These fluffy and golden fried donut holes are coated with sweet cinnamon sugar! Freshly made and served warm with a cup of coffee, these homemade donut holes will disappear quicker than you can make them.
Why You’ll Love These Homemade Donut Holes
- Sweet & Fluffy: Nothing beats fresh and warm, homemade donuts coated in sweet cinnamon sugar with soft and fluffy insides!
- Easy: There’s no rising time for the dough or complicated techniques that could make this recipe go wrong. Bonus: they’re ready in just 30 minutes.
- Versatile: Easily create different flavors with add-ins, spices, and extracts. Or, by topping the donuts with different frostings and glazes!
- On The Go Breakfast: Pack them into a bag and grab them on your way out the door for an easy breakfast or sweet afternoon snack.
Love making donuts at home? Try my recipes for homemade filled donuts, Autumn ready pumpkin donuts or easy air fryer donuts using canned biscuits!
What You’ll Need
Always check the expiration date on baking powder to make sure the donuts come out super light and fluffy. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Flour: I used all purpose flour, but you can also use bread flour in this recipe.
- Spices: Ground nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
- Baking Powder: This is what makes the donuts so fluffy. Don’t swap it for baking soda.
- Egg
- Sugar: Granulated or light brown sugar will both work for the dough, but only use granulated sugar for the sweet cinnamon coating.
- Butter
- Milk: Use whole milk or 2%, but avoid plant-based milk. You want milk with a higher fat content to keep your donut holes moist.
- Oil: Choose a frying oil with a high smoke point, like vegetable, corn, or canola oil.
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes
Making the homemade dough, frying, and tossing the donut holes in cinnamon sugar shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes! Ensure you have all the ingredients ready to go within reach, then get started. Scroll to the recipe card at bottom of the post for full detailed instructions.
- Wet and Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside. Whisk the egg, sugar, melted butter, and milk in another bowl until well combined.
- Combine: Mix the wet and dry ingredients together in a large bowl until dough is formed. The dough will be slightly sticky.
- Shape Donut Holes: Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot. Grease your hands and roll the dough into small balls.
- Fry: Carefully drop each ball into the hot oil, working with a few at a time. Fry donut holes on all sides until golden brown.
- Toss in Cinnamon Sugar: Remove the donuts from the oil and immediately transfer them to a large bowl with cinnamon sugar. Quickly toss until completely coated. Serve immediately!
Chef’s Tips for Making Homemade Donut Holes
- Hot Oil: It’s very important that your frying oil is at the correct temperature. Too hot, the outsides will cook too quickly, leaving raw centers. Too cold, the donut holes will take too long to cook and become soggy. Using a clip-on pot thermometer is the best way to ensure your oil stays at the desired 350°F throughout cooking!
- Toss The Donuts Hot: Don’t let the donuts cool before tossing them in cinnamon sugar. Once they’re cool, the sugar won’t stick to them.
- Even Sized Donut Holes: The balls of dough need to be evenly sized to ensure even cooking. If not, you may end up with some donut holes that are under or over cooked. I used a large cookie scoop to ensure mine were similar in size.
- Fry In Batches: It is best to work in batches when frying the donut holes. Too many donut holes in the pot at once will quickly drop the oil temperature. Also if the pot is too crowded, the donut holes won’t have enough space to fry evenly on all sides.
Donut Hole Variation Ideas
- Traditional Glaze: Looking for that thin and sweet traditional glazed donut instead? Whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup half and half, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Dunk warm donut holes in after frying.
- Citrus Flavored: Mix 1 tablespoon of lime zest, orange zest or lemon zest into the dough for subtle hints of citrus.
- Extracts: Add up to 1 teaspoon of your chosen extract to the dough. I would suggest almond or coconut extract!
- Powdered Sugar: Swap the cinnamon sugar and coat the donuts in powdered sugar. Transfer donut holes to a paper towel lined plate after frying. Wait until the donut holes are fully cooled before tossing in powdered sugar!
- Chocolate: You can add 1 cup mini chocolate chips to the dough for an easy chocolate fix. Or whip up a batch of the chocolate glaze, for my chocolate peanut butter cake, and dunk them in it!
- Filled Donut Holes: Add your desired filling, I recommend something like a raspberry jam or homemade Nutella, to a piping bag with small round tip attached. Pipe filling into the center of each donut hole.
How To Store Leftovers
Just like store-bought donuts, these donut holes are best enjoyed the day they’re made. However, you can still save them for later! Here’s how:
- Store: Place cooled donut holes in an airtight container lined with a paper towel for up to 3 days. Don’t store them in the fridge, or they’ll dry out and turn stale.
- Reheat: For that fresh fried taste, microwave a few leftover donut holes for 10 seconds before enjoying!
- Freeze: I do not recommend freezing any leftover donut holes. Texturally they just are not the same once frozen and thawed.
Yield: 18 donut holes
Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes
This donut holes recipe with cinnamon sugar is a 30-minute sweet treat for breakfast. Freshly made and served with a cup of coffee, they are likely to disappear quicker than you can make them.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Oil, for frying
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk to combine the cinnamon sugar coating and set side.
- Pour oil into a large, deep skillet for frying. You want the oil to be about 2 inches deep. Heat the oil and keep it between 365°F to 375°F (I use a clip-on pot thermometer to ensure the temperature stays the same). You can test the oil by pouring a drop of water into the pan; if it sizzles across the top, it’s ready.
- While the oil is heating up… Whisk together the milk, egg, sugar, and butter in a large-sized bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine thoroughly.
- The batter will be sticky, so either use a spoon, or cookie scoop, to separate the dough. Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, with floured hands to prevent sticking. Quickly drop the balls into the hot oil a few at a time. (They will lose their shape if you roll them ahead of time, so work quickly and drop them in as you go).
- Cook donut holes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, flipping as needed. When the donuts are cooked through and golden brown, remove them from the oil and immediately toss donuts in cinnamon sugar. (The fresher the donuts are out of the oil, the more the cinnamon/sugar coating will stick to them.) Serve immediately!
Notes
Store Leftovers: Place cooled donut holes in an airtight container lined with a paper towel for up to 3 days. Don’t store them in the fridge, or they’ll dry out and turn stale.
Reheat: For that fresh fried taste, microwave a few leftover donut holes for 10 seconds before enjoying!
Fry In Batches: It is best to work in batches when frying the donut holes. Too many donut holes in the pot at once will quickly drop the oil temperature. Also if the pot is too crowded, the donut holes won’t have enough space to fry evenly on all sides.
Traditional Glaze: Looking for that thin and sweet traditional glazed donut instead? Whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup half and half, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Dunk warm donut holes in after frying.
Powdered Sugar: Swap the cinnamon sugar for dusting the donuts in powdered sugar. Transfer donut holes to a paper towel lined plate after frying. Wait until the donut holes are fully cooled before tossing in powdered sugar!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 donut hole, Calories: 96kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 124mg, Potassium: 27mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 47IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 1mg
Categories:
More Sweet Breakfast Ideas
Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
