Donut Holes are fun, bite-sized treats perfect with a cup of coffee. This recipe includes glazed, powdered, spiced, and sugar-coated options.
Homemade Donut Holes are an easy, fun, and shareable Breakfast Recipe to satisfy your donut craving. Try my Cinnamon Rolls and Gorilla Bread for more sweet morning delights.
Sabrina’s Donut Holes Recipe
Homemade Doughnut Holes are an excellent recipe to enjoy as breakfast, dessert, or serve for a brunch get together. The base vanilla cake donut recipe is quite versatile, so you can add any of your favorite toppings to go with them. I’ve included directions for sugar, spiced, powdered, or glaze coatings. You can go with one or all of the options to create a little variety. I’ve also added some other coating and flavor ideas to the variations section of this post if you want to try something different. For more brunch treats, try my Blueberry Scones and Everything Bagel Casserole.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Cake Donuts:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- vegetable oil , for frying
Sugar Coating:
- 1 cup sugar
Spiced Coating:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Powdered Sugar Coating:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Donut Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons boiling water
Instructions
Cake Donuts:
- Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk to combine.
- Add in milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
- Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees.
- Using a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop, scoop the batter into the oil in batches (careful to not crowd the pot)
- Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on both sides.
- Remove with slotted spatula onto a baking sheet.
Coating Options:
Sugar:
- Add sugar to a bowl and roll fresh fried donut holes in the sugar then place onto baking sheet.
Spiced:
- Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in a bowl. Roll fresh fried donut holes in the sugar then place onto baking sheet.
Powdered Sugar:
- Add powdered sugar to a bowl and roll fresh fried donut holes in the sugar then place onto baking sheet.
Donut Glaze:
- Stir in the powdered sugar, corn syrup, milk and vanilla until well combined.
- Add in boiling water, one tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth.
To Finish:
- Dip the donut holes in the glaze, turn to coat and remove with slotted spatula.
- Let harden on baking sheet for 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
Cake donuts have a soft crumb, with a dense and cakey texture, as opposed to the airy texture of yeast donuts. While both have their place in my kitchen, I do love the simplicity of cake donuts for not having to wait for the dough to rise.
Table of contents
Can this be made ahead of time?
You can absolutely make this donut recipe in advance. I like making them the night before a brunch, so that they are ready to go in the morning. Just make sure to let the donut holes cool. Then cover them in plastic wrap or put them in an airtight container with a paper towel to absorb moisture. I recommend only making them a day or two before you plan to serve.
How to Store
- Serve: Regardless of what coating you use, it’s best to let cool so that the coating has some time to set before serving. But, don’t leave this recipe sitting out for more than 2 hours.
- Store: To keep fresh, cover them in plastic wrap, or put them in an airtight container. Kept sealed, they’ll stay fresh at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. For this process, place the donut holes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer for about an hour to harden. Then transfer them to a freezer bag for long-term storage. To thaw the donuts, take them out of the freezer and leave the ziplock bag on the counter until they come to room temperature.
Variations
- Chocolate-coated: For chocolate lovers, you can make a chocolate ganache coating. To make the chocolate glaze, sift together 1 ¼ cups confectioners sugar and ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Then stir in 3 ½ tablespoons whole milk, and 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract until smooth. If the glaze isn’t thin enough, add more milk as needed. Then dip the donut holes in the chocolate and turn to coat. Set the chocolate donut holes on a baking sheet and let them harden before serving.
- Cinnamon Sugar: Use cinnamon sugar mixture for coating instead of the full spiced version.
- Maple syrup glaze: You can also give this recipe a rich maple glaze. To make the glaze, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and ⅓ cup maple syrup. After whisking the glaze together, add the donut bites, turn to coat, then let them harden.
- Apple fritter: Dice 1 ½ cups of granny smith apples. Then fold the mixture into the batter before frying. After frying, coat them in glaze and let them harden.
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