Nigerian Doughnuts (Fried Donut Recipe Without Eggs)

April 17, 2018 (Last Updated: March 8, 2020)

These homemade, vegan jam filled donuts are soft, chewy and absolutely delicious! In this recipe, I’ll be sharing how to make Nigerian doughnut without eggs while nailing its taste and fluffy texture!

How to Make Nigerian Doughnut Without Eggs (Homemade Vegan Jam Filled Donuts) - two vegan donuts served on a plate with a bitten donut in front showing the creamy blackcurrant filling and a stack of donuts in the background

I might be biased, but I have not been able to fall in love with a ton of the jam filled donuts that I have had outside Nigeria, not to even mention the rare vegan donuts (hard to believe even dunkin’ donuts didn’t offer them). Nigerian doughnuts have been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. The typical Nigerian doughnut has a soft and chewy texture, is lightly sweet, and is absolutely delicious. Since I have been withdrawing further away from eggs in my food, I have not had a good Nigerian doughnut in a long time especially the jam filled donuts which are most popular back home and have seen next to no recipes on how to make Nigerian doughnuts without eggs. The culinary world can sometimes make it feel like a handicap to not eat eggs, but I have been able to overcome the challenge of leaving eggs out of my diet successfully and deliciously. The jam filled donuts I ate as a kid had eggs in it, so I struggled for the longest time to create my own homemade vegan donuts with the familiar fluffy texture of the Nigerian doughnut, except eggless. I recently successfully nailed how  to make Nigerian doughnut without eggs so I’m excited to share my eggless donut discovery with you. But I’m also going to finally dish on a more burning question you might have: Why don’t I eat eggs though?

How to Make Nigerian Doughnut Without Eggs (Homemade Vegan Jam Filled Donuts) - two homemade vegan donuts served on a plate in focus and a stack of donuts in the background

Too Much Ado About Eggs

Once upon a time, the world of baking, pastries and donuts seemed closed off to me. Because I do not eat eggs, you can imagine that left me few options in the way of desserts and pastries! While I have mentioned my egg aversion many times before, I have never told the full story. It is actually a pretty short and interesting story (at least in my opinion), that I am finally going to share with you. I was one of those kids that grew up really fast. I was talking by age one (according to my mom), and I was able to tell my mother after eating eggs for a long time that if she gave me any more eggs I would throw up. She laughed it off because I was clearly too young to understand what I was telling her, but it turns out that ever since then whenever I encountered eggs I would either throw up or get very nauseous and threaten to throw up. Since then, I have made several failed attempts to fall back in love with eggs. I even had people hide them in dishes only to throw up later and discover eggs were in the dish. I tried having my mom make her best scrambled eggs with lots of spice since that sometimes seemed to quell the nausea for me, and I have tried cakes and desserts with eggs in them. The last straw for me was when I went to a frozen custard store, thinking they served regular eggless ice creams (I checked with my friend who took me there), and almost spilled my guts on the floor after taking my first bite of their vanilla frozen custard (which I thought was vanilla ice cream). Nowadays, I can sometimes get away with having a bite of regular cake here and there, but I have given up trying to stomach eggs; even the smell of eggs puts me off.

Since I do not eat eggs, I have successfully after many attempts, been able to replicate my favorite desserts thanks to vegan baking methods that I have adapted to suit me. I still enjoy baking and cooking with butter and yogurt, and I do not completely avoid milk. So for now, I am not missing out on anything in my opinion, by not eating eggs, and avoiding them in my baking.

How to Make Nigerian Doughnut Without Eggs (Homemade Vegan Jam Filled Donuts) - bitten vegan donut in focus showing the creamy blackcurrant filling and a plate with two donuts and a stack of donuts in the background

What’s so Special about Nigerian Doughnuts?

These Nigerian doughnuts without eggs constitute one of my most recent eggless victories. I have sorely missed Nigerian doughnuts, and have just nailed how to make Nigerian doughnut without missing the perfect taste or texture. Nigerian doughnuts are a little more chewy and light than jam filled donuts found in the U.S., and when fried, they are the perfect vessel to transport your favorite jam into your mouth. The dough is a little less sweet than the typical U.S. donut dough, so it really holds up well to the sugar frosting that coats it, and the sweet jam filling. These homemade vegan donuts are best consumed the same day or a few hours after it is made, and can be filled with your favorite jam of choice. In my case, I used blackcurrant jam, but feel free to use any other jam (try not to use jelly, it takes away a little from the authentic “Nigerian” jam filled donuts’ experience).

How to Make Nigerian Doughnut Without Eggs (Homemade Vegan Jam Filled Donuts) - close up of two homemade vegan donuts served on a plate with a stack of donuts in the background

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How to Make Nigerian Doughnut Without Eggs (Homemade Vegan Jam Filled Donuts) - two vegan donuts served on a plate with a bitten donut in front showing the creamy blackcurrant filling and a stack of donuts in the background
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Nigerian Doughnuts (Fried Donut Recipe Without Eggs)

The Nigerian doughnut has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. These jam filled donuts have a soft and chewy texture, are lightly sweet, and absolutely delicious! In my homemade vegan donuts' recipe, I'll be sharing with you how to make Nigerian doughnut without eggs and still nail its taste and fluffy texture!
Prep Time1 hour 40 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Nigerian
Servings: 14
Calories: 434kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cups All purpose (plain) flour (about 435g)
  • ½ cup Sugar
  • tsps Fast acting dry yeast (one ¼ oz packet)
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Soy milk (or any other plant based milk)
  • 5 tbsp Vegan butter (about 45g)
  • 1 tbsp Ground flaxseeds (plus 3 tbsps warm water)
  • ½ tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
  • Oil for deep frying

Finishing the donut

  • 1 cup Sugar
  • ½ cup Jam

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, freshly grated nutmeg and salt. Set aside. 
  • Warm the milk till it is about 110°F (just a little above body temperature), and in the ground flaxseed and warm water mixture.
  • Rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is homogeneous. Add in the milk and flax mixture into the flour bit by bit, until the mixture comes together to form a soft but not sticky dough. 
  • Knead the dough for 5 minutes, on a lightly floured work surface. Place the dough in a greased bowl, and cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for at least 1 hour. 
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, take the dough out of the bowl, punch down all the air bubbles that have formed, and roll out to about ½ inch thickness.
    Vegan Nigerian Doughnuts (Jam Filled Donuts) - a rolling pin laid on the dough for kneading
  • Using a round cutter, cut the dough , and place on a floured sheet pan. Cover the pan lightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for another 30 -40 minutes.
    Vegan Nigerian Doughnuts (Jam Filled Donuts) - using a circular bowl to measure out circles in the dough
  • Place one cup of sugar on a flat plate to toss in the donuts once they are fried.
  • Prep a piping bag with a small round piping nozzle filled with your favorite jam.
  • Heat up about 1" of oil to 360°F for frying. Gently place each donut in the hot oil (do not overcrowd the pan), and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, or until it is golden brown.
  • Once the donuts are golden brown on each side, take it out of the oil, drain, and toss in the sugar to coat while it is still warm
  • Using a wooden skewer or a chopstick, make a hole in the side of each donut being careful not to pole all the way to the other side of the donut. Fit the pastry tip into a hole, pipe about 2 teaspoons jam into donut. Repeat with remaining donuts. 
  • Serve as fresh as possible.

These Nigerian doughnuts are sure to be a treat so don’t hesitate to let me know how you like them (oh and you will, that’s a promise)!! Feel free to share this Nigerian doughnut recipe with a friend and check out some more African vegan recipes right here!

22 Comments

  • Reply
    Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
    April 18, 2018 at 8:31 pm

    No way!! A vegan doughnut??
    That sucks about the eggs though. It does limit you in the dessert department! But now that you can make these, I don’t think I would miss other desserts now.

    • Reply
      Lois
      April 20, 2018 at 8:47 am

      Right! no missed desserts!

  • Reply
    Carrie
    April 25, 2018 at 10:34 am

    Wow these look absolutely delicious, I’m craving doughnuts now!

  • Reply
    Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
    April 26, 2018 at 12:59 pm

    There’s a local vegan bakery that makes the best donuts – you’d never miss the eggs. I love that you’ve spent so much time figuring out how to get that perfect donut texture, too. Yours look fantastic, and the filling is totally calling my name!

  • Reply
    Jenni LeBaron
    April 26, 2018 at 4:16 pm

    This is definitely one of those moments when I start scrolling through and instantly get hungry. These doughnuts look spectacular!

  • Reply
    elcitrakale
    April 27, 2018 at 2:21 am

    you are so brilliant to create your vegan version for something you love since childhood. Doughnut is one of my fave as well I don’t mind to try your vegan version even I am not vegetarian 🙂 xo

  • Reply
    Nicole
    April 27, 2018 at 5:05 pm

    I’ve never had a Nigerian doughnut before, but I kind of want to give these a try. I would totally be inclined to try a cream filled version for sure!

  • Reply
    Kim @ Berly's Kitchen
    April 28, 2018 at 10:28 pm

    5 stars
    These sound fabulous! Doughnuts don’t last long at my house, so I’m sure these would go quickly. They look amazing!

  • Reply
    Patti @Patty Cake's Pantry
    April 29, 2018 at 3:01 am

    I am so excited to find this recipe. We are eating vegan this month, and I have been so unhappy because I can’t find any vegan donuts anywhere. This is the perfect solution because my son’s favorite and this recipe makes him very happy. Of course, our situation is by choice because we don’t have any intolerances. How scary that you didn’t realize you were eating egg filled custard when you went out for “ice cream” with your friend.

  • Reply
    Jennifer
    April 29, 2018 at 2:10 pm

    5 stars
    I have a good friend who is no longer able to tolerate eggs and she’s always looking for new recipes! These donoughts look out of this world amazing! Forwarding your post on to her 🙂

  • Reply
    Anne Murphy
    April 29, 2018 at 2:58 pm

    What a treat they look! I hear you, my mother also had an aversion to eggs (though not as severe as yours) and it could really be a nuisance! Glad you found a way around it!

  • Reply
    Karyl Henry
    April 29, 2018 at 8:39 pm

    My goodness, these look absolutely amazing! I could seriously eat WAY more than I should. There’s nothing better than warm baked dough…

  • Reply
    Kat Jeter
    April 29, 2018 at 9:37 pm

    5 stars
    Donuts are my weakness. I just can’t resist them, but I’ve never made my own. You made it sound so easy I’m going to have to give this a try!

  • Reply
    Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
    April 30, 2018 at 12:11 am

    These sound delicious and your photos are absolutely stunning! Love that dark, moody food photo look.

    • Reply
      Lois. O
      April 30, 2018 at 10:52 pm

      Thanks Claire!

  • Reply
    Madi
    May 5, 2018 at 9:06 am

    5 stars
    These donuts look phenomenal! I can’t wait to give them a try!

    • Reply
      Richeelicious Comfort Food
      July 16, 2020 at 8:05 pm

      The only thing I love better than donuts with jam is Donuts with Nutella chocolate inside. This recipe is just perfect, Lois 👌.

      P.S – Your food photography is on point! Pictures are so crisp! What camera and lens, pray tell do you use?

  • Reply
    Sam | Ahead of Thyme
    May 5, 2018 at 10:40 pm

    Wow these donuts look incredible!! I always thought it would be so hard to make, but you make this recipe so easy to follow!!

  • Reply
    Olatoyosi Ajala
    January 16, 2019 at 2:56 pm

    Hi Lois,
    Thanks for sharing this simple recipe. Can I omit the flaxseed and use something else to provide the sticky effect? If yes, what would you recommend?

    Abebi

    • Reply
      Lois
      January 24, 2019 at 10:29 pm

      Hey Olatoyosi, you might be able to replace the flax-seed with apple sauce, but I have not tried it before. I will have to do some tinkering with this recipe to see how it turns out.

  • Reply
    Miriah
    May 23, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    Hi, I was wondering if there is a way to bake these instead of frying them?

    • Reply
      Lois
      May 28, 2019 at 12:21 pm

      Hey Miriah! I have not tried baking these yet, but I know that baked donut recipes are different from fried donut recipes, so this might not work baked. I am working on a baked donut recipe that I will eventually share.

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