These indulgent Fat Tuesday Polish donuts are called Paczki (pronounced "poonch-key" or "punch-key"). You'll see these jelly or custard filled polish donuts for 1 to 3 days tops just before Fat Tuesday each year.
What are Paczki?
Now you can make your own any time with our easy Paczki recipe.
Paczki (pronounced "poonch-key" or "punch-key") are a specialty pastry reserved for once a year on Fat Tuesday Paczki day, or simply Fat Tuesday.
It's a tradition to celebrate this Catholic day of celebration with pre Lenten seasonal indulgences, since it's the last day before the 40 days of fasting leading up to Easter Sunday. These indulgent doughnuts are only available for a few days each year at bakeries, Kroger, and other grocery stores.
Paczki donuts, sometimes also called Mardi Gras Donuts or Polish Donuts, will remind you of Bismark donuts, Jelly Filled donuts, and even Hannukah's Sufganiyot donuts. That's because they are made pretty much the same way and with similar ingredients.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This Polish donut recipe is much easier to make because it uses flaky pre made biscuit dough as a short cut. Your time to table is literally cut in half or less, simply because you are not waiting for dough to proof (rise).
You can use any filling you like, but traditionally jelly is used. Raspberry Paczki are the most popular with perhaps lemon custard or curd filled next. You can choose to finish your paczki by rolling them in powdered sugar, granulated sugar, or dipping them in a icing glaze.
For another easy ready made dough pastry recipe, see our Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls using canned Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls!
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Ingredients
Be sure to get the large 'Grands' type of biscuit dough if you want the traditional large paczki donuts. Use the breakfast biscuit size for smaller biscuit donuts.
- Canned Biscuits - You can use regular buttermilk biscuits, or the larger Grands style biscuits, but either way, get two cans for this Polish donut recipe.
- Jam or Jelly - For filling the paczki.
- Powdered Sugar - to dust the paczki donuts. You can also use granulated sugar, or icing.
- Vegetable oil - for frying, you will need about 4 cups, but only 1 cup will actually be used and calculated in the nutrition numbers.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Paczki Donuts
This Polish donut recipe uses premade biscuit dough in the cans to make these. If you are ambitious, you can also use our enriched bread dough that we use for Challah to make the Paczki dough from scratch.
Prepare the Biscuit Dough for Paczki
- Place a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet and set to the side.
- Pour your frying oil in a dutch oven pot over medium heat. Use a thermometer to ensure the oil reaches 350 F.
- Stretch each biscuit to make it wider, into about a 4 inch circle.
- Once oil reaches 350 F, fry each biscuit donut for 1 minute on each side.
- Fry individually for 1 minute on each side, until golden brown.
- Set on cooling rack to allow excess oil to drip off.
Fill With Jelly, Jam, or Custard
- Fill a piping bag with jelly, jam, or custard of your choice. You can also use a cream puff tip.
- Push the piping tip into the side of each biscuit donut, piping in about 2 tablespoons of filling.
Finishing the Polish Donuts (Paczki)
- Placed filled Paczki back on the cooling rack. The rack will catch the excess powdered sugar.
- Sift the powdered sugar over each Polish donut top, flip and repeat for other side. Serve!
For Iced Paczki
You will be dusting these Polish Donut Paczki with powdered sugar. But you can also make an icing glaze and dip them in it.
Mix 2 cups of powdered sugar with 3 - 4 tablespoons of milk or water until you have a thick texture similar to a dip. Dip one side, set back on the cooling rack and let the icing firm up. Flip the donut, and dip the opposite side in the icing. Set on the cooling rack and let that second side icing set up.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these Polish Paczki donuts on Fat Tuesday, freshly made with hot coffee, hot chocolate, tea, etc.
Place them out on a large celebration table with our Powdered Sugar Mini Donuts, Princess Tiana's Beignets, IP St. Louis Ribs, Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven Jambalaya, or any other Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras celebratory foods!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Related Recipes
Substitutions
Polish Paczki donuts usually use an enriched dough, meaning there is eggs and sugar mixed in the dough. You can use our Challah Rolls recipe for this paczki recipe also.
Once made and proofed, roll the dough out to 1" thick. Cut 4" circles and fry in the 350 F hot oil until golden brown on each side.
Variations
One of the most traditional fillings for paczki is stewed plums or plum jam, wild rose petal jam, strawberry jam, and fatty pork chunks for a savory version.
- Plum Jam Polish Donuts - Use plum jam to fill the paczki just like the jelly used in this paczki recipe.
- Rose Petal Jelly Paczki Donuts - Make or purchase a rose petal jelly. Fill the pastry bag with the jelly, and pipe into the cooled polish donuts. This is a very traditional Paczki filling.
- Savory Pork Paczki - Purchase a container of pulled pork at the grocery store. Let it soften to room temperature. Follow the paczki recipe above. After cooling the cooked polish donuts, use a wide circle tip (¼" opening) to pipe in about 2 tablespoons of the softened pulled pork filling.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this paczki recipe.
Storage
Paczki are best eaten on the day they are made, while fresh. You can also let them cool, then immediately freeze in freezer safe containers or bags.
Tips for Success
- A small size electric deep fryer actually uses less oil and maintains temperature safer and easier than heating the oil on the stove in a Dutch oven pot. See the Equipment section for some good ones I can recommend.
- Don't over crowd the paczki in the hot oil, it will cause a temperature drop and make soggy paczki.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, just let them cool first. Then, place them in either a freezer bag, or a sealed container and freeze up to 3 months.
More Delish Ideas
📖 Recipe
Fat Tuesday Paczki - (Polish Donuts)
Ingredients
- 2 cans Canned Biscuits The Grands size is best.
- ⅔ cup Jelly any flavor
- Powdered Sugar For dusting
- 4 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet and set to the side.
- Pour your frying oil in a dutch oven pot over medium heat. Use a thermometer to ensure the oil reaches 350 F.4 cup vegetable oil
- Stretch each biscuit to make it wider, into about a 4 inch circle. Once oil reaches 350 F, fry each biscuit donut for 1 minute on each side.2 cans Canned Biscuits
- Fry individually for 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Set on cooling rack to allow excess oil to drip off.
- Fill a piping bag with jelly, jam, or custard of your choice. You can also use a cream puff tip. Push the piping tip into the side of each biscuit donut, piping in about 2 tablespoons of filling.⅔ cup Jelly
- Placed filled Paczki back on the cooling rack. The rack will catch the excess powdered sugar. Sift the powdered sugar over each Polish donut top, flip and repeat for other side. Serve!Powdered Sugar
Notes
- A small size electric deep fryer actually uses less oil and maintains temperature safer and easier than heating the oil on the stove in a Dutch oven pot. See the Equipment section for some good ones I can recommend.
- Don't over crowd the paczki in the hot oil, it will cause a temperature drop and make soggy paczki.
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