Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

If you love pumpkin, then these are the perfect donut holes for you! Light and fluffy, and bursting with pumpkin spice flavor.

Donut holes are my favorite type of donut… so cute and pop-able, they’re the donut you can eat in one bite!

These are baked instead of fried, although if you’d like to fry them, I’ve included those directions as well. I’d just personally rather save my calories for the butter dip and cinnamon sugar coating.

Whether you think donut holes are a breakfast food, dessert, snack, or all of the above, I know you’ll love these!

How to make pumpkin spice donut holes?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk in a mixing bowl.
2. Combine wet ingredients. Whisk eggs, then whisk in other wet ingredients.
3. Stir the dry into the wet. Stir until just combined and no flour streaks remain.
4. Stir in butter.
5. Scoop into muffin tin. The mini muffin tin is what you’re looking for.
6. Bake. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.

1. Let donuts cool.
2. Combine cinnamon and sugar. Use a bowl big enough to roll the donut holes around in.
3. Melt butter.
4. Dip and roll. Dip a donut hole in the butter, shake off excess, and roll in sugar mixture. Repeat.

Variations of this recipe

• Homemade pumpkin pie spice – if you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own! Mix together 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp ground cloves. This will keep in an airtight container, just use 1 1/2 tsp of the mix for this recipe.
• Full donuts – I’ve not officially tested this, so the cooking times are an estimate. Pipe the batter into a greased donut pan (filling each cavity about half full) and bake at 375°F for approximately 8-10 minutes.
• Fried – if you’d rather fry the donuts, please see the frying directions in the “Chef Tips” section right below the recipe card.
• Filled – for a boost of extra flavor, try adding some melted chocolate or cream cheese frosting to a piping bag and use the tip to poke a hole into the donut. Pipe into the hole, being careful not to over-fill.

Making donut holes ahead of time

These donuts taste best when made fresh, so I don’t recommend making them completely ahead of time. However, you can prep a few things ahead of time!

• Dry ingredients – the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt can be mixed together and added to an airtight container. Store at room temperature until ready to bake.
• Wet ingredients – the egg, pumpkin, milk, and vanilla can be mixed together and added to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
• Cinnamon sugar – the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon can be combined and stored in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to bake.

Storage

Leftover donut holes should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and eaten within 1-2 days.

For best results, I only recommend dipping and rolling the donut holes in sugar that you’ll be able to eat in one sitting. The plain donuts will store better, without getting soggy. You can always dip and roll them at a later time.

Freezing

For longer storage, the un-dipped and rolled donut holes can be frozen! Add them to a wax paper lined baking sheet and place the whole sheet in the freezer for about an hour, or until donut holes are hard.

Transfer donut holes to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw either in the refrigerator or at room temp. Microwave for 10-15 seconds, then dip in butter and roll in cinnamon sugar.