Apple Cider Glazed Donut Holes

A touch of sweetness and the warm spices of apple cider make these donut holes the perfect morning treat to eat with a cup of steaming coffee.

By
Cindy Rahe
Cindy Rahe
Cindy Rahe
Cindy has over 10 years experience as a recipe blogger and was a contributor at BettyCrocker.com. Cindy began contributing to Simply Recipes in 2017.
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Updated October 16, 2023
Cindy Rahe
How to make these apple cider donut holes, which are piled up in a while bowl. The one on top has a bite taken out of it.
Cindy Rahe

Apple Cider Glazed Donut Holes are my cheat for getting some of those orchard vibes into my own home.

These donut holes are a hybrid between a classic cider donut and my favorite sour cream old-fashioned donuts. The result is a crispy donut with a fluffy interior, fragrant with essence of apples.

Just like an old-fashioned donut, the exterior of these are cracked and craggled, making them perfect for catching the sweet, cider-spiked glaze.

What’s the Best Cider for Apple Cider Donut Holes?

I like to use fresh, unfiltered apple cider for this recipe—preferably the kind from an orchard, but any cloudy cider or juice works. It has the most apple flavor—the donuts themselves use cider, as well as the glaze, so the apple flavor really comes through.

Easy to make apple cider donuts piled up on in a white bowl with sliced apples by them
Cindy Rahe

How to Fry the Perfect Donut Hole

These donut holes are deep-fried to ensure perfectly browned outsides and a soft, fluffy inside.

To make sure the interior of the donut holes are cooked though, I like to check the temperature of the oil with a thermometer. Use a thermometer that can either clip to the side of the pan or one that will instantly read the temperature.

It’s important to maintain the oil frying temperature at 350 ̊F. Each time you add a batch of donut holes to the oil, it will drop the temperature. You will want to wait until the oil temp increases to 350°F again before adding your next batch.

If you don’t have a thermometer, gently drop a small amount of batter into the hot oil. If it sizzles aggressively, the oil is hot enough.

Glazed apple cider donuts on a counter with apple slices to the side
Cindy Rahe

How to Store Donut Holes

I think most fried things are best eaten still warm from the fryer, and these donuts are no exception. The glaze sets after a few minutes, and the still-warm donuts are fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

That said, these keep surprisingly well, covered at room temperature, for a day or two. The glaze keeps them from drying out too quickly, but after a few days, they do become kind of dense and dry.

I don’t recommend freezing these at any stage, as the end results aren’t really worth the effort.

More Ways to Enjoy Apples This Fall!

Apple Cider Glazed Donut Holes

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 30 donut holes

Ingredients

  • For the donut holes:
  • 2 cups (255g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup (6oz/170g) sour cream
  • 1/2 cup apple cider
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 quarts canola oil for frying
  • For the apple cider glaze:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 tablespoons apple cider
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Method

  1. Prepare your drying station:

    Set a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet. You will let the donut holes dry here after you’ve dipped them in the glaze.

  2. Make the batter:

    In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

    In medium bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, and apple cider.

    Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, followed by the melted butter, and fold to combine until you get a very thick batter.

    Apple Cider Donut hole doug in a glass bowl with a spatula
    Cindy Rahe
  3. Prepare to fry the donut holes:

    Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan until the temperature reads 350°F. Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons), to scoop up the batter. Fry the donut holes in batches, cooking each side for about 2 minutes, until the donut holes float to the surface and turn golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

    A person holdin ga thermometer to temp the oil for frying donut holes.
    Cindy Rahe
    Donut holes frying in a silver sauce pot of oil.
    Cindy Rahe
    Draining easy to make homemade apple cider donut holes on a papertowel lined baking sheet.
    Cindy Rahe
  4. Make the glaze:

    In a medium bowl whisk the powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of apple cider and pinch of salt, adding more cider a few teaspoons at a time, until you get a thick, heavy glaze. You may not need all 4 tablespoons of cider. Remember that the glaze will thin as it hits the hot warm donuts.

    Powdered sugar in a glass bowl with apple cider nearby to make the best apple cider glaze for apple cider donut holes.
    Cindy Rahe
  5. Dip the donut holes:

    Pour the glaze into a deep bowl or mug, this will help with glazing the donuts. Dip the warm (or even hot) donuts into the glaze, using a spoon to coat the donut hole completely.

    Lift the donut hole from the glaze using a fork. Let the glaze set and drain by placing the dipped donut holes on the wire rack set over a baking sheet. Enjoy immediately!

    Cindy Rahe