Pumpkin Donuts - fluffy baked donuts made with real pumpkin and warm spices, with a tangy maple cream cheese glaze. The perfect fall dessert.
These aren't your average donuts - they're baked instead of fried, so you get all the cozy flavor without the hassle of hot oil. Each donut is packed with real pumpkin purée and layered with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger for that true pumpkin-spice flavor that actually tastes like autumn, not just sugar. And to finish them off? A silky maple cream cheese glaze that melts into every bite, giving you the perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and spiced.
I tested and refined this pumpkin donut recipe multiple times to make sure the texture is tender, moist, and full of pumpkin in every bite. The baked method makes them quick and approachable - so you can have fresh donuts on the table in under 30 minutes, no special equipment or deep-frying needed.
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Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Donut Recipe
- Easy recipe for baked donuts that doesn't require a deep fryer.
- The perfect blend of warm spices for a cozy fall treat.
- Uses from-scratch ingredients for a real pumpkin flavor
Ingredients for Pumpkin Donuts
These easy, baked pumpkin donuts use from-scratch ingredients for that authentic, homemade flavor. It's the same ingredients as my Pumpkin Spice Cupcake recipe - so you know they are good!
- Butter - Use unsalted butter so you can control the salt content.
- White Sugar - Granulated sugar creams nicely with the butter.
- Light Brown Sugar - Adding in a second sugar will really level up the flavors. Brown sugar gives a lovely toasty, caramelized taste and color to the donuts.
- Powdered Sugar - Also known as icing sugar - we will use this for the cream cheese icing.
- Eggs - Use large eggs, and always free-range if you can.
- Flour - All-purpose flour will give the donuts enough strength to keep their shape while staying nice and tender.
- Milk - A little milk will make the donuts even more moist and fluffy, and thin out the batter a bit. I always use whole, full-fat milk, but you can use any milk you like - even dairy-free milk.
- Pumpkin Puree - This recipe uses pure pumpkin purée to achieve a real pumpkin flavor. You can buy it canned from the grocery store - make sure you use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Cream Cheese - For the best glaze texture, I recommend using a block of full-fat cream cheese rather than the spreadable kind.
- Vanilla - Using a high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste will tie together the flavors of the donuts and the glaze beautifully.
- Warm Spices - To create that pumpkin spice flavor, use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. You can also use ready-made pumpkin pie spice if you prefer.
- Maple Syrup - This will bring a syrupy sweetness to the cream cheese and maple glaze.
- Oil - The combination of oil and butter is what makes these donuts so tender. Oil creates a lovely moistness that cannot be achieved with just butter alone. I use vegetable oil, but you can use any flavorless oil you like, such as canola oil (avoid olive oil).
Make sure the butter, cream cheese, and eggs are at room temperature before using.
See recipe card for quantities and the full pumpkin donut recipe.
Measuring Ingredients
For the best results, I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale, rather than using cups. Scales are much more accurate and will give you the best chance at nailing the recipe.
Recommended Equipment
- Donut Pan
- Stand mixer - with paddle attachment. You can also use an electric mixer or mix by hand.
- Mixing Bowls
- Rubber Spatula
- Piping Bag
- Wire Rack
How to Make Baked Pumpkin Donuts
These homemade pumpkin donuts use the same recipe as my Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, so feel free to double the batter and make both! Or you could even bake some up in a mini muffin pan for complementary 'donut holes'.
Cream Butter and Sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C and lightly spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Place the room temperature butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl, and cream together until pale and fluffy.
Add Eggs
Add the eggs into the bowl one at a time whilst mixing, until they are well combined with the butter mixture.
Add Pumpkin Puree
Pour the pumpkin puree and vanilla into the bowl, and mix until fully incorporated.
The mixture might look a little curdled at this point - this is normal. It will smooth itself out once the flour is added.
Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients, including flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Mix to combine
Stir half of the flour mixture into the cupcake batter on low speed.
Wet Ingredients
Stir in the oil and milk until well incorporated into the batter, then add the remaining flour and mix just until incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to catch any loose flour.
Bake
Pour the donut batter into the doughnut pan so each cavity is about ⅔ full - I like to pipe batter from a piping bag or ziplock bag for more control.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the donuts are golden brown and spring back slightly when you touch them.
Let the donuts sit in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Glaze Pumpkin Donuts
It's now time to add some delicious decoration to your pumpkin donuts. I've adjusted my classic cream cheese glaze recipe to give it a cozy flair, with the addition of maple syrup. It's the same glaze I use for my Maple Pecan Bundt Cake!
- Beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese together until completely smooth.
- Sift in the powdered sugar, then add the vanilla and maple syrup and mix everything together until combined.
- You can add more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze, or a splash of milk to thin it out a little.
- Dip each donut into the glaze and shake gently to remove any excess.
- Lay them down on a baking sheet or wire rack, the glaze will naturally smooth out.
- If you like, sprinkle some chopped pecans on top to decorate. This is optional, but adds a lovely crunch.
- Let the glaze set for 5 minutes before serving.
Pumpkin Donuts Recipe Tips
These pumpkin spice donuts are extremely easy to make, but here are some of my tips for best results:
Room Temp Ingredients - Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before starting to mix everything together - this will help prevent curdling.
Curdled Pumpkin - If your batter does look curdled after adding the pumpkin puree, just keep going; the mixture should smooth out again once you add the flour.
Taste Test - When it comes to warm spices, I think you should always measure with the heart! If you taste the batter and it's not 'pumpkin spicy' enough for you, add some more.
Don't Overfill Donut Pan - Keep in mind that the donuts will rise as they bake. If you fill the cavities too full, you'll end up with big muffin tops instead of donuts. Although I'm not saying that would be a bad thing..
Variations on Pumpkin Spice Donuts
A few ideas for ways to spice up your pumpkin cake donuts! (...see what I did there?)
- Streusel Topping - What better way to make these donuts even toastier than with a golden crumble topping! Crisp up your fresh or leftover crumb topping in the oven for 15-20 minutes, then sprinkle it over the sticky glazed donuts for a crunchy garnish.
- Chocolate Chips - Chocolate makes everything more delicious...Mix in a generous amount of chocolate chips to your batter to have gooey mouthfuls of pumpkin and chocolate donuts.
- Maple Cinnamon Glaze - For even more of a fall flavor, add some cinnamon (or other spices) to the glaze for extra warmth.
- Different Glaze - Not a cream cheese fan? These donuts go wonderfully with a chocolate or vanilla glaze.
- Cinnamon Sugar Coating - You could also skip the glaze entirely and roll the warm donuts in some sweet cinnamon sugar instead for yummy sugar pumpkin donuts.
Storage
Store your homemade donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Once they have the glaze on, they will need to be kept in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese. Make sure they are airtight to stop the fridge from drying them out.
Pumpkin Donut FAQs
Fried donuts and baked donuts are both great for different reasons. I couldn't possibly say which is better! Baked donuts are fluffier and have a more cake-like consistency, whereas fried donuts have a slightly lighter texture. Fried donuts do use excess oil that is not needed for baked donuts.
If you want to make fried pumpkin donuts, you could make my Bavarian Cream Donut recipe and fill them with Pumpkin Curd!
The key difference between cake and yeast donuts lies in how they rise. Cake-like donuts use baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent, whereas a yeast donut relies on yeast. This difference in leavening not only affects texture - cake donuts being dense and tender, yeast donuts light and airy - but also influences flavor, with yeast donuts tasting a bit tangier.
While it is possible to make your own pumpkin puree for this donut recipe, I strongly recommend using the canned puree.
This is because fresh pumpkin puree has a lot more moisture in it, and it could mess with the consistency of your donut batter. If you do make your own puree, make sure you blot it with paper towels to remove some of the excess moisture.
See my pumpkin cookies recipe for tips on how to properly blot pumpkin puree.
More Pumpkin Recipes
From pumpkin muffins to pumpkin cake, there are plenty of pumpkin desserts to choose from on the Bonni Bakery site! Here are a few of my personal favorites:
Recipe
Pumpkin Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Unsalted Butter 227g (room temperature)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar 200g
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar 220g
- 4 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 1 can Pumpkin Puree 15oz / 425g
- 2 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour 330g
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil 60ml
- ½ cup Whole Milk 120ml
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 4 oz Cream Cheese 113g (room temperature)
- ½ stick Unsalted Butter 56g (room temperature)
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar 120g
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup 60ml
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with paddle attachment
- Cooling Rack
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F /180°C (160° fan-assisted) and lightly spray your donut pan with cooking spray.
- Cream the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, an electric mixer, or do it by hand.2 sticks (227 g) Unsalted Butter, 1 cup (220 g) Light Brown Sugar, 1 cup (200 g) Granulated Sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time and mix until combined.4 Large (4) Eggs
- Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla, mix until totally combined. If the mixture looks curdled after adding the pumpkin, don't panic, it will smooth out once the flour is added1 can Pumpkin Puree, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together.2 ¾ cups (330 g) All Purpose Flour, 1 tablespoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) Baking Soda, 3 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg, 2 teaspoon Ground Ginger, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) Salt
- Put half the dry ingredients mixture into the donut batter and stir in slowly until completely combined.
- Pour in the vegetable oil and milk and stir until totally incorporated.¼ cup (60 ml) Vegetable Oil, ½ cup (120 ml) Whole Milk
- Add the remaining flour and mix until totally combined, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Put the batter into a piping bag and pipe in rings into the donut pan, filling each cavity to about ⅔ full.If you don't have a piping bag you can just use a ziplock bag, or spoon the batter into the pan.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the donuts are golden brown and spring back slightly when you press on them.
- Cream the butter and cream cheese together until completely smooth.4 oz (113 g) Cream Cheese, ½ stick (56 g) Unsalted Butter
- Sift in the powdered sugar and add the vanilla and maple syrup.1 cup (120 g) Powdered Sugar, ¼ cup (60 ml) Maple Syrup, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Mix everything together until you have a smooth glaze. You can add more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze, or a splash of milk for a thinner glaze.
- Dip the donuts into the glaze and shake off any excess, then lay them on a rack to set for 5 minutes.
- *Optional* Sprinkle with some chopped pecans to decorate
Cathy Johnson
I am going to try this. It looks wonderful.
Jules Grasekamp
Thanks Cathy, I hope you love the donuts!
Holly Barnes
Could this be used to make waffles?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Holly,
Thanks for your question. This recipe isn't developed as a waffle recipe - having said that, I'm sure if you put it in a waffle maker it would still bake and taste good. I'm not sure if it would have the flavor and texture of waffles though!
Hope this helps,
Jules