Pumpkin Spice Donuts
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These baked pumpkin spice donuts are soft, cake-like, and topped with an easy vanilla icing. There’s no frying, and they come together in about 35 minutes.
Love pumpkin in the fall? My 3 ingredient pumpkin muffins and pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting are two more easy fall treats.
Pumpkin spice season is my favorite time to bake, and these donuts kick off all my fall recipes every year. I actually bought a donut pan just for these, so I could have warm pumpkin spice donuts all fall long. They’re soft and cake-like, full of pumpkin and warm fall spice, and they bake right in the pan, so there’s no hot oil and no mess to clean up.
They come together fast, and they’re just as good for a weekend breakfast as they are iced for dessert. My kids ask for them every fall.
Why I keep coming back to these donuts
Ready in about 35 minutes. The batter comes together in one bowl, and the icing is just three ingredients whisked together.
No frying. You pipe the batter into a donut pan and bake, so there’s no oil to deal with and cleanup is easy.
Soft and full of fall flavor. They come out tender and cake-like, with pumpkin and warm spice in every bite.
Ingredients and why they work
Here’s what goes into these pumpkin spice donuts and why each one matters. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Whole milk – adds moisture and keeps the crumb soft.
- Canned pumpkin puree – the pumpkin flavor, and it keeps the donuts moist. Make sure it’s pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Melted butter – richness and a little more flavor in the batter.
- Egg – holds everything together and helps the donuts rise.
- Vanilla – a warm background note in both the batter and the icing.
- All purpose flour – the structure that gives them their soft, tender crumb.
- Light brown sugar – the sweetness, plus a little molasses depth that goes so well with the spice.
- Baking powder – the lift, since these are baked instead of fried.
- Pumpkin pie spice – the warm blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove that makes them taste like fall.
- Powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk – the three ingredients for a simple vanilla icing you can make thick or thin.
How to make pumpkin spice donuts
Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements and storage tips.
Mix the wet ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 6-well donut pans. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, egg, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice, and stir just until no big lumps of flour remain. Don’t overmix, or the donuts turn out dense.
Pipe into the pans. Spoon the batter into a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner cut off, and pipe it into the donut wells about halfway full. They rise a lot, so don’t overfill.
Bake and cool. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Move the donuts to a wire rack and let them cool all the way before you ice them.
Ice and serve. Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk into a icing, dip or spread it on the cooled donuts, and sprinkle with a little pumpkin pie spice. Give the icing about 10 minutes to set.
My tips for the best pumpkin spice donuts
- Don’t overmix the batter. This is the big one for baked donuts. Stir just until the flour disappears, and a few small lumps are fine. Overmixing makes them tough and dense.
- Grease the pan well. A good coat of nonstick spray helps the donuts release cleanly once they’ve baked.
- Use a piping bag. Piping the batter in is much neater than spooning it. A zip-top bag with the corner snipped works just as well.
- Fill the wells halfway. These rise a lot. Overfilling loses the donut hole and gives you more of a muffin shape.
- Cool before icing. Warm donuts will melt the icing right off. Let them cool completely first.
No donut pan? Use a muffin tin
You don’t need a donut pan to make these. Spoon the batter into a regular muffin tin instead, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Standard muffins take a little longer, around 18 to 21 minutes, and minis are done in 9 to 12. They’ll come out shaped like muffins, but they taste exactly the same.
Icing and topping ideas
The simple vanilla icing is my go-to, and you can make it thick and spreadable or thin like a glaze just by adjusting the milk and powdered sugar. Here are a few other ways to top them:
- Swap in my cream cheese frosting without butter for a cream cheese topping instead.
- Skip the icing and roll the warm donuts in cinnamon sugar.
- Stir a little maple syrup into the vanilla icing for a maple glaze.
Storing and freezing
Store leftover donuts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month. If you’re making them ahead, I’d bake them a day early and ice them the day you plan to serve, so the icing is fresh.
Ways to use up leftovers
If you do end up with extras, they’re great for dunking. Once the outside dries out a little, they’re a lot like biscotti in coffee, cocoa, or milk. You can also warm one up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or cut them into chunks and serve them with my pumpkin dip. And if you have extra pumpkin from the can, here are some ways to use up leftover pumpkin puree.
Frequently asked questions
Do baked donuts taste like fried ones?
They don’t taste exactly like the fried kind, and that’s okay. Instead of a crisp shell and an airy middle, baked pumpkin spice donuts are softer and more cake-like, closer to a muffin. You still get all the pumpkin and warm spice, with a lot less mess than frying.
What’s the best flour for these donuts?
All purpose flour gives them the soft, tender crumb they’re known for. I haven’t tested them with a gluten free blend, but a cup-for-cup one should work, though they may bake up a bit denser. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
Why did my donuts turn out dense?
Almost always, it’s overmixing. Once the flour goes in, stir just until it disappears and stop. The more you mix, the more the gluten develops, and that makes baked donuts tough instead of tender.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes, these are easy to make ahead. Bake the donuts a day early and store them airtight, then whisk up the icing and ice them the day you want to serve, so it looks and tastes fresh.
More pumpkin recipes you’ll love
- 5-Ingredient Pumpkin Bread with Cake Mix
- 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Pie Without Evaporated Milk
Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Icing
Equipment
- Wilton Donut Pans
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease two 6-well donut pans with nonstick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, egg, and vanilla.
- Add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix just until no large lumps of flour remain, since you don't want to overmix.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag, or a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off, and pipe it into the prepared pans. Fill each section about ½ full, since these donuts rise quite a bit.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean.
- Move the donuts to a wire rack and cool completely before icing.
- For the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Add another tablespoon of milk for a thinner icing, or more powdered sugar for a thicker one. It can be thick and spreadable or thin like a glaze, whatever you prefer.
- Ice the donuts and sprinkle with a pinch of pumpkin pie spice. Let the icing set for about 10 minutes, then serve.
- Store leftover donuts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.
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