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Thanksgiving Brioche Donuts

Thanksgiving brioche donuts are made with a soft, slightly tacky dough, then fried at 350°F until golden. Finish with three autumn glazes—pumpkin spice, maple, and cranberry—so every bite is glossy and festive.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
rising 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 12 donuts
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For brioche donut dough
  • 0.75 cup whole milk
  • 2.25 tsp yeast
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3.5 cup bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • vegetable oil for frying
For glazes
  • 1.5 cups powdered sugar for pumpkin spice glaze (1-1/2 cups) and for maple and cranberry glazes
  • 3 tbsp pumpkin puree for pumpkin spice glaze
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice for pumpkin spice glaze
  • 2 tbsp milk for pumpkin spice glaze
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup for maple glaze
  • 1 tbsp milk for maple glaze
  • 3 tbsp cranberry sauce for cranberry glaze
  • 1 tbsp milk for cranberry glaze
  • fall sprinkles and edible decorations

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Activate and build the brioche dough
  1. Warm the whole milk and add the yeast, then whisk in the sugar and eggs until combined. Let it sit briefly until the mixture looks foamy, signaling the yeast is active.
  2. Add bread flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice, then knead for 6 minutes to form a cohesive dough.
  3. Add the softened unsalted butter gradually and knead for 8 more minutes until smooth and slightly tacky.
Shape, rise, and fry
  1. Cover and let the dough rise for 1 hour, until noticeably puffy.
  2. Roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness and cut 3-inch circles, then place them on a parchment-lined surface.
  3. Let the cut donuts rise for 30 to 45 minutes until puffed and slightly risen.
  4. Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven to 350°F and fry each donut for 90 seconds per side, until golden.
  5. Drain the fried donuts briefly on a rack or paper-lined tray.
Glaze and decorate
  1. Dip warm donuts in pumpkin spice glaze, then add fall sprinkles and edible decorations while still warm.
  2. Dip warm donuts in maple glaze, then decorate right away so the glaze sets.
  3. Dip warm donuts in cranberry glaze, then add any remaining fall sprinkles or edible decorations to finish.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the dough slightly tacky—if it feels too stiff, your brioche won’t puff as well; lightly flour your surface only as needed. Store assembled donuts covered in the fridge up to 2 days, then warm in short bursts in the microwave or oven to soften. Freezing is best for unglazed fried donuts only (up to 1 month); glaze after thawing. Dairy swap: replace whole milk and butter with a 1:1 plant-based baking alternative for a dairy-free version, and proceed the same way.