Grapefruit Donuts (with homemade jelly) Recipe | We are not Martha (2024)

These Grapefruit Donuts are fried to perfection, rolled in sugar, and then filled with a homemade grapefruit jam. Even better? You can fry up these donuts while still keeping your house smelling fresh!

This post is sponsored by Febreze ONE. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Thank you so much for supporting We are not Martha!

Back in the day, I was terrified of frying food in my kitchen. Donuts, chicken, apple fritters... I wanted to make them all, but I was so scared. Scared of splattering oil, horrified of smoke detectors going off (especially when I lived in an apartment), and terrified that I would start an oil fire and forget that throwing water on oil fires only makes them worse instead of putting them out. But over the years and with lots of experience, I taught myself that frying isn't scary; it's actually pretty easy and fun. And the results are so worth it. These days, the only thing I don't like about frying is the way it makes my house smell. Sometimes I don't even notice until I leave and come back or until Chris comes home and says, "ugh, why does it smell so bad in here??" And I'm all, "here, honey, have a donut and try to forget that the entire house smells like fried food." Today, along with a fabulous recipe for fried grapefruit donuts, I have a few tips for you to keep your house smelling fresh, even when you're frying up a feast.

When Febreze first reached out to me about a partnership, I realized that it's rare for me to use air fresheners in my home. I don't like heavy fragrances or perfumes and tend to get headaches when spraying those types of products in my home. Which is why I was so excited to hear that Febreze has a product for people like me (people they call "scent skeptics")!Febreze ONE has no aerosols, no dyes, and no heavy perfumes and effectively gets rid of odors without the use of overpowering scents. Hooray! Keep reading for a chance to win a bottle for yourself in one of their three fragrances- Mandarin, Bamboo, and Orchid!

TIPS FOR GETTING RID OF FRIED FOOD SMELL AND KEEPING YOUR HOUSE SMELLING FRESH

So, you're just about to fry up a beautiful batch of donuts. You can't wait to have your friends come over to enjoy fresh donuts, coffee, and conversation... But, wait. How can you have guests in your house when it smells like a fast food joint? Ugh. Don't worry, these tips will help you get rid of the fried food smell and keep your house smelling fresh!

• Open a window before you start frying: I usually open my sliding screen door, but in colder weather, I just crack a window in my kitchen for the short time I'm frying. This helps so much with getting the air moving. On that note, if your stove has a ventilation fan, turn that on before frying.
• Close doors to bedrooms and other rooms you want to keep the smell out of. Fried oil smell can travel, so be sure to close bedroom doors and doors to any other rooms you want to keep the smell away from.
• Use clean oil and don't let it get too hot: Oftentimes, people save their frying oil to reuse it. There's nothing wrong with this, but the more your oil has been used, the worse it's going to smell. On that note, if you let the oil temperature get too high, it's more likely to smell bad.
• Clean up as soon as possible. You need to let hot oil cool before you can dispose of it, but don't let it sit on your stove all day. As soon as it's cool enough to get it out of your kitchen, do it. I pour mine back into an old container, put the lid on tight, and put it in the garage. Also make sure you wash out the pot and clean up any spills as quickly as possible.
• Always spray Febreze ONE in your kitchen area when you're done frying. I'm loving Febreze ONE because ithas the same odor elimination power as other Febreze products, but with no aerosols, no dyes and no heavy perfumes for a light, fresh scent. Instead of masking the fried oil smell in my house, Febreze ONE helps eliminate the odor, while adding a simple, light fragrance.

I'll admit, I'm what Febreze would call a "scent skeptic." Febreze recently conducted a survey and found that "half of Americans typically avoid using strong aerosol air freshener sprays BUT 91% of folks would be interested in trying an air freshener that did not contain aerosols, dyes and heavy perfumes." So, I guess I'm not alone! They formulated Febreze ONE so we can alllove the air we'rein and bring us to a #ONEStateofMind.

So, I went into my donut making feeling a little more confident in the fact that I could come out of it with both a delicious batch of donuts and a fresh smelling home. I love all things citrus, which is why I decided to not only make grapefruit donuts, but also to spray Febreze ONE Mandarin when I was done.

GRAPEFRUIT DONUTS RECIPE

For me, making donuts is therapeutic and already helps me get to my ONE state of mind. I love kneading the dough, watching it rise, rolling it out, and cutting out the donut rounds. It's the perfect baking activity for me since it's not fancy and there's no crazy decorating involved.

For these donuts, I made a grapefruit jam and also found this a therapeutic process. Literally, all you need is grapefruit and sugar and in just 20 minutes or so, you have a batch of jelly. The toughest part is supreming the grapefruit, but I like a little tartness, so I didn't worry too much about getting rid of all the pith.

Chris loved this grapefruit jam so much, he's been using it on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all week.

With my donuts baked and my grapefruit jam made and cooled, all I had to do was fill the donuts. And dance around my kitchen spraying Febreze ONE Mandarin. When I first sprayed it, I wasn't even certain it worked since the mist is so light and fine (without using anaerosols) and there's no hit-you-in-the-face fragrance. But once I did smell the fragrance, I immediately noticed how light and natural it smelled. The Mandarin fragrance reminds me of fresh squeezed juice and how much kitchen might smell after I juiced a few oranges. Basically, heavenly.

The Bamboo fragrance smells like when you first step outside on a spring day after a rainstorm and the Orchid like you just brought home a fresh bunch of flowers. All three of them are incredibly light and natural smelling. They're also sold in refillable containers, which is pretty awesome.

And the donuts? Just one more little piece of my own personal heaven.

Sometimes when I make homemade donuts, I get a little crazy with them, so it made me happy these grapefruit donuts were so simple. A very basic vanilla flavored donut with a dollop of tart jam. Perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea or coffee. Especially when you're dying for spring to come and your location isn't exactly delivering (I'm looking at you, Boston).

We are big grapefruit eaters in my house (I generally eat half of one every single day) and grapefruit donuts are just one more way to enjoy them. Okayyyy so they may have just a tad more sugar in them then a grapefruit half, but everyone deserves a treat once in a while.

And everyone deserves a house that doesn't smell like a fast food restaurant. I know I'm never going to stop frying food in my kitchen, so I'm thrilled to have a product that helps keep my home smelling fresh. And now I'm tempted to see if Febreze ONE also acts as a hair spray and body perfume (it DOES remove odors from fabrics!). So when I pick my husband up from the train station after I make donuts, he doesn't get in the car and say, "Whoa. You smell like fried food." Sigh. But guess what? Homemade grapefruit donuts always make up for a smelly spouse.

What Febreze ONE fragrance sounds best to you?

If you love these Grapefruit Donuts, check out my Glazed Coffee Chocolate Frosted Donuts or my Blueberry Mojito Donuts. I also love these Peanut Butter and Jelly Donuts from Sheri Silver.

📖 Recipe