You've got to make these baked pumpkin spice donuts! They're the lightest and fluffiest donuts that are perfect for your morning coffee. Full of fall flavor too — and ready in 25 minutes!
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Why You'll Love These Spiced Pumpkin Donuts
Do you know that I never actually made donuts until the past couple of years? I have my Fried Donuts Recipe (which is awesome!), but besides that, I never really tried. After I acquired a donut pan for our video business, I figured I should probably make some homemade donuts to share with you guys!
There's so much to love about this baked pumpkin donut recipe. The donuts have a super light crumb and a delicious pumpkin flavor that is super tasty without being overwhelming. It's the perfect compliment to your morning coffee — and for a relaxing brunch with family and friends.
Don't have a donut pan? One of our brilliant readers left a comment that they used mini-muffin pans and sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top before baking. Genius! Aside from being versatile, this recipe is:
- Made with simple, pantry ingredients
- Ready in 25 minutes
- Perfect for breakfast or dessert
- Boasting sweet, fall flavor
- Easy to halve or double as needed
Ingredient Information and Substitutions
- Vegetable Oil- For the donut dough, not for frying!
- Pumpkin Purée- Not pie filling — that has added flavoring and sweeteners. I usually have a can or two in the pantry, but you can make your own from pie pumpkins too!
- Sugar- Regular granulated sugar helps keep these pumpkin baked donuts light and fluffy. You'll need some for the batter and some for the topping.
- Eggs- Large eggs are the way to go!
- Flour- Another baking staple for this baked pumpkin donut recipe is all-purpose flour. A 1:1 gluten-free blend should work too.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder- These provide lift so the donuts bake up fluffy with a tender crumb. You must use both.
- Kosher Salt- Just a touch to balance the sweetness and enhance the flavors.
- Cinnamon- This goes in the batter and topping too. Since we're using pumpkin pie spice too, I wouldn't swap this with anything else.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice- A mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger that is used in every pumpkin pie recipe. If you don't have any, it's easy to make your own and store the extra in the pantry for next time.
How To Make Spiced Pumpkin Donuts
Step 1- Mix the batter.
While you preheat the oven, whisk the oil, pumpkin purée, eggs, and 1 cup of the sugar in a large bowl until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients — just ¾ teaspoon of the cinnamon — and whisk just until there are no more streaks of flour.
Step 2- Fill donut pans and bake.
Add the batter to the greased pans, filling each well ¾ of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes.
Step 3- Coat with cinnamon sugar.
While the donuts are in the oven, combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a bowl or zippered bag.
Once cooled, toss baked pumpkin donuts in the cinnamon sugar mixture until coated on all sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Let's keep it real here: these baked pumpkin donuts are basically cake in donut form. But everything in moderation, right?
I opted to top them with cinnamon and sugar because it's my daughter's favorite combo, especially on a donut. You could just as easily make a simple glaze for your baked pumpkin donuts with confectioner's sugar, water, and a little vanilla extract until it reaches the consistency you like..
I haven't tried freezing them, but I bet they would freeze well if you wrap them individually in plastic wrap after cooling them completely. Store them in a plastic zipper bag too.
Tips For Making Pumpkin Donuts
- Mix the wet ingredients first, then add the dry ingredients- and don't over mix the batter!
- I always coat my donut pans lightly with cooking spray, even though they are non-stick. Just an extra precaution for easy removal.
- You have two options when filling the pans- you can spoon the batter into the pans, or you can place the batter into a plastic zipper bag, snip off the bottom corner, and use it like a pastry bag.
- Coat each baked pumpkin donut in cinnamon sugar while hot to make sure it sticks. I usually give them 5 minutes to cool so they're easier to handle. Toss them in a medium bowl, or add the cinnamon sugar to a zipper bag and shake to coat.
- Easily halve the recipe if you want a smaller batch. As written, this recipe for baked pumpkin donuts makes around 13-15 donuts depending on how much you fill your pans. I always fill mine ¾ of the way full.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- you can mix the cinnamon sugar in advance, but there's also plenty of time to do it while the donuts are in the oven.
- Leftovers and storage- I should start by saying pumpkin baked donuts are best eaten shortly after baking. That said, they last up to a week at room temperature. I encourage you to cool them completely and store in an airtight container.
What To Serve With This Pumpkin Donut Recipe
I love munching on a baked pumpkin donut while I sip a cup of coffee in the morning, but these are sweet enough for dessert too. Here are a few more fall recipes to pair with your treats:
- Bubble Up Breakfast Casserole
- Citrus Cranberry Chutney
- Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
- Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
- Cream Cheese Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Other Breakfast Recipes To Try
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Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup real pumpkin puree, (not pie filling)
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the donut pans with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oil, pumpkin puree, 1 cup granulated sugar and eggs until well combined.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and pumpkin pie seasoning and whisk until just combined.
- Fill donut pans ¾ of the way.
- Bake for 15 minutes. While the donuts bake, fill a medium bowl or zipper sandwich bag with ¼ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Stir or shake until well combined.
- Let the donuts cool for 5 minutes and then one by one cover them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Mix the wet ingredients first, then add the dry ingredients- and don't over mix the batter!
- I always coat my donut pans lightly with cooking spray, even though they are non-stick. Just an extra precaution for easy removal.
- You have two options when filling the pans- you can spoon the batter into the pans, or you can place the batter into a plastic zipper bag, snip off the bottom corner, and use it like a pastry bag.
- Coat each baked pumpkin donut in cinnamon sugar while hot to make sure it sticks. I usually give them 5 minutes to cool so they're easier to handle. Toss them in a medium bowl, or add the cinnamon sugar to a zipper bag and shake to coat.
- Easily halve the recipe if you want a smaller batch. As written, this recipe for baked pumpkin donuts makes around 13-15 donuts depending on how much you fill your pans. I always fill mine ¾ of the way full.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- you can mix the cinnamon sugar in advance, but there's also plenty of time to do it while the donuts are in the oven.
- Leftovers and storage- I should start by saying pumpkin baked donuts are best eaten shortly after baking. That said, they last up to a week at room temperature. I encourage you to cool them completely and store in an airtight container.
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