Imagine waking up on a crisp autumn morning to the warm, cozy scent of freshly made pumpkin spice donuts. Now, imagine they are incredibly easy to make, baked instead of fried, and ready in under 30 minutes. This recipe for Baked Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donuts is a fall dream come true! It delivers a perfectly soft, moist, and cakey donut that’s bursting with real pumpkin flavor and warm spices. Each donut is then dipped in melted butter and generously coated in crunchy cinnamon sugar for the ultimate finish.
Why You’ll Ditch the Donut Shop
This recipe will become your go-to for a special fall breakfast. Here’s why:
- Baked, Not Fried: Get that delicious donut experience without the mess, hassle, or extra oil of deep-frying.
- Incredibly Soft & Moist: The pumpkin puree in the batter ensures these donuts have a wonderfully tender and cakey texture that’s never dry.
- Bursting with Fall Flavor: These donuts are packed with authentic pumpkin flavor and the perfect blend of cozy autumn spices.
- Quick & Fun to Make: The batter comes together in minutes, and dipping the warm donuts in cinnamon sugar is a fun activity for the whole family.
Your Ingredient Checklist
This recipe is broken down into two simple components: the donut batter and the irresistible topping.
For the Pumpkin Donut Batter:
- Flour: 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour.
- Sugars: ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup packed light brown sugar.
- Baking Powder: 1 ½ teaspoons.
- Spices: 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, and ¼ tsp ground cloves (or 2 ¼ tsp total of pumpkin pie spice).
- Salt: ½ teaspoon.
- Pumpkin Puree: ¾ cup 100% pure pumpkin puree.
- Milk: ½ cup milk (any kind works).
- Egg: 1 large egg.
- Butter: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon.
For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- Butter: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted.
- Sugar: ½ cup granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon: 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon.
Step-by-Step Guide to Donut Perfection
You’ll need a standard 6-cavity or 12-cavity donut pan for this recipe.
Part 1: Making the Donut Batter
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease your donut pan with nonstick spray.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, all the spices, and salt.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Mix Wet and Dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until everything is just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Part 2: Baking the Donuts
- Fill the Donut Pan: For easy and clean filling, transfer the batter to a large zip-top bag or a piping bag. Snip off a corner and pipe the batter evenly into each donut cavity, filling each about two-thirds to three-quarters full.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean.
- Cool Slightly: Let the donuts cool in the pan for just a few minutes before carefully inverting them onto a wire rack.
Part 3: The Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Prepare the Topping: While the donuts are still warm, prepare your coating station. Place the melted butter in one shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the ½ cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.
- Dip and Coat: Take one warm donut at a time and dip the entire donut into the melted butter. Immediately transfer it to the cinnamon-sugar bowl and toss to coat all sides generously.
- Enjoy: Place the coated donut back on the wire rack and repeat with the remaining donuts. These are best enjoyed warm and fresh!
Tips for the Best Baked Donuts
- The Piping Bag Trick: Using a piping bag or a zip-top bag to fill the pan is highly recommended. It’s much neater and faster than trying to spoon the batter in.
- Don’t Overfill: Filling the donut cavities only about ¾ full ensures they have room to rise without losing that classic donut hole in the center.
- Coat While Warm: The cinnamon-sugar mixture will stick much better to the donuts while they are still warm from the oven.
- No Donut Pan? You can bake this batter in a standard muffin tin for about 18-20 minutes to make delicious pumpkin donut muffins!
Easy Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
Soft, moist, and bursting with pumpkin spice, these baked donuts are dipped in melted butter and rolled in crunchy cinnamon sugar for the ultimate fall breakfast or snack. Ready in under 30 minutes!
Equipment
- Donut pan
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- Piping bag or zip-top bag
- Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (100% pure, not pie filling)
- 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (for coating)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (for coating)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (for coating)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a donut pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Transfer batter to a piping bag or zip-top bag, snip the corner, and pipe into donut cavities, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean.
- Let donuts cool in pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- In one bowl, place melted butter for coating. In another, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Dip warm donuts into melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar until fully coated.
Notes
For the best coating, dip donuts in butter and cinnamon sugar while still warm. Batter can also be baked in a muffin tin for 18-20 minutes if you don’t have a donut pan.