Delicious Baked Pumpkin Donuts are perfectly moist and fluffy, with a warm, spiced pumpkin flavor, and covered in cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat that’s perfect for any occasion! Forget the hassle of deep frying, baking these donuts keeps this recipe simple and easy.
As soon as the fall season is upon us, I’m ready for all things pumpkin spice. These Baked Pumpkin Donuts are one of my favorite fall treats to make with our family, especially on a cozy weekend. They’re soft, fluffy, and packed with warm pumpkin spice flavor, making them the perfect sweet treat with a cup of coffee. And the best part? They’re baked instead of fried, so there’s no extra mess involved.
These easy homemade baked pumpkin donuts come together in 30 minutes with simple pantry ingredients and are a fun recipe to get your kids involved. With a tender, moist texture and delicious blend of fall spices, these donuts are bakery-worthy, without the effort. Perfect for fall mornings, holiday brunches or an afternoon treat, they’re a delicious way to celebrate pumpkin season.
Be sure to try this Pumpkin Roll, these Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Scones, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, or this Pumpkin Cheesecake for more pumpkin-flavored desserts!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious baked, not fried, donut recipe. We’ll be baking instead of deep frying, and they still have all that delicious flavor without the stress. Clean up is way easier too.
- Easy to customize with your favorite ingredients. Use your must-have and go-to toppings to make these baked donuts exactly how you like them.
- Quick, easy and mess-free homemade donuts. This easy recipe makes fresh donuts in just 30 minutes without heating any frying oil!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Milk – I used whole milk, but lower-fat milk will work here too.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Helps the donuts rise and not be dense.
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour for these donuts.
- Sugar – Brown sugar will give these donuts a sweet, caramel flavor.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – These leavening agents used in tandem make light and fluffy donuts.
- Spices – A combination of warm spices makes these donuts perfect for fall. Use ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt for the donuts, and ground cinnamon for the topping too.
- Pumpkin Puree – You can find pumpkin puree in grocery stores even out of pumpkin season, or you can use my recipe for Real Pumpkin Puree to make your own with real sugar pumpkins.
- Oil – I used vegetable oil to keep the donuts moist, but you can use canola oil or even olive oil if you prefer.
- Vanilla Extract – Compliments the warm spices, adding a bit of sweetness too.
- Butter – Use melted salted butter to make the top of the donuts moist so the cinnamon sugar sticks to them.
- Sugar & Cinnamon – Granulated sugar and cinnamon mixed together make the cinnamon sugar coating.
How to Make Pumpkin Donuts
- Make flour mixture. Add together all the dry ingredients needed to make the donuts into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix well. Stir the dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon.
- Add wet ingredients. Firstly, mix together the milk and vinegar in a small bowl and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. Then, add the vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and milk mixture to the flour mixture.
- Stir. Stir the donut batter mixture well with a wooden spoon. You can use a stand mixer for this batter if you prefer, but you may run the risk of overmixing it.
- Put batter in pan. Pour, spoon, or pipe about ¼ cup of the batter into each donut cavity. The batter should fill the donut cavities about ⅔ of the way up.
- Bake. Bake the donuts for about 13 minutes, using a toothpick to check when they are done. Allow the donuts to cool for at least 10 minutes on a wire rack before adding any toppings.
- Make cinnamon sugar. Make the topping by mixing together the cinnamon and sugar.
- Dip donuts into cinnamon sugar. Once the donuts are cool, dip them in the melted butter, then cover the donuts in the cinnamon and sugar mixture by dipping, rolling, or sprinkling the mixture over them.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes! We think they absolutely are, especially when you add some type of topping to them!
No. This recipe has been made specifically for baking the donut batter in donut molds in the oven. The batter is quite liquidy before baking and has not been tested with frying. If you want a fried pumpkin donut recipe, I would suggest starting with my apple cider donuts and replace the apple with pumpkin.
White sugar and brown sugar (both light & dark) go well in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to top these donuts. The donuts in the photos used white sugar in the cinnamon sugar topping mixture, but use whatever sugar you have on hand.
This recipe has not been tested with gluten-free flour. You can easily make these donuts vegan by replacing the milk with any type of non-dairy milk (such as soy milk or almond milk) and replacing the butter with a vegan substitute.
Expert Tips
- Don’t over-mix the batter. Only stir the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined for a fluffy, airy texture. Over-mixing can cause the donuts to be dense or rubbery.
- Thoroughly grease the donut pan. For easy, non-stick removal. And clean-up!
- Check for doneness with a toothpick. When checking if the donuts are done, the toothpick should come out clean, maybe with a few crumbs. There should not be any batter on the toothpick, though. If there is gooey batter on the toothpick, bake them for another 1-3 minutes.
- Use a piping bag for batter. Use a piping bag with a large tip, or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, to transfer the donut batter into the donut pan.
- Dip donuts in cinnamon sugar while still warm. If you skip the butter step, roll the donuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture while they’re still warm to get the coating to stick nicely.
How to Use Excess Pumpkin
Having excess pumpkin around the holidays is a common thing when you’re into pumpkin carving and Jack-O-Lanterns! So is having partial cans of pumpkin puree since many recipes (this one included) don’t use the whole can.
Here are some ways to use up your excess pumpkin so it doesn’t go to waste.
Substitutions and Variations
- Change the topping. These spiced donuts are coated in simple cinnamon sugar, but you can use other toppings if you prefer. Try my Cream Cheese Frosting, Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, a brown butter glaze, or a simple maple glaze made of powdered sugar, water, and maple syrup.
- Use other spices. These Pumpkin Spice Donuts can be made with pumpkin spice plus cinnamon instead of the ginger and cloves we use here.
- Add Greek yogurt or sour cream. A dollop mixed into the batter will add extra moisture to the donuts and give them a slight tangy flavor.
- Muffin version. Use a muffin pan or mini muffin pan if you don’t have a donut pan. Check the bake time since it will be different than the donut pan.
Storage
Store leftover cooled pumpkin donuts in an airtight container or in a Ziploc bag on the counter for up to 3 days. These donuts are best enjoyed the same day they are made or the same day they are thawed from the freezer.
Store leftovers in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container (before adding the topping) and freezing them for up to 3 months. Let the donuts defrost, and then add the topping fresh so it doesn’t seep into the donuts prematurely.
More Delicious Donut Recipes
- Baked Chocolate Donuts
- Homemade Glazed Donuts
- Baked Strawberry Donuts
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Paczki Jelly Donuts
- Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts
Baked Pumpkin Donuts Recipe
Equipment
- Donut Pan
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup (141g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/4 cup salted butter melted (optional)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃) and grease the donut pans, unless you're using silicone donut pans.
- Mix together the milk and vinegar in a small bowl and let sit for at least 5 minutes.½ cup whole milk, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.1 cup (141g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100g) brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add in the pumpkin, oil, and vanilla and stir well.½ cup pumpkin puree, 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pour, or spoon, about ¼ cup of the batter into each donut cavity. The batter should fill the donut cavities about ⅔ of the way up; if it doesn’t, adjust it until it does.
- Bake the donuts for about 13 minutes, using a toothpick to check when they are done. Allow the donuts to cool for at least 10 minutes on a wire rack before topping them.
- Make the topping by whipping together the cinnamon and sugar.½ cup granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Once the donuts are cool, dip them in the melted butter, then cover the donuts in the cinnamon and sugar mixture by dipping, rolling, or sprinkling the mixture over the donuts.¼ cup salted butter
Notes
- When checking if the donuts are done, the toothpick should come out clean, maybe with a few crumbs. There should not be any batter on the toothpick, though. If there is gooey batter on the toothpick, bake them for another 1-3 minutes.
- Adding the melted butter before the cinnamon and sugar is optional but enhances the flavor, making it fuller and richer. Since this is a very moist donut the cinnamon and sugar will still stick to the donut without the butter, especially if frozen and defrosted first, just not as well as if using the melted butter.
- Store: Store cool donuts in an airtight container or in a Ziploc bag on the counter for up to 3 days. However, these donuts are best enjoyed the same day they are made or the same day they are thawed from the freezer.
- Freeze: Absolutely! I’d recommend putting them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container (before adding the topping) and freezing them for up to 3 months. Warm up by thawing at room temperature for about 2 hours. Then, add the topping fresh so it doesn’t seep into the donuts prematurely.
