Breads, Rolls + Donuts Breakfast Fall Winter

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

baked pumpkin donuts
I normally prefer fried donuts if have a choice, but they can be a lot of work and the kitchen aftermath is not always worth the effort. I make these baked pumpkin donuts every fall and never hear any complaints – they are muffin-y in taste, but delicious none-the-less.

This recipe was actually originally for muffins, but I prefer them in donut shape – they bake up quite nice, and aren’t as dense with the smaller height and the hole in the middle.

Other similar recipes you may enjoy: Vanilla Donuts with Pumpkin Pastry Cream, Brioche Donuts with Chocolate Bourbon Glaze, Pumpkin Poundcake with Chocolate, and Pumpkin Scones.

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A few things:

Baked From Scratch Magazine has their Holiday Cookie issue out. I contributed a few recipes to it, and you can find it here.

The Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day book (affiliate link) is available for pre-order! I’ve worked on the last four Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day books, and helped photograph this new book. It’s a wonderful collection, and I’ll be sharing from it later this week.

It’s a *little* early for Christmas music, but this Ingrid Michaelson Songs For the Season (affiliate link) album came out this week, and it’s pretty gosh darn lovely.

baked pumpkin donuts

Notes for Making This Recipe:

Not all donut pans are made the same. I used this one here (affiliate link), which makes a slightly smaller, thicker donut than a standard donut pan. If you do use a pan like this, you will have to bake the donuts a few minutes longer.

You can also make these donuts into muffins: scoop 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Follow directions for brushing with melted butter and coating in sugar.

baked pumpkin donuts
baked pumpkin donuts

Cinnamon Sugar Baked Pumpkin Donuts

Servings: 12 donuts
Sarah Kieffer
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/4 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 10 tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (149g) brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs

Sugar coating

  • 3/4 cup (149g) granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

  • Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease the donut pan.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves.
  • In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and pumpkin puree.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter for a minute until creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of the pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.
  • Scoop or pipe the batter into a donut pan, filling almost to the top (using a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off to pipe the donuts will make for a more even donut, but a spoon will work, too). Smooth the top if needed. Bake for 8-10 minutes (or longer if your pan is deeper, see note), until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the sugar coating.
  • Flip the donuts from the pan onto a wire rack. Working with one at a time, brush the donuts all over with butter, and then coat both sides in the sugar mixture. Let cool on the wire rack. The donuts are best eaten the same day they are made.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food.

  • Reply
    Melissa
    Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 8:02 pm

    I’m currently dairy free while breastfeeding. Could the buttermilk be subbed for something like coconut milk?

  • Reply
    carrie
    Monday, November 5, 2018 at 8:01 am

    would love to print some of your recipes but alas i cannot figure out where the PRINT button is!!! please help!! thank you!

    • Reply
      Kristine Angelo
      Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 11:18 am

      I am having the same problem, there is no Print button included with this yummy Pumpkin Donut recipe!

  • Reply
    Natalie
    Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 11:37 pm

    YUM! These doughnut muffins look so delicious and I love how easy they are to make!

  • Reply
    Lauren
    Monday, December 2, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    Made these last night. I got 12 “normal” sized muffins and 12 mini’s out of 1 batch. They were delicious! Thank you!! Oh, and I split the flour b/w white and whole wheat – so that they were healthy 🙂

  • Reply
    LRMJ
    Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    Hi! Thanks for inspiring some yummy pumpkin muffins in our home tonight, they’re in the oven now & smell fab! Just a quick comment on the recipe–you mention allspice in the directions, but there’s no mention or measure of it in the ingredients list. And inversely you mention vanilla in the ingredients list, but then there is no mention of the vanilla in the directions! I’m an experienced baker, so no biggie for me, but just in case a novice lands on your delicious recipe 🙂

    • Reply
      Sarah
      Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 5:19 pm

      Thanks so much for letting me know!! Sorry about that – all fixed. 🙂 And, I hope you liked the muffins!

  • Reply
    Lindsay
    Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 1:40 am

    I like how you wrote this. Thanks for making a random reader smile.

  • Reply
    eatinginorout
    Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 1:05 am

    I saw these last year and knew I had to make them. I think I have to get to them sooner rather than later!

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