Fried donut holes may have started as the byproduct of plush fried donut rings, but in this recipe they're the star! Golden brown and deep-fried, these bite-sized donut holes are crispy, airy, and coated in a veritable snowfall of powdered sugar. So fun and easy to make, they're great for parties, brunch, breakfast, and more!
My recipe makes about 80-100 donut holes, depending on how close together you cut them out!
Usually I make these adorable powdered sugar coated donut holes by cutting them out of the scrap brioche dough when I'm making my jelly-filled donuts. But the last time I made these donut holes for a party, they were so popular that I wanted to give them their own home on the blog.
You can serve these donut holes plain for dipping in coffee, dusted with powdered sugar as I usually do, or coat them in lots of different flavored glazes and sugars. I really encourage you to get creative!
For what it's worth, a Canadian reader who made these said they reminded her of Tim Horton's bite-sized Timbits. I haven't personally tried Timbits so can't say how close I've gotten to replicating them here, but if you're looking for a copycat Timbits recipe this might be a good place to start!
Ingredient Notes
Here's what you'll need to make these foolproof fried donut holes with a simple powdered sugar coating! See recipe card (at the end of the post) for ingredient quantities.
When I make brioche dough, especially for these donut holes, I always use whole milk; the fat content is important for making the dough extra tender. I also prefer the concentrated flavor of a vanilla bean paste, although vanilla extract will do in a pinch.
I make my donut holes from my basic brioche dough because it is super soft, sweet, and easy to work with. It also refrigerates well so you can make it ahead of time and roll it out and cut the donut holes when you're ready to make them.
You can either let the dough rise for 1 hour at room temperature until doubled in size followed by 1 hour in the fridge to firm up the butter OR pop the dough directly in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours.
I've gone into more detail about brioche dough and how to troubleshoot it in my brioche bread loaf post, and I recommend going there to read more about it, especially if it's your first time making brioche.
Cutting & Frying Donut Holes
I start by turning the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. I always try to get it all in one piece and as un-wrinkled as possible to make it easier to roll. I roll the dough to about a quarter of an inch thick all the way around.
I find I get best results using a 1" round cutter to cut my donut holes. Any bigger than that, and the donuts end up kind of oval-shaped instead of round.
When it comes to cutting the donut holes, I cut as many donut holes out as I possibly can, as close together as possible. I find it easiest to start from the middle and work my way out.
As you get to the edges, don't worry if some of the donut holes aren't perfect circles. They're still good!
12-Piece Set of Round Ring Pastry Cutters
A color coded set of round pastry cutters with the corresponding measurements on the lid. Great for cookies, donuts, biscuits, etc.!
Because the donut holes are so small, it can be hard to tell when they have completed their second rise. You're basically looking for them to be a little puffy and airy, maybe a little taller than they were when you first cut them.
To check if the oil is ready you may want to fry up a single sacrificial practice donut hole — that will give you a sense of the oil temperature and how long it will take to fry!
Lower about 10-15 donut holes into the oil all at once.
Use the wire spider to keep them moving in the oil so they brown evenly.
A wire strainer with spiral mesh scoop with a 6-inch diameter. Made from food grade 18/8 stainless steel.
I always remove the donut holes to a sheet pan lined with paper towels and a wire cooling rack set inside it to allow any excess oil to drip off.
Toss the donut holes in a bowl with powdered sugar until fully coated. Return them to the wire rack to finish cooling. For a more subtle powdered sugar coating, sometimes I shake off the excess using a wire mesh strainer.
Deep Frying Tips for Beginners
- Use a heavy-bottom pot for your frying. I use this all-clad stock pot but a dutch oven is also a great option. Basically just don't use pots that are copper or aluminum.
- My favorite thermometer to use while frying is one of these though candy thermometers also work really well. The clamp holds the stem at an angle so you can be sure you're getting the temperature in the center of the pot. Adjust your burner regularly to maintain 350F. You may even need to turn the burner completely off for a little bit.
- DON'T WALK AWAY! Hot oil looks a lot like cold oil in the pot, it doesn't start bubbling and boiling like water does. It will start bubbling once you add your doughnut dough. You might need a higher burner temp than you think to get it to the right temp, but once it's at temp you'll likely only need the burner on low-to-medium to maintain the right heat while frying.
- Use a wire spider, metal tongs, or slotted spoon to transfer your food in and out of the hot oil without splashing yourself.
- Dispose of your oil properly — don't pour it down the drain. Use a funnel to transfer the oil (once cool) back to the bottle it came in, then throw out the sealed container. There are great tips for how to reuse oil to reduce waste here.
💭 Have More Baking Questions?
I've rounded up answers to common baking questions and how-to guides, including:
- Ingredient swaps and FAQs
- Why my recipes are written in grams and not cups
- How to quickly bring eggs and butter to room temperature
- Ingredients I use (salt, flour, yeast, etc.)
- Step-by-step guides for bread and baking techniques
See my baking techniques & troubleshooting guide and ingredient swaps and FAQs for more!
📖 Recipe
How to Make Foolproof Fried Donut Holes
Recipe Notes
- Don't discard the dough scraps — fry them up at the end as a little snack for you! Or divide up the dough scraps, roll them into balls the size of large marbles, let them rise along with the cut-out donut holes and fry them. They'll have more irregular shapes than the cut-out donut holes, but will still be delicious!
- Use a stand mixer to make the brioche dough for these donut holes. You cannot use a hand mixer to make brioche dough.
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- There are so many different ways you can finish these donut holes. Here's four of my favorites to get you started!
- Glazed Donut Holes - Use the glaze from my crumb cake brioche donuts recipe. Roll the donut holes in the glaze, then transfer to the wire rack and allow the glaze to dry.
- Chocolate Dusted Donut Holes - Reduce the powdered sugar coating to 70 grams and whisk in 10 grams of cocoa powder.
- Lemon or Orange Donut Holes - Add 2 teaspoons of lemon or orange zest to the donut dough.
- Cinnamon Sugar - Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the dough and roll the donut holes in cinnamon sugar before serving.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 350 grams all-purpose flour
- 5 grams instant yeast (see notes for active dry yeast)
- 5 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
- 158 grams whole milk (90°F)
- 30 grams honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 85 grams soft room temperature unsalted butter (6 tablespoons)
For Frying & Finishing
- 2 quarts canola oil (or other neutral oil)
- 80 grams powdered sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- Mix the dough. Combine flour, salt, and yeast the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. In a separate bowl, whisk together warm milk, honey, vanilla, and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together in a shaggy messy ball on the dough hook, about 3-5 minutes. The dough will look dry at first, but will hydrate as it mixes. Be patient!
- Knead the dough. Increase speed to medium-low and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, ideally until it passes the windowpane test. If it doesn't pass, cover and let the dough rest for 5 minutes, knead 1 minute more, then proceed to the next step.
- Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. With the mixer running on medium-low, add the butter one tablespoon at a time. Let each piece fully incorporate before adding more. The dough will look like it is falling apart each time you add more butter, but it will come back together. Pause the mixer to scrape the butter down into the bowl occasionally as needed. This can take up to a minute per piece of butter. Be patient!
- Knead the dough again. Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth, shiny, and passes the windowpane test again, about 5-7 minutes.
- Cover and rise. Tuck the edges of the dough under so you have a nice ball with a smooth top. Place in a lightly greased container and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size, then 1-24 hours in the fridge to cool it down before cutting. Alternately, place it in the fridge immediately and let it rise for 3-24 hours in the fridge before cutting.
Cutting & Proofing Donut Holes
- Roll out the dough. Turn the chilled brioche dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to gently flatten the dough trying to avoid any big wrinkles or creases in the surface. Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Cut the donut holes. Use a 1"-1¼" round cutter to cut as many donut holes out of the dough as possible. I like to start in the center and work my way out, but you do you. Get them as close to each other as possible to get the most out of the dough.
- Final Rise. Arrange the donut holes on a parchment lined sheet pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 45-60 mins, until the donut holes are looking a little puffy.
Frying Donut Holes
- Heat the oil. Toward the end of the rise time, begin heating about 3 inches of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, using a candy thermometer or frying thermometer to bring the oil to 350°F. Line a second sheet pan with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack inside it.
- Fry the donut holes. Use a wire spider to gently lower donut holes into the oil in batches. Fry each batch for 2-3 minutes, using the wire spider to keep the donut holes moving in the oil so they brown evenly on all sides. Remove the donut holes to the cooling rack to drain. This allows any excess oil to drip off, and leaves room for air to circulate so the donut holes don't get soggy.
- Powdered sugar coating. Let the donut holes cool for about 2 minutes before tossing in a bowl with powdered sugar to coat. Remove them back to the wire cooling rack to finish cooling or directly to a serving platter. Donuts are best enjoyed within a few hours of frying!
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