It’s no secret that I have a lil’ thing for doughnuts. And by “lil’ thing,” I mean “extreme obsession.” There were the Glazed Sour Cream Doughnuts, the Baked Mini Buttermilk Doughnuts, and, oh yes, who could forget the Just a Taste Doughnuthon? (One day. Five Miles. Nine doughnuts.)
But woah, baby. These Easy Homemade Glazed Doughnut Holes are the cat’s pajamas. The bee’s knees. The llama’s … mama. Anyways. They pretty much encompass everything you want in a doughnut hole: soft, doughy center, slightly crisp exterior and sticky sweet glaze. Best of all, there’s no yeast involved. And when there’s no yeast involved, there’s no rising or rolling required. Win, win and win.
Long story short: A few simple ingredients plus 30 minutes of your time yields homemade glazed doughnuts holes. And a big congratulations to you, because you’ve just been appointed president of the No Sharing Club.
And a quick update! Ask and ye shall receive. Chocolate lovers won’t want to miss my Glazed Homemade Chocolate Doughnut Holes.
More Doughnut Recipes You’ll Love
- Chocolate Doughnut Holes
- Mini Sour Cream Doughnut Muffins
- Air Fryer Biscuit Doughnuts
- The Ultimate Doughnut Sundae
- Glazed Sour Cream Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the doughnut holes:
- 5 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
Equipment:
- Deep-fry thermometer; Small ice cream scoop
Instructions
Make the glaze:
- Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl. Slowly stir in 3 tablespoons of milk and the vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth. If the glaze isn’t thin enough, stir in 1 additional tablespoon of milk. Cover the glaze with plastic wrap and set it aside while you make the doughnut holes.
Make the doughnut holes:
- Add the vegetable oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot. (There should be at least 2 inches of oil in the pot and at least 2 inches between the top of the oil and the top of the pot.) Attach the deep-fry thermometer to the pot and begin heating the oil over medium heat to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir the milk-egg mixture into the dry ingredients, then stir in the melted butter, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Once the oil has reached 350ºF, use a small ice cream scoop to drop about 1 tablespoon scoops of dough into the oil, careful not to overcrowd the pan. (See Kelly’s Notes.) Fry the doughnut holes, flipping them in the oil, for about 2 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnut holes to the paper towel-lined baking sheet.
- Allow the doughnut holes to cool slightly. Place a cooling rack atop a baking sheet, then one by one, dip the doughnut holes into the glaze and transfer them to the rack to allow the excess glaze to drip off. Serve immediately.
Kelly’s Notes:
- The dough expands when fried, so 1 tablespoon of batter will yield about a 2-inch doughnut hole. If you prefer smaller doughnut holes, drop about 1 teaspoon of batter into the oil. This recipe yields about 2 dozen of the larger doughnut holes or 4 dozen of the smaller variety.
- The roundness of the doughnut holes depends on how clean of a scoop of batter you drop into the hot oil. If you don’t have a small ice cream scoop, you can use two small spoons to form the batter into mounds, however your doughnut holes will not be as uniformly round in shape.
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Nutrition
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Doughnut batter recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.
So I’ve made these a couple of times and wow just delicious!! I would like to know what you could recommend instead of the egg. My grandson has a severe egg allergy but I would love to make these for him. I know in other recipes you can substitute applesauce (I believe) but I was wondering if you had any suggestions. Thanks!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Jackie! I haven’t tried a flax egg in this recipe but it should work!
Excellent recipes…
Very easy to follow and everything has turned out great, everyone loved donut holes especially.
Thank you
Keep posting
Thanks so much, Marsha!
Absolutely delicious! I didn’t end up following the recipe too closely, it was more of a base for the dough/batter. It works with self rising flour just fine, I added about 2 tsp of vanilla to the batter to make it a little sweeter, and because I was making them for thanksgiving I added some pumpkin spice to the glaze and batter. They are absolutely amazing and I will be saving the recipe. They were so fast and easy to make. They didn’t come out all that pretty or a uniformed size because I just plopped them in the fryer but that just gives it a bit of fun shape variety.
So glad you enjoyed them, Finn!
How would you make chocolate ones like this ? Would I add just coco?
Hi Tiffany! I’d recommend trying my other recipe for Chocolate Doughnut Holes, which you can search for in the search bar on the site.
YES !! I Actually Did make these, may not’ve been perfectly round but it all still turned out well. THEY WERE Deliscious for sure!!! I give’em a BIIIG THUMBS UP!!! ;) YES!! I DID FOLLOW THE RECIEPE.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the doughnut holes, Scott!
Are these cake style? Or yeasty?
These are like cake doughnuts.
We made the dough but it came out really gooey so I can’t make balls at all to put into the oil. I put the dough in the fridge, hoping it will be more solid (so I can make rounds) and less slimey. Any other suggestions?
I’m sorry to hear that the dough turned out gooey, Melinda. Chilling the dough in the fridge should help it firm up, making it easier to handle and shape into rounds. If the dough remains too sticky after chilling, you can try adding a little more flour gradually until it reaches a more manageable consistency. And keep in mind that this is a loose dough.
My kids request these all the time because they love them so much! We usually toss them in cinnamon sugar instead of the glaze(although the glaze is awesome too). I follow the recipe for the batter exactly and always end up with the best texture. Crunchy on the outside and pillow soft on the inside. It’s a go-to in our house for sure!
I’m so happy to read this, Amanda!
it was delicious i did it for a school project
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Liam!
a little thick but nice texture and flavor
Can you use 1% milk instead of whole milk? Thank you!!
That should work, Brandi!
Donut holes were a success in my family!!
Thank You sooo much for the recipe
You are so welcome, Sheila! I’m thrilled your family enjoyed the doughnuts!
TRIED THESE & ABSOLUTELY THEY ARE MY GO TO RECIPE NOW I DID TWEAK A FEW THINGS I ADD LEMON EXTRACT/VANILLA EXTRACT 50/50 A LITTLE CINNAMON/NUTMEG TO THE WET INGREDIENTS & BOOM AMAZING
YUM! I’m so glad you enjoyed the doughnut holes, Latifah!
How many donut holes are in the serving size for the nutritional value?
Hi Tracey! The estimated nutritional value is for one doughnut hole.
Hi. Can you freeze the donut holes? Glaze first or after thawing if I can freeze? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer! I’ve never tried freezing these doughnut holes so I’m not certain how the texture/taste would be once thawed. Let me know if you give it a shot.
Can I cook these in thw air fryer? I don’t have oil.
Hi Grace! I don’t recommend making this recipe in an air fryer because the dough is so wet. However, I have a recipe for Baked Mini Buttermilk Doughnuts that you might be interested in. Here’s the link to the recipe: https://www.justataste.com/baked-mini-buttermilk-doughnuts-with-nutella-glaze-recipe/
I’ve made this recipe several times now and I have found that 350° is too hot, (used peanut oil ), on the doughnuts, a temperature of 325°-330° is better.
Thanks, Alexandria!
These donut holes came out very well. I had some lemon in the house, so I replaced the vanilla in the glaze with lemon zest and juice. The donuts were delicious!
YUM! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Monica!
Can you mix the batter and put it in the fridge overnight, then fry them up in the morning?
Hi Angela – I’ve never tried making the dough in advance, so I’m not sure how the doughnuts would turn out.
Yes, i tried putting the batter in the fridge, and cooked it the next day and it worked out
These were amazing and simple. I was working with another recipe that called for more ingredients and then I found this recipe when I ran out of something but needed more holes (for an event). I swapped the milk for apple cider and made cider donuts. It needed a touch more flour because of the cider but GOODNESS, these are PERFECT!! Crisp on the outside and a little heavenly cloud in the inside. Thank you thank you!!!
YUM! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Erika!
Hello, do you think Applesauce can be used instead of a liquid?
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure!
Any vegetable oil substitutes for the frying?
Hi Nikki! Avocado oil, canola oil or peanut oil can all be substituted.
How long do you think these stay fresh for? If I make them for classroom snack a couple days before?
Hi Kaylee! They’re definitely best served the same day as they are made. I haven’t tried sampling them on day 2 (we never have leftovers!) so I’m not sure what the texture would be like.
Wow Kelly! I’m very impressed with this honest answer. Just found your sight today and will be turning to it from now on! Thanks for this recipe. Trying it today.
Welcome to Just a Taste, Kelly! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
My donuts were not cook inside
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, Ana. It sounds like your oil wasn’t at the right temp if they were still raw in the center.