This Mini Donut Recipe is a treat that adults and children enjoy. Made without yeast, they come together in minutes; you skip the waiting around for the yeast to rise. To enjoy, drizzle these quick donuts with Nutella and caramel, or just dust them with powdered sugar; there’s no wrong way to eat these fried mini donuts.

If you love these mini donuts, you’ll want to try making our easy donut holes.

Soft donuts topped with Nutella drizzle on a cooling rack.

Hi there, Marina from LET THE BAKING BEGIN. Today, I want to share a quick recipe for the most delicious donuts that are so fun to make and eat! I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.

mini donut recipe-

This mini donut recipe is made with ricotta cheese, which makes them so perfectly fluffy and moist. When you want something quick but delicious, these no-yeast donuts are the perfect solution.

Ricotta donut topped with Nutella drizzle on a cooling rack with more donuts.

the best oil for frying mini donuts-

Deep-fried donuts need to be fried in temperatures between 350°F and 375°F to achieve a crispy outside without absorbing the oil. For this reason, any neutral oil with a high smoke point will work for this donut recipe. Corn, canola, or vegetable oils are good fried donuts choices. I use light olive oil (not the same as virgin olive oil).

Step by step collage on how to make donut batter and fry the donuts.

how to make mini donuts-

Don’t be discouraged by homemade donuts; they are so easy to make. Read through the steps carefully so you know what you are doing before you start the process!

  1. Mix all ingredients except for the flour until smooth.
  2. Add flour and mix until incorporated.
  3. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface, sprinkle liberally on top and press or roll into a 1-inch thick disk.
  4. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as you can, then use a 3/4-inch cutter to cut out the middle. Collect scraps into a ball and repeat steps 3 & 4 until all dough is used.
  5. Heat about 1 inch of neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to 350°F degrees. Fry donuts in batches for about 3-4 minutes per side or until golden in color.
  6. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Drizzle Nutella on top or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

NOTE: Though you use anything with a sharp edge to shape the donuts, we found that an actual cutter works best (like THIS one).

Three fried donuts in a strainer next to a frying pan with fried donuts.

TIP from the chef- 

Do not add extra flour to the dough when mixing. The dough will be extremely sticky, but that is to be expected. Dust the rolling surface with flour, but do not mix it in.

You can use any pot to fry the donuts, but for better temperature control, do use a heavy-bottomed or cast iron pot.

OTHER DESSERT FAVORITES FOR YOU TO TRY:

Homemade donuts on a cooling rack drizzled with Nutella chocolate.

I’m so excited to have my dearest friend guest post on the blog; I hope you love the recipe. She is also the creator behind the Mangolian Beef (which we love), and the Instant Pot Plov. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe with us, Marin. -Valentina <3

Mini Donut Recipe

Author: Valentina
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5 from 6 votes
Easy and amazing homemade Mini Donut Recipe made with Ricotta cheese (and no yeast). Fried donuts topped with Nutella, powdered sugar or caramel.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 30 mini donuts

Ingredients

  • 32 oz full-fat ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, measured then sifted
  • 1/2 cup Nutella for drizzling
  • neutral oil for frying

Instructions

How to make the Mini Donuts:

  • In a large bowl mix together ricotta cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla extract, and baking powder until combined. Then, add flour and mix together.
  • Next, dust the working surface liberally with flour and dump the mini donut dough out onto it. Sprinkle more flour over the top of the dough, then using your hands or a floured rolling pin roll or press the dough until it's about 1-inch in thickness.
  • Using a 3-inch cutter, cut out as many donuts as you can, then collect and press the scraps together and re-roll and cut out more circles. Keep repeating until you have no more dough left. Using a 3/4 inch cookie cutter cut out the centers of each donut.

How to fry the mini donuts:

  • Preheat a heavy-bottomed pot with about 1-inch of oil until it registers at 375°F. Carefully add some mini donuts and fry them for about 3-4 minutes per side or until they're nice and golden. Once cooked through, remove from the oil onto a cooling rack to cool.
  • Fill a plastic bag with 1/2 cup of Nutella, snip off the end and drizzle the donuts with Nutella or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

133.86kcal Calories15.84g Carbs4.83g Protein5.64g Fat3.99g Saturated Fat20.88mg Cholesterol30.14mg Sodium104.56mg Potassium0.53g Fiber7.27g Sugar142.49IU Vitamin A87.55mg Calcium0.83mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Mini Donut Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 133.86 Calories from Fat 51
% Daily Value*
Fat 5.64g9%
Saturated Fat 3.99g25%
Cholesterol 20.88mg7%
Sodium 30.14mg1%
Potassium 104.56mg3%
Carbohydrates 15.84g5%
Fiber 0.53g2%
Sugar 7.27g8%
Protein 4.83g10%
Vitamin A 142.49IU3%
Calcium 87.55mg9%
Iron 0.83mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
(The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)