Easy Donut Holes

4.65 from 89 votes
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Easy Donut Holes - the easiest homemade donut holes that takes only 20 mins to make. There is no yeast in the recipe. Mix the batter, deep-fry, roll with sugar and eat!

Easy and quick homemade donut holes recipe.
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What Are Donut Holes

Donut holes (spelled as doughnut in England and Commonwealth countries) are small, bite-sized donuts that were traditionally made from the dough taken from the center of ring donuts.

The “holes” are deep-fried just like regular donuts. They are then glazed with sugar, or dusted with fine sugar or powdered sugar.

These donut holes are round in shape but much smaller than regular donuts, making these dainty fried dough balls such a delight to the palate.

It’s easy and fail-proof. If you love fried dough balls, for examples: beignets or malasadas, you are going to love them. Enjoy!


Yeast Or No Yeast

Golden brown donut holes coating in sugar.

There are two versions of recipe for donut holes, one with yeast, and one without yeast. This recipe is without yeast, making it the easiest recipe ever!


Ingredients

Ingredients for donut holes.
  • All-purpose flour
  • Egg
  • Whole Milk
  • Baking Powder
  • Butter
  • Sugar

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Make Donut Holes

Homemade donut holes are made by dropping a small ball of dough into hot oil. The round shape can be achieved through the use of a small ice cream scoop or a spoon.

For this easy donut holes recipe, I used the former, which yields beautiful, round and spherical shape of these bite-sized sweet treats.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients using a spatula.

Step 1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground nutmeg. In a small bowl, combine the egg, milk, and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Deep fry the dough.

Step 2. In a pot or deep skillet, heat the oil to 375°F (190°C). Drop the dough into the oil using a small round ice cream scoop, five or six at a time. Fry until browned, about 1-2 minutes, turning once.

Roll the warm doughnut holes in sugar.

Step 3. Drain on paper towels. Roll the warm doughnut holes in sugar. Serve immediately.


Tips For Frying Donut Holes

Doughnut holes rolled with sugar.
  • The perfect oil temperature for frying is 375F.
  • Fry the donut holes for about 1-2 minutes on both sides, turning only once.
  • Fry them in batches of about 5-6 at a time.
  • After frying, drain them on paper towels.

For the toppings, you can dust with powdered sugar, regular fine sugar, or with a sugar glaze. I personally love regular sugar as there is a bit of texture to the surface, plus you can control the sweetness by adding or reducing the amount of sugar. Other ideas include:

  • Strawberry Jam
  • Chocolate Sauce
  • Sprinkles
  • Sweet Coconut Flakes

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is 269 calories per serving.

Easy donut holes coated with fine sugar.

What To Serve With This Recipe

Easy homemade donut holes on a serving tray.

For a complete and satisfying treat, I recommend the following recipes:

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4.65 from 89 votes

Easy Donut Holes

Easy Donut Holes – the easiest homemade donut holes that takes only 20 mins to make. There is no yeast in the recipe. Mix the batter, deep-fry, roll with sugar and eat!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 people
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Ingredients  

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • oil, for deep-frying
  • 1/4 cup sugar, for rolling

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground nutmeg. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
  • In a pot or deep skillet, heat the oil to 375°F (190°C). Using a small round ice cream scoop, drop the dough into the oil, five or six pieces at a time. Fry until browned, about 1 to 2 minutes, turning once.
  • Drain on paper towels, then roll the warm doughnut holes in sugar. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Adapted from Taste of Home.
  • The perfect oil temperature for frying is 375F.
  • Fry the donut holes for about 1-2 minutes on both sides, turning only once.
  • Fry them in batches of about 5-6 at a time.
  • After frying, drain them on paper towels.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 248kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 356mg, Potassium: 78mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 195IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 114mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





48 Comments

  1. Cecilia Kok says:

    Hi! This recipe was a delish! My family totally enjoyed it! Thank you for creating this recipe stay safe, take care.

    1. Admin says:

      Thanks.

  2. Karrie says:

    Can you make the dough the night before?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Make on the same day.

  3. Luciana says:

    Loved the recipe!

    1. Admin says:

      Thanks!

  4. yeh ximin says:

    5 stars

  5. Amy says:

    Can you use 2% if you don’t have whole mik on hand?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes sure!

  6. bella says:

    i dont have a small ice cream scoop what else can i use

  7. Jenn says:

    How do you store these and how long to they keep for?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      You can just cover them up or keep in the refrigerator. Just toast or reheat in the microwave.

  8. Jan says:

    Hi Bee,
    I love cinnamon sugar twisted doughnuts. Can i substitute nutmeg in your recipe with cinnamon? Or should i follow your recipe and roll on cinnamon powder and sugar after frying?
    Please advise:-)

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Please try to follow my recipe and no substitute.

    2. Mandy says:

      Mine came out looking more like hush puppies. Great flavor though. I used vanilla in place of nutmeg.

    3. Brenda says:

      U can substitute any spice u want Iโ€™ve done this many times over

  9. Laurin Kocher says:

    5 stars
    This recipe turned out amazing and was so simple to make.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Laurin, please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/

  10. Sue says:

    Could these be cooked in air fryer?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      You can try but I don’t recommend.