would love one of these for breakfast! They sound AMAZING!
These Cronuts would disappear fast in our house!
This is my first time trying this and I am SO excited!
These were so tasty! Thanks for the great recipe. Can't wait to make them again!
This is a great recipe! I made it and it came out perfectly. I had no issues with the recipe instructions or anything like that. I just had sweet, delicious cronut goodness.
Oh my goodness I haven't had these in forever. I am so excited!
My teens loved these for breakfast the other day and they were so easy to make! We loved them and I’ll definitely make these again as a surprise for them! Such a sweet treat for the morning and goes so well with my coffee!
Has anyone tried this recipe in an airfryer?? If so...can your directions and results 🙂
Yup! Air fry at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes.
why are people posting no follow html's inside their recipes, it makes them hard to read with that and i was trying to make these for my son here.
So sorry about that, it is fixed now! 🙂
The recipe came out gibberish when I clicked on it. It didn't tell me how to mix it to get it to the Instruction stage.
Hi Mae!
It seems to be working okay for me, can you please try again?
Could the cronuts be done in an air fryer?
Hi Christine,
That's a great question, I have no idea I've never used one! Please let us know if you try it.
I made these this morning. Very easy and delicious!!!
Yay glad you enjoyed Sharon!
I would be very careful with this post and the use of the word Cronut as its a registered trademark and you could face serious legal consequences. Your blog is very good but I wouldn't want you to get into deep trouble.
Concerned fan
The original and still the best is from Ansel's Bakery in NYC. Once you try those, there is no substitute!
These are a great substitute if you don't live near NYC. 🙂
Unless you have the ones from The Leslie Bakery in Leslie Michigan. They are also amazing! If I ever get to NY I will try your fave too!
Thanks for the bakery suggestion Samantha!
Hi! These look great! When it says uncut crescent sheets is that just a can of the crescent rolls?
Hi Gina,
Thanks so much!! Crescents may work but I used the uncut ones. Its the same dough just without the perforations for cutting.
It looks like this http://www.pillsbury.com/products/crescents/recipe-creations
Hope this helps! 🙂