Here is a clean, traditional, photo-free recipe for soft, airy, lightly sweet Hungarian Cottage Cheese Donuts — Túrófánk. These are much lighter than regular doughnuts and incredibly easy to make!
🍩🇭🇺 Hungarian Cottage Cheese Donuts (Túrófánk)
Fluffy little doughnuts made with cottage cheese (túró), eggs, and flour. No yeast needed — they fry up in minutes! Perfect with powdered sugar and a side of jam.
⭐ Ingredients (Makes 20–25 small donuts)
1 cup (250 g) cottage cheese or farmer’s cheese (túró), well-drained
2 eggs
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (optional but traditional)
1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Oil for frying
For Serving
Powdered sugar
Apricot or berry jam
🔥 Instructions
1. Prepare the Batter
In a bowl, mash cottage cheese with a fork until mostly smooth (small bits are okay).
Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest; mix well.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, then fold into the wet mixture.
You should get a soft, sticky dough — don’t add too much flour or the donuts will be heavy.
2. Fry the Donuts
Heat oil to 325–340°F (165–170°C) — medium heat.
Scoop small portions of dough using two spoons or a cookie scoop.
Drop gently into the oil; they will puff up beautifully.
Fry until golden brown, flipping as needed, about 2–3 minutes.
Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Serve
Dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm with apricot or berry jam — very traditional!
💡 Tips for Perfect Túrófánk
✔ Batter should be soft and slightly sticky — that makes them fluffy. ✔ Oil must not be too hot; otherwise the exterior browns before the inside cooks. ✔ Use farmer’s cheese or drained cottage cheese for best texture. ✔ Add raisins for a traditional twist. ✔ Best eaten fresh, right after frying!
If you want, I can give you more Hungarian classics like: ✨ Túrógombóc (Sweet Cottage Cheese Dumplings) ✨ Túrós Csusza (Pasta with Cottage Cheese & Bacon) ✨ Hungarian Poppy Seed Donuts
