Easy, from-scratch, no yeast donut holes! These homemade donuts can be mixed up and fried in minutes! A great guide for making donuts on your own at home!
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, no yeast homemade 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 homemade donuts.
To be honest, I have quite a few homemade 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.
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Using a pastry cutter cut butter into your flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
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Add milk and mix until all ingredients are combined.
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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)
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Break off approximately 1 1/2 Tbsp-sized pieces of dough and roll into smooth, tight balls. Set aside.
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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.
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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).
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While your oil is heating, prepare your cinnamon/sugar mix by stirring together cinnamon and sugar in a small dish. Set aside.
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Prepare two plates for your cooked donut holes by lining them generously with paper towels.
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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).
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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.
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Repeat until all donut holes are cooked and have been rolled in cinnamon sugar.
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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!
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TacoQueen0924 says
Worked okay, but i did fry them in an air fryer
bea says
How did they turn out in the air fryer?
Arielle says
I am also interested how they turned out in the Airfryer.
John Sparks says
THANK U,THANK U, THANK YOU !!!!!! This is one of those FINDS that make your day. We have made these MANY times with perfect results. They ARE exactly as you say they are. Comfort food for sure.
Sam says
I’m so happy to hear that you love them so much! Thank you for letting me know!! 🙂
Hanifah says
This recipe looks so good! Can this dough be made ahead of time?
Sam says
Yes it can! 🙂
Daniela says
Can I use margarine / crisco
Sam says
I think they would probably work but haven’t tried them that way
Alida says
Mine turned out perfect. Thank you for the amazing recipe xox
Sam says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them, Alida!!
Polly williams says
When to turn donut holes over to cook on the other side. Mine rolls back.
Mel says
Im not sure why but when I made these, the dough was perfect and just as described but once I went to fry them, they would be crispy and raw in the middle 🙁 it might’ve been a mistake I made though, any tips?
Sam says
If they were crispy outside and raw in the middle they may have just needed more time to cook OR if they started to look burnt on the outside but were still raw in the middle your oil may have been too hot
Marianne says
Made these donut holes last night. They were soooo good. Little crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. You just have to adjust the time to what you are frying them in. Will definitely make these again on special occasions. They are addicting 😍😍😍
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Marianne!!
Temmie says
Thanks for sharing
Please, concerning the milk, is it powder or liquid
Sam says
Liquid 🙂
Em says
Can I make dough balls and refrigerate over night then fry next day?
Sam says
Yup that will be fine 🙂
Thea says
Perfect recipe for canabutter. Thank you
caitlen hall says
Omg amazing 🤗
I even added a dollop of jam in the middle of the donut balls instant hot jam donut thanks for the great recipe
Sam says
Yum, sounds delicious!
Jay L Perry says
I just fried up a batch from home-ground wheat (I did sift a lot of the bran out).
Amazing! Light and fluffy.
Super tasty!
Sam says
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them!! 🙂
Amna says
Can i flatten the balls a bit to give them a circle shape. Havent tried it yet. But i want to.
Sam says
Sure that should be fine 🙂
Ashleigh Adams says
Hey, I just made them and they went 3x the size and were all fluffy and fell apart? Big mess.
Any tips? 😊
Sam says
Yikes! I’m sorry Ashleigh but I haven’t had this happen before, I’m really not sure what might have happened.
Denise says
Hi Sam, I plan on making these and am just wondering what other toppings would you suggest, so that I would have an assortment of flavors.
Sam says
Hi Denise! I’ve rolled them in powdered sugar, a cinnamon/sugar mix, just granulated sugar, and this cocoa/sugar mixture that I used here (my favorite).