Pumpkin Doughnuts Recipe tastes like a cozy fall morning in every bite, with warm spices, tender crumb, and a light sugar crunch. It works perfectly for busy home cooks who want bakery-style pumpkin doughnuts in about 35 minutes total, including baking time. I tested this recipe so many times that my neighbors now judge the seasons by the smell in my kitchen.
Why Pumpkin Doughnuts Recipe Is Worth It
Baked pumpkin doughnuts taste like pumpkin pie and a cinnamon sugar doughnut had a very delicious little pastry child. They come out soft, moist, and full of pumpkin spice flavor without deep frying or fancy equipment.
You mix everything in one bowl, spoon it into a doughnut pan, and bake. Cleanup stays easy, the house smells like a coffee shop in October, and you control the sweetness and spice level.
“These pumpkin doughnuts taste like a bakery treat, but they come together faster than a coffee run and disappear even faster. ★★★★★”
Ingredients You Need
Here is everything you need to make this Pumpkin Doughnuts Recipe at home, plus some helpful notes and swaps.
Dry ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- Use a good quality unbleached flour for best texture.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- You can swap the individual spices for 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice if you keep that in your pantry.
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- Use 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Libby’s or store brand both work.
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup neutral oil, such as canola, vegetable, or light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk (dairy or unsweetened non dairy)
Cinnamon sugar coating
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- Use salted butter if you like a sweet salty contrast.
Optional glaze instead of sugar coating
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk (dairy or non dairy)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Equipment list
- 2 standard nonstick doughnut pans (6 cavities each)
- If you own only one pan, bake in two batches.
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk and rubber spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wire cooling rack
- Small bowl for cinnamon sugar
- Pastry bag or zip top bag (optional, for easier filling)
Quick Tips & substitutions
- Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, since that version includes sugar and spices.
- Blot very wet pumpkin with paper towels if it looks watery, so the batter stays thick and bakes fluffy.
- Swap the individual spices for pumpkin pie spice if that already sits in your cabinet.
- Use avocado oil or melted coconut oil instead of vegetable oil if you prefer.
- Use half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour for a slightly heartier doughnut.
- Fill the doughnut pan only about 3/4 full so the batter does not overflow and close the hole.
- Use a zip top bag with the corner snipped off to pipe the batter neatly into the pan.
- Coat the doughnuts in cinnamon sugar while they still feel slightly warm so the sugar sticks.
- Choose the glaze instead of sugar coating if you plan to store the doughnuts longer than one day.
- Cool the doughnuts fully before glazing so the glaze sets instead of sliding off.
How to Make Pumpkin Doughnuts Recipe
Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Break up any little clumps of flour or spice. Set the bowl aside near your mixer space.
Mix the wet ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, vanilla, and milk. Whisk until the mixture looks smooth and glossy with no streaks of egg. Scrape the sides of the bowl so everything combines evenly.
Combine wet and dry
Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold the batter together until no dry flour streaks remain. Stop mixing as soon as the batter looks uniform, since extra stirring can toughen the doughnuts.
Fill the doughnut pans
Lightly grease the doughnut pans with baking spray or a thin coat of oil. Spoon the batter into each cavity or pipe it in with a bag, filling each one about 3/4 full. Smooth the tops lightly with the back of a spoon if needed.
Bake the doughnuts
Preheat your oven to 350°F while you mix the batter, or start it earlier if your oven heats slowly. Place the filled pans on the middle rack and bake 12 to 14 minutes, until the doughnuts spring back when you gently press them and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Rotate the pans halfway through baking if your oven heats unevenly.
Cool before coating
Remove the pans from the oven and set them on a wire rack. Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes so they firm up. Turn the pans over and lift them off so the doughnuts drop onto the rack, then let them cool until just warm.
Coat with cinnamon sugar
Stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Brush each warm doughnut lightly with melted butter, then toss it in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated. Set the coated doughnuts back on the rack so the sugar sets.
Or glaze the doughnuts
Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl until smooth and pourable. Dip the top of each cooled doughnut into the glaze, then lift and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Place the glazed doughnuts on the rack and let the glaze firm up for about 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Variations
- Gluten free: Use a good 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour blend and add 1 extra tablespoon milk if the batter looks very thick.
- Dairy free: Use non dairy milk and dairy free butter for the coating or glaze.
- Egg free: Use 2 flax eggs or a commercial egg replacer that works in baked goods.
- Lower sugar: Cut the sugar in the batter by 2 to 3 tablespoons and skip the coating or use a light dusting only.
- Chocolate chip pumpkin doughnuts: Fold 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips into the batter.
- Maple glazed pumpkin doughnuts: Replace some of the milk in the glaze with pure maple syrup and add a pinch of extra salt.
- Nutty pumpkin doughnuts: Add 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to the batter.
- Extra spice: Add a pinch of black pepper to the spices for a subtle warmth that deepens the pumpkin flavor.
Ways to Serve
- Serve warm with hot coffee, chai, or a mug of hot chocolate.
- Add a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt and sliced fruit for a fun weekend breakfast plate.
- Pack cooled doughnuts in lunchboxes as a fall treat.
- Top with a drizzle of warm maple syrup and a sprinkle of chopped nuts for brunch.
- Serve on a dessert board with apple slices, caramel dip, and a bowl of whipped cream.
Storage Success
Let the pumpkin doughnuts cool completely before you store them so condensation does not make them soggy. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days if you coated them in cinnamon sugar. Store glazed doughnuts in a single layer in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days, then bring them to room temperature before serving. Freeze unglazed doughnuts in a freezer bag for up to 2 months and add the coating or glaze after they thaw.
Pumpkin Doughnuts Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves until well combined and no clumps remain. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, vanilla, and milk until the mixture looks smooth and glossy with no streaks of egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything combines evenly.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the batter together until no dry flour streaks remain. Stop mixing as soon as the batter looks uniform to keep the doughnuts tender.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease two standard nonstick doughnut pans. Spoon or pipe the batter into each cavity, filling about 3/4 full and smoothing the tops if needed.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the doughnuts spring back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Rotate the pans halfway through baking if your oven heats unevenly.
- Remove the pans from the oven and set them on a wire rack. Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then turn the pans over to release the doughnuts onto the rack. Cool until just warm before coating.
- In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Brush each warm doughnut lightly with melted butter, then toss in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated. Return the coated doughnuts to the rack so the sugar sets.
- For a glaze instead of cinnamon sugar, whisk the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice in a bowl until smooth and pourable.
- Dip the top of each completely cooled doughnut into the glaze, let the excess drip back into the bowl, then place on the rack and allow the glaze to firm up for about 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Approximate per 1 of 12 doughnuts (with cinnamon sugar coating): 260 calories; fat 13 g; saturated fat 3 g; carbohydrates 34 g; fiber 1 g; sugars 19 g; protein 3 g; sodium 210 mg. Values will vary based on brands, exact coating or glaze used, and portion size.