Pumpkin Donuts
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Easy Pumpkin Donuts are tender, fluffy, cake-like donuts made with a spiced pumpkin batter that bakes up beautifully golden brown and to finish they are dusted with a sweet cinnamon sugar coating. These baked donuts are such a tempting fall treat!
Homemade Pumpkin Donuts
These pumpkin donuts are one of the tastiest baked donuts, you’ll be craving them as soon as fall rolls around.
They don’t require any extra rise time (since they aren’t a yeasted donut) and no deep frying messiness here. Plus no mixer required here, just a quick blend by hand for this donut batter.
They are baked in the oven in donut pans (or try mini muffin pans if you don’t have donut pans), then after that while they are warm they are rolled in sweet cinnamon sugar.
I like to serve them with hot cocoa, warm apple cider, coffee, or you can’t go wrong with a tall glass of milk.
They are perfectly fitting for an after dinner dessert or they make an excellent weekend breakfast treat. And there are lots of different additions you can add like finishing with a chocolate glaze or adding chopped nuts (more ideas below).
Pumpkin desserts are a seasonal staple and donuts are one of the most popular sweets, so bring them together and you have a truly memorable, completely crave-able donut treat!
Pumpkin Donuts Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: I prefer to use unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder: Aluminum free baking powder is recommended.
- Salt: Careful not to forget this or donuts will taste very flat. Salt is actually a very important ingredient even in baking.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves: These spices give them that classic pumpkin spice donut taste.
- Light brown sugar: Dark brown sugar will work as well for deeper molasses flavor.
- Granulated sugar: This is used in both the donut batter and to coat the donuts.
- Oil: Vegetable oil, canola oil or light olive oil work well.
- Eggs: Eggs will help bind ingredients and also help the donuts rise. For a subsistute I would try the “flax egg.”
- Pumpkin: Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. It as added sweeteners and spices and will throw the recipe off.
- Vanilla extract: Real vanilla is best.
How to Make Pumpkin Donuts
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, the nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Make a well in center of mixture and set aside.
- Mix sugars and wet ingredients: In a separate large mixing bowl whisk together brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the canola oil, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until well blended.
- Blend mixtures: Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix and fold with a silicone spatula until well combined and there are no longer streaks of flour (it will be slightly lumpy and that’s okay).
- Grease pans, fill with batter: Spray donut pans – 18 wells total (three 6-well pans). Spoon or pipe batter into donut wells, filling each about 3/4 full (a scant 1/4 cup in each).
- Bake until set: Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 13 – 16 minutes. Cool doughnuts slightly.
- Make cinnamon sugar: Meanwhile in a container whisk together 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
- Toss donuts with cinnamon sugar: Add one warm doughnut to container cover and shake with sugar mixture to coat. Note that if the sugar mixture isn’t sticking very well to top side of donuts then spray them lightly with non-stick cooking spray and it will stick well.
- Cool donuts on wire rack.
Delicious Variations for Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- Glaze finish: You can also finish these donuts with a chocolate icing, vanilla, maple, cinnamon, or cream cheese icing.
- Chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips make a tasty addition, fold them into the batter.
- Nuts: Chopped pecans or walnuts are another delicious option.
- Powdered sugar: Instead of regular white sugar you could instead toss them with spiced powdered sugar.
- Flavoring: Add a hint of rum extract or bourbon extract.
- Fresh pumpkin: Try these with fresh sugar pumpkin puree in place of canned.
- Minis: Bake as mini donuts or mini muffins. Just reduce the bake time a bit.
Can I use pumpkin pie spice in this recipe?
Yes if you don’t have all of the spice listed you can just use pumpkin pie spice. Use 2 tsp in the donut batter, and 1 tsp with the sugar finish.
How to Store Donuts
- Pumpkin spice donuts will keep well at room temperature for 2 days, refrigerated for 5 days, or frozen for 3 months.
- Bring to room temp before serving.
- Store donuts in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.
- Just note that the sugar coating will soak into the donuts as they rest and the donuts will become a bit damp on the exterior, if you’d like you can wait to add the sugar finish until later.
More Delicious Donut Recipes to Make
Follow Cooking Classy
Pumpkin Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups (235g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light-brown sugar, broken up with fingertips
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (340g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Coating
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, the nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Make a well in center of mixture and set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl whisk together brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, canola oil, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until well blended.
- Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix and fold with a silicone spatula until well combined and there are no longer streaks of flour (it may be slightly lumpy and that's okay).
- Spray donut pans - 18 wells total (three 6-well pans). Spoon or pipe batter into donut wells, filling each about 3/4 full (a scant 1/4 cup in each).
- Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 13 - 16 minutes. Cool doughnuts slightly.
- Meanwhile in a container whisk together 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Add one lightly warm doughnut to container cover and shake with sugar mixture to coat. Note that if the sugar mixture isn't sticking very well to top side of donuts then spray them lightly with non-stick cooking spray and it will stick beautifully.
- Place on wire rack to cool completely. Store pumpkin donuts in an airtight container.