If youโre craving cozy fall flavors, these homemade pumpkin donuts are just the treat. Baked (not fried!) and topped with a rich brown sugar icing, theyโre soft, moist, perfectly spiced, and ready in under 45 minutes. The icing sets beautifully so the donuts are easy to stack, store, and even transportโmaking them just as practical as they are delicious!
I originally published this recipe in 2019 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
Thereโs something about pumpkin season that makes baking feel extra special. These donuts capture all of that magical fall comfort with warm spices, a soft cake-like texture, and a rich brown sugar caramel-like icing. Theyโre simple enough for a weekday breakfast and impressive enough to serve at a fall gathering or holiday brunch.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Donuts
- Baked, not fried
- Makes a big batch, but can be halved
- Cake donut texture that’s still moist and soft
- No mixer needed
- Ready in less than 45 minutes
- Perfectly spiced and you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice
- Delicious plain, but even better with icing
By the way, these taste fantastic with a cup of coffee and homemade pumpkin coffee creamer. Fall breakfast doesn’t get much better than this!
One reader, Jennifer, commented: “I had some leftover pumpkin and this was the perfect recipe to use it on. The donuts are soft and the glaze turned out just like a donut shop! โ โ โ โ โ “
One reader, Tricia, commented: “This recipe is perfection! Made them today and wanted to share them with the world. Ha! Perfect texture and moistness. I love that the glaze sets. I added pecans to the top. โ โ โ โ โ “
One reader, Lat, commented: “I thought I loved all your other baked donut recipes, but these are just insane. They blow everything else away. And the frosting! Literally one of the best treats I’ve made, and I’ve been baking A LOT this year! โ โ โ โ โ “
Behind the Recipe
My mini pumpkin muffins are donut-like, but it wasn’t until I transformed these pumpkin cream cheese muffins into cake-like donuts that I was truly satisfied with a classic baked pumpkin donut recipe.
I love that muffin batter because it’s really easy to prepare and always impresses, even without the cheesecake filling and crumb topping. (And that says a lot!!) The batter is a lot like my pumpkin crumb cake muffins, but there’s baking powder for lift, and we’ll sweeten the donuts exclusively with brown sugar.
How to Make Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Made with basic ingredients, these pumpkin donuts come together quickly. Here’s what you need for the batter:
Making them is extremely simple. Here’s the basic process:
- Mix the dry ingredients together.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients.
- Fill donut pan.
- Bake.
I have a handy trick for filling donut pans, and I swear by it if you’re looking for an easy shortcut. Add the batter to a large zipped-top bag, cut off a corner, then pipe the batter into the donut pan filling only about halfway. The bag makes transferring the batter easy, neat, and quick. I use the same trick when making the baked chocolate donuts in Sally’s Baking 101 cookbook.
Bounce-Back Trick
I have another trick for you and I do this with almost every cake, muffin, cupcake, and donut that I bake. When the donuts are looking just about done, lightly poke the top with your finger. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. If your finger leaves an indent, the donuts need a little longer in the oven. Testing with a toothpick works as well.
Brown Sugar Icing
After plenty of testing, I landed on this buttery brown sugar icing, which is adapted from my apple Bundt cake glaze. Itโs smooth, creamy, and rich, and it sets into a glossy finish that makes these donuts easy to transport.
Hereโs how it comes together: Simmer butter, brown sugar, and milk together. Stir in vanilla and confectionersโ sugar until smooth. Add a pinch of salt for balance (highly recommend!).
Dip the donuts while the icing is warm and let it set for a few minutes. The combination of spiced pumpkin donut + buttery brown sugar icing is truly next-level.
Let the icing thicken for a few minutes, then give those donuts a nice belly flop right into it. Brown sugared and buttery, this icing might just be better than the donuts themselves. If you’re hooked on it, you’ll also love the icing drizzled on apple cinnamon bread.
The brown sugar icing sets, so these are convenient for stacking or transporting.
Alternate Pumpkin Donut Toppings
Before the icing sets, you can garnish the donuts with finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts), toffee pieces, coconut, or sprinkles. If you’re not into brown sugar icing, try any of these:
- Vanilla Icing
- Maple Icing from these Banana Scones
- Brown Butter Icing from these Apple Blondies
- Cinnamon-Sugar Topping (see recipe note)
More Fall Baking Recipes
And, of course, don’t forget about pumpkin pie, the dessert that started it all!
Print
Baked Pumpkin Donuts
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 donuts
- Category: Donuts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
If youโre craving all the cozy fall flavors, these homemade pumpkin donuts are just the treat. Baked (not fried!) and topped with a rich brown sugar icing, theyโre soft, moist, perfectly spiced, and ready in under 45 minutes. The icing sets beautifully so the donuts are easy to stack, store, and even transportโmaking them just as practical as they are delicious! See recipe Notes about turning these into pumpkin muffins or mini pumpkin donuts.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil or melted coconut oil)
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (226g) fresh or canned pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Brown Sugar Icing
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk (whole milk is best)
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (170g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
- pinch of salt, to taste
- optional topping: crushed walnuts (see Note for other options)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Grease donut pan(s) with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Make the donuts: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain. Do not over-mix.
- Spoon the batter into the donut cavities or, for ease, I recommend transferring the batter into a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cavity, filling each about halfway.
- Bake for 10โ11 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, theyโre done.
- Cool donuts in the pan for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter. *For mini donuts, bake in a mini donut pan for 8โ9 minutes. Cool donuts for at least 10 minutes before icing them.*
- Make the icing: Combine the brown sugar, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and sifted confectioners’ sugar until smooth and combined. Taste, then add a pinch of salt if desiredโI always add a tiny pinch. Let the icing cool for 5 minutes to slightly thicken.
- Dip the tops of the pumpkin donuts into the warm icing. If the icing is getting too thick as you’re dipping, whisk in a little more milk, or warm back up in the microwave or on the stove to thin it out.
- Place dipped donuts on a cooling rack placed on a baking sheet to allow excess icing to drip off. Top with chopped nuts or other toppings if desired. If applied lightly, the icing will eventually set (in about 1 hour) so you can stack or transport the donuts.
- Cover leftover donuts tightly and store at room temperature for 1โ2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can freeze the donuts, plain or topped with the icing, for up to 2โ3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up to your liking in the microwave. I usually microwave them for just a few seconds. If plain, top with icing before serving, if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Donut Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Large Zip-Topped Bag | Saucepan | Cooling Rack
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, or you can make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you donโt have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. This is in addition to the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamonโyou will still add that.
- Milk: For the donut batter, any milk works, dairy or non-dairy. I’ve tested with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, whole milk, and skim milk. For the icing, whole milk will give you the thickest consistency and best flavor.
- Optional Toppings: After applying the icing, you can sprinkle toppings on top or dip the donuts into any of the following: sprinkles, finely chopped walnuts (what I use) or pecans, toasted coconut, finely chopped toffee bits, or a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Instead of icing, you can add a cinnamon-sugar topping. Follow the same topping instructions (including dipping in melted butter) found in my baked cinnamon sugar donuts recipe. Feel free to replace that cinnamon in the topping with pumpkin pie spice, if you’d like.
- No Donut Pan? Make donut muffins in your standard 12-cup muffin pan. Follow the baking instructions for my pumpkin crumb cake muffins, leaving off the crumb topping. Top warm muffins with the brown sugar icing before serving.
- Mini Donuts: Want to make mini donuts or mini donut holes in a mini muffin pan? Grease your pan, and fill each mini muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) for about 8โ9 minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These are delicious!! My only question is what kind of pumpkin puree do you use? The color of my donuts isn’t as pumpkin-y as I would like it. Thanks!
Hi Eleanor, we usually use Libby’s canned pumpkin puree.
The donuts themselves are soft, moist, warmly spiced, and not too sweet; truly delightful! I added a 1/4 tsp cardamom and some extra cinnamon, and
opted for a standard donut glaze over the tops, as I was baking for a “not too sweet” dessert crowd. They were a hit!
This made 12 donuts, with filling each hole in my standard donut pan to nearly full. I used a piping bag. They turned out beautifully full and round.
Just made these with gluten free flour (Bobs Red Mill) and they came out amazing! My husband, who isnโt GF, came back for seconds and loved them!!! Huge hit!
Can i make this in a silicon donut pan or only metal?
Hi Shany, We haven’t tested a silicone pan but let us know if you do.
I saw this recipe on FB and had to try it. I decided to use the maple glaze that you mentioned and it was perfect. The color of glaze that I made needed a little warmer color I think. I might try to brown the butter before adding the maple syrup and powdered sugar.
Any adjustments to be made for a higher altitude?
Hi W.J., we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I was a bit nervous these wouldnโt work out for me. I made them with 1:1 gluten free flour. I substituted the milk for oat milk for both the donuts and the icing. And I used avocado oil for the vegetable oil. Other than that I followed the recipe. They turned out so delicious! The donut is light, fluffy and somewhat delicate, but yummy nonetheless. The icing is amazing too. Iโm sure the original recipe is even better, but I needed to make these changes so I can share with my mom. Wondering if there is a way to use less sugar?
These came out delicious. I didnโt have a donut pan so I made little Bundt cake donuts. I used the cinnamon sugar topping. The whole family loved them
These are 10/10. Made them twice already. The first time I covered overnight and the frosting melted (still tasty but just not pretty) so the second I left uncovered overnight and they were perfect still and still soft and delicious.
Do you have a recommended gluten free flour that would work well for this recipe by chance?
Hi Mich, we haven’t tested any gluten free flours in this recipe. While many readers report success using 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour in many of our recipes, the results may still be different than intended. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hello is it possible to switch the vegetable oil out with melted butter?
Hi Laura, you can substitute melted butter for the oil, but the donuts wonโt taste quite as moist. Hope you enjoy these donuts!
I made these yesterday; they were a big hit. I like baked doughnuts as I feel theyโre a bit better for you since theyโre not fried. I will definitely make these again!
Have you tried making these gluten free? Maybe by using a one to one gluten free all purpose flour?
Hi Michelle! We havenโt tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Could I use a mini donut maker to bake these ?
Hi Susy, We haven’t tried it but can’t see why not.
These songs came out amazing, so soft, moist, and chewy! I’m not sure what I did wrong with the glaze though because it became hard and it was too thick for dipping. After cooling for a few minutes it was thick and hardening so that it was difficult to even spread it.
Really enjoyed this, but had trouble with the icing. The donuts almost seemed too thin and were breaking as I tried to pull them out of the icing. Maybe I need to have made the donuts bigger?
Delicious!! Husband devoured them in 24 hours!
For anyone wanting to make ahead, I experimented both with tasting the next day (after baking night before) and from the freezer (set out overnight to thaw) and both were completely moist and fresh tasting. Thanks Sally!
These are so good and easy! The icing tastes like butterscotch!
We tried the donuts, and they were amazing! Thank you!
Question: could we use this recipe to make a Bundt cake instead of donuts?
Hi Laura, you might enjoy our pumpkin bundt cake recipe!
Hi – this is my second donut recipe I have tried from your website and Iโm both instances, the topping seems to liquify and melt by the next day (apple cider donut sugar topping and this brown sugar icing). Any tips on why that happens? The donuts turn out amazing and are perfect the first day, but almost inedible after that.
Hi Erin, that can be normal for both donut recipes. The icing or topping โmeltingโ off is from the moisture from the donuts letting off as they sit. Storing them in a container the isnโt sealed all the way (not air tight) will help some of the moisture escape and keep them from getting so wet (and the icing/topping falling off). Hope this helps for your next batch!
Just made this recipe and it’s really great. Krispy Kreme has nothing on you!! I added 1/2 tsp. Extra of pumpkin pie spice. I didn’t have whole milk so i used my caramel machiato cream cut with just a little non fat milk. I also replaced vanilla extract with maple extract. I kept the glaze slightly warm on stove as i carefully dunked donuts. I added approximately 1 tblsp. Cream twice during the process of dunking donuts. This recipe is now a sunday dessert must!!
I’m making this pumpkin donut recipe this afternoon for tomoearly morning treat. Will they keep fresh and what’s the best way to store them overnight. I wouldn’t think they have to be refrigerated.
Hi Robin! We would cover the donuts tightly and store at room temperature overnight. If you wanted to bake the donuts ahead of time and glaze them before serving, they would taste super fresh as well!
I loved how they turned out. My only issue was putting the icing. I made mini donuts and when trying to dip them I kept having to reheat because icing would thicken and when I would try to dip I would slightly burn my finger. Any tips for that issue?
Hi Tanya, If the icing is getting too thick as youโre dipping, whisk in a little more milk, or warm back up in the microwave or on the stove to thin it out. It will naturally continue to thicken as it cools. We’re glad you enjoyed the donuts!
Amazing!
Absolutely delicious!
I can hardly believe that I made them there so good. My oven is temperamental so I turn donut tray after 5 minutes with a total of 10 minute baking time.
I dusted with a cinnamon & sugar mixture after letting them sit 5 minutes after coming out of the oven.
Made 32 mini-muffins. Accidently added 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Very nice flavor! Topped with maple glaze from your baked maple glazed donuts recipe).