3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (2024)

This easy Donut Holes Recipe uses a shortcut to make these treats in minutes!

Quick and yummy, our itty-bitty cinnamon donut bites are just the snack to go along with game night, movie night, or any time anyone has a sweet tooth!

3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (1)

Biscuit Donut Holes

  • These mini cinnamon donuts are ready in just a few minutes.
  • With only 3 ingredients, these donut holes are the perfect recipe to make with the kids.
  • These can be baked, deep-fried or even make air fryer donut holes.
  • Donut holes are the perfect breakfast or afternoon snack with a hot cup of coffee.

3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (2)

How To Make Donut Holes

Just like air fryer donuts, these little bites are super easy to make.

  1. Preheat air fryer, oven or oil.
  2. Separate biscuits and cut out 1″ circles or cut them into 6 portions and roll into balls.
  3. Bake or fry according to recipe below.
  4. Toss in butter and cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

Once you’ve cut out the holes, use the scraps to roll into small balls to create more donut holes. The shape might not be perfectly round but they taste great!

3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (3)

Donut Hole Toppings

Create a DIY bar of donut dippables and toppings! Here are our fave ideas.

  • Homemade Nutella
  • Caramel Apple Dip
  • Hot S’mores Dip
  • Easy Cookie Dough Dip
  • Dunkaroo Dip

3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (4)

Recipe Tips

  • If making air fryer donut holes, ensure they are cooked in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to do two batches.
  • Air Fryers can vary, check your donut holes early. They may need 1 minute more or less.
  • If deep-frying, be sure the oil is preheated and remove the biscuits from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before using. Room temp donut holes will fluff up and cook faster.
  • Only fry about 10 donut holes at a time so they are not crowded in the pan. Crowding the pan lowers the temperature of the oil which increases the potential for the donut holes to absorb the oil.

More Fair Favorites

  • Cinnamon Churros – favorite recipe!
  • Homemade Funnel Cake – crispy & delicious
  • Homemade Mini Corn Dogs – ready in 20 minutes
  • Easy Air Fryer Donuts – only 4 ingredients
  • Crispy Fried Dill Pickles – a 5 star recipe

Did you love these 3 Ingredient Donut Holes? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (5)

5 from 12 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe

Premade dough is rounded into balls, fried and then tossed in sugar and cinnamon!

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ReviewPrint

3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (6)

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (7)

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 roll refrigerated biscuits canned
  • ½ cup butter melted
  • ½ cup cinnamon sugar
  • oil for frying not required for air fryer or oven

Instructions

  • Preheat air fryer to 350°F.

  • Separate biscuits and use a small cutter to cut out 1" circles. If you do not have a cutter, cut the biscuits into 6 pieces each and gently roll them in your hands.

  • Place in a single layer in the air fryer. Cook 2-3 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

  • Drizzle donut holes with some of the butter and shake the bowl to coat them.

  • Place cinnamon sugar in a bowl with a lid or a freezer bag. Add warm buttered donut holes and shake to combine. Serve warm.

Notes

Crescent rolls can be used in place of biscuits.

Make your own cinnamon sugar by combining ½ cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon.

To oil fry donut holes, preheat ½" of oil in a small pan on the stove to 350°F. Drop each piece into the oil turning until all sides are browned (about 60-90 seconds). Roll in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

To bake donut holes, follow the air fryer directions. Instead of air frying, bake holes at 375°F for about 10-13 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Nutrition information is for 1/4 of the recipe. The nutrition will vary and accounts for use of half of the butter and sugar as some will be leftover after tossing the donut holes.

5 from 12 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 12donut holes | Calories: 151 | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 104mg | Potassium: 4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (10) Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (11) Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

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Breakfast, Desserts, Recipes

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3 Ingredient Donut Hole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make a DIY donut pan? ›

All you need is a cupcake pan and some regular old tin foil! Cut the foil into a 4 x4 square and bend gently around your middle finger. Remove your finger and press the shape you're left with into the muffin tin. The results: You're left with a perfect donut hole shaped tin that yields you round baked donuts.

How was the donut hole made? ›

Although the outsides and the edges were crisp, the centres of the donuts were always greasy and doughy. Gregory suggested punching a hole in the middle of the fried cakes, so that the insides of the cakes would cook as evenly as the outsides.

How do they make the hole in doughnuts? ›

In truth, though, many donuts with holes don't actually have any dough cut out of them to make their shape. Instead, special machines spray dough into a fryer in a circular pattern. The donut holes you buy at the bakery or grocery store are usually made out of dough simply cut into small squares!

How to make a donut pan with aluminum foil? ›

Another option that is even easier is to take a 6x6 inch piece of foil and ball it up and make sure to flatten out one side of it. Then place it in the middle of a muffin pan. You can make the piece of foil a little bigger if you want the hole of the donut to be larger.

What are old fashioned donut holes? ›

A no-yeast rich cake donut hole with soft crumb texture coated in sugar. These old-fashioned bakery style donut holes are easy to make and are great for the holidays or summer vacation.

What is the difference between donut and donut holes? ›

The main difference between the two is that cake style donut holes use a leavener like baking soda or baking powder to bring rise to the bread, while a yeast style donut uses yeast.

Who made the first donut hole? ›

DONUT HOLE HISTORY

These doughnuts were the same shape and size as our modern donuts, but they weren't shaped like a ring. The honor of “hole inventor” seems to land with Hanson Gregory, an American sailor.

What is a donut hole pan? ›

Make Donut Holes & More

This pan will bring out your creativity with easy-to-make cake pops, bagel bites, or even meatballs. The carbon-steel material is durable and made to last. The nonstick coating ensures an easy release and effortless cleanup.

What is another name for donut hole? ›

Synonyms. (pastry ball the size of the hole in the center of a donut): munchkin (genericization of Munchkin) timbit (genericization of Timbit)

What is a donut without a hole? ›

A Krapfen or Berliner is a German jam doughnut with no central hole, made from sweet yeast dough fried in lard or cooking oil, with a jam filling, and usually covered in powdered sugar. Krapfen. Krapfen with plum jam filling. Alternative names. Krapfen, Pfannkuchen, Kreppel, Bismarck, Berliner.

How to make a donut hole without a cutter? ›

For the donut hole, grab the cap of a soda, wine, or liquor bottle and press it into the center of your dough circle.

Can you make donuts in a muffin pan? ›

Pipe Batter into the Muffin Pan

Add donut batter to one side of a gallon sized ziplock bag and cut the corner off of the bag. You will use this as a piping bag for the batter. Squeeze batter into muffin cups in a circle around the tin foil. Bake donuts at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until donuts are golden brown.

How to make donuts without a donut? ›

To create your makeshift donut pan, start by taking a 5"x5" square piece of foil and place it over your fingers. Fold the foil around your fingers and carefully fold the sides up to create a mold. Fit the mold into a cup of your muffin pan and press into place. Repeat for remaining cups.

Can you fry donuts in a regular pan? ›

On a medium, heavy-bottomed pan, heat about 2-3 inches of oil to 375 F. Carefully lower a few donuts at a time into the oil, peeling them off from the parchment paper before cooking. Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Then cook on the other side for 1 minute or less, until golden.

What is the best pan to fry donuts in? ›

To fry donuts safely, you need a pot large enough to accommodate a couple of quarts of oil and a few donuts. Something deep, heavy, and wide is best. A Dutch oven or a very large saucepan are both good, but J. Kenji Lopéz-Alt uses a wok, a solution that makes a lot of thermal sense.

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