These homemade donut holes are fluffy, airy, and irresistible when they're freshly glazed and still warm. If you love donuts but want to try making them from scratch, this donut hole recipe is a great place to start.
Stand mixer or hand mixer with a hook attachment and a large mixing bowl
Pot for deep frying
Ingredients
For the donuts
250gbread flour
5ginstant yeast
130mlwhole milklukewarm
40gwhite granulated sugar
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1large eggat room temperature
35gunsalted buttermelted
1lodorless vegetable oilsuch as canola oil or sunflower oil
For the glaze
200gpowdered sugar
50mlhot water
1teaspoonvanilla extract
10ghoney
Pinchof salt
Instructions
Making the donuts
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment (or you can use a hand mixer with hook attachments and a bowl), whisk together the flour and yeast.
In another bowl, combine the lukewarm milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, egg, and melted butter.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and start kneading on medium-low speed.
When the shaggy dough has formed, switch to medium to medium-high speed and knead for about 9 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic but still quite sticky. You should be able to stretch it without tearing it so the light can pass through. It is possible to knead the dough by hand on a floured surface instead of using a stand or hand mixer.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 15-30 pieces, depending on how large you want your donut holes to be.
Form balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with plastic wrap and let the dough balls rise for about 30-40 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 375°F (190°C).
Carefully drop a few donut holes at a time into the hot oil and fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. If large bubbles appear on the surface, burst them with a fork before they become brown so the donuts stay round.
Use a slotted spoon or a fork to remove the donut holes from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
Glazing
In a bowl, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, honey, and salt.
Then pour in boiling water and whisk until smooth.
Place one donut hole in the bowl and roll it until completely covered in glaze (you can use two forks to keep your hands clean).
Place it on a wire rack to let the glaze set (it will take approximately 20 minutes). Repeat with the rest of the donut holes.
Notes
Store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freeze the dough for up to 3 months.
Freeze unglazed donuts for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Donut holes
Serving Size
1 donut
Amount per Serving
Calories
160
% Daily Value*
Fat
11
g
17
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
9
mg
3
%
Sodium
82
mg
4
%
Potassium
20
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
15
g
5
%
Fiber
0.2
g
1
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
1
g
2
%
Vitamin A
44
IU
1
%
Vitamin C
0.002
mg
0
%
Calcium
8
mg
1
%
Iron
0.1
mg
1
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.