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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Doughnut batter recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.
I really liked this recipe, I just wish there wasn’t so much to read at the top of the page.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Scarlett!
Is it possible to bake these? And if so what temperature and for how long?
Hi Judy! This recipe in particular is too wet to bake, however I do have air-fried and baked doughnut recipes you an find via the search bar. Enjoy!
hi i just made the munchkins they are so good; the taste is amazing I can’t wait to try more of your recipeis thx!
Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Can a small 1teaspoon cookie scoop be used for these?
Sure thing, Jan! You’ll just need to adjust the cook time.
Can you use almond milk as a substitute for whole milk
Hi Kimberly! I haven’t tried that substitute so I’m not sure if it would work. The only thing that may not make it a good substitute is that almond milk doesn’t have the same fat quantity/consistency as whole milk.
Can these be air fried instead of deep fried?
Hi Paige! This dough is too wet to be air-fried, but I do have an Air Fryer Doughnuts recipe that you can find via the search bar. Enjoy!
I love this, I think this is soooooooooooooooo yummy!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lin!
I’m only 10 and this was so easy to make!
Love reading that, Lin!
Hi, would this freeze well?
I’d like to make quite a few for a function so want to make them ahead of time and thaw and glaze on the day
Hi there! I haven’t tried freezing and reheating these so I’m not sure what the texture would be like.
I made this today for my bday. & it was so freakin good. There was a nice little crunch on the outside but inside was so pillowy. 10/10♾ Definitely going to make this again tomorrow hehe
Thrilled you enjoyed it, Britt!