Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts | Precious Core

October 29, 2024 Stan

These 30-minute soft and buttery Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts are baked, not fried and filled with warm spices that perfectly depict the flavors of fall.

Three pumpkin spice doughnuts stacked on each other.

After baking these homemade pumpkin donuts, coat them in crunchy cinnamon sugar, and no one will be able to resist them! They rival any fried doughnuts!

Pumpkin doughnuts coated in cinnamon sugar.

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

When the fall season is in full swing, I get in a baking mood! I make Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Roll Cake, and Chocolate Chip Cookies to warm up the house and have a great afterschool snack for the kids (and myself 🤷🏾‍♀️).

These Baked Pumpkin Donuts are one of my favorite pumpkin recipes to make to get in the mood of autumn. I love them with a piping-hot cup of coffee in the afternoon.

Baked pumpkin doughnuts on a wooden board.

I am a huge fan of yeast donuts like my Sugar Coated Donuts or African Twisted Doughnuts, but these cake donuts are so soft and perfectly spiced that they will convince even donut purists. (Donut purists: people who think donuts must be fried.)

You’ll love this recipe for several reasons. There’s no need to deal with hot oil and monitor oil temperature for deep-frying! It’s so simple, requiring only 30 minutes from start to finish. So you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time.

So whether for a cozy fall breakfast, the perfect fall treat, to accompany your afternoon tea or for Thanksgiving celebrations, you will love this pumpkin donut recipe.

It has amazing pumpkin spice flavor, it’s buttery, it’s soft, and you do not need an electric mixer to make it! It’s the appropriate recipe to make when it’s pumpkin season!

Cinnamon sugar pumpkin doughnuts on a wooden board.

What If I Don’t Have A Donut Pan?

No donut pan? No worries! You can adapt this recipe to fit a 12-cup muffin tin by following these steps:

Roll small sheets of aluminum foil into cylinders. Make them tall enough so they are slightly taller than the muffin pan.
Grease the muffin cups and aluminum foil generously.
Pipe the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a donut comes out clean.

Note: Doughnuts baked this way might bake for a shorter time as they are smaller than the bigger doughnuts baked in a doughnut pan. Here is a great guide on how to turn your muffin tin into a doughnut pan.

Recipe Ingredients

Sometimes, basic ingredients yield the best results, and these pumpkin spice doughnuts are here to prove it! Here is everything you need for baked pumpkin spice donuts:

Ingredients for pumpkin spice doughnuts with labels on them.

Some notes on key ingredients:

Pumpkin Puree: Adds amazing pumpkin flavor. You can use store-bought pumpkin puree or make it at home by roasting pupkin until softened then scooping the flesh into a blender and blending it into a puree. I love to get organic pumpkin puree because I find the flavor to be richer than that of conventional pumpkin purees.
Pumpkin Spice: You can easily make your own pumpkin spice by combining ground nutmeg, cloves, ginger and cinnamon powder. Or store-bought works as well. I love to stock up on pumpkin spice during the fall season.
Cinnamon Sugar: This is the finishing touch that takes these doughnuts over the top. Easily make your own cinnamon sugar by combining 3 parts of granulated sugar with one part of cinnamon powder.
Room Temperature Butter: Use softened or room temperature butter for the batter so it can easily be incorporated with the other ingredients.

For the full list of ingredients with measurements, check out the recipe card below.

Cinnamon sugar pumpkin doughnuts with a bite taken out of one.

Recipe Variations

Add Vanilla Extract: Add vanilla extract to the batter for more flavor! Have you tried my Homemade Vanilla Extract recipe? It is so good and makes the perfect holiday gift!
Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts: Sub the pumpkin puree for apple sauce and the pumpkin pie spice for cinnamon powder.
Maple Glaze: Instead of the cinnamon sugar topping you can make an easy maple glaze for topping the doughnuts. To make maple icing, combine one tablespoon of butter and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and melt together on low heat. Whisk in about half a cup of icing/powdered sugar then dip the cooled doughnuts into the maple icing.
Mini Donuts: To make mini doughnut holes, generously grease a mini muffin pan, add the batter to each cup to about halfway full, and bake the doughnuts for about 8 minutes. You can also make these donuts in a mini donut pan.

Love pumpkin recipes? Also check out my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes which are a family favorite.

How To Make Pumpkin Donuts

Preheat oven and grease donut pan: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Generously grease a doughnut pan or a muffin tin.

Sift together the dry ingredients. Using a fine mesh sieve and sifting into a medium bowl, sift together all purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt.

Whisk together the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, milk and softened butter.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.

Pipe batter into greased donut pan. Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe it into a greased doughnut pan, or prepared muffin tin.

Pumpkin spice batter piped into doughnut pan.

To easily pipe the batter into the doughnut pan, add the batter to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Cut one end with a pair of scissors, then pipe the batter into the pan about 3/4 way full. This makes adding the batter to the donut pan uniform and neat.

Bake until done. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place them on a wire rack.

Baked pumpkin spice doughnuts in doughnut pan.

Roll in melted butter and coat with cinnamon sugar. While the doughnuts cool down, melt the butter for the coating in a small pot on medium heat. Be careful not to burn the butter. Dip both sides of each doughnut into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar to coat.

Note: it’s okay to coat the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar while they are still warm but not hot!

All six baked doughnuts coated in cinnamon sugar.

These doughnuts are best enjoyed on the day they are made. There’s nothing like warm freshly made doughnuts!

Tips For Success

For extra soft doughnuts, substitute half of the all-purpose flour with cake flour.
For the perfect doughnut, use fresh pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice can lose its potency over time. You can make your own pumpkin spice by combining ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and all-spice.
You can make a vanilla glaze to drizzle on the doughnuts by combining confectioners’ sugar with a splash of milk and a splash of vanilla extract.

Pumpkin spice doughnuts stacked on each other.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these in an air fryer?

I haven’t tested this recipe in an air fryer yet. Since an air fryer cooks faster than a regular oven, I suggest reducing the cooking time if you choose to make it in an air fryer.

Can I glaze the doughnut?

Yes, you can make a simple vanilla icing or another flavored icing you like to go with the doughnuts. If you choose to glaze the doughnuts, I suggest glazing them as soon as you make the glaze as the glaze will thicken as it cools. If your glaze gets too thick, warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave or on low heat on the stovetop so it can be runny again.

Can these be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze the plain doughnuts in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When they are ready to be eaten, thaw them overnight in the fridge or on the countertop. Then you can warm them up in the oven before enjoying them.

More Doughnut Recipes To Try

Love these pumpkin spice doughnuts? Here are more doughnut recipes to try:

More Fall Baking Recipes

Here are some of my favorite recipes to make for fall!

If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!

For Cinnamon Sugar Coating

Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Grease Donut Pan: Generously grease a doughnut pan or a muffin tin (see instructions for a muffin tin in the notes).
Sift Dry Ingredients: Using a fine mesh sieve and sifting into a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt.

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice, ½ teaspoon salt
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, milk and softened butter.

½ cup pumpkin puree, ½ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup whole milk, 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Combine Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.
Pipe the Batter: Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe it into a greased doughnut pan, or prepared muffin tin, filling each until it is ¾ full.
Bake: Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a doughnut comes out clean or the doughnuts bounce back when touched. Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
Prepare Coating: While the doughnuts cool down, melt the butter for the coating in a small pot on medium heat. Be careful not to burn the butter.

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Coat the Doughnuts: Dip both sides of each doughnut into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar to coat. It’s okay to coat the doughnuts when they are still warm.

¼ cup cinnamon sugar
Serving: These doughnuts are best enjoyed on the day they are made!

Use a muffin tin as a doughnut pan: To use a muffin tin as a doughnut pan, roll small sheets of aluminum foil into cylinders. Make them tall enough so they are taller than the muffin pan. Then grease the muffin cups generously, together with the tin foil. Pipe the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a donut comes out clean. Doughnuts baked this way will bake for a shorter time as they are smaller than the bigger doughnuts baked in a doughnut pan.
Make them vegan: To make these doughnuts vegan, substitute the butter for vegan butter or coconut oil and substitute the milk for plant-based milk such as oat or almond milk.
Vanilla Glaze: Instead of coating the doughnuts in cinnamon sugar, you can make a vanilla glaze to drizzle on the doughnuts by combining confectioners’ sugar with a splash of milk and a splash of vanilla extract.