Pon de Ring Donut Recipe ポンデリング

Make your own Pon de Ring Donut at home just like Japan’s Mister Donut with my copycat recipe! They are soft, airy, bouncy, and chewy all at once with a unique mochi-like texture. Enjoy them with either a classic or matcha glaze.

When we talk about Japanese donuts, Pon de Ring Donuts (ポンデリング) from Mister Donut instantly comes to mind. I’m talking about the slightly quirky donuts that look like a teething ring for babies. They really hit the sweet spot when snack time is calling!

These donuts have a chewy (we call it the “mochi-mochi”) texture that sets them apart from regular donuts. They are GOOD! My family is crazy about eating them whenever we’re in Japan. So, I challenged myself to make a copycat recipe that we can make at home. I’m happy with the results, and I think you will be, too!

What is Pon de Ring?

Pon de Ring (ポンデリング) is Mister Donut’s signature donut made of a connected circle of 8 dough balls. The name Pon de Ring loosely comes from pão de queijo, a popular savory Brazilian cheese ball made of tapioca flour.

Mister Donut is the largest donut chain in Japan with more than 1,300 stores in Asian countries like Taiwan, South Korea, and Thailand. Mister Donut actually originated in the US and opened its first store in Osaka in 1971. While expanding in Japan over four decades, almost all the Mister Donut stores in the US were acquired by Dunkin’ Donuts and changed their name.

In addition to the simple glaze I use in my recipe, Pon de Ring come in other classic flavors like brown sugar, strawberry glaze, cream filled, and chocolate dough. They also release seasonal and unique flavors. If you’re curious about current and past flavors, check out the official Mister Donut website in Japanese.

Pon de Ring vs. Mochi Donut

What is the difference between Pon de Ring and mochi donuts? The ingredients and textures are very different:

Pon de Ring

• made of tapioca flour and wheat flour (officially mentioned by Mister Donut)
• soft, airy, bouncy, and chewy

Mochi Donut

• made of glutinous rice flour (mochiko)
• dense and chewy
• not sold in Japan, but popular in the US

In Japanese, we describe Pon de Ring’s texture as mochi-mochi (モチモチしてる) or mocchiri (モッチリしている). This description does not always mean that the food is made of mochi, though. For example, we might describe bagels with a chewy texture as being mochi-like.

For a delicious mochi donut recipe, check out Mandy’s website Lady and Pups. I’ve made it before and they were excellent.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• unsalted butter
• large eggs
• whole milk – slightly warmer than body temperature; do not use low-fat or skim milk
• instant yeast
• granulated sugar
• pure vanilla extract
• tapioca flour – use a kitchen scale to weigh your flour for the best results
• all-purpose flour – plain flour; again, weigh your ingredients
• kosher salt
• safflower oil – for deep-frying
• glaze ingredients – confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), whole milk, vanilla extract, and matcha green tea powder (optional)

How to Make Pon de Ring

1. Mix the dough ingredients in a stand mixer.
2. Knead the dough in the stand mixer.
3. Proof the dough loosely covered in a greased bowl until doubled in size. 
4. Mix the glaze.
5. Shape the dough balls.
6. Form each donut with 8 dough balls on squares of parchment paper. 
7. Deep-fry the donuts. Remove when golden brown and drain on paper towels.
8. Dip in the glaze while the donuts are hot, coating both sides well. Place on a wire rack to harden the glaze. Enjoy warm the day you make them, storing the leftovers at room temperature for a day in an airtight container.

See my full instructions with step-by-step photos in the recipe card below.

5 Helpful Tips to Make Pon de Ring

1. Knead the dough well to activate the gluten – I highly recommend using a stand mixer to knead the sticky dough. We need to form strong gluten to get that chewy texture, and kneading with a stand mixture creates an optimal final texture that’s difficult to achieve with hand kneading.
2. Don’t add too much flour – With so much tapioca flour, the dough will be soft. To get the ultimate texture for Pon de Ring, try not to add additional flour. I prepared 2 extra tablespoons of all-purpose flour to dust on my work surface and hands, but I didn’t use it all.
3. Deep-fry at the optimal temperature – Maintain an optimal oil temperature between 325ºF (168ºC) and 350ºF (177ºC). When the oil is too hot, the donuts will brown too fast and the exterior gets too crispy. When the temperature is too low, the donuts absorb too much oil.
4. Drain the oil on paper towels – From my countless recipe testings, I learned that draining the oil from the donuts on sheets of paper towels works better than a wire rack. After draining, you can transfer the donuts to a wire rack to glaze and cool.
5. Glaze while the donuts are hot – You MUST glaze your donuts while they are hot! The residual heat spreads the glaze beautifully when you flip them over. Don’t wait until you finish frying them all. Deep-frying and glazing at the same time can get hectic, so find a partner for this step.

Key Ingredients & Tools

1. Tapioca Flour and All-Purpose Flour

To achieve the perfectly airy, mochi-like texture for the Pon de Ring donuts, I’ve partnered with Bob’s Red Mill® and used their tapioca flour and all-purpose flour. When comes to baking and flour products, I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill. The quality is unbeatable. I also genuinely admire the company for its honest ingredients and the processes it uses. Major grocery stores carry these flours, or you can buy them on Amazon (tapioca flour and AP flour).

2. Instant Yeast

Instant (quick/rapid-rise) yeast and active dry yeast are the two most common dry yeasts. What’s the difference? You need to dissolve active dry yeast in warm water or milk before use, but you can mix instant yeast right into the dough. For convenience, I like using instant yeast. Two popular instant yeast brands are Red Star and Fleischmann’s found in grocery stores. For this recipe, I used Red Star Quick-Rise instant yeast. 

After reading more, I’ve decided to hydrate my instant yeast even though it’s not the active dry type. I dissolved it in warm milk (110 ºF or 43 ºC—slightly warmer than body temperature) to give it a good start. It allows the yeast to become very active and ready to work.

3. Safflower Oil for Deep-Frying

We learned that Mister Donut deep-fries its donuts in lard, possibly in combination with vegetable shortening. These saturated fats stay solid at room temperature so the donuts stay crisp after deep-frying. However, I wanted to avoid these fats.

We tried deep-frying the donuts in neutral oils with a high smoke point—vegetable oil and canola oil. However, we did not like the vegetable oil taste left on the donuts. After reading another article, we tried safflower oil and agreed that it’s the best oil for frying donuts.

4. Pastry Card or Dough Scraper

To work with the sticky dough, this thin plastic pastry card (shown above) came in very handy! If I used only my fingers, the dough would stick and grow spike tips everywhere I touched and lose its round shape. A pastry card also helps to divide, scrape, and transfer the mini dough balls. I didn’t let it go except when I was rolling the dough balls with my palms.

5. ThermoWorks ChefAlarm

After deep-frying Japanese croquettes, Chicken Karaage, and Tempura for over 20 years at home, I can deep-fry comfortably without a thermometer. On the other hand, Mr. JOC loves high-tech gadgets, so he set up my deep-frying station with our ThermoWorks ChefAlarm.

ChefAlarm warned me when the oil temperature went outside the low- and high-temperature range we set. It was super convenient and helpful once I got busy juggling deep-frying and glazing the hot donuts at the same time.

My Journey to Creating This Recipe

Mr. JOC and I spent 2 weeks figuring out this Pon de Ring recipe, sometimes making donuts several times a day! Our focus from the beginning was to achieve the right airy and mochi-like texture with natural ingredients of the best possible quality.

Challenge #1: Choosing the right flours

We started by working out the main ingredients, specifically flours. We tried the following flours, in this order:

1. glutinous rice flour only – It tasted like mochi donut and not the same as Pon de Ring.
2. glutinous rice flour + tofu (with different ratios) – Plenty of Japanese “Pon de Ring-like (ポンデリング風)” recipes use this combo. Almost Pon de Ring-like, but not quite.
3. tapioca flour only – Mister Donut officially said that Pon de Ring contains tapioca flour. So, I tried making it with 100% tapioca flour but couldn’t achieve the right texture.
4. glutinous rice flour + tapioca flour (with 3 different ratios) – The glutinous rice made the donuts denser as we had expected from trials #1 and #2.
5. all-purpose flour + tapioca flour (with different ratios) – We found a YouTube video filmed in the Mister Donut kitchen. Mr. JOC saw a thermometer in the dough (see below). This was our turning point! We realized that they use flour and yeast just like other donuts! So we tested different ratios of plain and tapioca flours to find the right texture.
6. bread flour + tapioca flour – To increase the gluten, we tried bread flour since it contains more gluten. The donuts came out with a good texture, but they weren’t airy and light.

Challenge #2: Dealing with the sticky, soft dough

In the YouTube video I mentioned earlier, you can see Mister Donut’s Pon de Ring dough is quite sticky and soft when kneading.

And the final stage of the dough (see below) is still pretty sticky and soft.

Mister Donut uses a machine to squeeze out the dough into its funky ring shape. It’s then shot directly into the hot oil. Obviously, I don’t have that machine in the kitchen and I would need to shape the sticky dough by hand.

I tested all-purpose flour and tapioca flour ratios to see if I could achieve a dough that’s easier to handle. Since the ratio for tapioca flour needs to be higher, it yields a pretty soft dough. But when you increase the flour, the final donut texture becomes dense and cakey. So, I just learned to deal with the stickiness and figured out some tricks to shape the connected bubble rings.

For the donut fans out there, I hope you’ll give Pon de Ring donuts a try. The donut making is an endeavor, but you’ll feel rewarded when you make them perfectly!

Pon de Ring Donut

4.74 from 289 votes

Make your own Pon de Ring Donut at home just like Japan's Mister Donut with my copycat recipe! They are soft, airy, bouncy, and chewy all at once with a unique mochi-like texture. Enjoy them with either a classic or matcha glaze.

Print Pin

Prep Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Proof Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings: 24 donuts

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk (heat to 110ºF or 43ºC–slightly warmer than body temperature; use whole milk for the best results; I do not recommend low-fat or skim milk)
• ▢ 1 tsp instant yeast
• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 2½ cups tapioca flour (2½ cups + 2½ Tbsp, to be precise; I strongly encourage you to use a kitchen scale; if you‘re using a measuring cup, please follow this method to measure; otherwise, the amount of flour tends to be more than you need; 1 cup should weigh 120 g)
• ▢ 1¼ cups all-purpose flour (plain flour) (1¼ cups + 1 Tbsp, to be precise; I strongly encourage you to use a kitchen scale; if you‘re using a measuring cup, please follow this method to measure; otherwise, the amount of flour tends to be more than you need; 1 cup should weigh 120 g)
• ▢ ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ 4 cups safflower oil (for deep-frying; see Notes for the amount of oil to use)

For the Glaze

• ▢ 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup whole milk
• ▢ ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 Tbsp matcha green tea powder (optional)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

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Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients and measure everything ahead of time. I strongly encourage you to use a kitchen scale to measure my flours. Prepare one square of parchment paper for each donut you‘re making. Each square should measure 4 inches x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm). For this recipe, I DO NOT double/triple the recipe. Make in batches, if needed.
  
• Melt 6 Tbsp unsalted butter in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove and let it cool slightly. Crack 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) in a bowl and beat them with a whisk. Set aside.
  
• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), combine 1 cup whole milk (110ºF or 43ºC–slightly warmer than body temperature) and 1 tsp instant yeast. Then, take ½ tsp sugar from the ¼ cup granulated sugar you measured earlier and add it to the milk and yeast. Whisk the mixture well. Set aside for 5–10 minutes. Note: If you wonder why I hydrated the instant yeast (even though it’s not active dry yeast), please read the post.
  
• Prepare a large mixing bowl and sift 2½ cups tapioca flour (2½ cups + 2½ Tbsp, to be precise) and 1¼ cups all-purpose flour (plain flour) (1¼ cups + 1 Tbsp, to be precise) through a fine-mesh sieve. Whisk to combine.
  
• Set the stand mixer with a flat beater attachment. Add the rest of the sugar and beaten egg to the milk mixture.
  
• Add the melted butter and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract.
  
• Beat on low speed (Speed 2 on my KitchenAid Professional HD stand mixer) for 1 minute until combined (or, stir with a wooden spoon).
  
• Add roughly 2 cups of the flour mixture and beat on low speed (Speed 2) until well combined.
  
• With the stand mixer running on low speed (Speed 2), add ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and the remaining flour mixture, one scoop at a time. Set aside the mixing bowl that the flour mixture was in for the next step (you‘ll put the dough in it). Meanwhile, you‘ll notice that the dough mixture has thickened.
  

To Knead the Dough

• Now, increase to medium-high speed (Speed 6) and knead the dough for 3–4 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Note that this is a sticky dough, so do not add additional flour. Tip: Kneading develops the structure of the dough by folding and stretching the strands of gluten. Hand Kneading: Because of the wet nature of this dough, it’s hard to knead the dough by hand. You can add 1–2 tablespoons of flour if it’s too wet to handle, but do not add any more flour than that. Knead by hand for 5–6 minutes.
  
• While the dough is kneading in the mixer, add a little oil to the large mixing bowl that held the flour mixture and grease it with a paper towel.
  
• Stop the mixer after 3 or 4 minutes or when the dough is smooth. The dough should be sticky and stretchy when you remove the flat beater from the mixer.
  

To Proof the Dough

• Using a dough scraper, scrape down the dough from the sides of the stand mixer bowl. Collect the dough into one big mass, then gently scrape it into the greased bowl. The key here is to make sure the surface of the dough is mostly smooth (so that it will rise well). Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a clean shower cap) and place it in a warm environment to rise until doubled, about 70–80 minutes. I use the Proof setting of my oven at 100ºF (38ºC). I place a bowl of warm/hot water inside the oven, but away from the dough, to keep the oven environment moist. Tip: Make sure the proof temperature is not too high. If the dough gets too warm, it will ferment too quickly (or overferment) and impair the flavor.
  
• After 70–80 minutes, pour 4 cups safflower oil into the Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot (see Notes for the amount of oil to use). If you have a thermometer, set it up. I used ThermoWork’s ChefAlarm. A clip attaches the probe to the side of the Dutch oven, holding it securely in place and keeping it from flopping around. Set the alarm on your thermometer to a low of 325ºF (168ºC) and a high of 350ºF (177ºC).
  
• In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, ¼ cup whole milk, and ½ tsp pure vanilla extract. Whisk it really well to make sure there are no lumps of confectioners’ sugar. Keep the matcha powder to the side for now.
  
• The image below shows that the dough has doubled in size after 75 minutes of proofing.
  

To Shape the Dough Balls

• Prepare 1–2 Tbsp of all-purpose flour and put it at the corner of your work surface. Lightly flour the work surface and your hands.
  
• Using the dough scraper, remove the dough from the bowl and transfer it to the lightly floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and press the dough down with your hands to release any air bubbles.
  
• Use the dough scraper to form the dough into a rough log shape. Cut the log into two equal pieces.
  
• Set one piece of dough on your work surface. Shape the other piece into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Cut the piece on your work surface into quarters and roll them into balls. Work with one dough ball at a time, and keep the other balls under plastic wrap so they don‘t dry out.
  
• Each dough ball will make roughly 3 Pon de Ring donuts. Using the dough scraper, cut the first dough ball into 24 small balls. Each ball size should be ½ to ¾ inch (1.5 cm) in diameter. If you have a digital kitchen scale, each ball should weigh 5 grams.
  
• Roll each small dough ball between your hands, but try not to spend too much time. Overkneaded dough often results in a hard crust and a dense, dry interior. Since the dough is very sticky, the dough scraper is very helpful for picking up each piece of dough.
  

To Form the Donuts

• Now, form the donuts. Use one square of parchment paper to hold each donut. Using the dough scraper, transfer one ball at a time to the parchment square, forming a ring as you go. You will need 8 balls to make a Pon de Ring shape.
  
• The total weight of the Pon de Ring should be roughly 40 grams (8 balls at 5 g each).
  
• Continue with the rest of the dough.
  
• To make sure the balls won’t separate in the hot oil, use a pastry brush to dab water on the dough where each ball attaches to the neighboring one (make sure they are connected). Cover the donuts with a damp paper towel or light cloth (make sure it’s not heavy) and allow them to rest for 15–20 minutes. Continue with the rest of the dough. If you are taking a very long time, it’s very helpful to work with a partner or keep the donuts in the refrigerator to slow down the proofing so the dough doesn't overproof.
  

To Fry

• When you’re finishing up with the last batch of dough, start heating the oil in the Dutch oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line one baking sheet with a paper towel. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper and put a wire rack on top.
  
• Pick up one parchment square with a donut ring on top. Using your hand or fine-mesh skimmer (the kind that has a flat mesh), carefully place the donut with the parchment paper into the hot oil.
  
• Let go of the donut and paper and set the timer for 1 minute 15 seconds for the first side. Tip: Only add enough donuts for a 5–10 degree drop in temperature. I only add 2 donuts per batch. If the oil cools down too much, the donuts won’t fry properly.
  
• When the timer beeps, flip the donuts quickly using chopsticks or tongs. Fry the second side for 45 seconds; set a timer. Using tongs or chopsticks, carefully remove the parchment square from the donut and discard.
  
• When the 45-second timer beeps, scoop up the donuts with the skimmer or tongs and drain the oil well. Then, transfer to the paper towel to drain any additional oil. Repeat with the remaining donuts, then turn off the heat.
  

To Glaze

• While the donuts are still hot, dip each one into the glaze, making sure to coat both sides well.
  
• Place the glazed donuts onto the prepared rack to allow the excess glaze to drip down. The glaze will set and harden on the donuts after 30 minutes.
  
• After making 12 glazed donuts, you can add 1 Tbsp matcha green tea powder to the leftover glaze. Whisk really well to combine.
  
• Dip each donut into the matcha glaze, making sure to coat well. Place them onto the rack to allow the excess glaze to drip down. The glaze will set and harden on the donuts after 30 minutes.
  
• Just like any other deep-fried food, it’s best to eat the donuts while they are warm. Enjoy!
  

To Store

• Enjoy the donuts on the same day you made them. You can keep them at room temperature for a day in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave for 15–20 seconds before eating.

Notes

• Oil: Avoid using vegetable oil (read my post). Please adjust the amount of the oil based on how wide and tall your pot is. My Dutch oven is 3.5 QT and I used 1 QT (1000 ml, 4 cups) of safflower oil. The Dutch oven is heavy and thick, and it conducts and retains heat very efficiently. The high sides also help prevent splatters during frying. What to do with leftover oil? Please read this post.
• Helpful Tools: Stand mixer, dough scraper/pastry card, kitchen scale, thermometer, Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Please read the post.

Nutrition

Calories: 193 kcal · Carbohydrates: 29 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 8 g · Saturated Fat: 2 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 22 mg · Sodium: 35 mg · Potassium: 37 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 13 g · Vitamin A: 127 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 18 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: donut

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