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Spanish Buñuelos de Viento (Spanish Donuts)

Light and airy Buñuelos de Viento, often called Spanish donuts, filled with vanilla pastry cream and coated in sugar. A delicious traditional Spanish sweet treat.

Spanish Buñuelos de Viento are light, airy fritters often described as Spanish donuts because of their soft, fluffy texture and sweet sugar coating. These traditional Spanish treats have crisp golden edges and a hollow centre that is perfect for filling with smooth vanilla pastry cream.

The dough is similar to choux pastry and rises naturally from steam, so there is no yeast or baking powder needed. Once fried, the buñuelos puff up into beautifully irregular little clouds. Filled generously with chilled pastry cream and coated in sugar, they make an irresistible dessert that is especially delicious served fresh.

Servings: About 18–22 buñuelos - Prep: 35 min - Cook: 30 min - Chilling: 2 hours - Total: About 3 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the Pastry Cream

  • 500 ml whole milk (2 cups + 2 tbsp)

  • 4 egg yolks

  • 100 g caster sugar (½ cup)

  • 40 g cornflour/cornstarch (about ⅓ cup)

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • Peel of ½ lemon, avoiding the bitter white pith

  • Pinch of salt

For the Buñuelos

  • 150 ml water (⅔ cup)

  • 50 ml whole milk (3 tbsp + 1 tsp)

  • 50 g unsalted butter (3½ tbsp)

  • 1 tbsp caster sugar

  • Pinch of salt

  • 120 g plain flour (1 cup all-purpose flour)

  • Approximately 3 medium eggs

  • Mild-flavoured oil, for deep frying

  • Granulated sugar, for coating

Instructions

1. Infuse the Milk

Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the lemon peel and vanilla. Heat gently until the milk is steaming and almost boiling, then remove from the heat. Leave it to infuse for about 10 minutes so the lemon and vanilla flavour the milk.

2. Mix the Egg Yolks

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour until smooth and free of lumps.

3. Temper the Egg Mixture

Remove the lemon peel from the warm milk. Gradually pour the milk into the egg-yolk mixture while whisking continuously. Adding the milk slowly helps prevent the eggs from scrambling.

4. Cook the Pastry Cream

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring or whisking continuously, until the pastry cream becomes thick, smooth, and glossy. Once thickened, cook for another minute while stirring to make sure the cornflour is fully cooked.

5. Chill the Pastry Cream

Transfer the pastry cream to a clean bowl or container. Press cling film directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Allow it to cool completely, then refrigerate until completely chilled. The pastry cream can be prepared one day in advance.

6. Start the Buñuelo Dough

Add the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, making sure the butter has completely melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

7. Add the Flour

Add all the flour at once. Immediately stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a thick dough. Return the saucepan to low heat and continue stirring for 1–2 minutes. The dough should form a smooth ball and leave a thin film on the bottom of the saucepan.

8. Cool the Dough Slightly

Remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the dough to a mixing bowl if desired. Leave it to cool for about 5 minutes before adding the eggs. This prevents the heat from cooking them.

9. Add the Eggs

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. At first, the dough may look separated, but continue mixing and it will come back together. IMPORTANT: Add the final egg gradually. Egg size varies, and adding too much can make the dough too loose to hold its shape.

The finished dough should be smooth and glossy and fall slowly from the spoon in a thick “V” shape, with a slightly translucent tip.

10. Heat the Oil

Pour a generous amount of mild-flavoured oil into a deep saucepan. Heat it to 160–165°C (320–330°F). A cooking thermometer is the easiest way to maintain the correct temperature.

11. Portion the Dough

Lightly oil two small teaspoons. Use one spoon to scoop a small portion of dough and the other to gently push it into the hot oil. Do not make the portions too large, as the buñuelos expand considerably during frying.

12. Fry the Buñuelos

Fry only a few at a time so they have plenty of room to expand and move around the pan. Cook for approximately 5–7 minutes, until puffed, evenly golden, and fully cooked inside.

The buñuelos often turn themselves naturally as they cook. If they do not, gently turn them with a spoon or slotted spoon so all sides brown evenly.

13. Drain and Coat

Remove the cooked buñuelos with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper. While they are still warm, roll them gently in granulated sugar until evenly coated. Alternatively, leave them uncoated and dust with icing sugar after filling.

14. Prepare the Pastry Cream for Filling

Remove the chilled pastry cream from the refrigerator. Whisk it briefly until smooth and creamy, then transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle.

15. Fill the Buñuelos

Allow the buñuelos to cool before filling. Using kitchen scissors, a small knife, or the piping nozzle itself, make a small opening in the side or bottom of each buñuelo. Pipe in the pastry cream until each one feels generously filled.

16. Serve

Serve the filled buñuelos on the same day for the best texture. They are especially delicious shortly after filling, when the shell is still light and airy and the centre is packed with cool vanilla cream.

Tips and Tricks

✅ Make the pastry cream first so it has plenty of time to chill completely before filling the buñuelos.

✅ The dough rises because steam expands inside it during frying, so no baking powder or yeast is needed.

✅ Add the final egg gradually. Egg size varies, and adding too much can make the dough too loose to hold its shape.

✅ Look for the V-shape test when checking the dough. It should fall slowly from the spoon in a thick ribbon and form a V at the tip.

✅ Keep the frying oil between 160–165°C (320–330°F). If the oil is too hot, the outside will brown before the centre has enough time to cook.

✅ Fry small batches. Overcrowding lowers the oil temperature and prevents the buñuelos from expanding properly.

✅ Their irregular, cloud-like shapes are completely normal and part of their traditional appearance.

✅ Give the buñuelos plenty of time to fry. They need several minutes for the steam inside to expand and cook the dough fully.

✅ If they do not turn themselves in the oil, gently help them with a spoon so they brown evenly.

✅ Coat them in granulated sugar while they are still warm so the sugar sticks well.

✅ Allow the buñuelos to cool before piping in the pastry cream so the filling stays thick and creamy.

✅ Fill them shortly before serving for the best contrast between the crisp pastry and soft cream.

✅ The pastry cream can be made a day ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator.

✅ Filled buñuelos are best eaten on the day they are made, as the pastry gradually softens once filled.

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