These Easy Shortcut Donuts Start With Leftover Slider Buns

Of all the different types of donuts, jelly-filled options are a fan favorite and staple at any donut shop. Making them from scratch is a labor of love worth trying, but you don't always have the time. Luckily leftover slider buns are a shortcut to jelly-filled donuts that's both resourceful and delicious.

Brioche slider buns are ideal to use for their buttery flavor and soft, fluffy interior. But Kings Hawaiian Sweet Rolls or even Martin's Potato Rolls (our favorite store-bought hamburger bun) will work. To make these no-dough jelly donuts, you'll also need a jar of jelly, some cinnamon sugar, and melted butter. Start by poking a hole in each slider bun, piping a generous portion of fruit jelly into them. Then, melt a stick of butter in a wide griddle pan, bringing the butter to a bubbling simmer over medium-high heat, before adding the jelly-filled buns. Fry them in butter for a minute or two on each side to crisp up the crust and infuse decadent, buttery flavor into the crumb. When you take them out of the butter, cover them with cinnamon sugar.

If you want to make the donuts in the oven, brush the jelly-filled slider buns with melted butter, dredge them through cinnamon sugar, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Once you take them out of the oven, you can give them some extra texture by brushing the crispy tops with more butter and sprinkling on extra cinnamon sugar.

Slider buns are the perfect donut dupe, with a similarly soft and airy crumb and a thin exterior that will lend itself well to a textured coating. Cinnamon sugar is a classic coating using staples you probably have in your pantry, but you can also dust donuts in icing sugar or brown sugar and other warm spices. If you're up for a challenge, try making a caramel coating to dip the jelly-filled sliders in like we do in our recipe for crème brûlée donuts; they'll harden into a delightfully crackly and crunchy crust.

These simple slider donuts could be filled with any classic jam filling, but we're fans of strawberry jam. Since these donuts are a simple three-component recipe, you don't want to skimp on quality, so check out our ranking of strawberry jam brands to achieve the most flavorful, fruity filling. That said, you can get as creative as you want with the fillings, experimenting with different types of jellies, from pineapple to blackberry. For an easy take on Jewish sufganiyot, stuff the sliders with raspberry jam and cover them in powdered sugar. Of course, you can skip the jam altogether and replace a fruity filling for chocolate spread, Nutella, or pistachio cream, all of which you can find in jars on grocery store shelves. Peanut butter and jelly fans can even create PB&J-inspired donuts by heating peanut butter with some powdered sugar and water for peanut butter-glazed, grape jelly-stuffed slider donuts.