Gluten-Free Pumpkin Donut Holes

These easy gluten-free pumpkin donut holes are soft on the inside with a crisp fried outside! You can glaze them, dip them in cinnamon sugar, or simply dust them with powdered sugar to keep it simple and old-fashioned.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, Gluten-free

Keyword gluten free pumpkin donuts

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings people

Calories 123kcal

Author Jamie

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour (250 grams)
½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree (295 ml)
¼ cup milk of choice , unsweetened if using dairy-free milk (60 ml)
½ cup maple syrup (120 ml)
7 cups vegetable oil , for frying (1600 ml)
1 tablespoon powdered sugar to sprinkle on top , optional

Instructions

Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, add the gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Whisk together.
Wet Ingredients: Add the pumpkin puree, milk, and maple syrup to the dry ingredient mixture. Stir until just combined. The batter will be sticky.
Oil: Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large deep fry pan or dutch oven.
Form the Donut Holes: Use a melon baller or tablespoon to scoop the batter and place it into the hot oil. Add 6-8 donut holes to the pan at a time, leaving some space between them. After about a minute, use a spatula to gently slide under each donut hole so they don't stick to the bottom.
Fry: Cook the pumpkin donut holes for 3-5 minutes total, flipping or rolling with a spatula, until they are crispy and a deep golden brown on all sides. Meanwhile, put a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.
Cool: Transfer the cooked pumpkin donut holes from the oil to the wire cooling rack using tongs or two forks. Allow to cool for 7-10 minutes before sprinkling with powdered sugar if you like. Enjoy!

Notes

Storage: After cooling to room temperature, store any leftover gluten-free pumpkin donut holes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat in the oven, place the donut holes on a wire rack on a baking sheet and set the oven temperature to 350 degrees (using a convection setting if possible). Allow them to warm through and watch carefully to make sure they don't continue cooking. I prefer reheating them using the air fryer set to 350 degrees. You can also make this recipe ahead of time and reheat before serving.

Pumpkin Puree: I like using a thick pumpkin puree like Libby's Brand. The batter will be thinner if you use thinner organic pumpkin brands. In this case, you may want to decrease the amount of milk. Check the photos in the step-by-step instruction section of the blog post to see the best batter consistency.

Oil Temperature: It's best to keep the oil temperature between 320-350 degrees F. The temperature will drop slightly every time a new fritter is added to the oil. Using a heavy pan or dutch oven helps maintain heat. Allow the temperature to return to 350 degrees F between each batch.

Topping Variations

Cinnamon Sugar - If you plan on eating the donuts later, it's nice to coat some of them in cinnamon sugar. You can use either powdered or granulated sugar. Mix ½ cup of sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Place the cinnamon sugar in a large food storage bag. Then add the donuts a few at a time and shake gently until covered.

Glaze - To make a simple glaze, mix 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk or water. Sift the powdered sugar to keep the glaze smooth, and add more milk or water as needed to reach your desired consistency. Dip the donut holes in the glaze then set them on a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet to dry.

Nutrition