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.
- 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.
Notes
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!
Nutrition
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Sophie
How much oil do we use? 🙂
Sam
You just need enough to fill 2 inches of your pot. This amount will vary depending on the size of your pot. 🙂
Jinx L Williams
Have not made them yet i can’t wait sounds delicious
Sam
I think you’ll love them! 🙂
Paige
Is it 3-4 cups of milk or 3/4 of a cup of milk?
Sam
Hi Paige! It’s 3/4 cup of milk. 🙂
Arianna
3/4 cup if you use 3-4 cups it’ll be watery and have a more batter ish texture
Darcy
Can I use nonfat milk in this recipe? I never have whole milk at home and a lot of your recipes call for “ milk”. Thanks!
Darcy
Sam
Hi Darcy! The batter will be a lot thinner so I’m not sure how it will turn out. You may need to use less and the donut holes may not be quite as tender. If you try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
J
Can I bake these
J
You can bake them. They will be slightly more gooey.
Jessica
Thanks for the recipe! Will definitely try these over the weekend! I have a quick question though, what if I don’t want to make these as holes, but as regular sized donuts instead? How thin should I roll the dough before using a cutter?
Sam
Hi Jessica! I know others have made these as donuts with success. I would roll it out to be slightly less than an inch thick.
Jessica
Thank you so much!
Adriana Ciano
These are so good and easy to make!
Thanks!
Frank Calabro
Can you carry the Dough to refrigerate And serve another day
Sam
Hi Frank! That should work just fine. 🙂
Samadhi Summers
My 11 year old and I just made these for Chanukah….yummy and easy!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Samadhi! 🙂
Danelle Wright
This has been my go to recipe for fried donuts the last 3 years. I love them! And so do my family. This time I’m going to double the recipe, and freeze some so they stay fresh. And I actually make real donuts too, they are just mini sized so its easy. I cut off the top of a water bottle and use it for the middle hole, and a small circular biscuit cutter for the donut size. Can’t make them too big though or they won’t cook in the middle. Plus, they fluff up a lot when they cook. I LOVE these!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy them so much, Danelle! 🙂
Sandy
Hi! I see the recipe calls for cold butter but it doesn’t say where in the dough mixture you add the butter?
Sam
Hi Sandy! You cut the butter in during step 2. 🙂
Nelli
I made these for hanukkah they came out so good!!!
I used almond milk, spelt flour and light demarara sugar, and oil, it came out heaven ,couldn’t stop eating them….beware 😉
Had to add some flour
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Nelli! 🙂