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Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts are perfect for a fall breakfast! They are soft and moist and full of pumpkin spiced flavor with a delicate cinnamon sugar coating.
Add these homemade pumpkin doughnuts to your menu for the perfect fall brunch. Serve them with Baked Egg Muffins, Breakfast Potatoes, and fruit. They are also a great on the go snack option, and perfect for classroom treats.
Pumpkin doughnuts are my absolute favorite fall snack and they are perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or a cup of tea in the afternoon. My daughter loves to bake and pumpkin doughnuts have become one of her favorite things to make. This is an easy recipe that anyone can handle!
These doughnuts are baked instead of fried so they have a moist, cake-like texture. They are delicious plain or dipped in cinnamon sugar, and the small batch recipe can easily be doubled for sharing with friends. Plus they’re easy to make, so tasty, and save me an early morning trip to the donut shop!
Ingredients to Make Pumpkin Doughnuts
- Pumpkin puree – You only need about half of a 15-ounce can. Make sure to get the pure pumpkin puree and not pie filling which has added ingredients.
- Egg – Just one, to help bind the batter and make them moist.
- Vegetable oil – adds moisture to the batter.
- Brown sugar – I prefer brown sugar for pumpkin recipes because it’s got that warm, molasses flavor that just screams fall.
- Salt
- Flour
- Pumpkin pie spice – You can find this premixed in the spice aisle or make your own. It’s usually a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice. You could use plain cinnamon if you prefer.
- Baking powder – this is what help your batter rise and gives you fluffy doughnuts.
- Cinnamon & Sugar dust – for coating the finished doughnuts
How to Make Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts
This easy recipe is perfect for beginner bakers and experienced chefs alike.
- Mix together wet ingredients.
- Whisk together dry ingredients.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, then let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Fill the donut pan with batter, about 2/3 full.
- Bake until cooked all the way through and dip in cinnamon sugar.
What can I use instead of a donut pan?
To get that perfectly round shape with the signature hole in the center, use a donut pan. If you don’t have a donut pan and don’t really want to add one to your collection, you can use a muffin pan. This recipe will make about about a dozen muffins.
Expert Tips
- A great tip for filling the donut pan – pour the batter into a gallon sized plastic bag. Snip off one end and pipe the batter into the pan.
- Love pumpkin spice? Swap it out for this cinnamon in the sugar dust!
- For icing, make a powdered sugar glaze instead by whisking powdered sugar with a little bit of milk and cinnamon and drizzling over the pumpkin doughnuts.
- Store leftover pumpkin puree in the freezer for the next time you have a craving for pumpkin donuts!
- Or, use the leftover puree for Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Sugar Cookies, Pumpkin Apple Bread and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread. For something savory, try our Pumpkin Alfredo!
Storage and Freezing Tips
Doughnuts are at their peak when enjoyed fresh, and warm or at room temperature. Once they have completely cooled, they can be stored up to 3-4 days at room temperature in a sealed container or plastic bag.
If you want to freeze a batch, I recommend doing so plain. The cinnamon sugar an get soggy when thawed. Arrange the cooled doughnuts on a baking tray and freeze for 2 hours. Once they have hardened, place them in a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Love
- Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
- Pumpkin Pie & Apple Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Pie Baked French Toast
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip
Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts
Equipment
- donut pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Cinnamon sugar dust:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix the pumpkin puree, egg, vegetable oil and brown sugar together until combined smoothly.
- Whisk together the salt, flour, pumpkin pie spice and baking powder in a separate bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients just until combined. Let the mixture sit, covered with a towel for 10 minutes.
- Spray a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fill them ¾ of the way. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- While the donuts are baking, whisk the sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before tossing them in the cinnamon sugar.
Finally bought myself a donut pan and this was my first baked donut recipe. They were delicious, and very easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe!
You are so welcome Beth! Thanks for stopping by.