Oponki are delicious Polish cheese donuts. They are not made with yeast so they are ready to be fried right away! They are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. You could enjoy these in just 30 minutes!
Polish cheese donuts
The most popular Polish doughnuts are of course Pączki, but we have many more deep-fried desserts that are enjoyed during Carnaval, especially on Fat Thursday (yes, it’s Fat Thursday in Poland, not Fat Tuesday!).
A popular variation of paczki, are these oponki donuts! Oponki means little tires, this word is already plural.
Yes, they look exactly like American donuts but the ingredients are completely different! They are made with Polish twaróg cheese, egg yolks, and sour cream. They are not made with yeast like traditional paczki, but with baking soda (although yeast oponki are also sometimes made).
A great thing about them, is that they are super quick to make – much quicker than traditional paczki. All the ingredients are simply combined in a bowl, the dough is rolled out, you cut out the donuts and fry right away! There is no raising time.
Oponki is crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and have a delightful slightly tangy flavor.
Other popular Fat Thursday foods are chrusciki / faworki, French crullers which are called Gniazdka or Paczki wiedenskie (Vienniese donuts) in Poland, and donut holes (called mini paczki).
Ingredients
Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.
For the oponki dough you will need:
- Flour – all-purpose flour.
- Sour cream
- Polish twaróg cheese – the most popular Polish cheese! It’s a crumbly curd fresh cheese. If you can’t find it, you can use farmer’s cheese or cream cheese (such as Philadelphia). Cream cheese is not really similar to twarog cheese, but it works in this recipe (I tested it), you just have to add a bit more flour.
- Egg yolks
- Sugar – don’t add more or the donuts will brown too quickly. The donuts will be sweetened with powdered sugar after frying.
- Vodka – it helps donuts not absorb too much fat. If you don’t have vodka use brandy or other high percentage alcohol. You can omit it if you don’t want to use it.
- Baking soda – makes the donuts fluffy.
- Vanilla – is added for flavor. If you’d like to add more flavor to these donuts, you can add grated lemon or orange zest to the dough.
Additionally:
- Frying oil – make sure to use a high-smoking point vegetable oil that is suitable for deep frying. You can use refined canola oil, sunflower oil, refined coconut oil, or lard.
- Powdered sugar – a thick layer of powdered sugar sweetens these donuts. You could also drizzle them with a glaze, but powdered sugar is traditional for these donuts and we prefer it much more to a glaze.
Step-by-step instructions
Make the dough:
To a mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk for a minute until well combined and light yellow in color.
(2 large egg yolks, 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar)
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the egg yolk-sugar mixture.
(2 cups (250g) flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon salt)
How to measure flour: I’m using the “spoon and level method” so 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.
Add the remaining ingredients (cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and vodka).
(1 package (250g) Polish twaróg cheese, or cream cheese, 1/2 cup (110g) sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 tablespoon vodka)
Mix the ingredients using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (speed 2) or by hand.
The dough will be sticky, try not to add any more flour.
If using cream cheese and not Polish twaróg cheese: the dough will be more sticky – cream cheese is completely smooth and twarog cheese is a crumbly curd cheese. Add two additional tablespoons of flour to the dough and then generously sprinkle the dough with flour while rolling it out.
Cut out donuts:
Place the dough on a floured counter or a silicone rolling mat (highly recommended for rolling out any type of dough). Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5/8 of an inch (1 1/2 cm) – a little bit thicker than 1/2 of an inch.
Cut out rounds with a donut/biscuit cutter (I used a 2 3/4 inch (7cm) cutter which is the perfect size for these donuts). You can cut the inner circles with a piping tip.
Combine the scraps, re-roll, and repeat with the remaining dough. Place the cut-out donuts on a floured surface.
Warm up the oil:
In a wide pot, warm 6-8 cups of frying oil until it reaches 350°F (175°C). You should have at least 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in the pot.
Fry 4-6 oponki at a time (depending on how wide your pot is). Place the dough in the hot oil using a lightly floured bench scraper. Fry until golden on the bottom side then turn over and fry until golden on the other side. The donuts will get slightly darker while cooling.
Take the oponki out of the oil with a spider strainer and place on a cooling rack lined with paper towels.
Leave to cool then sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
Storage
Oponki donuts don’t store well, they are best freshly prepared. If you want to eat them the next day, warm them up in the oven at 325°F (160°C) with a convection setting (if you have it).
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Oponki – Polish Cheese Donuts
Ingredients
for the donuts:
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (250g) flour spooned and leveled, not scooped
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 package (250g) Polish twaróg cheese the recipe will also work with cream cheese if you can't find it
- 1/2 cup (110g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon vodka or brandy, or omit it
additionally:
- 6-8 cups frying oil such as canola oil
- powdered sugar to sprinkle over the donuts
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Instructions
- Make the dough:
- To a mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk for a minute until well combined and light yellow in color.2 large egg yolks, 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the egg yolk-sugar mixture.2 cups (250g) flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Add the remaining ingredients (cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and vodka).1 package (250g) Polish twaróg cheese, 1/2 cup (110g) sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 tablespoon vodka
- Mix the ingredients using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (speed 2) or by hand.
- The dough will be sticky, try not to add any more flour.
- If using cream cheese and not Polish twaróg cheese: the dough will be more sticky – cream cheese is completely smooth and twarog cheese is a crumbly curd cheese. Add two additional tablespoons of flour to the dough and then generously sprinkle the dough with flour while rolling it out.
- Warm up the oil: In a wide pot, warm 6-8 cups of frying oil until it reaches 350°F (175°C). You should have at least 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in the pot.6-8 cups frying oil
- Cut out donuts:
- Place the dough on a floured counter or a silicone rolling mat (highly recommended for rolling out any type of dough). Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5/8 of an inch (1 1/2 cm) – a little bit thicker than 1/2 of an inch.
- Cut out rounds with a donut/biscuit cutter (I used a 2 3/4 inch (7cm) cutter which is the perfect size for these donuts). You can cut the inner circles with a piping tip (see step-by-step photos in the body of the post).
- Combine the scraps, re-roll, and repeat with the remaining dough. Place the cut-out donuts on a floured surface.
- Fry 4-6 oponki at a time (depending on how wide your pot is). Place the dough in the hot oil using a lightly floured bench scraper. Fry until golden on the bottom side then turn over and fry until golden on the other side. The donuts will get slightly darker while cooling.
- Take the oponki out of the oil with a spider strainer and place on a cooling rack lined with paper towels.
- Leave to cool then sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.powdered sugar
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Frying oil – make sure to use a high-smoking point vegetable oil that is suitable for deep frying. You can use refined canola oil, sunflower oil, coconut, or lard.
- How to measure flour: I’m using the “spoon and level method” so 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.
- Oponki donuts don’t store well, they are best freshly prepared. If you want to eat them the next day, warm them up in the oven at 325°F (160°C) with a convection setting (if you have it).
- Calories = 1 donut (1/17 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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