Nutella-Stuffed Donuts with Gooey Chocolate Hazelnut Filling

This Nutella-filled donut recipe will blow your mind. Picture the softest, puffiest yeast donut you’ve ever had, rolled generously in sugar, then filled with warm, gooey Nutella. These are easier to make than they look and absolutely addictive.

We’d planned a quiet, low-spend month at home, but life had other ideas — including a very persuasive door-to-door demonstration of a vacuuming system that left us both entertained and oddly reflective about the state of our drapes. I won’t bore you with every detail, but suffice to say the demo involved a lot of cleaning, a bit of salesmanship, and a reminder that small chores do pile up quickly.

Once the surprise cleaning demonstration was over, I turned my attention back to the kitchen and these donuts. The recipe here makes wonderfully tender, tall donuts by using a warm, humid environment for the dough to rise — essentially a little homemade sauna. It’s an easy trick that gives the dough a moist, airy texture perfect for frying and filling.

Nutella Filled Donuts

From-scratch donuts might seem intimidating the first time, but they’re a fun project and surprisingly forgiving. The basic process: make the dough, let it rise twice (the second time over a pan of boiling water), cut circles, fry, roll in sugar, then inject Nutella into each warm donut. Follow the detailed steps below and you’ll be rewarded with warm, pillowy donuts stuffed with rich chocolate-hazelnut filling.

Nutella Donut Ingredients

How to Make Nutella Donuts

Overview of the process:

1. Proof the yeast, then mix the dough and knead briefly.
2. Let the dough rise in a warm, humid oven for about an hour.
3. Roll the dough, cut donut rounds, and let them rise again over boiling water.
4. Fry the donuts until golden, roll them in sugar, and cool just enough to handle.
5. Poke a hole, pipe in warm Nutella, and serve warm.

Notes and tips:

• Three tablespoons of yeast is generous and helps produce tall, pillowy donuts. When the yeast mixture foams, it’s ready. If it doesn’t foam, discard and start again — the yeast may have been overheated or expired.
• Knead just a couple of minutes; the dough should be soft, slightly tacky, and able to pull away from the bowl. Add a touch more flour only if needed.
• For the first rise, place the dough in a greased large bowl, cover loosely, and set it on the oven’s top rack. Put a 9×13 pan of boiling water on the bottom rack and close the oven. After an hour the dough should double.
• Roll the dough to about half the thickness of your thumb and use a 2 1/2-inch cutter to make rounds. Arrange with space on lined baking sheets for the second rise.
• For the second rise, place the baking sheets on the oven racks and the pan of boiling water underneath to create steam. Let the donuts rise about 45 minutes until puffy.
• Heat oil to 360–370°F in a high-sided skillet with 1½ to 2 inches of oil. Fry a few donuts at a time, about 30–45 seconds per side, until golden. Use tongs or a spatula to flip. Transfer to absorbent paper or a paper grocery bag, then immediately roll in sugar.
• When the donuts are warm but cool enough to handle, poke a hole in the side and work it open with toothpicks so filling has space.
• Fill a pastry bag (or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped) with Nutella. Insert the tip well into the donut and squeeze until the donut feels plump. Add a small dollop on top if desired.

How do you fill donuts with Nutella filling?

Use a pastry bag or a filled zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Insert the tip into the side hole and squeeze until the donut is evenly filled. Be careful not to overfill — Nutella will expand or leak from any thin spots.

What are stuffed donuts called?

These are best described as Nutella-stuffed donuts — not just a Nutella-flavored donut, but a sugar-coated fried dough round filled with real Nutella inside. The filling is what makes them special.

Stuffed Donut Storage

Donuts are best the day they’re made. Store unfilled donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two. If you want longer storage, freeze unfilled dough rounds, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and fill on the day you serve them. Once filled, keep donuts in a single layer in an airtight container and consume within a couple of days.

Recipe Summary

• Prep time: about 20 minutes active
• Rise time: about 1 hour + 45 minutes
• Cook time: a few minutes per batch
• Makes about 25 donuts

Nutrition (per donut, approximate)

Calories: ~330 kcal | Carbohydrates: ~50 g | Protein: ~5 g | Fat: ~12 g | Sugar: ~33 g

Enjoy these warm with a glass of cold milk or a cup of coffee. If you make a batch, share them — otherwise you might find yourself eating far more Nutella than you intended. And if anyone comes to demo a cleaning system, send them away with a donut; it’s a great conversation starter.