Apple Donut Holes (3-Ingredients Dough)

These Apple Donut Holes are super-simple treats with a dough made with only 3 ingredients and ready in 20 minutes in the oven!

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My kids are huge fans of donut holes. I think it’s the combination of a small bite-sized treat and the soft texture and sweet taste that makes them such a hit every single time. When I made my Pumpkin Donut Holes, 2-Ingredient Banana Donut Holes, or Air Fryer Donut Holes.

Since the apple season is now in full swing, I knew I had to try apple-loaded donut holes. These donuts are absolutely delicious. With a sweet and crispy coating, and such a soft sweet dough.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Cinnamon Applesauce – Applesauce provides moisture, sweetness, and acts as a binder for the dough, making these donut holes light and soft. If you use plain applesauce, you’ll need to add cinnamon for flavor. For variation, you could substitute it with pear sauce, but the texture and flavor will change slightly, and you might need to adjust the spices.
• Self-Rising Flour – Self-rising flour makes the dough rise during baking. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can use all-purpose flour mixed with 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder. For a gluten-free option, try a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains a leavening agent.
• Finely Grated Green Apple – Green apples bring freshness, moisture, and a slight sourness to the dough, balancing out the sweetness. Green apples are ideal as they don’t release too much juice, but you can use Honeycrisp or Gala apples for a sweeter option. Make sure to squeeze out excess juice to prevent the dough from becoming too wet.
• Cinnamon – For the cinnamon sugar coating. It makes the donut holes taste more like traditional cinnamon donuts. You can swap it with pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg if you prefer.
• Sugar – It makes a crispy cinnamon coating. You can substitute it with coconut sugar for a more caramel-like flavor, or use a sugar-free monk fruit blend for a lower-carb option.
• Coconut Oil – It helps the cinnamon sugar adhere to the donut holes after baking. You can replace it with vegan butter for a buttery flavor, or use refined coconut oil to avoid a coconut taste.

How to Make Apple Donut Holes

I love this recipe because it’s so easy to make. Here are a few pictures of the key steps to make it.

Grate the apple and add it to a bowl with the cinnamon applesauce and self-rising flour.

Combine the mixture until it makes a sticky dough ball.

Spray you hands with your favorite oil and roll the dough into donut balls.

Place the balls on a baking sheet and bake them at 350 °F (180 °C) for 10-12 minutes.

Carine’s Baking Tips

This recipe is super easy, but I have a few more tips for you to make sure it won’t fail.

1. Squeeze Excess Apple Juice – When grating the apple, make sure to squeeze out as much juice as possible. Too much juice will make the dough too wet, which can affect the texture of the donut holes.
2. Don’t Overwork the Dough – Knead the dough just enough to combine the ingredients. Over-kneading can make the donut holes denser and tougher. You want a soft, slightly sticky dough.
3. Chill the Dough for Easier Rolling – If the dough is too soft or sticky to handle, chilling it for 15-20 minutes can make it easier to roll into balls.
4. Adjust Flour for Perfect Consistency – If the dough feels too wet or sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s manageable but still soft. This is especially important if the apple was not squeezed properly.
5. Make Them Crispier – For a slightly crispier exterior, try broiling the donut holes for 1-2 minutes at the end of baking, watching closely to avoid burning.
6. Use a Cookie Scoop for Even Sizes – Using a cookie or ice cream scoop ensures that all donut holes are the same size, which helps them bake evenly and creates a uniform appearance.
7. Best Served Warm – These apple donut holes are best served warm, straight out of the oven. If storing them, briefly reheat them in the oven or microwave to revive their soft texture before serving.

More Donut Hole Recipes

Apple Cider Donut Holes

Pumpkin Donut Holes

Air Fryer Donut Holes

Banana Donut Holes

Apple Donut Holes

These Apple Donut Holes are super-simple treats with a dough made with only 3 ingredients and ready in 20 minutes in the oven!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 donut holes

Calories: 104.2 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ ⅔ cup Cinnamon Applesauce - if plain applesauce, add teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup Self-Rising Flour - (note 1)
• ▢ ⅓ cup Finely Grated Green apple - unpeeled, or peeled, 1 small apple

Cinnamon Sugar

• ▢ ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ cup Sugar - (note 2)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil - melted, or melted vegan butter

To work the dough/knead

• ▢ 2-3 teaspoon Melted Coconut Oil

Instructions

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil paper with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
• In a small bow, prepare the cinnamon sugar for later. Stir sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Grate a small green apple finely. Squeeze the grated apple in your hands to remove the juice. Set the grated apples aside.
• In a mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, add self-rising flour, cinnamon applesauce, and shredded, squeezed green apples.
• Stir with a rubber spatula, then oil your hands and knead the dough. If it is too moist—this happens if you didn't squeeze out all the apple juice—stir in more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. You can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for this step.
• Keep kneading, and adjust flour if needed until a soft dough ball forms. Rub the dough with melted coconut oil or light flavor oil.
• Grease your hand with oil, grab about a tablespoon of dough, roll it into a ball, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough balls. Spray avocado oil on top of the balls, leaving 1 inch (3 cm) apart as they expand.
• Bake the donut holes at 350 °F (180 °C) for 10-12 minutes until puffy and golden brown. They will have a rocky shape and look white and dry. That's normal.
• To make these apple balls taste like donuts, brush each warm donut hole with melted coconut oil using a pastry brush. Then, roll the warm, oiled balls into cinnamon sugar to coat evenly.
• Serve warm immediately.

Notes

Note 1: You can also replace the amount above with 1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour stirred with 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder 

Note 2: Feel free to use Monk fruit blend for a sugar-free option, coconut sugar, or unrefined cane sugar.

Storage: You can store the donut holes in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1Donut Hole | Calories: 104.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1.5g | Fat: 3.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 0.4mg | Potassium: 45.9mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 7.4g | Vitamin A: 6.6IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 3.6mg | Iron: 0.1mg | Magnesium: 5.5mg | Phosphorus: 13.5mg | Zinc: 0.1mg