Homemade apple cider donuts are cakey, dense, and intensely flavored. Baked, not fried, these fall treats come together quickly and easily—a convenient recipe with no mixer required. The trick for big flavor is to use concentrated apple cider. Make the morning less hectic by reducing the apple cider the night before. Read on for all the tips you need to make this Fall favorite!
I love those delicious donuts that you get at the bakery…they’re rich, dense, and smell absolutely amazing. If you’ve ever tried my chai spice donuts, pumpkin donuts, or cinnamon sugar donuts, you know that those bakery beauties definitely inspired my donut recipes. They are somewhat dense and very muffin-like. These baked apple cider donuts are no exception, though they are a little heavier with a more substantial and moister crumb.
Tell Me About these Apple Cider Donuts
- Texture: If you like cakey, moist, and dense donuts with a crumbly cinnamon-sugar coating, then look no further than this recipe.
- Flavor: Flavor-wise, they’re APPLE and CINNAMON and SPICE all over. They taste like they’re straight from the bakery!
- Ease: A simple mix of wet and dry ingredients plus the apple cider concentrate makes these a snap to prepare for crisp fall mornings. No mixer, rolling pin, or donut cutter required! Simply add the batter to a donut pan—I use and love this one. If you only have 1 pan, just bake a batch at a time.
- Time: In less than an hour, you’ll have an entire plate stacked high with homemade apple cider donuts.
This Trick Changes Everything
The trick to apple cider donuts is to flavor them with concentrated apple cider. Apple cider that has been reduced down on the stove is thick and potent, adding big flavor without excess liquid. Apple cider, either store-bought or this homemade apple cider, is certainly delicious to drink but it won’t add enough flavor to baked goods. Taking 20 minutes to reduce the cider down transforms regular donuts into amazing apple cider donuts. If you like to keep things simple in the morning, reduce the cider the night before. That will save you cooling time, too, because the cider must cool for a few minutes before you add it to the batter.
To reduce your apple cider, simply follow these simple steps:
- Pour 1½ cups apple cider into a small saucepan. We will reduce this to ½ cup.
- Place on low heat and set a timer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Begin checking at 10 minutes, and then every 3-5 minutes after that until you have ½ cup of cider reduction (approximately 20 minutes).
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before using in the batter.
It’s that easy! If you have leftover apple cider, use it in my honeycrisp apple sangria or apple cider sangria—or drink it plain.
Here’s my reduced down apple cider:
Choosing the Right Ingredients: Melted Butter & Apple Pie Spice
- Melted butter. The crown jewel of these donuts is the dip in melted butter, then a dunk in granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Not only is it delicious, but the melted butter helps the sweet coating stick to the donut.
- Apple pie spice. If you don’t have access to store-bought apple pie spice, you can make your own with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
By the way, if you’re a fall baking fanatic like me and love pumpkin treats, you might try making your own pumpkin pie spice blend, too! Use it in pumpkin-inspired favorites like pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin bars, and of course, pumpkin pie.
Overview: How to Make Baked Apple Cider Donuts
These couldn’t be easier to make—no mixer required. Leave yourself enough time (at least a half hour) to reduce down the apple cider before beginning. I like to do this step the night before so it’s ready to go in the morning.
- Reduce the apple cider. In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer the apple cider until you’re left with about 1/2 cup. Begin checking at 10 minutes, then every 3-5 minutes after that until you have 1/2 cup of cider reduction. Mine takes about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes (or complete this step ahead of time).
- Combine the dry ingredients together.
- Combine the wet ingredients together, except for the apple cider.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Add the apple cider. Whisk everything together until smooth and combined. You’ll notice the batter will be slightly thick. We want thick batter for cakey and dense donuts.
- Fill the donut pan. Fill each donut cup about halfway. My trick for this? Use a zipped-top bag. Add the batter to the bag, cut off a corner, and pipe it into the donut pan filling only about halfway. This trick makes transferring the batter neat, quick, and easy.
- Bake. Only about 10 minutes of bake time—told you they were quick. To test doneness, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. Once they are out of the oven, let them cool for 2 minutes, then invert the pan to release the donuts. You can then re-grease the donut pan and bake the remaining donut batter. (If you have 2 donut pans, go ahead and bake both trays at once.)
- Coat the donuts. Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. Once cool enough to handle, dunk both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then coat generously in the apple spice topping.
Look at this beautiful caramel-colored batter! So much apple flavor hiding in here:
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 donuts
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Baked, cakey, and delicious apple cider donuts are made with apple cider reduction to intensify its flavor. Warm and dipped in cinnamon sugar and apple pie spices, this fall treat will become your new favorite too.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) apple cider
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice*
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Reduce the apple cider: Stirring occasionally, simmer the apple cider in a small saucepan over low heat until you’re left with about 1/2 cup. Start checking at 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc until you have 1/2 cup (120ml). Mine takes about 20 minutes. If there are any spices or solids on top of your reduced apple cider, leave them. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Make the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together. Pour into the dry ingredients, add the reduced apple cider, and whisk everything together until smooth and combined. Batter will be slightly thick.
- Spoon the batter into the donut cavities—for ease, I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about halfway.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. Cool donuts for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter.
- Coat the donuts: Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. Once cool enough to handle, dunk both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then generously in the apple spice topping.
- Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can freeze the donuts, coated or not coated in the toppings, for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up to your liking in the microwave. I usually just zap ’em for a couple seconds.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Saucepan | Donut Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Large Zipped-Top Bag | Cooling Rack
- Apple Pie Spice: Do you have apple pie spice where you live? It’s pretty standard here in the US. If you don’t have access to store-bought apple pie spice, you can make your own with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
- Milk: I usually use buttermilk, but I’ve found that any milk (dairy or nondairy) works pretty well. For a denser crumb, you can use 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream instead.
- No Donut Pan? Make donut muffins in your standard 12-cup muffin pan. Grease your pan or use muffin liners, fill each 3/4 full, then bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes about 10-12 apple cider donut muffins.
- Minis: Want to make mini donuts or mini apple cider donut holes in a mini muffin pan? Grease your pan, add the batter to the pan only about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 8-9 minutes.
Hi Sally! How did you get the donuts to be brown on both sides? My donuts came out looking like one side had been in the sun too long and one side not enough sun at all 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Sarah! The bottoms are always a little darker than the tops. Are you using a particularly dark metal pan?
Yum!!! Flavor was excellent, was wondering if you have a similar recipe for a cupcake to get that same flavor.
Hi Kristi, You can try these Apple Spice Cupcakes. Let us know what you think!
A little time consuming, but the family loves them! I found that it took me over an hour to reduce the apple cider (I have an electric stovetop, and putting it on the low setting and checking every 5-10 minutes was taking forever, so I increased the temp to medium-low), and then the cider began to reduce MUCH better! I followed all the guidelines as to the spices and measurements, and even did the suggestion of cutting the corner of a large plastic bag- note- make the cut “small” otherwise if you cut at a large angle, you can over-fill the donut pan sections. I followed another poster here who suggested to brush the donuts with butter- I did it both ways, and she was correct- if you dunk them into the butter they absorb WAYYYY too much sugar and it is overpowering. I did find that if I filled up the sections a little more than half way, they’re thicker (size-wise) and have more flavor to boot, and not so much over powering of the coating. I’ll make them again, but quite possibly for once or twice a season. Thank you Sally for this recipe!
Hi Sally! I don’t have a donut pan but would still love to make these as donuts rather than muffins. Would they hold up if I fry them like old-fashioned donuts? Also, I can’t get apple cider where I live. Would apple juice work? Thanks!
Hi Jess, Unfortunately this batter shouldn’t be friend– it’s not thick enough to be shaped. You can try these berry fritters with apples instead if you’d like!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Is there a substitute for butter that you can recommend. I have family that can’t intake excess fats.
Hi Irene, Melted coconut oil is fine in the donut batter instead of the butter. You can try dipping the warm donuts right into the sugar coating without dunking in oil if you wish.
The flavor on these was really nice, but the consistency was that of cake or a light, slightly oily muffin. They really didn’t have any strength or bite to them at all, even though I used all of the listed proportions and reduced the cider to 1/2 cup. If you want a stronger doughnut, I might add in more flour. Still, you’ll enjoy these doughnuts.
Yes these are delicious but muffiny. I wanted a little more density too I may try more flour and less baking soda/powder next time.
These are SO, SO DELICIOUS! I tried doing the double-sided dip and coating with the first couple of donuts and found it to be a bit more than I wanted, so I only dipped the top for the rest. (I had a decent amount of melted butter leftover so next time I’ll begin with melting just half the amount.) If you don’t feel like using a bag to fill the pan, a small spoon worked perfectly well for me! I used whole milk and the texture was just perfect. These are by far the best baked donuts I’ve ever had! Thank you Sally for yet another amazing recipe!
These are great! Made them for Rosh Hashanah and put a honey glaze on them (confectioners sugar, honey and milk). Making them with the butter and sugar/spice topping today for friends.
Did the glaze harden? Would you share amounts?
Hi Sally,
So excited to make these! Question- my mom just bought me six 4″ mini bundt pans that I’m dying to use. Do you think I could put the doughnut batter in these instead of buying a doughnut pan?
Thanks!!
Hi Jenna, That should work! I’m unsure of the bake time needed though. Let us know if you try it!
I’m going to have to disagree with Sally on little one item; she say’s they are best served immediately but, while I thought they were very good on the day I made them, they were significantly better the day after! I could not get over how the apple flavor really developed, and I will definitely be making these again!
Totally agree. Made them last night. Both flavor and texture are better today!
I used 1/2 cup of apple butter in place of the reduced cider for a very concentrated apple spice flavor. I also sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the donut tips before baking and they were plenty sweet. I will make these again! Thank you for the recipe.
I was so happy to come across this suggestion for the apple butter. So much easier and deliciously perfect!
Delicious cake doughnut recipe! It’s moist, Autumnal and has just a hint of the apple cider spices we all know and love. The only reason why I didn’t rate it “5 stars” is because both my husband and I found that the buttery-sugar-spice blend made these doughnuts WAY too sweet. We literally were wiping the excess off. I will absolutely make these again but either omit that step altogether or perhaps very lightly sprinkle one side of the doughnut with the sugar-spice blend, omitting the butter entirely. When dipped in the butter, the sugary-spice blend obviously adheres well…way too well, and the resulting doughnuts were far too sweet to enjoy. Thank you for this recipe, Sally! I’m a fan and actively enjoy your site and recipes. All the best, Kim Clarke aka “Ya Mom’s in the Kitchen”
Maybe just brush them with butter and sprinkle it?
Yes, that is an option to not have it so heavily caked on, (pardon the pun), but honestly in our opinion the cake portion of the doughnut was so light, moist and lovely that I think adding extra butter is overkill. My husband and I tried the doughnuts made as the recipe suggested and then adjusted it on the last few doughnuts, first by just dipping the warm doughnut in the sugar-spice blend sans butter and then by not adding any of the butter/sugar-spice blend at all and liked them much better either of these ways than the dip-in-butter and coat suggestion. It’s nice these doughnuts can be adjusted depending on one’s preference for sweetness.
WOW WOW WOW! Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been craving these for weeks now and I just made them and they turned out AMAZING! I’ve cut back significantly on sugar and I felt they were super sweet (good thing since I can only eat 1 at a time instead of the whole tin lol), would the structure change if I were to only use half the sugar in the recipe?
Hi Pam! So glad you enjoyed these. The structure wouldn’t change much if you reduced the sugar, but they may taste a little dry.
Baked apple cider donuts were a big hit. I’m on the second batch and will freeze some of them for a handy delicious treat. Thank you so much for sharing your incredible recipes with us.❤️
Sally, Can i add fresh apples to the batter? I’m afraid will mess it.
Hi Maribel, We haven’t tested it, but it’s worth a try. Chop them into small pieces or use a box grater to shred them. Let us know how they taste!
Great recipe! I made these today to sell at the farmers’ market and they were a hit! I replaced a quarter cup of the flour with whole wheat flour, and for the spice mixture I used cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. I will keep making these all season! So easy and delicious.
Every time I try reducing apple cider it just evaporates. In 20 min I had less than half a cup. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Lisa, the heat could be too high on your particular stove. Try reducing the heat so it reduces down a little slower. Keep checking it so it doesn’t reduce down below 1/2 cup.
Thank you Sally!!! Just made these today and tasted sooo good!!! My 9 year old couldn’t resist and ate 2!!!
I love it
Very tasty but I would add more apple cider, 1/2 cup (reduced) isn’t enough to really taste the apple cider, they taste more like cinnamon sugar donuts. Still yummy though!
My 10 year old daughter and I just made these together. O….M….G!!! They were so easy and we were stunned how well they turned out. I used salted butter to dip them in and the hint of salt in the first bite mixed with the sweetness of the sugar/spice mix took it over the edge. These were a HIT! Thank you for sharing this.
Do not have apple pie spice and no cardamom. Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead?
Hi Lisa, you can certainly use pumpkin pie spice!
I can’t find apple cider. Can I use apple juice? Thanks so much.
Hi Kim, The flavor won’t be very strong unless it’s spiced juice. You can make Homemade Apple Cider if you wish!
Made these this morning with my girls! Love the texture. My only mistake os that I didn’t make apple pie spice…I used pumpkin pie spice. The cloves changed it to more of a spice muffin. I saw your apple spice recipe, so I will probably make these again this week with the proper spice mix! Thank you for sharing!
For anyone looking to make just enough apple pie spice for this recipe, the conversion is 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom. I fresh grate my nutmeg, so hate the idea of making a large batch of spice mix and let it sit until the next time I might use it. Can’t wait to try this recipe when local orchards start selling apple cider.
Do you have an applied cider cupcake recipe? Or could I make this into one? Not sure if it would be the correct texture
Hi Arielle, we don’t have an apple cider cupcake recipe, but you could bake this batter in a muffin pan for apple cider donut muffins (see recipe note #5) and frost them. Or try our apple spice cupcakes!
Tasty, but mine turned out more like muffins that donut-density (which is hilarious because normally I can’t make a nice moist, light muffin!). 🙂 Any tips?
Hi C! If you try these again, replace the milk with plain yogurt or sour cream. A thicker batter yields denser donuts. I hope this helps!
Made exactly as per above using muffin tin. Turned out amazing!!!
Hello Sally! These look absolutely amazing! Would it be possible to replace the brown sugar and granulated sugar with coconut sugar? I can only eat coconut sugar due to some dietary restrictions but really want to make these.
I haven’t tested these with coconut sugar but let me know if you do!
I have made these many times and they are the bomb. Everyone loves them.