Pumpkin Donuts
Flavorful pumpkin donuts coated in pumpkin spice sugar, creating a perfectly crunchy exterior to contrast the tender, fluffy center. These donuts have the perfect texture and are bursting with the best flavors of autumn. A must for any fall brunch!
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When I decided to make pumpkin donuts, I thought I might be overdoing it. Not that pumpkin donuts are a bad idea, but just that I might have too many pumpkin recipes in my fall recipe plan. But then I remembered:
There’s no such thing as too much pumpkin.
And this year just felt like a pumpkin year. Some years just are. So I decided to try my hand at donuts for literally the first time ever. In fact, I made these weeks before my blueberry applesauce donuts.
Wow. Just, wow.
These were one of my favorite fall bakes this entire year. The texture was so soft and fluffy yet sturdy—that perfect donut texture. And dipping them in pumpkin spice sugar was key. The combination of dipping them in butter fresh out of the oven then coating them right away in sugar creates that perfect donut crunch on the outside. Which complements the tender pumpkin cake donut in the center.
Why this recipe works
I struck gold my first try with these donuts. I actually based them on my pumpkin bread, but wanted them more cake-y, so I altered the ratios of liquid and dry ingredients. It was the perfect blend of structure and fluffiness.
The pumpkin both adds a great flavor and helps the donuts retain their moisture. Luckily, pumpkin provides moisture yet also a bit of lift, which is aided by the melted butter and the use of baking powder. So, while the donuts are very moist, they’re also still super fluffy and tender. They’re right there in that sweet spot of dense enough to be a donut without tasting dry.
And the flavors! I use quite a bit of pumpkin pie spices—right in that sweet spot where it’s not overwhelming but it’s there and delicious. Then I tossed it in pumpkin pie spiced sugar after baking. Coating them in butter straight out of the oven then dipping them right into the spiced sugar makes the coating stay and also adds that quintessential “donut” crunch to an otherwise tender donut.
Key ingredients
Flour. Always spoon then level the flour so you don’t pack it in.
Sugar. One hard concession I made was using only granulated sugar. It’s necessary to get the right “donut” texture.
Ground cinnamon. I like a little extra cinnamon in my pumpkin desserts, so I add just an extra teaspoon.
Pumpkin pie spice. I use The Spice Lab’s Pumpkin Pie Spice, which my husband found at Costco (he is a Costco fiend and finds the best stuff there).
Butter. Unsalted is preferable, but if you only have salted, omit the salt from the recipe.
Baking powder. This helps create a lovely rise that’s not too airy but also not dense.
Salt. I prefer sea salt in my baking, but table salt works, too.
Plain pumpkin. Use plain pumpkin puree, not pie filling. If it’s a little on the loose, applesauce-y side, see the note below about blotting it to dry it out before measuring it.
Eggs. Use fresh, room temperature eggs.
Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste).
How to make pumpkin donuts
1. Sift and whisk dry ingredients. Sifting helps create that super tender texture.
2. Whisk pumpkin, egg(s), and vanilla. Whisk until well combined, about a minute.
3. Slowly whisk in melted butter. Whisk quickly while slowly streaming in the butter to avoid scrambling the eggs.
4. Whisk in sugar. Whisk about a minute, to partially dissolve the sugar.
5. Fold in dry ingredients. It should still be lumpy but have no visibly dry streaks of flour.
6. Pour into a greased donut pan(s).
7. Bake. Bake until a toothpick comes out with just some moist crumbs. This happens quickly, so watch them carefully.
8. Prep the coating while donuts bake. If you’re the clean-while-things-bake type, make the spiced sugar and pre-melt the dipping butter before starting the donuts, so it’s ready to go when they’re hot. You may need to reheat the butter if it has started to solidify.
9. Dip warm donuts in butter then sugar. Do this within a few minutes of removing from the oven, using tongs or a kebab spear if needed. You can either dip the donuts or brush them with butter. Coat immediately with sugar so it sticks.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
What if my pumpkin is thin?
I used Libby’s for this recipe (thank you, Costco, for the superfluous amount of pumpkin!), but I usually use Trader Joe’s pumpkin, which is on the watery side. Think of the difference between applesauce and mashed potatoes (the kind you can scoop that will somewhat hold their shape—not potato puree). If your pumpkin is more like applesauce, you’ll want to blot it with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture OR add two more tablespoons of flour to the recipe (3 if using the 9x5 recipe option). Otherwise, you may have a slightly denser cake that will take longer to bake.
Do I have to sift the flour?
Yes! Sifting is key in baking, particularly in anything cake-y. It helps it mix into the wet ingredients more easily, preventing clumps as well as circumventing the urge to over-stir and create a tough, rubbery texture.
Spoon then level your flour
Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.
Double the recipe as needed
This recipe makes about 10-12 donuts, depending on your pan and how full you fill it. If you need a larger batch, you can double or even triple it. A double recipe would literally just be double, but since math loves to trick even the best of us, here’s a double recipe:
For the donuts:
2 1/2 cups (340g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 teaspoons (10g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (6g) salt
2 tablespoons (16g) pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons (6g) ground cinnamon
1 cup (244g) pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons (26g) pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (84g) melted unsalted butter
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
For the spiced sugar coating (you don’t quite need a double batch):
2/3 cup (113g) salted butter, melted
2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (11g) pumpkin pie spice
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these donuts. Affiliate links provided.
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Pumpkin Donuts
- prep time: 5-10 minutes
- bake time: 9-11 minutes
- total time: 21 minutes
servings: 10-12
Ingredients:
for the donuts
- 1 ¼ cups (170g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 1 tablespoons (8g) pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (122g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ tablespoon (6g) pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (42g) melted unsalted butter
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
for the spiced sugar coating
- ½ cup (113g) salted butter, melted
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (8g) pumpkin pie spice
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350F/175C. Grease 12 wells of your donut pan(s) lightly with butter or baking spray.
- First, make the donuts. Melt the butter and set aside. Don’t let it cool enough to solidify, but do let it cool somewhat before using.
- Using a large fine mesh sieve, sift then whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, vanilla, and egg until very well combined. Slowly stream in the melted butter while whisking quickly (this prevents scrambling the eggs).
- Add the sugar to the wet ingredients and whisk for about 1 minute, until the sugar looks partially dissolved. You can whisk it by hand or, if using a stand or hand mixer, mix on medium.
- Add the flour mixture and stir or fold in gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Don’t worry if it’s a little lumpy–that will bake out.
- Spoon into your prepared donut pans. Fill until roughly level with the center hole thingy (I believe that’s the technical term).
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, a toothpick inserted in one of the middle donuts comes out with some moist crumbs. Check early so they don’t over bake–each oven is different. Let cool in pan for just a few minutes while you prep the coating.
- While the donuts are baking and cooling, whisk together the sugar and pumpkin pie spice for the coating in a shallow, wide bowl (at least twice as wide in diameter as the donut–it makes coating them easier). Melt the butter, being sure it is still hot when you’re ready to coat the donuts.
- Once the donuts are cool enough to handle (or using tongs or a kebab stick to handle them), remove from pan and use a pastry brush to coat both sides with butter, getting the inside and outer edges on both sides.
- Immediately place in the sugar bowl and toss to coat, using a spoon or your fingers to coat the sugar on the inside and outer edges. Be sure to coat well, as some will inevitably fall off.
Enjoy with your morning coffee!
These will last, loosely covered, 2-3 days. You can store these in an airtight container to make them last longer, but the cinnamon sugar coating will become a bit soft by the second day due to the moisture in the container.