Doughnuts or donuts are a globally known snack or dessert made from fried dough. While we already have big international donut brands available like Dunkin Donuts, Mister Donut, Krispy Kreme, and J.CO Donuts, still, nothing quite satisfies the Filipino taste buds like our very own Filipino Cheese Donuts.
For this recipe, we will share a beginner friendly version wherein we won’t be needing yeast. We will also be making the much smaller and easier donut holes or donut balls. Lastly, we will be sharing some tips on the ingredients and various yummy ways you could customize your donut at the end of this article.
What is Filipino Cheese Donut?
Our local version of donuts come in different shapes and sizes. We have donut balls, the ones shaped like the classic donut (with the hole in the center), the ones with long slender shape, and we even have the twisted-shaped ones. It’s even called in different names in different regions like bicho, bicho-bicho (bitso-bitso), shakoy, pilipit, and lubid-lubid.
While there are varying appearances and names, the Pinoy donut have very similar characteristics- its golden brown soft bread and it’s covered with sugar. And the taste? Sweet from the outside, cheesy on the inside.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients you will need to make the Filipino cheese donut. Do take note of their roles in the process as well as some suggested substitutions in case you don’t have them.
All-purpose Flour
This is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a wide variety of food including this recipe. But if you want the donuts to rise more, you can use bread flour instead.
Evaporated Milk
If you currently don’t have evaporated milk, you can use equal amount of water.
Cheese
We will be using the cheese readily available in grocery shelves called the processed filled cheese. Popular brands are Eden, Ques-O, Cheezee, Danes, and Che Vital.
Baking Powder
Baking powder is necessary ingredient that will be responsible for the rising of the doughnut. If you don’t have this, a known substitute is combining 1 part baking soda with 2 parts cream of tartar.
Aside from the above-mentioned ingredients, you will also be needing sugar and cooking oil for frying. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
Cooking these doughnuts is straightforward. You will be needing a flat working surface (for kneading and shaping) and a frying pan.
- Kawali (Frying Pan)- Doughnuts are traditionally deep-fried and you will be needing a deep frying pan to accomodate enough cooking oil. The size doesn’t have to be large since you will be cooking in batches.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How To Make Filipino Cheese Donut?
We don’t have to go to bakeries or look for street vendors if we want to snack on these treats, let’s try making them at home! As mentioned earlier, this is an easy no-yeast version. That means anyone can do this, even if you don’t have any background on bread making.
The ingredients we need are very common, you probably have them in your pantry right now. We will need all-purpose flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt, evaporated milk, oil, and cheese. You’ll find the measurements on the recipe table below.
First, you simply mix all the ingredients (except for the cheese) in a mixing bowl. Then you will form a dough using your hands (make sure to wash). While forming the dough, you might notice that it is still sticky. In this case, gradually sprinkle some flour to fix this.
Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. You will then knead (masahin) the dough until elastic and smooth. Form it into a log and cut into smaller pieces.
Flatten the small piece of dough and place diced cheese at the center. Make sure you can still form the dough into a ball and still keep the cheese inside. Once you finish preparing all the donuts, allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
The last part is to fry the donuts. Simply heat some cooking oil in a pan, and fry the donuts in batches. You’ll know when they are done once they turn golden brown.
Our Filipino cheese donuts won’t be complete without the sugar coating. You may either roll the donuts in sugar or sprinkle the sugar over the donuts.
How to Serve Filipino Cheese Donut
This donut is best served fresh and warm. This is where the texture is soft and chewy. Pairing it with coffee or tea is a good way to go.
How to Store and Reheat
When storing doughnuts, make sure it is completely cool, then transfer it to a clean food container with lid. You can chill this in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, you can use a microwave oven but it’ll be better to use a conventional oven or an oven toaster. Set the temperature at 175 C (347 F) and heat for at least 5 minutes.
Try Out Variations!
Here are some easy variations you could try:
- Use cream cheese or diced chocolate for the filling.
- Mix sugar with cinnamon powder to come up with a churros style cinnamon-sugar coating.
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Filipino Cheese Donut Recipe
Equipment
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk, (you can also use water)
- 1 tbsp oil
- diced cheese, for the filling (you can use brands like Eden or Ques-o)
- cooking oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients except for the cheese.
- Use clean hands to form a dough. You may sprinkle more flour if mixture is sticky.
- Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
- Knead the dough until elastic and smooth.
- Roll the dough into a log then cut into smaller pieces of dough.
- Flatten a small piece of dough and place a piece or two of diced cheese at the center.
- Form the dough into a ball, keeping the cheese inside.
- Repeat for the remaining dough then allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat some cooking oil in a pan and fry the doughnut balls until golden brown.
- Remove from heat and coat doughnuts with sugar before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you and I hope you find this article useful! It’ll mean a lot if you RATE THE RECIPE by clicking on the stars and SHARE THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS! 🙂
