Add 2 inches of oil to a medium saucepan. Bring to medium heat, between 335°F (168°C) -350°F (177°C).
In a large mixing bowl, add yogurt and 1/2 cup flour. Do not add the full 3/4 cup amount yet. Stir the two ingredients until a thick dough forms. The dough should be a little sticky. If the dough is too sticky to work with, continue adding flour, 1 tbsp at a time until the dough reaches the desired consistency. Because different yogurt brands have different yogurt consistency, the amount of flour needed will vary. If you use up all your flour and you still find the dough too sticky to work with, you can add another 1-2 tbsp of self-rising flour.
Once dough is ready, scoop dough with a 1 tbsp cookie scoop. Add dough balls into the preheated oil. Do this in small batches because adding too many donuts at once will cause the oil temperature to drop too much. Cook donuts a few minutes on both sides, flipping halfway through. Remove donuts from oil and place onto a plate lined with paper towel to soak up excess oil.
When donuts are no longer too hot to touch, you can roll them in sugar or dip them in glaze. Donuts are best eaten within a few hours after they are cooked.
Notes
Self-rising flour amount needed: There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup serving) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Brands like King Arthur Flour and White Lily make the low protein flour. Brands like Gold Medal* and Amazon Fresh* contain a regular protein amount. The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed.
*This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
When I made this with Gold Medal regular protein self-rising flour, I needed 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp of flour. When I made this with King Arthur low protein self-rising flour, I needed 3/4 cup + 3 tbsp flour.
Homemade self-rising flour: Whisk together 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Do not use the full amount in the recipe. Use only 1/2 cup and then add 1 tbsp at a time as needed.
Yogurt: You can make this with most brands of strawberry Greek yogurt. You can also use regular yogurt instead of Greek but you will need more flour because regular yogurt has a thinner consistency. My favorite one to use was Chobani Strawberry Non Fat Greek Yogurt. It has a layer of strawberry fruit puree that you mix into the yogurt which I thought gave the donuts a good strawberry flavor.
Your donuts will only be as sweet as the yogurt you choose so if you want the donuts to be sweeter, use a sweeter yogurt.
This recipe should also work with dairy-free yogurts as well.
Optional glaze: For the glaze used in the photos, add 2 cups powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. Add 4 tbsp of milk. Whisk until a glaze forms. If you want a thinner glaze you can add a splash more of milk. If you want a thicker glaze, you can add a little more powdered sugar. After dipping the donuts in glaze, I also sprinkled some crumbled freeze dried strawberries on top. If you have freeze dried strawberries on hand, you can also crumble some into the donut dough.
If you want the donuts to taste like classic donuts, you will need to fry them. You can cook them in the air fryer or bake them but the donuts will taste more like baked donuts. Fried donuts are best consumed within 1-3 hours after they are finished cooking. If you save them too long they will become more dense and a little oily.
If you want to try air frying them, preheat air fryer to 350°F (177°C). Lightly spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil spray and place your donut balls onto the air fryer basket, spacing them 1 inch apart. Spray the tops of the donuts with cooking oil spray. Cook donuts for about 5 minutes in preheated air fryer. You only want to cook the donuts until they are just cooked. If you cook them too long, the outside will become like a thick crusty bread.
If you want to bake them in the oven, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Place dough balls onto baking pan, spacing donuts 1 inch apart. Lightly coat the the surface of the donuts with cooking oil spray. Cook donuts for about 12 minutes in preheated oven or just until the inside is cooked. If you cook them too long, the outside will develop a thick crust that will make them taste more like crusty bread.
The nutrition is calculated for the donuts using Chobani strawberry nonfat Greek yogurt and does not include oil absorbed during frying or any optional toppings. It is only for the donut dough before it is cooked as it is difficult to determine the exact amount of oil that is absorbed by the donuts.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.