Don’t be fooled, these baked pumpkin donuts are just as rich and decadent as their fried counterparts. The maple butter glaze is the icing on the cake.
Baked pumpkin donuts are so much easier to make than traditional fried donuts, and they’re really really good. My coworkers can attest to that. I’ve tested out several different versions of this recipe and no surprise, the batch with the most butter and salt won!
Ingredient Notes
- Pumpkin pie spice is a great alternative to my spice blend.
- To make a buttermilk substitute, combine milk with a little white vinegar, or mix together yogurt and milk until you achieve a buttermilk like consistency. See recipe notes for more details.
- Make sure to use plain, canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
Recipe Steps
To make these Baked Pumpkin Donuts, first sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices (1). In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla (2). Then, combine the wet and dry ingredients, and stir in the melted butter (3). Transfer batter to a greased donut pan (4). Bake at 350F for roughly 9-12 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
For the glaze, simply whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted butter. Dip the donuts into the glaze and allow to set on a wire rack.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or up to 3-5 days in the fridge.
- You can freeze any extra donuts for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a resealable freezer bag. To defrost, place in the fridge the night before you want to eat them. Then place on the counter until room temperature.
- Alternative topping ideas: chocolate ganache (try this recipe minus the wine), cinnamon sugar coating, finely chopped walnuts or pecans on top (add before the glaze sets), or chocolate chips in the batter.
To check for doneness on a baked donut, insert a toothpick into the center of the thickest donut. It will come out clean when it’s cooked through.
You can bake this batter in a muffin pan instead of a donut pan. Twelve baked donuts should equate to about 6 muffins. The muffins will take longer to cook as they are thicker.
Related Recipes
- Baked Matcha Donuts
- Old Fashioned Apple Cider Donuts
- Jelly Donuts
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Pumpkin Meringue Pie
- Healthy Homemade Granola Bars
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins with Pecan Streusel
- Breakfast Oatmeal Smoothies
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Pumpkin Cake
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Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 dozen donuts 1x
Description
Don’t be fooled, these baked pumpkin donuts are just as rich and decadent as their fried counterparts. The maple butter glaze is the icing on the cake.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon*
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 Pinch cloves
- 1 Pinch allspice
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup buttermilk*
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep oven and pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two donut pans with melted butter.
- Mix dry ingredients: Place a sieve over a large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices to sieve. Sift ingredients together into bowl.
- Mix wet ingredients: In another bowl, add egg and sugar. Whisk until very smooth. Add pumpkin, milk and vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Mix wet and dry: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk together. Stir in melted, cooled butter.
- Pipe into pans: Transfer batter to a piping bag. Cut tip making a ¾ inch opening and pipe into greased pans. You can also use a spoon to transfer batter to the pan. If you only have one donut pan, bake in two batches.
- Bake and cool: Bake for 9-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then invert pan onto wire rack. Allow donuts to cool completely.
- Glaze and enjoy: Sift powdered sugar into a large bowl. Stir in maple, butter and vanilla. Dip cooled donuts into glaze and allow to set on a wire rack. After about 30 minutes, I dipped the donuts for a second time. Enjoy.
Notes
- You may substitute 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for the spices in this recipe.
- You can make a buttermilk substitute one of two ways: combine ¾ cup of whole of 2% milk with 2 teaspoons of white vinegar and allow to sit for 5 minutes, OR combine ½ cup plain yogurt with about ¼ cup milk.
- This glaze recipe was adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
- If you don’t have a donut pan, try a muffin pan. Baking times will vary.
- Make sure your donuts are completely cooled before glazing. The temperature of the glaze also affects the final results. When my glaze was warmer, it appeared thinner on my donuts and reminded me more of a bakery style glazed donut. Some of the glaze also soaked into the donut, which was tasty. When the glaze was cooler, it created a thicker layer and was more like frosted donut.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- To freeze, wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a resealable freezer bag. Store up to 3 months. To defrost, place in the fridge the night before you want to eat them. Then place on the counter until room temperature.
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Donuts
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 185mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 43mg
This post was updated with new images, a video and a slightly adjusted recipe. My original recipe included a chocolate glaze, so I provided a link to a ganache recipe as an alternative topping.
These donuts are the perfect fall treat! Love the video!!
Thanks, Marissa 🙂
You’re doing some amazing work Sabrina. Much enjoyed reading your biography in culinary until present. I wish you the best in your current work and look forward to your updates. Thank you.
Thanks, so so much Bobby!