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Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Baked pumpkin donuts combine warm spices with pure pumpkin goodness, providing an irresistible treat. These warm donuts are light and fluffy, with a sweet vanilla glaze.
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Baked pumpkin donuts are the ultimate fall treat, with the cozy aroma of warm spices before being topped with delicious vanilla icing and pecans. Wonderfully moist cake-like donuts are perfect for any fall morning, but these easy-to-make decadent donuts are also an indulgent dessert.
If you are looking for more donut recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth, apple donuts, cinnamon roll donuts, and baked sour cream donuts are three more scrumptious recipes to try.
Baked Pumpkin Donuts Ingredients
You will need:
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
PRO TIP: Make sure you buy pure pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling at the grocery store. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, which we are doing ourselves in this recipe.
Topping
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
Optional
- Butter, to grease donut pans
Substitutions and Additions
TOPPINGS: To make this great recipe even fancier, while the glaze is still warm, you could add sprinkles, toasted coconut, toffee pieces, or a little bit of cinnamon sugar or pumpkin pie spice along with the pecans.
GLAZE: How about a different twist on the glaze? Add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the glaze for a sweet surprise.
How to Make Baked Pumpkin Donuts
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease the donut pans if not using silicone donut pans.
STEP TWO: Mix together the milk and vinegar in a small bowl and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
STEP THREE: Stir together all of the dry ingredients for the donuts.
STEP FOUR: Add in the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract, and stir well.
STEP FIVE: Pour, or spoon in, 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.
STEP SIX: 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 before topping.
PRO TIP: When checking if the donuts are done, the toothpick should come out clean or with a few crumbs. There should not be batter on the toothpick. If there is gooey batter on the toothpick, bake for another 1 to 3 minutes.
STEP SEVEN: Make the icing by stirring together the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
PRO TIP: Feel free to make the icing thicker by adding more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, or thinner by adding 1 teaspoon of milk at a time to get the icing consistency you prefer.
STEP EIGHT: Once the donuts are cool, ice them by dipping them in the icing or spooning the icing onto the donuts and spreading it. Then add a few pinches of pecans on the donuts as desired, then enjoy!
PRO TIP: The best way to ice the cooled donuts is by using a knife or spoon to add the icing and spread it around. If using the dipping method to ice these, you will need to be careful as these donuts are very moist and can fall apart when picking the donut up from the bowl with the icing.
How to Serve Baked Pumpkin Donuts
These sweet donuts make great breakfast treats along with a cup of coffee, latte, or tea. Of course, you don’t need to stick to enjoying them for breakfast. They are just as tasty for an afternoon or evening snack as well. Donuts are sure to delight friends and family whenever they appear.
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: You can store these fluffy baked pumpkin donuts in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 days.
IN THE FREEZER: These donuts can be frozen before being topped with icing. Warm up by thawing at room temperature for about 2 hours. Mix up the icing and drizzle on top just before serving.
Baked pumpkin donuts combine warm spices with pure pumpkin goodness, providing an irresistible treat. With a crunchy exterior and a pillowy soft interior, these baked goods are both comforting and indulgent. These warm donuts come out of the oven light and fluffy, before being topped with a sweet vanilla glaze that will have you savoring each bite.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are baked pumpkin spice donuts as good as fried donuts?
Yes! They absolutely are, especially when you add some type of topping to them!
Can I freeze these homemade pumpkin donuts?
Absolutely! It is recommended to freeze them before adding the topping and then adding the topping fresh, so it doesn’t seep into the donut while defrosting.
Can I fry these pumpkin spice donuts in a deep fryer rather than baking them?
No. This recipe is 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.
Can I use a different nut or seed in place of the pecans?
Absolutely! Walnuts or pepitas would be great substitutes in this easy recipe, or try your favorite nut or seed to see how it tastes!
Can I make this baked pumpkin donut recipe gluten-free or vegan?
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).
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Baked pumpkin donuts combine warm spices with pure pumpkin goodness, providing an irresistible treat. These warm donuts are light and fluffy, with a sweet vanilla glaze.
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
Optional
- Butter to grease donut pans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease the donut pans if not using silicone donut pans.
- Mix together the milk and vinegar in a small bowl and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
- Stir together all of the dry ingredients for the donuts.
- Add in the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract, and stir well.
- Pour, or spoon in, 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 before topping.
- Make the icing by stirring together the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
- Once the donuts are cool, ice them by dipping them in the icing or spooning the icing onto the donuts and spreading it. Then add a few pinches of pecans on the donuts as desired, then enjoy!
Notes
Make sure you buy pure pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling at the grocery store. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, which we are doing ourselves in this recipe.
When checking if the donuts are done, the toothpick should come out clean or with a few crumbs. There should not be batter on the toothpick. If there is gooey batter on the toothpick, bake for another 1 to 3 minutes.
Feel free to make the icing thicker by adding more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, or thinner by adding 1 teaspoon of milk at a time to get the icing consistency you prefer.
The best way to ice the cooled donuts is by using a knife or spoon to add the icing and spread it around. If using the dipping method to ice these, you will need to be careful as these donuts are very moist and can fall apart when picking the donut up from the bowl with the icing.
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