These heart shaped donuts are deep fried to perfection, then dunked in a pretty pink glaze for the perfect Valentine's Day treat! You can also leave the middle and fill with strawberry jam!
You might also like these heart shaped sugar cookies or these red velvet donuts!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make these heart shaped Valentine's donuts!
Instant Yeast - The yeast is what helps the dough rise! I like using instant yeast (as opposed to active dry yeast) because you don't need to bloom it first.
Pink Food Coloring - I used a few drops of pink gel food coloring in the glaze but you can leave it plain or add in any other fun color you want! For these donuts I used AmeriColor Soft Pink.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Deep Fried Donuts
The dough for these heart shaped donuts is super easy to make!
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine all of the dough ingredients and knead on medium low speed for about 5 minutes. The dough should come together in a cohesive ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl but is still slightly sticky. If the dough does not come together, add in more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover. Place the dough in the fridge and chill overnight (8-12 hours).
In the morning, remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to rise at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
When the dough is finished rising, lightly punch it down and then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle about ½ inch thick.
Using a 3 inch heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out the heart donuts. Then using a smaller heart, cut out the center. (I like to leave some whole to fill with jam). Re-roll the scraps one time to get more donuts. Then if you have any leftover scraps, you can make extra donut holes!
Lightly cover the donuts and let rest while the oil is heating.
Pour 2-4 cups of vegetable oil (you want it to be about 2 inches deep) into a large, heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven and heat over medium high heat until the oil reached 375°F. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and position it next to your stove. [I love this thermometer because it clips to the pot.]
Once the oil reaches 375°F, fry 3-4 donuts at a time for 1 minute on each side. The donuts should be a deep golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on the cooling rack to allow excess oil to drain off. I always make 1 donut first and check to make sure it's cooked through!
Repeat with the remaining donuts as well as the donut holes.
For the solid heart donuts: While they're still warm, toss them in a little granulated sugar! Place back on the cooling rack and allow to mostly cool to room temperature before filling. Add your favorite strawberry jam to a piping bag fitted with a large bismark tip. Poke the bismark tip into the top of each donut and fill with the jam. [It's easiest to make a hole in the top of the donut using a chopstick prior to filling.]
For the standard heart donuts: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Slowly mix in the milk until your desired consistency is reached. The glaze should be thick but still pourable. If desired, add in a couple drops of pink food coloring. Dip the heart donuts into the glaze and place back on the cooling rack so the excess can drip off. Sprinkle with the Valentine's sprinkles immediately after glazing, so that they stick.
Donut Decorating Tips & Tricks
I like to use several different heart shaped cookie cutters for a fun variety!
Top with:
- Valentine's Day sprinkles
- Heart confetti sprinkles
- Roll in granulated sugar
- Dried rose petals
- Add freeze dried strawberry powder to the glaze
Recipe FAQ's
These donuts are best eaten the same day, but will keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. They taste best re-heated in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
This recipe was specifically designed for deep frying the donuts. If you would prefer baked donuts, I suggest looking up a different recipe. My most similar recipe would be these baked funfetti donuts that you could make in a heart shaped mold.
You don't have to! I prefer a cold rise because the dough is easier to work with. But you can do a minimum of 3 hours in the fridge instead of overnight
Use an instant thermometer to check the internal temperature! You want to shoot for around 190°F.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Heart Shaped Donuts
Special Equipment
- 2-4 cups canola oil for frying
Ingredients
Donuts
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Jam Filled Donuts
- ½ cup granulated sugar, for rolling
- ½ cup strawberry jam
Glazed Donuts
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons milk, as needed
- 1-2 drops pink gel food coloring, optional
- Valentine's sprinkles
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine all of the dough ingredients and knead on medium low speed for about 5 minutes. The dough should come together in a cohesive ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl but is still slightly sticky. If the dough does not come together, add in more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover. Place the dough in the fridge and chill overnight (8-12 hours).
- In the morning, remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to rise at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- When the dough is finished rising, lightly punch it down and then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle about ½ inch thick.
- Using a 3 inch heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out the heart donuts. Then using a smaller heart, cut out the center. (I like to leave some whole to fill with jam). Re-roll the scraps one time to get more donuts. Then if you have any leftover scraps, you can make extra donut holes! Lightly cover the donuts and let rest while the oil is heating.
- Pour 2-4 cups of vegetable oil (you want it to be about 2 inches deep) into a large, heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven and heat over medium high heat until the oil reached 375°F. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and position it next to your stove. [I love this thermometer because it clips to the pot.]
- Once the oil reaches 375°F, fry 3-4 donuts at a time for 1 minute on each side. The donuts should be a deep golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on the cooling rack to allow excess oil to drain off. I always make 1 donut first and check to make sure it's cooked through!
- Repeat with the remaining donuts as well as the donut holes.
- For the solid heart donuts: While they're still warm, toss them in a little granulated sugar! Place back on the cooling rack and allow to mostly cool to room temperature before filling. Add your favorite strawberry jam to a piping bag fitted with a large bismark tip. Poke the bismark tip into the top of each donut and fill with the jam. [It's easiest to make a hole in the top of the donut using a chopstick prior to filling.]
- For the standard heart donuts: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Slowly mix in the milk until your desired consistency is reached. The glaze should be thick but still pourable. If desired, add in a couple drops of pink food coloring. Dip the heart donuts into the glaze and place back on the cooling rack so the excess can drip off. Sprinkle with the Valentine's sprinkles immediately after glazing, so that they stick.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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