Print

Light and Chewy Chinese Glutinous Rice Doughnuts with Coconut Glaze Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★

3.9 from 28 reviews

These Light and Chewy Chinese Doughnuts with Coconut Glaze deliver a perfect balance of soft, chewy texture and a sweet coconut finish, making them an irresistible treat for any occasion.

Ingredients

Scale

Doughnuts

  • 2 cup glutinous rice flour
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (balances the sweetness in both the dough and the glaze)
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or grapeseed. This keeps the dough pliable and helps with a smoother crust after frying.)
  • 4 cup neutral oil

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted to avoid lumps. This is the base of the glaze.)
  • 3 tablespoon coconut milk
  • ½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional but it really amplifies the coconut flavor. Vanilla extract is a fine substitute if you prefer.)
  • 2 tablespoon unsweetened desiccated coconut

Instructions

  1. Make the doughnut dough
    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the glutinous rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. This only takes about 15 seconds – you just want everything distributed so you don’t end up with pockets of baking powder.
  2. Form the dough
    Pour the warm water into the dry ingredients and stir with a fork or chopsticks until a shaggy dough starts forming. Add the tablespoon of oil and switch to using your hands. Knead the dough right in the bowl for about 2 minutes until it’s smooth, soft, and pliable – like Play-Doh. If the dough feels too dry and crumbly, add warm water one teaspoon at a time. If it’s sticky and clings to your hands, dust in a tiny bit more rice flour. The finished dough should be soft but not tacky.
  3. Rest the dough
    Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. This rest lets the flour fully hydrate, which makes the doughnuts chewier and easier to shape. Don’t skip this – it genuinely makes a difference.
  4. Shape the doughnuts
    Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. The easiest way: roll the dough into a log about 12 inches long, cut it in half, cut each half in half, and then cut each quarter into 6 pieces. You’ll get roughly even portions this way without needing a scale.
  5. Roll each doughnut
    Roll each piece between your palms into a smooth ball, about 1 inch in diameter. If the surface cracks, just press it back together – the dough is forgiving. Place the finished balls on a lightly oiled plate or parchment-lined tray. Cover them with the damp towel as you work so they don’t dry out. Glutinous rice flour dough dries quickly and dry dough leads to cracked, ugly doughnuts.
  6. Fry the doughnuts
    Pour the oil into your heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat to 325°F. This is lower than you might expect for frying – and that’s intentional. These doughnuts need a gentler fry because glutinous rice flour browns fast on the outside while the inside stays raw if the oil is too hot. Trust me on the temperature here.
  7. Cook doughnuts in batches
    Carefully lower 6 to 8 dough balls into the oil. Don’t overcrowd – they need room to expand and float freely. The doughnuts will sink at first, then float to the surface within about 30 seconds. Once they float, use your spider strainer to gently press them down and roll them around in the oil. This encourages even puffing and browning.
  8. Fry until golden
    Fry each batch for about 4 to 5 minutes total, turning them frequently, until they’re a deep golden color all over and feel light and hollow when you tap them with the strainer. They should puff up to roughly 1.5 times their original size. If they’re browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly. The inside should be chewy but fully cooked – no raw doughy center.
  9. Drain and maintain oil temperature
    Transfer the fried doughnuts to the wire rack to drain. Let the oil come back to 325°F between batches – this is important. Cold doughnuts dropped into cooling oil absorb more grease and end up heavy instead of light. Continue with remaining batches.
  10. Make the coconut glaze
    While the doughnuts cool slightly, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the coconut milk just until it’s barely steaming – about 30 seconds. Don’t boil it. Remove from heat and whisk in the sifted powdered sugar and coconut extract until completely smooth. The glaze should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but thin enough to drizzle. If it’s too thick, add coconut milk half a teaspoon at a time. Too thin? Add a bit more powdered sugar.
  11. Toast the coconut
    If you’re toasting the desiccated coconut, do it now in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes until it turns light golden and fragrant. It goes from perfect to burnt in seconds, so stay with it.
  12. Glaze the doughnuts
    Dip the top of each warm doughnut into the glaze, or drizzle the glaze over them using a spoon. Immediately sprinkle with the toasted coconut before the glaze sets. The glaze will firm up into a thin, slightly crackly shell within a few minutes. These are best eaten within a couple hours of frying while the exterior is still crisp and the inside is warm and chewy.

Notes

  • Cover dough balls with a damp towel as you work so they don’t dry out; dry dough leads to cracked, ugly doughnuts.
  • Maintain oil temperature at 325°F between batches to avoid greasy doughnuts.
  • Do not skip the 10-minute dough rest for a chewier texture.
  • Toast desiccated coconut carefully as it can burn quickly.
  • Best eaten within a couple of hours while the exterior is still crisp and the inside warm and chewy.

Keywords: Chinese doughnuts, glutinous rice flour doughnuts, coconut glaze doughnuts, chewy doughnuts recipe, fried Asian doughnuts

Find it online: https://foodarohub.com/light-and-chewy-chinese-glutinous-rice-doughnuts-with-coconut-glaze-recipe/