Easy, from-scratch, no yeast donut holes that can be mixed up and fried in minutes!
I spent six years of my life shackled to a deep fry station.
I exaggerate a bit, I wasn’t exactly shackled (only by the need for a paycheck to keep my college from slamming its door in my face each semester), and it was more often the drive-thru window or the sandwich station that I found myself stuck overseeing, but in the six years that I worked for a particular red-hatted fast food company, I experienced a lot of deep frying and bathed my fair share of curly fries and chicken tenders in sizzling wells of golden-brown (more often brown-brown) oil.
And, every evening when I would punch out to go home, my clothes, hair, and skin would be saturated with the distinct scent of all things deep fried.
So I think that might be why it’s taken me so long to share anything on my site that’s been fried, despite the fact that deep fried desserts are truly some next-level stuff… 6 years of scrubbing oil out of your (already acne-prone) pores will do that to you (and if I never see another curly fry in my life, that’s just fine by me).
But today, I’m finally breaking my no-fry streak with these incredibly easy, bite-sized donut holes, made with my versatile no yeast cinnamon roll dough and fried until golden-perfection.
Deep frying can be a little messy, but it’s quick, and the results are well-worth any cleanup. These donut holes need to only fry for about 3 and a half minutes (do them in batches of about 4-5 at a time), then roll them in cinnamon/sugar (or powdered sugar — makes them taste like funnel cake or fried dough) and you’re done. Coupled with the fact that the dough is also very simple to make and comes together easily, you can easily have home-fried donuts ready for eating in under 30 minutes.
I’m not sure there’s anything quite as beautiful as watching homemade donuts floating in golden oil until they’re cooked to perfection <3
Except maybe eating said hot donuts.
To be honest, I have quite a few donut hole recipes coming up (ones with surprises tucked inside), but I wanted to share this basic recipe first, as it’s going to be the foundation for the future ones.
Stay tuned, and Happy Friday!
Donut Holes (Fried, No Yeast)
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil or canola oil for frying
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 Tbsp butter cold
- 3/4 cups milk
For rolling
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
-
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix.
-
Using a pastry cutter cut butter into your flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
-
Add milk and mix until all ingredients are combined.
-
Transfer dough onto a well-floured surface, and knead gently until it forms a cohesive ball. If dough is too sticky to manage, continue to work in flour until it is smooth and manageable (I've found on hot days or if my butter isn't cold enough the dough can be quite sticky)
-
Break off approximately 1 1/2 Tbsp-sized pieces of dough and roll into smooth, tight balls. Set aside.
-
Fill a medium-sized saucepan 2-inches deep with your oil over medium-high heat. Use a candy thermometer (make sure it isn't touching the bottom of the pot) to monitor your temperature.
-
Heat oil to 350F (you will have to monitor the heat pretty regularly and may need to increase/decrease your stove temperature to keep it consistent).
-
While your oil is heating, prepare your cinnamon/sugar mix by stirring together cinnamon and sugar in a small dish. Set aside.
-
Prepare two plates for your cooked donut holes by lining them generously with paper towels.
-
Once oil has reached 350F, very carefully fry your donut holes, about 4 at a time, carefully transferring them to the oil with a slotted spoon (don't drop them in or the oil may splash, lower them into the oil instead).
-
Fry donut holes for approximately 3.5 minutes*, remove carefully with a slotted spoon, and place them on a paper towel laden plate. Allow them to sit for about 30 seconds and then use another spoon to transfer them to your cinnamon/sugar dish, roll them in the topping until fully covered, and then transfer to your other paper towel lined plate.
-
Repeat until all donut holes are cooked and have been rolled in cinnamon sugar.
-
These donuts are best enjoyed warm/hot, and do not carry over well to the next day.
Recipe Notes
*For best results, fry only one donut hole the first time you try this, and gauge how thoroughly it is cooked. After 3.5 minutes has passed, cut into it to check whether it is underdone, just right, or overdone, and then fry the rest of your donut holes accordingly.
While these should take about 3.5 minutes under optimal conditions with a consistent oil temperature of 350F, it's still important to check so that you don't end up with 1 1/2 dozen donuts that are still gooey in the middle!
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything through these links I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please view the disclosure policy for more information. Thank you for supporting the companies that support Sugar Spun Run!
Recommended Tools:
PIN IT:
You May Also Like:
Cookie Dough Stuffed Donut Holes (No Yeast!)
Inside Out Cinnamon Roll Donut Holes (with Cream Cheese Filling)
Easy Cinnamon Rolls (no yeast)
I feel you on the frying- but these donut holes look totally worth all the oil! 🙂
Great way to bust the no-fry rule. These look great.
Just made these with vanilla almond milk and a cinnamon/sugar/cardamom coating, and they turned out SO delicious! I’ve never made donuts before, because I always though it was so hard, but these were a breeze to make. Thanks for recipe.
Woohoo! So glad you loved them, Samira! Thank you so much for commenting! 🙂
I just whipped these bad mamma jammas up tonight for my husband and myself, on word to describe them…..YUMMMMYYYY!!!!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Awesome, I’m so glad that you loved them! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how you liked them, Danielle! 🙂
Just made these at 430am as I work nights and try to keep to my schedule even on off days. They were wonderful! It was so easy to follow the recipe and it was less than an hour from looking up the recipe to sitting down with fresh warm donuts. Thank you!
I’m SO glad that you loved them, Kris! Thank you for commenting! 🙂
These look delicious! Will this recipe work for donuts too instead of donut holes? 🙂
Yes, I definitely think that would work! However, I haven’t tried it yet so some of the details will be a little different (the time to cook will likely be different). I do have it on my calendar to experiment with making donuts instead of just holes, so check back and hopefully I’ll have that recipe soon, too! 🙂
I tried these.They were awesome!!super soft!!thank you:)
Awesome!! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out 🙂
Sam, Thank you so much for sharing. These donut holes are delicious. The recipe is so versatile you can change the flavour and still enjoy the soft-crispy yumminess of this little dessert.
Thank you for letting me know how you liked them, Ashona!! So glad that you enjoyed them! 🙂
Heya ur recipe seems wonderful… Wanna make them tomo for my niece school’s business fair…will they stay good n soft the next day… Plannin to fill them up with jam… Pls reply a bit urgent…
Hi Hanisha! These are best served the same day they are made.
Thank u so much dr…
Hi there, I made these and they turned out hard….can you tell me why? I fried them until golden outside, or do they need to look white?
Hi Laura! They should be golden brown, but if they’re coming out hard the oil may be too hot. You can try cooking them for slightly less time and making sure they are still cooked all the way through to the center. I hope that helps!
Thank you for this recipe Sam! I’m wondering if I can chill the dough so I can cook it later on?
Yes, I have done this before! Hope you love them, Yesha! 🙂
I have never made donuts before because I thought they were going to be difficult. I’ve looked at so many recipes but yours caught my eye because of the no yeast, which is not easy to find where I am! I have just made them they were so easy and taste amazing! Might have to get hubby to hide the baking stuff or I’ll end up living off them! 🙂
Hi, I came across your recipe and was wondering if these are like cake donuts or raised/fluffy donuts? I love the no yeast recipe, but wasn’t looking for a cake-like consistency. Thanks!
Hi Lisa! They’re not quite as dense as cake donuts and not as light and airy as true yeast donuts. Between the two I’d say they’re probably closer to cake-like. I hope that helps!