These homemade lemon-filled donuts use a fluffy brioche dough, are fried (no donut pan required), filled with thick tart lemon curd, and finished with a smooth vanilla Swiss meringue. Soft and bright, they deliver all the flavor of lemon meringue pie in a donut.
You can customize both the filling and the topping to suit your preferences—granulated sugar, powdered sugar, or different curds all work beautifully.
The fried lemon donut is a timeless pairing of sweet and tart. If you enjoy working with enriched brioche dough, consider trying other recipes using similar doughs.
- Bakery-style apple fritter donuts
- Chocolate espresso babka
- Brioche cinnamon rolls
- Custard-filled sugar donuts
- Pistachio babka
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fried to perfection — Freshly fried donuts deliver a crisp exterior and ultra-fluffy interior. With the right temperature control and tools, deep-frying is straightforward and rewarding.
Bright lemon curd filling — The lemon curd is thick, tangy, and clean-tasting. It pairs perfectly with enriched brioche dough.
Bakery-quality at home — These donuts are impressive for guests and taste best when fresh, so you can enjoy bakery-style treats from your own kitchen.
Ingredients
- Eggs: Six large eggs total — three whole eggs for the curd, three separated for dough yolks and meringue whites.
- Lemons: Fresh lemons for juice and zest.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar for curd, dough, and meringue.
- Butter: Unsalted butter, room temperature for curd, melted for the dough.
- Flour: All-purpose flour for the brioche-style dough.
- Yeast: Instant or rapid-rise yeast.
- Milk: Whole milk, warmed for activating yeast.
- Oil: Neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola or vegetable, for frying.
See the recipe card below for full ingredient quantities and the complete ingredient breakdown for lemon curd, dough, and Swiss meringue.
Tools Needed
Gather tools for each component ahead of time so the process is smooth.
Lemon curd
- Medium saucepan
- Mixing bowl
- Fine mesh sieve
- Microplane or grater
- Whisk
Donuts
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Rolling pin
- 3-inch cookie or biscuit cutter (or mason jar ring)
- Plastic wrap or dish towel
- Sheet pan or cooling rack and parchment paper
- Large heavy-bottomed pot for frying
- Slotted spoon, spider, or spatula
- Deep-fry or candy thermometer
- Paper towels
- Chopstick or utensil to create the filling hole
- Piping bag or zip-top bag for filling
Swiss Meringue
- Saucepan for double boiler
- Glass or metal mixing bowl that fits over the pan
- Whisk and a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or hand mixer)
- Kitchen torch for toasting the meringue
Substitutions and Variations
- Use store-bought lemon curd or canned lemon filling to save time, or swap in jam or preserves.
- Skip the meringue and coat the warm donuts in granulated or powdered sugar. For more lemon aroma, rub lemon zest into the sugar before coating.
- Cut smaller rounds to make filled donut holes for bite-sized treats.
- Try different curds — orange, lime, raspberry, or blueberry curds all make delightful variations.
How to Make This Recipe
Plan ahead: make the lemon curd at least a few hours — ideally the day before — so it chills and thickens. The curd recipe uses whole eggs and yields a tart, silky filling.
Brioche Donut Dough
One: Combine flour, salt, sugar, yeast, warmed whole milk, egg yolks, and melted butter in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until the dough is soft, elastic, and passes the windowpane test.
Two: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Three: Turn the dough onto a work surface, roll to 1/2″ thickness, and cut rounds with a cookie cutter.
Four: Transfer each cut donut to 4×4″ parchment squares and cover lightly. Let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes.
Hot tip! Photograph the dough during rising so you can visually judge when it has doubled.
Five: After the second rise the rounds will be pillowy and ready to fry.
Six: Heat oil to 350–370°F (175–188°C). Fry 2–3 donuts at a time for about 1–2 minutes per side, until golden. Drain on a wire rack and cool completely before filling.
Making the Swiss Meringue
Seven: In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, whisk egg whites and sugar until warm and the sugar dissolves.
Eight: Beat the warmed mixture in a stand mixer until stiff, glossy peaks form; fold in vanilla.
How to Fill Stuffed Donuts
Nine: Use a chopstick or similar tool to create a pocket in the side of each donut, pushing about two-thirds in and rotating slightly to make space for filling.
Ten: Pipe chilled lemon curd into each donut until it just begins to show at the opening.
Eleven: Top each donut with a generous dollop of Swiss meringue and shape with a spatula for swoops or swirls.
Twelve: Use a kitchen torch to lightly toast the meringue for flavor and presentation. Serve immediately for the best texture.
Expert Tips
- Dough texture: after kneading the dough should be tacky but not sticky. If sticky, add flour in 2 tablespoon increments and re-knead.
- Prepare your frying station before heating the oil so you can fry continuously and safely.
- Remove lemon curd from the fridge right before filling the donuts for easiest piping.
- When making the filling hole, do not puncture through the bottom or across the donut; create a pocket about two-thirds deep.
Recipe FAQs
Use at least 3 inches of oil in a pot or Dutch oven so donuts can float and cook evenly.
Maintain the oil at roughly 350–370°F (175–188°C). Use a thermometer and adjust heat between batches.
They should be golden brown outside and light and pillowy inside. If measuring, a center temperature near 190°F indicates doneness.
If the oil was too cool the donuts absorb oil and take too long to cook; if too hot the exterior browns before the center cooks. Keep oil temperature steady and fry by thickness.
Yes. Assembled donuts with lemon curd should be refrigerated. Unfilled donuts can be kept at room temperature for a day and filled before serving.
Storage
These lemon-filled donuts are best eaten the day they are assembled. If you need to save them, store fried but unfilled donuts at room temperature in a zip-top bag for one day, then fill before serving.
Freezing the donuts
To freeze, cut the donuts, place them on a sheet pan to flash freeze for 30 minutes, then transfer to an airtight bag for up to one month. Thaw in the refrigerator, allow them to come to room temperature and rise slightly on a parchment-lined sheet, then fry as directed.
More Sweet Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
- Pecan bread pudding with vanilla sauce
- Earl Grey scones with lemon glaze
- Fluffy bakery-style banana muffins
- Baileys French toast with Baileys whipped cream
If you make these donuts, share your photos and feedback on social media and consider leaving a rating for the recipe.
📖Recipe
Lemon Filled Donuts with Meringue
Equipment
- Microplane or zester
- Fine mesh sieve
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutter or biscuit cutter
- Large heavy-bottomed pot
- Deep-fry or candy thermometer
- Spider or slotted spoon
- Piping bag or zip-top bag
- Chopstick or utensil
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet or cooling rack
- Kitchen torch
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Donut Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- ¾ cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F
- 3 large egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (57 g)
- 1 quart vegetable or canola oil for frying
Swiss Meringue
- 3 large egg whites
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
Lemon Curd
- Zest two lemons to yield 3 tablespoons zest and squeeze enough lemons for ⅓ cup juice. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and cut butter into tablespoon pieces.
- In a medium saucepan, combine 3 whole eggs, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Whisk constantly over medium-low heat.
- Cook, whisking, until the curd thickens significantly and just begins to bubble, about 4–6 minutes.
- Pass the curd through the sieve into a bowl, pressing through with a spatula. Whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated.
- Cover the curd with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface and chill 1–2 hours.
Donut Dough
- In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, add flour, salt, sugar, yeast, warmed milk, egg yolks, and melted butter. Mix on low until combined and shaggy.
- Increase speed to medium and knead 10–12 minutes until dough is soft, elastic, and pulls away from the bowl. If sticky, add flour 2 tablespoons at a time.
- Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm location until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface, roll to ½” thickness, and cut rounds with a 2½–3″ cutter. Transfer cut rounds to 4×4″ parchment squares on a sheet pan.
- Cover lightly and allow donuts to rise for about 30 minutes until puffy.
Frying the Donuts
- Heat oil in a large heavy pot to 350–360°F (175–182°C). Keep a steady temperature between batches.
- Slip the parchment with the donut into the oil and remove the parchment with tongs. Fry 2–3 donuts at a time, about 1–2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Drain on a wire rack set over paper towels and let cool completely before filling.
Swiss Meringue
- Set a saucepan with 1″ simmering water and fit a heatproof bowl on top (bowl should not touch water). Combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl.
- Whisk until the mixture is warm and sugar dissolves (about 150°F / 66°C if using a thermometer).
- Beat in a mixer on medium, then high, until stiff glossy peaks form. Add vanilla and whip briefly to combine.
Donut Assembly
- Fill a piping bag with chilled lemon curd and snip a small opening.
- Use a chopstick to make a pocket in the side of each donut about two-thirds deep, rotating to create space.
- Pipe curd into each donut until it just starts to show at the hole.
- Spoon or pipe a mound of Swiss meringue onto each donut and shape as desired. Lightly toast the meringue with a kitchen torch.
- Serve immediately. Assembled donuts are best the same day.
Notes
Make the lemon curd in advance so it has time to chill and set for easy piping. Store assembled donuts at room temperature for up to one day or refrigerate leftovers due to the lemon curd.
Nutrition is an estimate per serving.