By Wendy Stoltz / Last Modified On January 15, 2023
Gluten-Free Chocolate Donut Holes that are rich, chocolaty, and perfectly tender. You may never go back to store bought gluten-free donut holes again.
If you like chocolate donuts you'll want to make my Gluten Free Chocolate Donuts. My Vegan Chocolate Donuts are also scrumptious.
Gluten-Free Donut Holes
Anyone who loves gluten-free donut holes will swoon over these gluten-free chocolate donut holes. They are fried and super tasty. These gluten-free donut holes have a little crunch on the outside and are tender on the inside
Even though the are fried gluten-free donut holes they aren't greasy. Fried gluten-free donuts take a little bit of time, some patience, and safety measures since you are working with hot oil
We don't typically fill a pan with oil, we only add a few inches. Depending on the size of pot you are using, you'll want to add just enough oil that the donuts can float while frying. This keeps them from sticking and enables you to flip them easily.
Gluten-Free Donut Holes Recipe
This gluten-free donut holes recipe doesn't call for a bunch of ingredients and I've listed a substitution for dairy below. One piece of equipment that is important when making this gluten-free chocolate donut holes is a cooking thermometer so you can make sure your oil isn't too hot.
How to make gluten-free donut holes
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, sour cream, egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir with a spoon until combined. Dough will be thick and sticky.
- Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper, and with cocoa-floured hands, roll dough into balls 11/2 to 2-inches in thickness.
- Add vegetable oil to a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Once it reaches 325 degrees F, carefully drop donut holes into the hot oil a few at a time. Fry for 2-3 minutes, flipping them over for even cooking. Remove with a slotted spoon to the paper towel. Repeat until all donut holes are fried.
- Combine powdered sugar and milk in a bowl and whisk well. Microwave for 20 seconds then whisk again, to help break up the lumps.
- Dip each donut hole into the glaze and turn to coat. Let the donut holes dry on a wire rack.
- Store donut holes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I make gluten-free donut holes dairy-free?
Yes, simply use vegan sour cream in the gluten-free donut holes recipe and dairy-free butter in the glaze to make these donut holes dairy-free. If you can't find vegan sour cream you can try yogurt. I haven't tested this gluten-free donut holes recipe with yogurt but I've had a few readers who used it with success.
What oils can I use to make fried gluten-free donut holes
I've read that oils with high smoke points like avocado, corn, and canola oil are good for deep frying donuts. We use avocado oil or canola oil. I haven't tried corn oil in any of my recipes that call for oil.
What flour blends can I use to make gluten-free chocolate donut holes?
I have used my personal gluten-free flour blend, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour, and a reader has used Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour Blend.
My kids loved that I was able to make them fresh, fried, Gluten-Free Chocolate Donut Holes for breakfast. Like I said, these gluten-free donut holes aren't greasy, or soggy. They are tender like cake and perfectly chocolatey. The recipe makes 24 gluten-free chocolate donut holes, enough for sharing or freezing.
I hope you give these Gluten-Free Chocolate Donut Holes a try. They are simple and take no time at all. Looking for more donut recipes? Try my baked Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Donuts or my Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake Donuts. If you are looking for low carb donuts give these Cinnamon No Bake Keto Donut Holes a try.
Did you make these gluten free donut holes? Please stop back by and let me know what you thought.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Donut Holes
Gluten-Free Chocolate Donut Holes that are rich, chocolaty, and perfectly tender. You may never go back to store bought gluten-free donut holes again.
Ingredients
For the donut holes:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream**
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- vegetable oil for frying
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk (use vegan sour cream and dairy-free milk to make these dairy-free)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, sour cream, egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir with a spoon until combined. Dough will be thick and sticky. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper, and with cocoa-floured hands, roll dough into balls 11/2 to 2-inches in thickness.
- Add vegetable oil to a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Once it reaches 325 degrees F, carefully drop donut holes into the hot oil a few at a time. Fry for 2-3 minutes, flipping them over for even cooking. Remove with a slotted spoon to the paper towel. Repeat until all donut holes are fried.
- Combine powdered sugar and milk in a bowl and whisk well. Microwave for 20 seconds then whish again, to help break up the lumps.
- Dip each donut hole into the glaze and turn to coat. Let the donut holes dry on a wire rack.
- Store donut holes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 donut holeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 115Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 68mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 13gProtein: 2g
Alexa
Oh my! These doughnut holes just might have to be made tomorrow. A great Saturday food project for my kids while I lounge, feet up with my coffee. We have a Kroger family store 1/4 a mile a way (very convenient), but even I have been tempted to try Click List (even more convenient). Thank you for sharing your experience.
Megan
If there is one thing I can binge on--it's chocolate donut holes. These look divine. I bet the sour cream makes them SOO soft.
Kortney // Allergy Girl Eats
Sounds like a drive through for groceries. I like who you pay there and meet the person who shopped for you. Very cool service - and so perfect when you know the store will be a mad house.
Alisa Fleming
Oh goodness, I really should make these for my husband for Valentine's Day! Funny you should mention one of these pick up services. I just saw the "special pick up" parking at a grocery store we walk to which is new. Seems like a really good idea!
Amanda
We don't have a Fred Meyer, but I am a huge fan of ordering groceries online and these donut holes look amazing. You are the queen when it comes to donuts!
Pat
Can these be made without chocolate
chrystal
I haven't personally tried to make them without chocolate but I'm guessing they would work. I'd sub the 1/2 cup cocoa out and add in 3 tablespoons more of gluten free flour. Let me know how they turn out if you try them.
Best,
Chrystal
Jenn
Since being diagnosed Celiac I've missed chocolate donut holes so much! These taste every bit as good as their wheat counterparts. They were easy to make and delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe! I used Better Batter for the flour and they turned out great.
chrystal
I'm so glad you liked them! Thank you for stopping back by and letting me know.
All my best,
Chrystal
Christine
Hi! Could thse be rolled out to make a traditional chocolate doughnut? Also, do you have a recipe for plain sour cream doughnut without the chocolate? I've really missed out on good old fashioned fried doughnuts since being diagnosed 3 years ago. Thanks for rje recipe & I look forward to your reply!
chrystal
Hi Christine,
I haven't tried rolling these out yet, but I would imagine that it would work 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Niamh
Hi i was wondering what the best gluten free flour blend is. I have tried to make other donut holes before but while frying them they come apart. Is this because of the flour blend or something else? Thank you so much.
chrystal
I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour in this recipe. The starches and the sour cream really help it stay together.
Best,
Chrystal
Ann
Those look so good. Can they be made without eggs? I am highly allergic to egg. I usually use flax egg in cake-y recipes, do you recommend that here or some other egg replacer?
chrystal
Hi Ann,
You can use flaxegg or an egg replacer like bob's red mill.
Best,
Chrystal
Margot
These are definitely 5 stars!!! What a delicious cocoa flavor in these donut holes. I had my family make these for me on Mother's Day. I won't have to spend a fortune on GF donuts again because these are so easy to make.
chrystal
I'm so glad you like them. Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Jennifer
Made these this morning for my celiac son. They were fabulous! The whole family liked them. Question though...my dough was very crumbly. I had to really squeeze to get it to stick. Is there something I’m doing wrong? The only moisture I had was the 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 egg, and 2 TBS of oil.
chrystal
Hi Jennifer,
They shouldn't have been crumbly. What flour blend did you use and how did you measure your flour? I'll try to help you figure out what happened.
Best,
Chrystal
Jenna
Made a batch this morning - WOW! Flavor is amazing once you get them frosted (plain they weren’t really sweet). I’ve never fried donuts before so there was definitely some trial and error - I had to make my donuts tiny because they blew up HUGE in the oil. I made them about 1/2-3/4 inch in size to get them to come out about the size of Dunkin’ donut holes once cooked. The outside has an Oreo cookie texture going on which was unexpected. I’d love to see a baked donut recipe too!!