Pumpkin Donut Holes are soft, delicious and easy to make – no yeast necessary! Coated in cinnamon and sugar, and packed with pumpkin, this donut hole recipe is perfect for fall!
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It’s almost fall which means we can start making pumpkin everything, right?! I’m always looking for fun ways to bake with pumpkin and these donut holes might just be one of my favorite pumpkin recipes now. They are really easy to make, even with the frying process. No yeast is needed, so you don’t have to wait for the dough to rise. Just mix it up and fry them up!
Ingredients in Pumpkin Donut Holes
Sugar – Can’t make donuts without sugar!
Oil – Just 1/4 cup of oil is needed in the batter of the donuts. You can use vegetable oil, canola oil, coconut oil…they all work great!
Eggs – 2 large eggs will bind everything together.
Pumpkin – Gives these donut holes the most amazing pumpkin flavor and provides a lot of the moisture in the recipe as well. If you don’t like pumpkin, you can use applesauce instead!
Evaporated milk – I haven’t tried other types of milk in this recipe, but you can use a different type of milk if you prefer. Evaporated milk has a richer taste and has a lower concentration of water, so the consistency and flavor won’t be quite the same if you use regular milk.
Flour – I use all-purpose flour, but cake flour would work fine too. If your dough is too sticky to manage, go ahead and add another 1/4-1/2 cup to see if that helps!
Baking powder and salt – Just make sure your baking powder isn’t expired. This helps to provide the light, airy texture of the donuts.
Cinnamon – Cinnamon and pumpkin just go together, right? I love the flavor that it adds to the donut holes.
Salt – Just 1/4 tsp of salt helps to make all the flavors pop.
Oil for frying – Depending on the size of your pan, you will need about 2-4 cups of oil for frying the donut holes. I use canola oil, but vegetable oil works fine too.
CINNAMON/SUGAR TOPPING
Cinnamon and sugar – Mix these two ingredients together so that you can roll the freshly cooked donut holes in the mixture. The cinnamon/sugar coating on these donut holes really adds a lot of flavor and texture. If you want a thicker coating, you can dip the donut holes in melted butter before rolling them in the cinnamon/sugar topping.
How to make Pumpkin Donut Holes
Mix sugar, oil and eggs until well mixed – beat for 2-3 minutes. Add pumpkin and evaporated milk and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Mix the cinnamon/sugar topping together and set aside in a small bowl.
Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large saucepan until oil reaches about 350°. Scoop batter with a cookie scoop and roll into a ball with your hands. The dough is pretty sticky, so coat your hands with flour to make this a little bit easier. They don’t have to be perfect balls!
Drop each ball into the oil and cook about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Use a spoon to roll cooked donut holes in small bowl filled with the cinnamon/sugar topping until well coated. (If you want a thicker coating, you can roll the donut holes in melted butter first – it will cause more of the topping to stick to the donut holes.) Best when served immediately!
Pumpkin Donut Holes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 3 ½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- Oil for frying
CINNAMON/SUGAR TOPPING
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix sugar, oil and eggs until well mixed – beat for 2-3 minutes. Add pumpkin and evaporated milk and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Mix the cinnamon/sugar topping together and set aside in a small bowl.
- Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large saucepan until oil reaches about 350°. Scoop batter with a cookie scoop and roll into a ball with your hands. The dough is pretty sticky, so coat your hands with flour to make this a little bit easier. They don’t have to be perfect balls!
- Drop each ball into the oil and cook about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Use a spoon to roll cooked donut holes in small bowl filled with the cinnamon/sugar topping until well coated. Best when served immediately!
Notes
Nutrition
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Can you make donut holes in an air fryer?
Yes! Just place the donut holes in your air fryer tray and cook at 375° for about 6-8 minutes. Make sure the balls of dough are spread out enough so that they aren’t touching and can cook all the way through.
HOW LONG ARE HOMEMADE DONUTS GOOD FOR?
Donuts are always best when fresh but these donuts can stand at room temperature (in a covered container) for up to 2-3 days if needed. Keep in mind the donuts may become stale as they age. For softening and recreating a similar fresh taste, consider microwaving them for a few seconds to warm the donuts.
MORE DELICIOUS PUMPKIN RECIPES TO TRY SOON!
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- PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE
- PUMPKIN PIE BARS
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- MAPLE ICED PUMPKIN BARS
- PUMPKIN POKE CAKE
- 15-MINUTE PUMPKIN SPICE DONUTS
Pumpkin Donut Holes are soft, delicious and easy to make – no yeast necessary! Coated in cinnamon and sugar, and packed with pumpkin, this donut hole recipe is perfect for fall!
Grace Donahue says
This looks so good!
Taryn says
Made for Sunday brunch and we all loved them!
Gina says
Love how delicious these are! Next time I’m going to try them in the air fryer like you suggested. Happy fall!
Beverly says
Wow, these pumpkin donut holes look so yummy. Congratulations, you are being featured on Thursday Favorite Things. I hope you stop by. https://www.eclecticredbarn.com/2021/09/thursday-favorite-things-party.html
Hugs,
Bev