Nothing says Fall like pumpkins, apple cider and DONUTS! And these Gluten-Free Baked donuts taste like they are straight from a bakery. Amazing texture and flavor!
Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
Cake donuts, just the right amount of sweet and spice and YUMMY!
Nothing says October like pumpkin, apple cider and donuts!
And these Baked Pumpkin Donuts taste like they are straight from a bakery at an apple picking farm… sooooo yummy!
They are “cake” donuts and are soft and fluffy, moist, have a great consistency and just the right flavor- not too sweet, not overly spiced.
These baked donuts couldn’t be easier to make!
The recipe is super simple and using a donut pan to bake them was a snap. The bake for less then 20 minutes and have a perfect cake-like texture. Coated in cinnamon sugar, they are amazing!
All you need is 11 pantry staple ingredients (including water!):
canned pumpkin
gluten-free flour (we use GF Jules – affiliate link)
baking powder
baking soda
cinnamon
ground cloves
sugar
butter or dairy-free butte
eggs
salt and water
As an aside, you may have noticed that we are affiliate for GFJules. To learn more about why we love GFJules flour and why we have used it for 10 years, click here. Bonus: at the bottom of that post is a one-time use affiliate Discount Code.
And importantly, purchasing through an affiliate link does not change your cost at all. It generates a small percentage of the sale for me, and purchasing through an affiliate link helps me fund this website and all the recipes I share, so thank you!
Back to the Gluten-free Pumpkin Donuts…
You make the super simple batter and then spoon it into donut pans.
To look like a donut with a donut hole, be sure to leave the center of the pan uncovered.
You can see here, the photo on the left was filled the donut tin, leaving the hole uncovered. The photo on the right was overfilled a bit so the hole is smaller. Still tastes great! Just doesn’t look as much like a donut.
You could enjoy as is, but my favorite part is the cinnamon sugar!
So after cooling, be sure to brush the donuts lightly with coconut oil or butter and dip in cinnamon sugar.
Best part is, they freeze well too!
So you could make the entire batch and freeze the donut (before topping with cinnamon sugar) and take out as needed.
This is perfect for our busy lives whether you want to have a fun and yummy snack at the ready or you’re planning ahead for a party.
Hope you love them as much as we do!
Scroll down for recipe and leave a comment if you try.
The easiest and yummiest donuts ever! Super simple recipe uses a donut pan and bakes in less than 20 minutes. The result is a perfect cake donut with the best flavor, made even better with cinnamon sugar topping. Donuts freezer well too (Freeze before topping with cinnamon sugar).
Author: Healthy Gluten-Free Family
Recipe type: Dessert, Breakfast, Snack. Fall
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Dairy Free
Serves: 15 donuts
Ingredients
Donuts:
⅓ cup butter or dairyfree alternative (we have baked these with Earth Balance soy free sticks)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
½ 15 oz can pure pumpkin (equals ½ cup + 1/3 cup pure pumpkin)
⅓ cup water
1⅔ cup Flour (I use GF Jules All purpose flour - affiliate link)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ - ½ teaspoon ground cloves (according to tastes)
Topping:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted OR ½ Coconut Oil, Melted
Baking brush
Instructions
Donuts
Preheat oven to 350 and grease donut pan.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Stir in eggs, pumpkin and water.
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves with a pastry cutter or fork.
Add dry ingredients to wet & mix well.
Pour into donut pan, filing each donut form up to the top of the donut hole (so that you can see the donut hole)
Bake 16-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven. Let sit 5 minutes, then invert donut pan to remove donuts and let cool on a wire rack.
Repeat baking donuts in donut pan until dough is used up.
TIP: if freezing some donuts, freeze before topping with cinnamon sugar. Defrost and top with cinnamon sugar when ready to serve.
Top the donuts
Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Use a baking brush, brush the donuts with either melted butter or melted coconut oil (both worked equally well and tasted the same), then dunk into the cinnamon sugar mixture coating all sides.
NOTE: You can dip the donuts in cinnamon sugar without coating them with oil or butter but the cinnamon sugar won't stick as well.
Donuts are best served immediately.
Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days.
13 thoughts on “Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar”
I had never made donuts before this so I was a bit nervous to make these. However, this recipe couldn’t be easier or more delicious! They bake so quick and are so tasty! I will be making these donuts again soon! Maybe even this weekend 🙂
This recipe is amazing! a family hit; they do not make it to the next day 🙂
Thank you for such a wonderful and tasty recipe- as my kids say they are not good, they are AH-MAZING!!!
Want to make these for Christmas morning. Pumpkin just doesn’t seem right at this time of year.
1. Have you used any other puree?
2. What should I do differently to leave out the pumpkin?
I actually eat these all winter so I think they’d still taste good but I understand what you mean! One thought is to maybe add 1/2 teaspoon ginger and a pinch of nutmeg to add more of a gingerbread flavor. If you’re feeling really adventurous, maybe swap out a tablespoon or two of pumpkin Puree for a tablespoon or two of molasses. Please note, I have never made them this way but it should work!
OMGoosh, these are the best GF doughnuts on the planet, I also made some mini muffins topping with the cinnamon and sugar.. Muffins baked for 13 minutes. OFF THE HOOK. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!
Ummmm this is the second recipe I have made from her and I am hooked. First one was her GF blueberry muffins and those are outstanding. With this recipe, I wasn’t sure if they had the texture of a donut because it’s been sooooo long since I have had a donut since going GF in July 2018. My husband says that they are like a pumpkin cake donut and he is obsessed!
I did not realize I needed a donut pan to make them so I had to make one by hand using foil and a cupcake tin. They were mini donuts, but it worked out great. One tip I had that made my life easier was I put the batter in a plastic Ziploc, then cut just a small tip of one corner off, and squeezed the batter into each donut hole rather than spooning it in. It made it a lot easier! Make these if you are a pumpkin person!!!
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
I had never made donuts before this so I was a bit nervous to make these. However, this recipe couldn’t be easier or more delicious! They bake so quick and are so tasty! I will be making these donuts again soon! Maybe even this weekend 🙂
Yay! So happy to hear you found them easy to make and loved them! Thanks for sharing!
These donuts are amazing, my family couldn’t get enough of them. Easy and delightful. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Yay! So happy you all love them as much as we do! Thanks for sharing!
Omg these are absolutely delicious!!!! Seriously so delicious. I’ve made 4 of your recipes this week haha. I will definitely make these again.
You are the best! SO happy you’re loving everything!
This recipe is amazing! a family hit; they do not make it to the next day 🙂
Thank you for such a wonderful and tasty recipe- as my kids say they are not good, they are AH-MAZING!!!
haha love it! So happy your kids loved them!
Want to make these for Christmas morning. Pumpkin just doesn’t seem right at this time of year.
1. Have you used any other puree?
2. What should I do differently to leave out the pumpkin?
Thank You!
I actually eat these all winter so I think they’d still taste good but I understand what you mean! One thought is to maybe add 1/2 teaspoon ginger and a pinch of nutmeg to add more of a gingerbread flavor. If you’re feeling really adventurous, maybe swap out a tablespoon or two of pumpkin Puree for a tablespoon or two of molasses. Please note, I have never made them this way but it should work!
OMGoosh, these are the best GF doughnuts on the planet, I also made some mini muffins topping with the cinnamon and sugar.. Muffins baked for 13 minutes. OFF THE HOOK. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!
Thank you!! So happy you loved them!
Ummmm this is the second recipe I have made from her and I am hooked. First one was her GF blueberry muffins and those are outstanding. With this recipe, I wasn’t sure if they had the texture of a donut because it’s been sooooo long since I have had a donut since going GF in July 2018. My husband says that they are like a pumpkin cake donut and he is obsessed!
I did not realize I needed a donut pan to make them so I had to make one by hand using foil and a cupcake tin. They were mini donuts, but it worked out great. One tip I had that made my life easier was I put the batter in a plastic Ziploc, then cut just a small tip of one corner off, and squeezed the batter into each donut hole rather than spooning it in. It made it a lot easier! Make these if you are a pumpkin person!!!