We love mulling spices, and we can't get enough Fried Cinnamon Biscuits – this recipe is one of our all-time favorites for a good sugary Mulling Spiced Donutin a fraction of the time! We're using canned biscuits and rolling them after frying in sugared mulling spices for a good, puffy, decadent dessert you will love making for your family!

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

How to Make Mulling Spice Donuts

These quick and easy two-ingredient “donuts” (way less work also = way fewer letters in our mind) are good and crazy easy – and involve almost no work!

Using refrigerated/canned biscuit dough and the yummy taste of fall with sugary mulling spice mix, you can make these easy donuts in almost no time at all!

Mulling Spice Donuts Ingredients

1 can biscuit dough (cut into rings, donut holes, or pieces) – This gives you a convenient, tender, fluffy donut base without any mixing or rising time. The dough fries up beautifully golden and slightly crisp on the outside while staying soft and pillowy inside.
Powdered mulling spices with sugar (like Aspen Mulling Spices) – This is where all the cozy flavor comes from! The blend adds sweet warmth, a hint of citrus, and those nostalgic holiday spices—cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice—making the donuts taste like Christmas in every bite.
Frying oil – Heats the dough quickly and evenly so the donuts puff up, turn perfectly golden, and get that irresistible light, crisp exterior. Neutral oils (like vegetable or canola) let the mulling spice flavor shine.

Steps to Make Mulling Spice Donuts

These donuts are such a fun and easy treat, we always get our kids involved in making them too.

While we don't let them near the frying process, they do help peel the biscuits (we like to make them a bit thinner, but that's a totally optional step), punch out the holes, and then roll them in the mulling spice sugar.

Once you've gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:

Prep Dough

Cut dough into pieces, or rings with donut holes.

Fry Donuts

When oil is hot, add to oil and cook, flipping carefully, until golden on each side. Carefully remove from oil and pat dry with paper towel.

Roll in Spices

Spread sugared mulling spices on a plate, roll dry but hot donuts in mulling spices.

Serve & Enjoy!

Serve with hot mulled cider or hot cocoa and enjoy!

They are so fun for kids to make and eat – and so easy, you won't mind indulging them!

Kitchen notes

Pat off oil – When your donuts are done frying, set them on a plate lined with paper towels to pat off any excess oil. If you let too much excess oil sit on the donuts after frying, they will taste greasy and become soft quickly.

Chill the dough before cutting and frying – Slightly cold biscuit dough holds its shape better and puffs more evenly in the oil.

Use a small round cutter for the holes – A bottle cap or metal shot glass works great if you don't have a donut cutter.

Heat the oil to 350–360°F – This is the sweet spot: hot enough to crisp the outside quickly, but not so hot that the donuts brown before cooking through.

Fry in small batches – Too many donuts at once drop the oil temperature and make the donuts greasy or uneven.

Flip often for even browning – Biscuit dough fries fast, so gentle turning keeps both sides perfectly golden.

Drain on a wire rack, not paper towels – Airflow keeps the donuts crisp instead of steaming and getting soggy on the bottom.

Dust while warm – Toss the donuts in the powdered mulling spice sugar when they're still warm so it sticks beautifully.

Double coat for extra flavor – Dip once while warm, let them sit a minute, then toss again for a bold mulling spice punch.

Try rolling instead of dusting – If you love intense spice, roll the entire donut in the sugar blend for a thick, bakery-style coating.

Serve fresh – These donuts are best eaten warm, right after coating—they taste like a cozy holiday morning.

Serving Ideas

While these donuts are perfectly good for a cozy fall morning, they are also awesome with good fall-inspired ideas!

Spoon warm applesauce over the doughnuts for a sort of pancake-donut combo that everyone will love!
Instead of punching a hole out of the donut, separate the dough and spoon apple sauce or diced apples into the middle of the donut, re-sealing it into the dough for a good surprise inside!
Serve with caramel sauce for a good donut dip!
Add pumpkin spice seasoning to the mulling spice sugar!

How to Test Oil Temperature

To see if your oil is the right temperature, we prefer testing it with a tiny ball of dough vs a thermometer, using the following method:

Pull off a tiny bit of dough from a donut or donut hole and drop into the hot oil – if it immediately turns a dark brown, it is too hot.
If it barely bubbles and doesn't puff, it is too cold.
If the dough bubbles rapidly, puffs, and becomes a toasty color – it is solid.

Set them sit for a minute to pat off oil before rolling into mulling spices – but don't wait so long they are cold. You want them to still be nice and warm!

Biscuit Fried Mulling Spice Donuts FAQs

Can we use any brand biscuit dough?

Yes! Any canned biscuit dough works—flaky, buttermilk, jumbo, or regular. The texture may vary slightly, but they all fry beautifully.

Do we need a donut cutter?

Nope! You can use a small round cutter, bottle cap, metal shot glass, or even cut the dough into bite-sized pieces for easy “donut bites.”

Whats the best oil for frying?

Use a neutral, high-heat oil like vegetable, canola, or peanut oil. These won't compete with the mulling spice flavor.

How do we know oil is the right temperature?

A thermometer is ideal, but if you don't have one, drop in a tiny scrap of dough—it should sizzle immediately and float within a couple seconds.

Why are our donuts greasy?

Your oil may not be hot enough. Cool oil absorbs into the dough instead of crisping it. Aim for 350–360°F and don't overcrowd the pot.

Can we air fry instead of frying in oil?

Yes! They won't get quite the same deep-fried texture, but they still turn out good. Air-fry at 350°F for 6–8 minutes, flipping halfway, then toss in the mulling spice sugar.

How do we keep the spices from falling off?

Coat the donuts while they're still warm so the sugar melts slightly and sticks. You can even brush lightly with melted butter if you want extra adhesion.

How can we make these ahead?

These donuts are best enjoyed fresh, but you can prep the dough shapes ahead and keep them chilled until ready to fry.

Serve it with

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Ingredients

1 can biscuit dough, we like the flaky layer kind
½ cup Aspen Mulling spices or other sweet crystallized mulling spice mix
3 cups frying oil

Method

Heat oil in large pot with high walls.
If wanting thinner donuts, split in half.
Use shot glass to punch out hole in middle of biscuit.
When oil is 350 degrees, drop biscuits in a couple at a time (enough to fill the pot but not touch each other).
Let brown on one side, about 1 1/2 minutes.
Flip to other side and let brown.
Remove from oil and shake off excess oil.
Set on paper towel and pat off excess oil.
Repeat through all the donuts and donut holes (holes will cook faster.)
Roll in mulling spices and serve hot!