Pumpkin Donut Holes
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The most irresistible mini pumpkin muffins smothered in cinnamon sugar goodness! Perfect for breakfast, lunch + dinner!
Featured Comment
Can you have these for breakfast? Yes. For lunch? Yes. For dinner? Yes, yes, yes. You can have these bad boys for all of the meals.
why i love this recipe
- Baked, not fried. So moist and so fluffy, these donut holes deliver in all avenues without any of the fried, oily mess.
- Comes together quickly. These come together in less than 35 minutes, tasting even better than your local bakery.
- Great for sharing. Made in a mini muffin tin yielding 12 bite-sized pieces, these are perfect for sharing at potlucks, big gatherings and holiday parties.
mini muffins or donut holes?
Technically, these are mini muffins as they are baked in a mini muffin tin. But they look and taste like donut holes so if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, these are in fact donut holes. Donut holes that are super soft and cakey with all the warm, Fall spices, completely baked start to finish.
tips and tricks for success
- Use a small cookie scoop. Using a small cookie scoop is a convenient way to transfer the batter to the mini muffin tin with ease and less mess.
- Pumpkin puree vs. pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not the same, and are not interchangeable. Pumpkin pie filling comes pre-mixed with sweeteners and spices.
- Dip and roll just before serving. To avoid soggy donuts, coat the donut holes in butter and cinnamon sugar right before serving. Plain, uncoated donuts will store much better.
Tools For This Recipe
Mini muffin pan
Pumpkin Donut Holes: Frequently Asked Questions
A small cookie scoop should work beautifully here.
Another neutral oil such as vegetable, grapeseed or sunflower oil can be used in place of canola oil.
This is best served immediately but you can certainly prep the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, baking powder and salt) as well as the cinnamon sugar topping ahead of time.
The donut holes (before they are dipped in melted butter and coated with cinnamon sugar) can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days at room temperature, adding the butter and cinnamon sugar right before serving.
Pumpkin Donut Holes
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the cinnamon sugar topping
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a mini muffin pan or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, baking powder and salt.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar, canola oil, egg and vanilla.
- Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray.
- Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- When the muffins are done, cool for 2 minutes and dip each muffin into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar topping.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
For the cinnamon sugar topping
- In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.
Video
Notes
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So easy to make!!
And they are delicious!
They turned out exactly like mini muffins but I don’t mind because they’re delicious! Love the recipe and I’ll definitely be using this recipe often!
I also made them right after receiving the email. Quick and easy and very addictive. I’m planning a second batch today. Yum!!!!!
Oh. My. God.
Do not make these if you live alone because you will eat every last one.
Made this as soon as I got the email yesterday morning…so good!!! My kids loved them 🙂
These were absolutely delicious, and so easy to make!! I wanted something “festive/Halloween-y” for my girls to take as a snack for school. I made a batch with the cinnamon sugar and another without because that’s how tasty and moist these are — they are perfectly yummy on their own. First one of your recipes I make, Chungah, and am inspired to make more! Thank you!
WOW these are delicious!! They won’t last long in this house!
Got the recipe this morning and made them this afternoon! I had the exact amount of leftover pumpkin. They took about 15 minutes to bake, but that’s probably an oven issue. Damn good and an easy recipe! Thank you!
I’ve made these every Thanksgiving for the last 5+ years. They are always a hit and I’m constantly being asked for the recipe. SO delicious, and SO easy to make!
I would like to try these but live in Australia. I would like to cook a butternut pumpkin and puree it. What is the consistency of the puree?
many thanks
Lynda
I’ve used butternut squash, crookneck, and Hubbard in place of pumpkin and all work fine. Just roast the butternut and purée. Hope that helps.
Are these donut holes (rounded by hand) or mini muffins (made in a mini muffin pan)? The photos look like donut holes but the directions to make sound like they are simply mini muffins and therefore, not a round globe. ?????
Chungah, You’re the best!! There is nothing that I have made from your recipes that isn’t always oustanding, delicious & amazing 🙂 Thanks so much!
I teach a cooking class to developmentally handicapped adults. I thought this would be a fun and festive dessert to make today. These little donut holes were delicious. They were fun and easy to make. I will definitely be making these again in the very near future.
These were amazing. They are so tender and practically melt in your mouth. Thanks for sharing!
These were delicious!
These are absolutely amazing!!! I tried to follow the recipe exactly, despite doubling the recipe, but I think I ended up with a little extra pumpkin, so that went in as well. Can’t get over how good they are!! Thanks for sharing!!
Delish! Made for freezer breakfasts but not sure they’ll last longer than an hour with 5 kids 😉
I did have to add another T of butter but everything else was spot on!! I used Spelt flour b/c that’s my go to for baking except bread.
Thanks for the recipe!!
I’ve made these for my toddler before and they were fantastic. The last two times I’ve made them they’ve come out super weird and gross. I can’t figure why – has the recipie changed?
Nope – recipe has not changed since it was posted in 2012.
Have you ever baked these the night before, and then coated them in the evening??
Sorry baked in the evening, coated them in the morning!
I actually have not – they never lasted that long! 🙂
Looks tempting!! 🙂
what if you do have a donut hole baking pan, would you bake the recipe for the same amount of time?
I had no idea donut hole baking pans existed! I would assume the baking time would be the same but without having tried it myself, I can’t really say with certainty. Please use your best judgment.