Are you ready for the easiest dessert hack ever? Mama, these 2-Ingredient Banana Donut Holes are easy air fryer banana bread treats that will blow your mind! These healthier 2 Ingredient Banana Donut Holes come together in minutes using just ripe bananas and self rising flour. This plant based recipe for banana donut holes will blow your mind because they taste like real donuts but are made with just two simple ingredients.
A warm soft and fluffy banana donut hole with crisp edges and a sweet maple cinnamon sugar coating is pure heaven. These warm fluffy doughnut holes are a quick and delicious treat made with ripe mashed banana dough that's naturally sweet. Whether you make them in the air fryer or baked, these banana donut holes are about to become your new favorite quick easy banana snack dessert!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Banana Donut Holes
- Ingredients for Banana Donut Holes
- How to Make Banana Donut Holes
- Top Tip
- Little Moments in the Kitchen
- Substitutions for Banana Donut Holes
- Variations on Banana Donut Holes
- Equipment for Banana Donut Holes
- Storage Tips for Banana Donut Holes
- Olivia's Tip for Banana Donut Holes
- FAQ about Banana Donut Holes
- Conclusion
- Related
- Pairing
- 📖 Recipe
Why You'll Love These Banana Donut Holes
Only 2 Ingredients: These 2 ingredient banana donut holes use just ripe bananas and self rising flour. That's it! No eggs, no dairy, no oil for vegan plant based banana donut holes perfection!
Ready in 15 Minutes: From mixing to eating, these take less than 15 minutes. Perfect for when you need quick treats fast for banana donut holes air fryer speed!
Healthier Donut Option: No deep frying required! These are baked or air fried, making them a healthier option for breakfast treats or ripe banana snacks.
Ingredients for Banana Donut Holes
This banana donut holes recipe uses the simplest ingredients to create bakery quality results. The key is using very ripe bananas for maximum sweetness and self rising flour banana donuts texture.
What You'll Need
For the Donut Holes:
- 2 large very ripe bananas (the more brown spots, the better!)
- 1 cup self rising flour
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (or coconut oil for vegan)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional Add Ins:
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Why These Ingredients Matter
Very Ripe Bananas: The riper the banana, the sweeter your donut holes will be! Black spotted bananas are perfect because they're naturally sweet and mash easily for cinnamon banana flavor.
Self Rising Flour: This is crucial! Self rising flour already has baking powder and salt mixed in, which makes these donut holes rise and become fluffy. Don't use regular all purpose flour or they won't work for self rising flour recipes air fryer success.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating: While optional, rolling these warm donut holes in cinnamon sugar makes them taste like real donuts from a bakery for donut holes perfection. If you love banana treats, check out my German Chocolate Poke Cake too!
How to Make Banana Donut Holes
Step by Step Directions
For Air Fryer Method:
- Mash the bananas. In a medium bowl, mash the very ripe bananas with a fork until smooth and creamy. A few small lumps are okay but try to get it as smooth as possible for banana air fryer recipes consistency.
- Add flour. Add the self rising flour to the mashed bananas. Stir gently with a spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Don't overmix or the donut holes will be tough. The batter will be thick, almost like cookie dough for banana donut holes recipe texture.
- Shape into balls. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, scoop out tablespoon sized portions of dough and roll into balls with your hands. You should get about 12 to 15 donut holes. If the dough is sticky, wet your hands slightly for banana muffins self rising flour technique.
- Preheat air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 350°F for 3 minutes. Lightly spray the basket with cooking spray.
- Air fry. Place the donut holes in the air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving space between each one. Don't overcrowd! Air fry for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through for banana donuts air fryer perfection.
- Coat in cinnamon sugar. While the donut holes are still warm, brush with melted butter. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl and roll each donut hole in the mixture until completely coated for 2 ingredient banana donut holes glory.
- Serve warm. These are best eaten warm right away! Serve as is or with a drizzle of maple syrup or chocolate sauce for donut hole recipe indulgence.
For Oven Baked Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place shaped donut holes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Coat in cinnamon sugar while warm for baked banana donuts results.
Hint: Don't skip the cinnamon sugar coating! Plain, these taste good but coating them in cinnamon sugar makes them taste like actual donuts. The butter helps the sugar stick and adds richness for banana bread with self rising flour easy recipes inspiration!
Top Tip
Use bananas that are super ripe with lots of brown spots. The riper they are, the sweeter your donut holes will be and you won't need to add extra sugar to the dough. Ripe bananas also mash more easily and create better texture.
Gold Tip: Make a double batch and freeze the extras! Once cooled, freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag. Reheat in the air fryer for 2 to 3 minutes for warm, fresh tasting donut holes anytime. This is perfect for banana muffins with self rising flour meal prep and quick treats on demand!
Little Moments in the Kitchen
When I first made these, Olivia watched me mash bananas and add flour and said, "That's it? Just two things? That's not going to work, Mom." I told her to trust me. When they came out of the air fryer golden and puffy, she was shocked. "Wait, these are actually donuts? How?"
She ate four before I could even coat them all in cinnamon sugar. Then she said, "Mom, we need to make these every single day. This is the best thing you've ever made." (She says that about everything she likes, but still, high praise.) Now she makes these herself when friends come over and acts like she invented them. Last week she told her friend, "Yeah, I make these all the time. They're super easy. Just banana and flour. I'm basically a baker now." The confidence is unmatched.
Substitutions for Banana Donut Holes
3 Ingredient Version: For 3 ingredient banana donuts, add 1 egg to the mixture for fluffier, more traditional donut texture. This makes them less dense for pancake recipe easy self rising flour inspiration.
4 Ingredient Version: For 4 ingredient banana donuts, add vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon to the batter for extra flavor in how to make muffins with self rising flour style.
Gluten Free: Use gluten free self rising flour blend for banana donut holes gluten free. The texture will be slightly different but still delicious!
Variations on Banana Donut Holes
Chocolate Banana: Fold mini chocolate chips into the batter before shaping. Roll in powdered sugar instead of cinnamon sugar for chocolate banana donut holes variations and substitutions!
Peanut Butter Banana: Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to the batter. Roll in crushed peanuts and cinnamon sugar for an Elvis inspired treat for banana bread recipe creativity.
Glazed Donuts: Skip the cinnamon sugar and make a simple glaze with 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk. Dip warm donut holes for banana cookies sweetness. Try my Raspberry Chocolate Lava Cupcakes for another sweet treat!
Equipment for Banana Donut Holes
Air Fryer: Makes these crispy on the outside and fluffy inside with no oil needed.
Mixing Bowl: For mashing bananas and mixing the dough.
Cookie Scoop: Makes portioning easy and ensures uniform sized donut holes.
Shallow Bowl: For the cinnamon sugar coating station.
Storage Tips for Banana Donut Holes
Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. They're best eaten fresh but still good the next day.
Refrigerator: Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the air fryer or microwave for 15 seconds to freshen them up.
Freezer: Freeze cooled donut holes in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the air fryer at 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes for quick treats anytime!
Olivia's Tip for Banana Donut Holes
"Use the spottiest, ugliest bananas you can find. Like, the ones that look too gross to eat. Those make the sweetest donut holes. Also, make them small so you can eat more of them. If they're bigger, you only get like 8, but if you make them small, you get way more. Math!"
FAQ about Banana Donut Holes
What is the donut hole slang for?
In slang, "donut hole" can refer to the coverage gap in Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, but in cooking, donut holes are literally the small, round pieces of fried or baked dough that come from the center of donuts. They're essentially mini donuts without a hole. Some people also call them "donut seeds" or "munchkins" (the Dunkin' Donuts brand name). For this recipe, we're making the delicious edible kind, not the Medicare kind!
What is the banana donut theory?
"Banana donut theory" isn't a widely recognized culinary or scientific term, but in the context of cooking, it might refer to the idea that you can make donut style treats using banana as a base ingredient without traditional donut ingredients like eggs, dairy, or excessive sugar. The "theory" would be that ripe bananas can replace multiple ingredients due to their natural sweetness, moisture, and binding properties. This recipe proves that theory works, you really can make delicious donuts with just banana and flour. Learn about 20 Different Types of Doughnuts You Need to Know for more donut inspiration!
How to make banana holes?
To make banana donut holes: (1) mash 2 very ripe bananas until smooth, (2) mix in 1 cup self rising flour until just combined, (3) shape dough into small balls (about 1 tablespoon each), (4) air fry at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes or bake at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes until golden, and (5) coat warm donut holes in melted butter then cinnamon sugar. That's it! Just two main ingredients create delicious, fluffy donut holes.
What is the donut hole phrase?
The phrase "donut hole" has multiple meanings: (1) literally, the hole in the center of a donut, (2) the small round pieces of dough from that center, fried and sold as treats, (3) in Medicare, the coverage gap in prescription drug plans, and (4) metaphorically, a gap or missing piece in something. In cooking contexts, "donut holes" specifically means the small, round, bite sized donuts made from the dough that would normally be the center of a traditional ring donut. They're popular because they're all the best part of the donut (the soft, sweet dough) with maximum surface area for coatings like cinnamon sugar or glaze!
Conclusion
These Easy 2-Ingredient Banana Donut Holes are proof that you don't need a long ingredient list or complicated techniques to make something absolutely delicious. They're naturally sweet, perfectly fluffy, and coated in cinnamon sugar perfection. The fact that they're made with just bananas and self rising flour makes them a genius way to use up those overripe bananas sitting on your counter.
If you loved these banana donut holes and easy banana recipes, you'll want to try my Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bites for another quick treat, or check out my Cocoa Fudge Brownies for a chocolate fix. These 2 ingredient banana donut holes will become your go to for using ripe bananas, satisfying sweet cravings, and impressing everyone with minimal effort!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Banana Donut Holes:
📖 Recipe
Easy 2-Ingredient Banana Donut Holes
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Serve the donut holes warm. Around here they rarely last long - Olivia usually grabs one right away and declares them the best donuts ever.
- Add the [self rising flour] to the mashed bananas. Stir gently until a thick dough forms. I tell Olivia not to overmix - just stir until everything comes together so the donut holes stay soft and fluffy.
- Scoop tablespoon portions of dough and roll them into small balls with your hands. If the dough sticks, lightly wet your hands. Olivia counts them as we roll - usually about 12 to 15 little donut bites.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C) for about 3 minutes. I always tell Olivia that preheating helps the donut holes cook evenly and get those golden edges we love.
- Place the dough balls in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook at 350°F for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Halfway through, Olivia loves peeking in to check how our little donuts are puffing up.
- In a small bowl, mix the [granulated sugar] and [ground cinnamon] together. This simple coating is what makes the donut holes taste like they came straight from a bakery.
- Brush the warm donut holes with [melted butter], then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Olivia's job is rolling them in the sugar - though a few always mysteriously disappear before reaching the plate!
- Serve the donut holes warm. Around here they rarely last long - Olivia usually grabs one right away and declares them the best donuts ever.
Nutrition
Notes
- For a vegan version, replace butter with coconut oil or plant-based butter.
- Use extra ripe bananas for the sweetest flavor without adding sugar to the dough.
- If you don't have an air fryer, bake the donut holes at 375°F for 12-15 minutes.
- Add mini chocolate chips or chopped walnuts to the batter for fun variations Olivia loves.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze and reheat in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes.
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