These Baked Pumpkin Donuts with cinnamon sugar are one of the best fall desserts! This easy homemade recipe makes soft, delicious Pumpkin Donuts that are ready in under 30 minutes!
If you like this recipe then you HAVE to try my Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze and my cinnamon sugar donut muffins!
The best part is that they are baked and not fried, and use very simple ingredients. Coated in an absolutely irresistible cinnamon sugar coating...always a hit with everyone!
This is the time of year when you find pumpkin practically everywhere! You find it in soups and chilis. The fall is when pumpkin pies and cakes are welcomed with all their warm and comforting spices.
The one recipe we make every year without a doubt are these Baked Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts! This baked pumpkin donuts recipe is truly so easy to make and is ready in under 30 minutes!
Back to these cake-style donuts. Can I tell you how much I love my Wilton donut-making pan...just love it! You are maybe trying to bake donuts at home for the first time. If you have a brand new donut pan you've never touched, grab it and dive into this uncomplicated recipe!
Maybe you just bought a new donut pan and haven't used it yet - grab it! This easy pumpkin donut recipe comes together so quickly and makes your kitchen smell like a cozy bakery. I promise, once you taste these light and fluffy cinnamon sugar donuts, you'll wonder why you ever bought store-bought ones.
You probably have a few cans of pumpkin puree sitting in your pantry (I always do this time of year!). Turn on that oven and bake a batch of these warm, spiced pumpkin doughnuts - they're soft, perfectly sweet, and rolled in cinnamon sugar while still warm.
My kids are in their "pumpkin everything" phase right now, and these baked pumpkin donuts disappeared faster than I expected. They're simple enough for a weekday treat but special enough to share on a crisp fall morning.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: The base of these donuts - simple, reliable, and gives them that perfect soft crumb. You could also use half whole-wheat flour if you want a bit more texture.
- Baking powder: Helps the donuts puff up beautifully and gives them that light, cake-like texture. Make sure yours is fresh for the best rise.
- Sea salt: Just a pinch brings out all the warm fall flavors and balances the sweetness.
- Nutmeg: Adds that nostalgic bakery scent - I always grate mine fresh if I can for a deeper, cozier flavor.
- Allspice: A little goes a long way. It gives the donuts a subtle warmth that pairs perfectly with pumpkin.
- Ground cloves: Just enough to give that comforting depth of flavor that makes every bite taste like fall.
- Vegetable oil: Keeps the donuts incredibly moist. You can also use melted coconut oil if you prefer.
- Brown sugar: I love using light brown sugar for a hint of caramel flavor that works so well with pumpkin.
- Egg: Adds structure and richness - let it come to room temperature so it mixes smoothly into the batter.
- Vanilla extract: A splash rounds out the spice flavors and gives that delicious bakery-style aroma.
- Pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling): Use 100% pumpkin puree - it's what gives the donuts their soft texture, natural sweetness, and beautiful color.
- Milk: Helps bring everything together into a smooth batter. You can use any milk you like, dairy or non-dairy.
- Butter: Melted butter brushed on the warm donuts helps the cinnamon sugar coating stick perfectly.
- Sugar: A simple coating of granulated sugar gives the donuts that classic, old-fashioned sweetness.
- Ground cinnamon: The star of the coating - mix it with sugar while the donuts are still warm so it melts slightly and creates that irresistible sparkle.
How To Make Baked Pumpkin Donuts
The entire is whisked together by hand. You could do the whole recipe in one bowl, but I like to do the wet ingredients in one bowl (with the brown sugar)and whisk the dry in another and then combine.
In a large bowl, you add the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Whisk it all together and set it aside.
In a separate bowl, stir together the oil, brown sugar, egg, pumpkin, vanilla and milk (We used almond milk...you could use regular milk or whatever nut milk or regular milk you love) until fully combined.
Now, stir in the flour mixture and continue to mix until smooth.
The trickiest part is transferring the donut batter into the donut pan. If you don't have a piping bag, you could use a large zip-loc type bag and snip a bottom corner off after you fill it with the batter.
It really helps to fill the donut tray with the batter to use a bag. I've made these so many times that I'm able to carefully get it into the pan with a spoon and not make such a mess! But zip-loc bag method is really the easiest without a mess!
Bake the donuts for 15 minutes. In the meantime while they bake, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Melt the butter (for many baked things, we are dairy-free, so we used vegan butter sticks). Dip in the melted butter (or vegan butter) and then dip in the cinnamon sugar. You could also add the cinnamon sugar to large zip-loc bag and shake it in the mixture.
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Baked donut tips
- Take care to fill donut pan up to ¾ full. Overfilling will have the donuts go over the edges while baking. They will still be good, but not the right shape.
- Dip the donuts in the melted butter (or vegan margarine)while they are still warm. And then dip or shake in a bag with the cinnamon sugar so that it will stick.
- Prep the donut batter the evening before and keep stored in a covered plastic container (or glass container)in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Donuts when baked stay fresh for up to 2 days on the counter. We store ours in a long plastic container and lay them out on a sheet of parchment paper next to each other (not stacked).
These Baked Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts are so easy to put together. They are filled with all of fall's warm spices and a gorgeous cake-like texture. The cinnamon-sugar coating is that extra special touch that helps make these donuts one of our favorite fall recipes! Baked and ready in under 30 minutes!
updated from 11/2014
Some other pumpkin recipes to enjoy:
- Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts (not vegan)
- Pumpkin Challah Bread
- Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Salted Chocolate Caramel Sauce
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Baked Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoons ground cloves
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup pure pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 Spray a donut pan with baking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until combined. You could also mix the entire thing by hand with a wooden spoon.
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stop ½ way in the process to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and incorporate it well.
- Using a pastry bag, fill each donut cup with the batter. Fill almost to the top. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until donuts spring back when gently pressed.
- Turn donuts out onto a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- While the donuts are cooling, melt butter in one bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in another. When donuts are still hot (but not too hot to touch), quickly dip each donut in melted butter, then coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
These are fall brunch perfection! Thanks for sharing!
These donuts seriously making me hungry!
I don’t see what temperature to bake them at...
When I updated post and created recipe card some of the directions weren't carried over. It's all there now. 🙂
What a wonderful way to start the day! Looks fabulous!
Such a great recipe for fall! Looking forward to enjoying this all season long; delish!
I'm always on the lookout for new autumn goodies and these sound wonderful! I love cake donuts and already have the pan, perfect!
These doughnuts are simple and super yummy! Perfect with coffee!
Thank goodness for pumpkin season!! I am going to make these Saturday!