Pumpkin Spice Donuts Recipe tastes like a cozy fall morning with warm spices, soft cake texture, and a crunchy cinnamon-sugar or glazed finish. It works perfectly for busy home bakers who want a bakery-style treat in about 35 minutes from start to finish. I tested this recipe on a random Tuesday afternoon and ate three in a row, so you can say I feel pretty invested in your donut success.
Why You Should Try This Pumpkin Spice Donuts Recipe
These baked pumpkin spice donuts taste tender, moist, and full of cinnamon, nutmeg, and real pumpkin flavor. You get that classic pumpkin spice latte vibe in donut form, without deep frying or fancy equipment.
The recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and canned pumpkin puree, so you skip any complicated prep. You mix, pipe, bake, and coat, and the donuts hit the table faster than a coffee shop line moves on a chilly October morning.
“These pumpkin spice donuts taste like a bakery treat, come together fast, and disappear even faster. ★★★★★”
Ingredients You’ll Need
You can make this Pumpkin Spice Donuts Recipe with basic pantry staples and a few fall baking favorites. I will note easy swaps and brand tips as we go.
Dry ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 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
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
You can use store brand flour and sugar without any issue. If you love stronger spice flavor, you can bump the cinnamon to 2 teaspoons.
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup neutral oil (canola, vegetable, or light olive oil)
- 1/3 cup whole milk (or 2% milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Use 100% pumpkin puree and check the label so you avoid pumpkin pie filling. I like Libby’s pumpkin puree because it stays thick and not watery, but any thick puree works.
Cinnamon sugar coating (option 1)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
You can swap in brown sugar for half of the granulated sugar if you want a deeper caramel note. Use real butter here, not margarine, for the best flavor.
Vanilla glaze (option 2)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2–3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
You can thin the glaze with extra milk if you want a light drizzle or keep it thick for a nice opaque coating. Use any milk you have on hand, including oat or almond milk.
Equipment list
- 2 standard nonstick donut pans (6-cavity each)
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk and rubber spatula
- Piping bag or large zip-top bag (for easy batter portioning)
- Cooling rack
- Small bowls for coatings and glaze
If you only own one donut pan, you can bake the batter in batches. Just keep the remaining batter at room temperature while the first batch bakes.
Tips & Tricks
- Grease the donut pans lightly with baking spray or oil so the donuts release cleanly.
- Use thick canned pumpkin puree and avoid watery brands so the donuts stay fluffy, not gummy.
- Whisk dry ingredients well before you add wet ingredients so the baking powder and soda distribute evenly.
- Mix the batter just until it looks combined so you avoid tough donuts.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag or zip-top bag and pipe it into the pans for neat, even donuts.
- Fill each donut cavity about 2/3 full so the batter rises nicely without spilling over.
- Let the donuts cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then move them to a rack so steam does not make them soggy.
- Coat donuts in cinnamon sugar while they still feel warm so the sugar sticks well.
- If you plan to glaze them, let the donuts cool fully so the glaze sets instead of sliding off.
- Taste your pumpkin puree before baking and adjust spices slightly if the puree tastes very bland.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Donuts Recipe
Mix the dry ingredients
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease your donut pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and brown sugar.
- Break up any brown sugar clumps with your fingers or the whisk so the mixture looks even and light.
Combine the wet ingredients
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk pumpkin puree until it looks smooth.
- Add eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla to the pumpkin and whisk until the mixture looks silky and uniform.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl so no streaks of pumpkin or egg hide at the bottom.
Bring the batter together
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold the batter together gently until no dry flour streaks remain.
- Stop mixing as soon as the batter looks smooth and thick so the donuts stay tender.
Fill the donut pans
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag or a zip-top bag and snip off the tip.
- Pipe the batter into each donut cavity, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Tap the pans gently on the counter so the batter settles and air bubbles rise.
Bake the donuts
- Place the pans in the oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the tops spring back lightly when you touch them.
- Insert a toothpick into one donut and check that it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the pans from the oven and set them on a cooling rack.
Cool and release
- Let the donuts sit in the pan for 5 minutes so they firm up.
- Run a small offset spatula or butter knife around the edges if any spots stick.
- Lift the donuts out and place them directly on the cooling rack.
Coat with cinnamon sugar
- Stir granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl.
- Brush each warm donut lightly with melted butter, then dip and roll it in the cinnamon sugar until coated.
- Set the coated donuts back on the rack and repeat with the rest.
Or glaze with vanilla icing
- In a bowl, whisk powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
- Add a tiny splash more milk if the glaze looks too thick, or more powdered sugar if it looks too thin.
- Dip the top of each fully cooled donut into the glaze, let the extra drip off, then place it on the rack.
- Let the glaze set for about 15 minutes before serving so it forms a soft, sweet shell.
What to Serve with Pumpkin Spice Donuts Recipe
These pumpkin spice donuts pair beautifully with hot coffee, chai tea, or a big mug of cocoa. Kids love them with cold milk or warm apple cider. You can serve them on a brunch board with scrambled eggs, fruit salad, and yogurt so the meal feels balanced. I also like to offer both cinnamon sugar and glazed donuts on the same platter so everyone can pick a favorite.
Storage Options
- Store leftover donuts at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Keep them in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days if your kitchen runs warm.
- Freeze unglazed or glazed donuts on a baking sheet until solid, then move them to a freezer bag and keep them up to 2 months.
- Reheat room temperature or chilled donuts in a 300°F oven or toaster oven for 4–6 minutes until warm and soft again.
- Warm frozen donuts in a 300°F oven for about 8–10 minutes, then roll in fresh cinnamon sugar if needed or refresh the glaze with a quick drizzle.
Pumpkin Spice Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease two standard 6-cavity donut pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, fine sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and brown sugar until evenly combined and no sugar clumps remain.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree until smooth.
- Add the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla to the pumpkin and whisk until the mixture looks silky and uniform, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the batter together just until no dry streaks of flour remain; do not overmix.
- Transfer the thick batter to a piping bag or large zip-top bag and snip off the tip.
- Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pans, filling each cavity about two-thirds full, then tap the pans gently on the counter to release air bubbles.
- Bake the donuts for 10–12 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted into one donut comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack and let the donuts rest in the pans for 5 minutes.
- Run a small spatula or butter knife around the edges if needed, then lift the donuts out and place them directly on the cooling rack.
- In a shallow bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Place the melted butter in a small bowl.
- While the donuts are still warm, lightly brush each donut with melted butter, then dip and roll it in the cinnamon sugar until evenly coated. Return coated donuts to the rack.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
- Add a few drops more milk if the glaze is too thick, or more powdered sugar if it is too thin.
- Once the donuts are fully cooled, dip the top of each donut into the glaze, let the excess drip off, then place on the rack and allow the glaze to set for about 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Approximate per donut (cinnamon-sugar version, 12 donuts): 230 calories; fat 9 g; saturated fat 2 g; carbohydrates 34 g; fiber 1 g; sugars 20 g; protein 3 g; sodium 200 mg. Glazed donuts will be slightly higher in sugar and calories. Values will vary based on ingredient brands, exact donut size, and coating choice.
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