There’s something about the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon drifting through the kitchen that makes an ordinary morning feel like fall officially showed up for breakfast. These Pumpkin Spice Donuts deliver that cozy feeling without the mess of deep-frying or a complicated bakery-style recipe. They’re soft, moist, warmly spiced, and finished with a buttery cinnamon-sugar coating that adds a little sparkle and crunch to every bite. Better yet, they’re baked in the oven, so you can make a batch while enjoying your coffee instead of standing over a pot of hot oil.
As Chef Omar likes to remind home cooks, great food doesn’t have to be difficult. Fresh ingredients, straightforward steps, and a little creativity can turn simple ingredients into a treat worth gathering around. Whether you’re planning a fall brunch, looking for an after-school snack, or simply have an open can of pumpkin waiting in the pantry, these donuts are an easy, delicious recipe to add to your baking list.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- Easy to Make: No yeast, rising time, or deep-frying is required.
- Perfectly Moist: Pumpkin puree, olive oil, and butter create wonderfully tender donuts.
- Full of Fall Flavor: Pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon bring plenty of warm, cozy flavor.
- Family-Friendly: Kids and adults can agree on cinnamon-sugar-covered donuts.
- Great for Entertaining: A batch looks beautiful on a fall brunch or holiday breakfast table.
- Simple Ingredients: The recipe relies mostly on familiar baking staples you may already have.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe makes approximately 8 large baked donuts.
For the Pumpkin Donuts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
One ingredient deserves a quick note: use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pure pumpkin lets you control the sweetness and spices yourself, which is exactly what we want here.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Donuts
1. Prepare Your Donut Pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Lightly grease a large donut pan with cooking spray, paying attention to the edges and center of each cavity. Those little corners have an impressive talent for holding onto baked goods when you least want them to.
2. Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, add the pumpkin puree, olive oil, melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
Whisk everything together until the mixture looks smooth and evenly combined.
The combination of pumpkin, oil, and butter is part of what gives these donuts such a tender texture. You get moisture from the pumpkin and oil along with the rich flavor of butter.
3. Add the Dry Ingredients
Add the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt directly to the pumpkin mixture.
Stir gently until everything is just combined.
This is the moment to resist the urge to keep stirring until the batter looks perfectly polished. Overmixing flour can make baked donuts tougher instead of soft and tender. A few small streaks disappearing with your final stir are perfectly fine.
4. Fill the Donut Pan
Transfer the batter to a piping bag.
No piping bag? No problem. Place a large zip-top plastic bag inside a cup and fold the opening over the rim. Spoon in the batter, remove the bag from the cup, and snip off one corner.
Pipe the pumpkin batter evenly into the prepared donut cavities.
You should have enough batter for about 8 large donuts, depending on the size of your pan.
Piping is much cleaner than trying to spoon thick batter into a donut pan. Your countertop will thank you.
5. Bake
Bake the donuts at 350°F for about 25 minutes.
Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or thin knife into the thickest part of a donut. It should come out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack.
Let them cool completely before adding the cinnamon-sugar coating.
That Buttery Cinnamon-Sugar Finish
While the donuts cool, combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a shallow bowl or container.
Once the donuts are completely cool, melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter.
Brush each donut generously with melted butter, covering the top, bottom, and sides. You want enough butter for the cinnamon sugar to stick without completely soaking the donut.
Dip each buttered donut into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and turn it until every side is coated.
And yes, things may get a little sugary. Consider the cinnamon scattered across the counter part of the fall decorating process.
Chef Omar’s Tips for Better Donuts
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once the flour goes in, use a gentle hand. Mix only until you no longer see obvious pockets of dry flour.
- Measure the flour carefully. Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it rather than packing it down. Too much flour can make the donuts heavy.
- Let them cool before coating. Warm donuts can absorb too much melted butter, causing the cinnamon sugar to become wet or patchy instead of creating that beautiful coating.
- Grease the pan well. Baked donuts are supposed to come out in rings, not as an exciting collection of pumpkin-flavored puzzle pieces.
- Use fresh baking powder. Because these donuts don’t rely on yeast, good baking powder helps them rise and keeps the texture lighter.
I love recipes like this because they deliver bakery-style excitement without demanding professional pastry skills. They’re exactly the kind of treat I’d put together when friends are coming over and I want the kitchen to smell impressive before anyone even reaches the door. Sometimes aroma deserves a little credit for the cooking.
faqs about Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree?
Pumpkin puree is the better choice. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices, which can throw off the sweetness and flavor balance of the recipe.
Do I have to fry Pumpkin Spice Donuts?
Nope! These donuts are completely baked. You get the fun donut shape and cinnamon-sugar finish without dealing with a pot of frying oil.
What if I don’t have a piping bag?
Use a zip-top plastic bag. Fill it with batter, push the batter toward one corner, snip off the tip, and pipe it directly into your donut pan.
Why did my donuts turn out dense?
Overmixing or adding too much flour are common causes. Stir the batter only until combined and measure your flour without packing it into the cup.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes. Bake the donuts ahead, cool them completely, and store them in an airtight container. For the freshest finish, brush them with butter and add the cinnamon-sugar coating shortly before serving.
Can I freeze these donuts?
For the best results, freeze the baked donuts without the coating. Once cooled, place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Thaw them before brushing with melted butter and coating with cinnamon sugar.
Bring a Little Fall Into Your Kitchen
You don’t need a complicated pastry project to make an ordinary morning feel special. A donut pan, pumpkin puree, a handful of pantry staples, and plenty of cinnamon can do the job beautifully.
These Pumpkin Spice Donuts are moist in the middle, warmly spiced, and covered in buttery cinnamon sugar—the kind of treat that makes people wander into the kitchen asking, “Are those ready yet?”
Bake a batch for a lazy weekend breakfast, fall gathering, Thanksgiving brunch, or simply because your afternoon coffee deserves better company.
Grab your apron, preheat that oven, and enjoy the smell of pumpkin spice taking over the kitchen. Happy cooking!
More Cozy Fall Recipes to Try
If these Pumpkin Spice Donuts have you officially in a fall baking mood, don’t stop here! Keep those warm spices and cozy flavors going with a few more reader favorites from PulseRecipes:
- Try this rich and comforting pumpkin cheesecake bread when you want pumpkin flavor with a creamy cheesecake twist.
- Bake a loaf of pumpkin zucchini bread for an easy breakfast, snack, or sweet addition to your morning coffee.
- For another warmly spiced bake, this apple spice cake brings all those cozy autumn flavors to the dessert table.
- Need something quick between busy mornings? These pumpkin protein balls are an easy grab-and-go way to keep the pumpkin season going.
Made these Pumpkin Spice Donuts? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leave a star rating and review below! I’d love to hear how your batch turned out, whether you followed the recipe exactly or added your own delicious fall twist. Your feedback also helps other home cooks decide what to bake next!
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 large donuts 1x
Description
These baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts are soft, moist, and packed with cozy fall flavor. Made with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, then brushed with butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar, they’re an easy homemade treat for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large donut pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, olive oil, 1/4 cup melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth.
- Add the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt. Stir gently just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag or large zip-top bag. If using a plastic bag, snip off one corner.
- Pipe the batter evenly into the prepared donut pan. The batter should make approximately 8 large donuts.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the donuts in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
- For the coating, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
- Melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter. Brush each cooled donut with melted butter, covering the top, bottom, and sides.
- Dip and turn each donut in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly coated. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Avoid overmixing once the flour is added, as this can make the donuts dense.
- Let the donuts cool completely before coating them so the cinnamon sugar sticks properly without becoming soggy.
- A piping bag makes filling the donut pan much easier. A zip-top bag with one corner snipped off works just as well.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days.
- For make-ahead donuts, bake and store them without the coating, then add the butter and cinnamon sugar shortly before serving.
- Donut pan sizes vary, so baking time and final yield may vary slightly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 10 minutes:
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 42 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 66 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg