Name: Homemade Cronuts with Puff Pastry – Sweet Easy Recipes Style
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed; Vegetable oil, for frying; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; Optional: pastry cream or jam for filling

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When I first heard about cronuts, I thought someone had finally lost their mind in a bakery—a croissant and donut hybrid? Come on. But one bite and I got it. Crispy layers, buttery flakes, and that slightly chewy center? Yeah, it’s worth every flaky mess on your counter. Now, making real cronuts from scratch is, frankly, a weekend commitment. So, I did what any tired-but-hungry human would do—I grabbed store-bought puff pastry and a frying pan. And guess what? Still delicious. Sweet, golden, and done before your coffee goes cold. If you’re looking for a breakfast treat that feels fancy but doesn’t hijack your whole morning, this one’s for you. Plus, you get to tell people you made cronuts. That’s a flex. Let’s get messy and make magic.

1) Key Takeaways
2) Easy Homemade Cronuts Recipe
3) Ingredients for Homemade Cronuts
4) How to Make Homemade Cronuts
5) Tips for Making Homemade Cronuts
6) Making Homemade Cronuts Ahead of Time
7) Storing Leftover Homemade Cronuts
8) Try these desserts next!
9) Homemade Cronuts Recipe
10) Nutrition

1) Key Takeaways

Homemade cronuts offer the joy of flaky croissants and the indulgence of donuts.
This sweet easy recipe comes together with just puff pastry and a handful of pantry staples.
They’re best enjoyed warm, right after tossing in cinnamon sugar or stuffing with pastry cream.
Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or sneaky late-night dessert plans.

2) Easy Homemade Cronuts Recipe

Let’s talk about this sweet easy recipe that basically saves the day. Cronuts used to feel like one of those mystical bakery-only treats. But then I had a thought. What if I didn’t wait in line? What if I made them at home with puff pastry I already had in the freezer?

So I tried it. And folks, it worked. The outside crisps up in the oil like the perfect donut should. The inside stays soft and layered. Toss them in cinnamon sugar and you’ve got a dessert people will swear you bought at a high-end bakery. Want to get extra? Fill them with jam or pastry cream. Boom. Instant brunch legend.

Sweet easy recipes like this don’t just taste good—they come with bragging rights. If you’re someone who likes to wow a guest or just wants a shortcut to a smile on your own face, this is it. And yes, you can absolutely air fryer these if deep frying feels like too much before coffee.

3) Ingredients for Homemade Cronuts

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed: I usually keep a box of puff pastry in the freezer for dessert emergencies. One sheet is all you need to get started, and trust me, it pulls its weight in flavor.

Vegetable oil, for frying: A neutral oil like canola or sunflower works best here. It gets hot fast and doesn’t fight the sweet profile of the pastry.

1/2 cup granulated sugar: After frying, these cronuts need a sugary hug. Granulated sugar gives the outside that sparkle and crunch that feels bakery-fresh.

1 teaspoon cinnamon: A little spice goes a long way. Mixing this into the sugar brings warmth and makes the whole kitchen smell like a dream.

Optional: pastry cream or jam for filling: Feeling fancy? Poke a hole and fill these beauties with something creamy or fruity. I like raspberry jam or homemade vanilla cream, but do you.

4) How to Make Homemade Cronuts

Step 1. Roll your puff pastry out just enough to even the edges. You don’t want it too thin—about 1/4-inch is the sweet spot for puffiness and structure.

Step 2. Fold the pastry like a letter (yes, that letter you’ve been meaning to mail), then roll it out again. This little trick adds extra layers to mimic real croissant dough.

Step 3. Use a round cutter to make donut shapes. Don’t have one? Use a glass and a bottle cap. We’re not baking for royalty—improv is part of the charm.

Step 4. Heat your oil to 350°F. Carefully lower each cronut in with tongs and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side. You want golden, not ghostly pale or overdone.

Step 5. Let them drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Try not to eat one yet. It’s hard, I know.

Step 6. Toss in your cinnamon-sugar mix while they’re still warm. That’s when the sugar sticks best.

Step 7. Optional but encouraged: pipe in your favorite filling. Then step back and admire your work.

5) Tips for Making Homemade Cronuts

Keep the puff pastry cold before frying. If it gets too warm, the layers melt together and you miss that flaky magic. I usually pop mine back in the fridge after cutting the shapes.

Don’t overcrowd your pan. Fried pastries need their space. If the oil temperature drops too much, you’ll get greasy cronuts, not golden ones.

Make the cinnamon sugar while the cronuts fry. That way, when they come out hot and ready, you can coat them without delay. Time is sugar-sticking gold here.

6) Making Homemade Cronuts Ahead of Time

You can prep the pastry ahead and keep the shapes in the fridge overnight on a parchment-lined tray. Just make sure to cover them so they don’t dry out.

Fry them fresh in the morning and you’ve got warm, sweet easy recipes ready in under 15 minutes. Honestly, it feels like cheating—but in the best way.

If you want to go big, make a double batch, freeze the raw cut-outs, and fry from frozen (just give them an extra minute or so in the oil).

7) Storing Leftover Homemade Cronuts

Okay, so maybe—just maybe—you didn’t eat them all in one go. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temp. They’re still tasty the next day, though slightly less crisp.

To revive that fresh-out-of-the-fryer feeling, toss them in the oven at 300°F for about 5 minutes. Boom. Flaky again.

Don’t refrigerate these. The cold turns the texture sad. If you’ve filled them with cream, eat those sooner rather than later.

8) Try these desserts next!

9) Homemade Cronuts Recipe