Easy Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Maple Glaze are an irresistible fall treat! These homemade cake donuts are super soft and truly so easy to make and dairy-free! Ready in under 30 minutes, they make a perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert!
This may be our favorite time of year when the temperatures finally cool down and it’s time to bake with pumpkin. At least it’s a favorite time of year for my family! They make requests for every sort of pumpkin treat I have ever baked (and new ones!).
A new addition was my Easy Pumpkin Spice Biscotti. Also, this Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread Recipe, and this Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake.
No matter what new recipes get added into our pumpkin repertoire, these Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Maple Glaze are always on rotation! The batter comes together in one bowl. It’s super easy to make.
The best part, you have soft and delicious donuts that are ready in less than 30 minutes! They are baked, not fried, and made with ingredients you most likely have on hand and in your pantry.
The donuts are then dipped in a lovely maple icing. You could do a cinnamon sugar topping, if you prefer.
These donuts are dairy-free, but you could make them totally vegan.
These baked pumpkin donuts were one of the very first recipes I made back in 2014. I make them every year in the fall. I decided to recreate them, but this time with an easy maple glaze.
You will also fall in love with these cake donuts because they take less than 10 minutes to make the batter, about 12 minutes to bake, a quick cool down while you whip up the simple maple glaze.
So you will be enjoying the most amazing homemade donuts in about 30 minutes! How incredible is that?
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Why you will love this pumpkin donut recipe
- Quick and Easy: The entire process, from making the batter to dipping the donuts in glaze, takes less than 30 minutes. Perfect for when you're craving something sweet but don't want to spend hours in the kitchen.
- Healthier Choice: These donuts are baked, not fried. This means you're consuming less fat and calories without sacrificing taste.
- Versatile: Whether you prefer a sweet maple glaze or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, these donuts can be customized to your liking.
- Dairy-free and Vegan Options: Great for those with dietary restrictions. You can enjoy them as they are, or make them vegan.
- Seasonal Delight: The use of pumpkin makes these donuts a perfect treat for the fall season. However, their deliciousness will make you want to enjoy them all year round.
What ingredients are in these pumpkin doughnuts?
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour. I explain below how to make them gluten-free.
- Baking powder: I use my favorite brand that is aluminum-free.
- Sea Salt : A dash of salt is all it needs.
- Spices: You could use pumpkin pie spice or a combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Adjust the amount of spice you like to your taste. I ended up adding pumpkin pie spice and some cinnamon on this batch.
- Brown sugar: Sometimes I don't have any brown sugar on hand. If you have molasses, just combine some with granulated sugar to make your own brown sugar.
- Oil: I used vegetable oil, but you could use any mild flavored oil or melted coconut oil.
- Eggs: I used large brown eggs.
- Vanilla extract: Just a little bit of warm vanilla extract is all you need.
- Pumpkin purée: One of two most important ingredients to make pumpkin biscotti. The pumpkin adds lovely color and a delicate flavor. I do not recommend homemade pumpkin purée, as it will be too watery.
- Milk: I used unsweetened almond milk. Use whatever nut milk (unsweetened) you like.
- Powdered sugar: If you are making the glaze, you'll use some powdered sugar mixed with maple syrup and almond milk.
- Maple syrup: For the maple glaze, it will be mixed with the powdered sugar and a little bit of unsweetened almond milk.
Variations/Substitutions
While the recipe above is quite delicious as it is, you might want to try some variations or substitutions based on what you have on hand or your dietary preferences. Here are a few suggestions:
- Flour: For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free baking mix. You could also use whole wheat flour for a healthier twist.
- Sweeteners: You can replace brown sugar with coconut sugar or even a calorie-free sweetener like Stevia for a lower-calorie option. Honey or agave nectar could also be used as liquid sweeteners.
- Egg: For a vegan version, replace the egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water).
- Milk: Any plant-based milk like soy, oat, or rice milk can be used in place of almond milk.
- Oil: Coconut oil can be a great substitute for vegetable oil for an added hint of coconut flavor.
- Maple Syrup: If maple syrup is not available, you can use honey or agave nectar in the glaze. However, this will change the flavor profile a bit.
How to make baked pumpkin spice donuts?
First thing is to gather up all your ingredients.
To make these baked pumpkin donuts start out by whisking together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and your spices.
For the wet ingredients, you’ll stir together some mix oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk, until combined.
Slowly start adding in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
You could mix the whole thing by hand, be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, and combine.
Fill your prepped donut pan and bake them.
While it's baking, make the glaze (if you're using).
The maple glaze for the donuts is just a simple mixture of powdered sugar, almond milk and some maple syrup mixed in.
The the glaze sets up so nicely and it truly is a lovely flavor match with the pumpkin donuts and their warm fall spices.
Once they are baked up, carefully flip them out of the donut pan. A good tip is to carefully use a sharp knife (even a butter knife will do) to loosen around the donut edges before you flip the pan.
Once you have them out on a baking rack, you begin to glaze them.
You could sprinkle on some chopped nuts. I used pecans. It goes so nicely with the maple glaze.
They are almost too pretty to eat! Almost!!
Baked Pumpkin Spice Cake Donut Tips
- Fill your donut pan to ¾ full. If you fill it higher, the batter will overflow from the edges and make a huge mess while it’s baking.
- If you’re using cinnamon-sugar topping, instead of the icing, you need to let them cool down a bit. When the donuts are cool enough to handle, yet still warm, dip in your melted vegan butter (or regular butter, if you’re not vegan or dairy-free).
- A fun way to get the cinnamon-sugar topping on the donuts is to place it in a baggie. Once you dip in the margarine (or butter) place the donuts in a large zipped lock bag with the cinnamon-sugar, and shake it together to help it stick.
- Make ahead by prepping the donut batter the night before. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The next day, remove from the refrigerator and leave on the counter while you heat your oven and prep your donut pan.
Recipe FAQ'S
No pumpkin puree simply pumpkin puree. On the contrary, pumpkin pie filling has sugar and spices added in. It's an actual ready-made filling to make pumpkin pie. So it will not work for this recipe.
We like to use this Wilton donut pan, but go ahead and use whichever donut pan (non stick) that you like!
No donut pan, no problem! Simply make the batter and use a muffin tin. This cake donut recipe is actually a muffin recipe. So prep your muffin tin with baking spray (or grease and flour),bake for 12-15 mins on 350F.
Every oven is different. Insert a toothpick to make sure they're ready (my muffins are typically ready around 12 minutes).
Make the maple glaze, and glaze them when they’re ready.
Yes! They are wonderful with a cinnamon-sugar coating. Just follow this recipe for my baked pumpkin spice donuts with a cinnamon-sugar coating.
Yes, you could! You could make these donuts vegan by making a flax egg to replace the egg. In a small bowl mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with three tablespoons of water.
Yes, they sure could! Sub out the all-purpose flour with the same amount of gluten-free all-purpose flour mix that contains xanthan gum. I have made them with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour.
Once the glaze has completely set, you could stack them in a large zipped lock freezer bag. Or even an airtight container. For more than a day, it’s best to store in the refrigerator.
Yes, they’re great donuts to freeze. Once they have been baked up, let them cool down. Store the donuts (without the glaze) in an airtight container or a large zipped lock freezer bag for up to 2 months. Be sure to squeeze the air out of the zipped bag before sealing it.
You could whip up the quick maple glazes when you’re ready to enjoy the donuts. Remove them from the freezer the night before and let them defrost on the counter. Glaze them the next morning.
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Some other pumpkin recipes to enjoy:
So many other pumpkin ideas on my blog. You know I have been a pumpkin fan for quite a while and have shared recipes like these:
- Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts (not vegan)
- Pumpkin Challah Bread
- Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Salted Chocolate Caramel Sauce
- Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Donuts
Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:)
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Easy Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or 1 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg ground cloves, and allspice
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or any mild flavored oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup pure pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
For the maple glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350ºF. Position a rack in the center of the oven. 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 1/2 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, make the maple glaze.
For the maple glaze
- The icing is optional. Add powdered sugar in a bowl and stir in maple syrup and unsweetened almond (or coconut milk ) until the desired consistency is reached.
- To test the consistency, let the glaze pour off the spoon. The glaze should fall into a ribbon and hold the shape for a few seconds before melting back into the glaze.
- If the glaze is too thick, add a drop of almond milk or water, and test again. If the glaze is too runny, add a little more powdered sugar. Optional: garnish with chopped pecans (or whatever chopped nuts you like) or even sprinkles. Enjoy!
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Gale V. Rein says
can you use a vegan egg substitute in this recipe
Lora says
Hi Gale-Yes, you sure could! Hope you enjoy!!