Air Fryer Pumpkin Donut Holes

October has a smell, and it is warm cinnamon drifting out of a donut shop. These donut holes are the home-kitchen answer to that craving: soft, cakey pumpkin centers, a light golden shell from the air fryer, and a roll in melted butter and cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. No pot of oil to babysit, no thermometer, no greasy stovetop - the whole batch is done in about half an hour, and the kitchen smells like a fairground.

The dough starts with canned pumpkin, which is doing two jobs at once: it keeps the crumb tender and moist for days, and it means there is no yeast to proof and no waiting around. The one non-negotiable is the chill. This is a soft, sticky dough, and fifteen minutes in the refrigerator turns it from something that fights you into something that rolls into neat round balls with barely damp hands. Skip it and you get tasty pumpkin blobs; keep it and you get donut holes that look like they came from the shop window. It is the same trick behind our Air Fryer Apple Fritters, the apple-orchard cousin of this recipe.

Serve them warm the way the basket hands them to you, in a bowl with hot coffee or cold apple cider, and do not plan on leftovers. If you want a platter for a fall gathering, double the batch and cook it in two rounds - the second round only takes ten minutes. The rest of our Air Fryer collection is full of the same weeknight logic: real crunch and real browning with a spoonful of oil instead of a pot of it.

The chill that makes them round

Pumpkin dough is sticky by design. Between the puree, the egg and the melted butter there is a lot of moisture in this bowl, and a wet dough will not roll - it will smear across your palms and slump flat in the basket. Fifteen to twenty minutes in the refrigerator firms the butter and lets the flour hydrate, and the difference is night and day: the dough goes from tacky to smooth and scoopable, and each ball holds a sphere through the whole cook. Use a small cookie scoop if you have one, about a tablespoon per hole, and keep a bowl of water nearby to dampen your hands between rolls. Work quickly once they are rolled; a warm kitchen starts softening the butter again, so get the tray into the basket as you finish.

Butter first, then sugar - the coating order that sticks

The cinnamon-sugar coat goes on in two steps, in this exact order, and the order is the whole secret. First the warm donut holes go into the melted butter and get turned until every side glistens. Then, while the butter is still wet, they go straight into the cinnamon sugar and get rolled again. Butter is the glue; sugar tossed onto dry donut holes falls right off, and sugar before butter turns to a paste that slides away in sheets. Roll them twice in the sugar for the thick, crackly coat you see in the photograph, and eat one while you finish the batch - cook's tax, and you earned it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (245 g)
• 1 large egg (50 g)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (57 g)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (55 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (220 g)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (8 g)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (2 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1.3 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (3 g)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (113 g), for coating
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g), for coating
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (8 g), for coating

Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Whisk the wet base. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, egg, the 1/4 cup melted butter, both sugars and the vanilla until completely smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once - brown sugar likes to hide in lumps down there, and every lump is a pocket of sweetness that throws off the rise.
2. Fold in the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt evenly over the wet mixture and fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Stop the moment it comes together; a few small lumps are fine. Overmixing develops the gluten and turns tender donut holes tough and bready instead of cakey.
3. Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. The dough will firm from tacky to smooth and scoopable - this is the step that makes them round instead of flat. While it chills, stir the 3/4 cup sugar and the tablespoon of cinnamon together in a shallow bowl and set the 1/2 cup melted coating butter beside it.
4. Roll into balls. Lightly dampen your hands and roll the chilled dough into 18 balls, about 1 inch across (a tablespoon scoop keeps them even). Set them on a plate as you go. If the dough starts sticking to your hands, dampen them again - do not add extra flour, which dries out the crumb.
5. Air fry until golden. Heat the air fryer to 350°F (177°C). Arrange the balls in a single layer with a little space between them - cook in two batches if needed - and air fry for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway, until deep golden and springy to the touch. A toothpick in the center should come out clean. Work in batches rather than crowding; crowded donut holes steam instead of browning.
6. Coat while warm and serve. Working with the warm holes, toss each one in the melted butter until glistening, then roll twice in the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm, within the hour if you can - that is when the shell has its gentle crisp and the center is at its softest.

Nutrition estimate

Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

Storage & reheating

Donut holes are at their best the day they are made, eaten warm. Leftovers keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days; refresh them in the air fryer at 325°F (163°C) for 2 to 3 minutes and they come back surprisingly close to fresh. For longer keeping, freeze the holes uncoated for up to 2 months - thaw at room temperature, warm in the air fryer, then do the butter and cinnamon-sugar coat fresh. Nutrition figures are estimates from standard ingredient data and vary with brands and substitutions.

Air Fryer Pumpkin Donut Holes

Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq, FryDaily editor · Published 23 October 2026

Soft pumpkin centers, buttery cinnamon-sugar coats - fall's favorite donut, no deep fryer.

Yield: 18 donut holes  ·  Scale: 1x2x3x

Prep20 minutes

Cook10 minutes

Total30 minutes

Servings18 donut holes

Calories170 kcal

Save on PinterestCook Mode

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (245 g)
• 1 large egg (50 g)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (57 g)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (55 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (220 g)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (8 g)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (2 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1.3 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (3 g)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (113 g), for coating
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g), for coating
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (8 g), for coating

Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.

Instructions

1. Whisk the wet base. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, egg, the 1/4 cup melted butter, both sugars and the vanilla until completely smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once - brown sugar likes to hide in lumps down there, and every lump is a pocket of sweetness that throws off the rise.
2. Fold in the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt evenly over the wet mixture and fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Stop the moment it comes together; a few small lumps are fine. Overmixing develops the gluten and turns tender donut holes tough and bready instead of cakey.
3. Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. The dough will firm from tacky to smooth and scoopable - this is the step that makes them round instead of flat. While it chills, stir the 3/4 cup sugar and the tablespoon of cinnamon together in a shallow bowl and set the 1/2 cup melted coating butter beside it.
4. Roll into balls. Lightly dampen your hands and roll the chilled dough into 18 balls, about 1 inch across (a tablespoon scoop keeps them even). Set them on a plate as you go. If the dough starts sticking to your hands, dampen them again - do not add extra flour, which dries out the crumb.
5. Air fry until golden. Heat the air fryer to 350°F (177°C). Arrange the balls in a single layer with a little space between them - cook in two batches if needed - and air fry for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway, until deep golden and springy to the touch. A toothpick in the center should come out clean. Work in batches rather than crowding; crowded donut holes steam instead of browning.
6. Coat while warm and serve. Working with the warm holes, toss each one in the melted butter until glistening, then roll twice in the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm, within the hour if you can - that is when the shell has its gentle crisp and the center is at its softest.

Calories: 170 kcalProtein: 2 gCarbohydrates: 28 gFat: 7 gSaturated fat: 4 gSodium: 120 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 16 g

Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.

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