Sweet and simply scrumptious pumpkin donut holes full of pumpkin spice and cinnamon sugar. You won’t be able to stop at just one of these incredibly poppable sweet treats that are perfect for breakfast or dessert.
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Why We Love Pumpkin Donut Holes
- Perfect Fall Treat– In the fall when you’re craving cozy pumpkin spice, these donuts deliver. This pumpkin donut recipe tastes just like it came from the donut shop and makes a lovely fall breakfast.
- Great For Sharing– These homemade donuts are delicious to share for breakfast or for a party and so fun for pumpkin season. The cream cheese frosting dip is extra sweet.
- Bite-Sized Treats– I love making small bite-sized treats, especially with kids that are fun, poppable and are easy to share.
Try the apple cider donut holes, easy donuts made with biscuit dough, pumpkin bread or two-ingredient pumpkin muffins for more delicious breakfast ideas that go great with these pumpkin donut holes.
Ingredients For Pumpkin Donut Holes And Frosting
Ingredients For The Pumpkin Donuts
- 1/4 cup butter melted, and additional more for the cinnamon sugar coating
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk – see notes at the bottom of the page in the recipe card for homemade substitute with regular milk
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice – or a mixture of cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg, see notes in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients For The Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/2 cup butter – melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Ingredients For The Cream Cheese Frosting Dip (Optional)
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-6 tablespoons milk
How To Make Air Fryer Pumpkin Donut Holes
For The Pumpkin Donuts
- In a large bowl add 4 tablespoons melted butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix well until fully blended. Blot the pumpkin well with paper towels to remove moisture. Add the pumpkin puree and buttermilk, mixing until smooth.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice into a medium bowl. Mix until blended.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a batter forms.
- Fill a silicone donut hole pan, small mini muffin tin or egg bite pan with batter (this is the pan I used), about a tablespoon of batter per donut. Using a small cookie scoop can make it easier to scoop batter. Wipe any dribbles on the pan.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees on the air fry setting. Bake donuts in the air fryer for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the air fryer and allow to cool, then place donut holes onto a wire rack. Continue baking in batches until all of the donuts have finished cooking. See notes for baking in an oven.
Adding The Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Pour 1/2 cup melted butter into a small bowl. In a second shallow dish combine cinnamon and sugar, then mix well.
- When the donut holes have cooled to the touch, roll each donut first in the melted butter, then in the cinnamon sugar coating.
For The Cream Cheese Frosting Dip (optional)
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of milk and continue beating until smooth. If the dip is too thick, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. Dip donuts and enjoy!
How To Make Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes In The Oven
Most of the instructions are the same for making donut holes in the oven instead of an air fryer. Here are a few differences to know when baking pumpkin spice donut holes in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Donut holes will take 8-10 minutes to bake in the oven, or when a toothpick comes out clean with no batter clinging when inserted in the center.
- Make sure to spray the mini muffin pan generously with cooking oil if using a metal pan. Silicone pans do not need to be sprayed with oil.
- Place the dough in a mini muffin pan, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Carefully use a spoon to help release donut holes if they get stuck without scratching the pan if using a metal pan and not silicone.
How Long Do These Pumpkin Donut Holes Last?
The donuts will taste their best within 24 hours when they are fresh. Store them in an airtight container on the counter and expect they can last for about three days but eating them fresh is the best part.
The cream cheese frosting dip must be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container due to the cream cheese.
More Pumpkin Recipes The Whole Family Will Love
Easy Pumpkin Crescent Cinnamon Rolls– Cinnamon rolls filled with a delicious pumpkin filling but made easier with starting with crescent rolls, it’s an extra special treat full of pumpkin flavor.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles– Sweet pumpkin cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar for a fun twist on snickerdoodles and is a great recipe.
Cinnamon Sugar Donuts– Made with biscuit dough, these fluffy cinnamon sugar donuts are fast in the air fryer!
Pumpkin Donut Holes
Soft pumpkin donut holes are full of pumpkin spice and cinnamon sugar flavor. Bake them in the air fryer or oven for the perfect fall treat, then dip them in the optional cream cheese frosting. These delicious little pumpkin donuts were made for sharing.
Equipment
- 1 Egg bite pan you can also use any mini muffin pan that fits in your air fryer or oven
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Medium mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Air fryer can also bake in the oven
Ingredients
For The Pumpkin Donuts
- 1/4 cup butter melted, plus more for the cinnamon sugar coating
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
For The Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For The Cream Cheese Frosting Dip (Optional)
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-6 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Making The Pumpkin Donuts
- In a large bowl add 4 tablespoons melted butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix well until fully blended. Blot the pumpkin well with paper towels to remove moisture. Add the pumpkin puree and buttermilk, mixing until smooth.
- Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice into a medium bowl. Mix until blended.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a batter forms.
- Fill a silicone donut hole pan, small mini muffin pan or egg bite pan with batter (this is the pan I used), about a tablespoon of batter per donut. Using a small cookie scoop can make things easier. Wipe any dribbles on the pan.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees on the air fry setting. Bake donuts in the air fryer for 6-8minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the air fryer and allow to cool, then place donut holes onto a wire rack. Continue baking in batches until all of the donuts have finished cooking. See notes for baking in an oven.
Adding The Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Pour 1/2 cup melted butter into a small bowl. In a second bowl add the sugar and cinnamon, then mix well.
- When the donut holes have cooled to the touch, roll each donut first in the melted butter, then in the cinnamon sugar mixture
For The Cream Cheese Frosting Dip (optional)
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of milk and continue beating until smooth. If the dip is too thick, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. Dip donuts and enjoy!
Notes
Substitute For Buttermilk
Add two teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar to a large glass measuring cup. Add regular dairy milk up to the half cup mark, then stir. Let the milk sit for at least five minutes before adding it to the recipe. The milk may have a few curdles in it when it is finished, but it is ok to add to the recipe and makes a great buttermilk substitute.Substitute For Pumpkin Pie Spice
Start with this mixture in place of pumpkin pie spice- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. Cloves or ginger can also be substituted for additional cinnamon, though the finished donuts will have less of a spice taste if you substitute.Baking Pumpkin Donut Holes In The Oven
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Donut holes will take 8-10 minutes to bake in the oven, or when a toothpick comes out clean with no batter clinging when inserted in the center. Make sure to spray the mini muffin pan generously with cooking oil if using a metal pan Place the dough in a mini muffin pan, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Carefully use a spoon to help release donut holes if they get stuck without scratching the pan. Nutrition information is an estimate and does include the optional dip in the calculations.Nutrition
Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 777IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
Comments & Reviews
Most says
These are very good, but not really a donut. They are more like a muffin in a ball shape. Still tasted delicious, just not what we thought they would be
Kristy Richardson says
They are for sure more of a cake donut then a yeast donut. If you prefer more of a yeast style donut like Krispy Cream has, try these easy donuts! https://onmykidsplate.com/biscuit-donuts-air-fryer/
Meghan says
I was double checking to make sure I added all the ingredients from the ingredients list for the donuts and was like sugar and cinnamon hmmm. I added them in and mixed…tasted the batter and was like something isn’t right…oh you mean the cinnamon and sugar are the topping for the donut once they’re baked…and should be segregated from the donut batter ingredients list, like not adding all the butter… be extra cautious when making this recipe as the directions take interpretation. I just wasted a bunch of ingredients and don’t have enough pumpkin to try again. Looks like they’d turn out good if made correctly.
Kristy Richardson says
Hey Meghan, I’m sorry there were some mistakes you made when making this recipe. The butter did state “divided” which means it is used in more then one place in the recipe. Also in the text of the recipe the text for the donut batter it specifically says to only add 1/4 cup for the batter.
However I do agree with you that separating the coating from the batter more specifically in the recipe does make it easier to read, especially as you are baking with your hands in ingredients. I’m always working towards improving the site as much as possible, so I’ve edited the recipe to make it more clear that some of the butter is for the batter and some is for the coating. I hope you do try this recipe again, and that the next time you make it you have more success and the donuts are delicious.
Jen says
Could you use a cake pop maker?
Kristy Richardson says
Like an electric cake pop maker? I’m sure you could, but I haven’t tried it. Let me know if you try how it goes! -Kristy
Lois says
They look so good and that pan is genius!