Wake up to warm baked cinnamon sugar donuts! Ready in 45 minutes, this simple from-scratch recipe yields perfectly spiced and ultra moist donuts. Always a crowd pleaser, I recommend making a double batch for larger gatherings.
Do you have a donut pan? Add this fun baking tool to your collection because today we’re making baked cinnamon sugar donuts. Most of my donut recipes are baked, not fried, so you have many delicious ways to use that pan!
Why You’ll Love These Baked Donuts:
- No electric mixer required
- Baked, not fried
- Buttery and flavorful
- Soft and cakey
- Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg
- Sweetened with brown sugar
- Generously coated in cinnamon sugar
- Just like your favorite donuts from a bakery
Two Parts to Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Donuts: We’re using my standard baked donut recipe as the base. It’s what I use for my baked maple donuts, chocolate frosted donuts, lemon poppy seed donuts, and banana donuts. In fact, today’s donuts are just like my chai spice donuts but without the chai spices. It’s a very thick batter that produces tight-crumbed, cakey donuts. You’ll need a small handful of basic ingredients like flour, egg, leaveners, and milk. I like to add a little Greek yogurt to the donut batter for a moisture punch (sour cream works too) and prefer sweetening them with brown sugar. Add cinnamon as well as a little nutmeg– it truly gives these donuts that special bakery taste and aroma.
- Cinnamon Sugar Topping: A mixture of cinnamon and sugar finishes off these donuts. Dip each donut into melted butter, then generously dunk each into the cinnamon sugar. If you love this cinnamon sugar addition, you will flip for these Nutella stuffed cinnamon sugar muffins! Prefer icing on your donuts instead? Cinnamon bun donuts with vanilla glaze are for you!
Quick Overview: How to Make Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
You only need a couple bowls and a spatula– no mixer required.
- Make the donut batter. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Whisk to combine both. So easy!
- Fill the donut cavities. Transferring donut batter into the donut pan can be tricky, so I always suggest using a zipped-top bag to pipe the batter. (You can see me doing this in my pumpkin donuts post.) Just spoon the batter into a large zipped-top bag, trim off a bottom corner, and squeeze the batter into the pan. The donut batter is thicker than you’d expect, so it pipes pretty neatly.
- Bake. They bake up VERY quickly!
- Make the topping. Combine the cinnamon and sugar together in one bowl and melt the butter in another. I usually do this as the donuts bake.
- Dip into topping. Dip the warm donuts into the melted butter, then dunk each into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Make sure to coat every side!
No donut pan? Use a muffin pan instead! For 8-10 donut muffins, bake at 350°F (177°C) for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts Video Tutorial
More Donut Recipes
- Glazed Doughnuts (fried)
- Baked Sprinkle Donuts
- Pumpkin Donuts
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Maple Bacon Doughnuts (fried)
- Powdered Sugar Donut Muffins
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 donuts
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
There is nothing like waking up to fresh-baked cinnamon sugar donuts, but what makes this recipe a winner is how EASY it is.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (65g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk*
- 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt*
- 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Make the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk the egg, brown sugar, milk, and yogurt together until smooth. Add the melted butter and vanilla, whisking until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be very thick.
- Spoon the batter into the donut cavities—I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag for ease. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool for about two minutes and transfer to a wire rack set on a large piece of parchment paper or on a large baking sheet. Bake the remaining donut batter (there is usually enough batter for 1-2 more donuts) and once baked, transfer to the wire rack. Cool donuts for at least 10 minutes before topping.
- Top the donuts: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Dip the donuts in the melted butter, then dunk into the cinnamon sugar mixture coating all sides.
- Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the donuts 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 Tool (affiliate link): Donut Pan
- Muffins: You can make this recipe into 8-10 muffins using a muffin pan. Bake at the same temperature for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Milk: Skim milk, 1%, 2%, whole, almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk is OK. I like to use buttermilk. Room temperature is best for this recipe.
- Yogurt: Nonfat, low fat, vanilla, plain, Greek or regular yogurt is OK. I like to use low fat plain Greek yogurt. Room temperature is best for this recipe.
Keywords: baked donuts, cinnamon sugar donuts, baked cinnamon sugar donuts
These turned out so well! I didn’t have a doughnut pan so I piped them into the bottom of muffin tins and when they were cooked I poked a hole with a big straw in each one to make them look like doughnuts. They were DELICIOUS
★★★★★
Can you use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar?
Hi Sandy, we haven’t tested it ourselves, but you can certainly give it a try. The taste, texture, and structure of the donuts will be slightly different as a result. Let us know how it goes!
Light and fluffy! Best baked donuts I’ve had.
★★★★★
I make this all the time for my family and they (and especially i) love it!!
★★★★★
Can I substitute applesauce for the yogurt?
Yes, that substitute should be fine in this recipe. Enjoy!
Oh.My. Holy Cannoli!!!! These were amazing!!! They were perfect on a snow day and I had all the ingredients on hand! this was a really easy recipe to follow!!
★★★★★
I made these today with gluten free flour and they turned out GREAT! I was worried because gluten free can be quite different than other baking, but they have a great texture. I used Robin Hood Gluten Free Flour and baked them for 16 mins in a muffin tin. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
I have tried several baked donut recipes and this is the best. I used a donut pan and a brownie bite pan which made perfect donut holes.
★★★★★
I would love to make this recipe! But I have a nut allergy… I was wondering if you have any recommendations for how to switch out the nutmeg? Should I add more cinnamon or just leave out nutmeg with no changes?
Hi Emily! You can leave the nutmeg out without any other changes.
I made these morning but added 3/4 cup of fresh cranberries, zest of 1 orange, and subbed 50ml fresh orange juice & 10ml heavy cream for the milk. So tender and delicious!
★★★★★
Hi, we love these donuts! I would like to make them for kids in my sons preschool, but one the kids doesn’t tolerate dairy products. Is there a way to make it non-dairy? I see I can replace regular milk with almond or soy milk, but what about yogurt? Thank you for your help!
Hi Joana, We haven’t tested these with a dairy free yogurt but you can certainly try. Let us know how they turn out!
Wonderful recipe! I didn’t have yogurt or sour cream so I added 1/4 Duke’s mayo — moist and delicious!
★★★★★
Good Morning!
I’ve made these previously and they were amazing. I’m wanting to add blueberries the second time around and wonder if there’s anything I should alter about the recipe (maybe slightly less yogurt or milk)? When I add blueberries to my banana bread I use one less banana because the added moisture from the blueberries makes up for it. Curious if the same applies here!
Hi Danielle, I’m so happy you enjoyed these donuts! We haven’t tested this recipe with blueberries- I’d recommend making the recipe as written and adding about 1/2-1 cup of blueberries. If you try it out, let us know how it goes!
OMG !! Made them yesterday and they were devoured and disappeared in a blink of an eye
★★★★★
Ok, I’m the (embarrassed) loser who complained about the amount because I did NOT read the recipe correctly. I had to post again, now that I see the finished product: PERFECT! Wish I could post a picture – they look EXACTLY like your pics and are delicious! As usual, your recipe is THE BEST! I can’t wait to try all the other variations.
★★★★★
Hi, these look really yummy and I can’t wait to make them!!
Would they still taste good if we don’t use the sugar topping and eat them plain?
If we make them the night before, should we warm them before serving or is room temp fine?
Thanks!
Hi Sierra, You can skip the cinnamon and sugar for plain donuts. Feel free to warm them slightly in the morning if you wish. Enjoy!
OMG I just tried this recipe and the donuts are delicious! I can’t believe something this simple can be so fantastic! Thank you Sally – your recipes are always the best.
Liz
★★★★★
Oh my…these are phenomenal!! Which is very dangerous for my waistline, as I love donuts and you made this recipe so simple. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Your recipes are consistently fantastic. I love that I can try something new and feel confident that it will turn out great. Thank you!!
★★★★★
These were amazing! Yum yum yum. Very simple and just hit the spot! Delicious.
★★★★★
I made these for breakfast today and they were delicious! Next time I will only put the cinnamon and sugar on top of the donut instead of the whole thing so they aren’t too sweet.
★★★★★
These are amazing and so easy! Will be making these again for sure. Thank you!
★★★★★
Can you prepare the batter ahead of time and refrigerate until baking? How long will it hold?
I don’t recommend it. The baking powder is initially activated once it’s wet.
I’ve never made donuts before…and the process of frying them seems daunting, especially the stories of grease fires. THESE WERE AMAZING! They were so easy (incredibly easy… I don’t know an easier recipe for anything!) and delicious. I will make these and more baked donuts so much more often now! Half the batch is already gone, and they have only been out and ready for 10-15 minutes!! Thank you so much!!
★★★★★
These were delicious! My whole family loved this quick and yummy snack.
★★★★★
Last month, these were the first donuts I ever attempted to make and they turned out perfectly! Very easy to make and my family loved them. The smell that came out of my kitchen was amazing. The donut pan is definitely a worthwhile investment! Looking forward to trying out another donut recipe next.
★★★★★
Second recipe I have made of yours Sally and what can I say, Wow! These donuts are perfect. Perfect texture, balance of flavours. Again, I didn’t need to tweak anything like in other recipes. I always turn to you now when I need to find a reliable recipe. I’m going to try your red velvet cake next.
★★★★★
Hi Sally. I just wanted to ask if I could omit the yogurt and nutmeg? And if I don’t have a donut pan what should I bake the donuts in?? And by the way I love your recipes, they are so delicious. Whenever I want to make something new I always check your website first. 🙂
Hi Zara! I don’t recommend omitting the yogurt, but you can replace it with sour cream. Yes, you can omit the nutmeg. See recipe note #2 for baking these in a muffin pan!
Ok thanks, I just asked because if I told someone that I put yogurt in the donuts, they would hesitate eating it. And also can I make the donut base from one of your other recipes? Do u recommend yeast or no yeast donuts?
Hi, can I make donut holes instead since I don’t have a donut pan?
Hi Gurleen, You can use a mini muffin pan and bake for about 9-10 minutes. That’s how long it takes my spiced apple cider donut holes and the recipes are somewhat similar.
This was my first try making donuts and everyone was extremely impressed! I used a mini Bundt cake pan cause that’s all I had and just had to fill them up half way instead of 2/3-3/4. I actually wish I filled them a little less but other than that they were AMAZING!!! Had one the day after with coffee and man, what a breakfast!
★★★★★