Easy Baked Pumpkin Donuts

I first made baked pumpkin donuts with my college roommate Sarah during our senior year. She was missing her mom’s cozy fall baking traditions, so one rainy October afternoon, we FaceTimed her mom back in Vermont and tried to recreate the recipe together. We completely botched the measurements twice, but by the third batch, the kitchen smelled like home, and those donuts turned out perfectly soft, spiced, and pumpkin-packed.

Now, fifteen years later, I make these every fall and think of that crazy afternoon in our tiny dorm kitchen. It’s exactly like Sarah’s mom promised it would be.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Look, I’m not gonna lie – these donuts are ridiculously good. They’re way easier than you think, and you probably have most ingredients already. Plus, no deep frying mess to deal with on a Sunday morning!

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For the Donuts:

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup oat flour (or substitute with more all-purpose flour)
• ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup neutral oil (like vegetable or canola)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling!)

For the Maple Glaze:

• 1¼ cups powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp dark corn syrup
• ½ tbsp water
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

🔍 Why These Ingredients Work

The oat flour thing? I started doing that after my sister-in-law mentioned it makes everything more tender. She’s right – it totally does. Brown sugar over white sugar is a game changer too. And don’t even get me started on room temperature eggs. My mom always said that, and turns out she knew what she was talking about!

Essential Tools and Equipment

You need a mini donut pan – got mine at Target for like $8. Two bowls, a whisk, measuring stuff. That’s it. I sometimes use a sandwich baggie with the corner cut off to pipe the batter, but a spoon works fine too.

👩🍳How To Make Pumpkin Donuts

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease that donut pan good. I learned this the hard way – stuck donuts are sad donuts.
2. Mix your dry stuff: All the flours, spices, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Just whisk it together in one bowl.
3. Wet ingredients time: Whisk the egg first, then add brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin. Mix until smooth – this part’s easy.
4. Combine everything: Pour wet into dry and stir gently. Stop as soon as you don’t see flour streaks. Seriously, don’t overmix or you’ll get tough donuts.
5. Fill the pan: Spoon batter into each cavity, about halfway full. They puff up quite a bit.
6. Bake: 6-7 minutes max. Check at 6 minutes – they should spring back when you poke them.
7. Cool down: Let them sit in the pan for 2 minutes, then flip them out onto a rack.
8. Make the glaze: Whisk all glaze ingredients until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a tiny bit more water.
9. Glaze ’em up: Dip cooled donuts face-down into glaze. Let excess drip off, then set on rack to dry.

Tips from Well-Known Chefs

Pastry chef Christina Tosi always says the secret to perfect baked goods is room temperature ingredients – and she’s absolutely right! That egg needs to be at room temperature for the smoothest batter.

❗ You Must Know

Personal Secret: I add just a tiny pinch of cardamom to my pumpkin spice. My aunt does this with all her fall baking and it makes everything taste mysteriously amazing. People always ask what the secret is!

Also, lumpy batter is fine. Actually, it’s better than smooth batter. Smooth means you overmixed and your donuts will be tough.

💡 Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

My biggest tip? Don’t fill those donut holes more than halfway. I went crazy the first time and they turned into weird pumpkin muffins.

Room temperature egg is crucial – I learned this from my disaster batch where I used a cold egg straight from the fridge. The batter was all lumpy and weird.

Test your first donut if you’re unsure about timing. Every oven’s different, and better safe than sorry.

🎨 Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Want to switch it up? Try cinnamon sugar instead of glaze – just roll the warm donuts in it. I’ve also done a cream cheese glaze by mixing cream cheese into the maple glaze.

My neighbor adds chocolate chips to hers. Not traditional, but her kids go crazy for them.

⏲️ Make-Ahead Options

You can totally make these ahead! The batter keeps in the fridge overnight – just let it come to room temp before baking.

I freeze the plain donuts (no glaze) all the time. They keep for a month, and you just glaze them when you want to eat them. Super convenient for busy mornings.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

No oat flour? Just use regular flour instead. The donuts will still be great.

Make sure you use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. I made that mistake once and they were way too sweet and spiced.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

These are perfect with coffee – that’s how I eat them every morning. My kids like them with milk. They’re also great for school lunches or when people come over.

🧊 How to Store Your Pumpkin Donuts

Keep them in a container on the counter for 3 days. They actually stay pretty soft, which surprised me. If you want to refresh day-old ones, pop them in the oven at 300°F for a couple minutes.

⚠️ Allergy Information

No dairy in these! For gluten-free, use a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend. Just make sure it has xanthan gum in it already.

❓ Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I make these without a donut pan?

Yep! Use a mini muffin tin. They’ll be donut holes instead of rings, but still delicious.

How do I know when they’re done?

Poke the top gently – it should spring back. Takes about 6-7 minutes.

Can I double the recipe?

Sure! Just make sure you have enough pan space or bake in batches.

Why are my donuts dense?

Probably overmixed. Mix just until you don’t see flour streaks, then stop.

Can I make the glaze ahead?

Yeah, it keeps covered on the counter for a couple days. Just whisk it before using.

These seriously make my house smell amazing, and my family requests them every weekend now. Hope you love them as much as we do!

💬 Tried this recipe? Let me know how they turned out! I always love hearing about your baking adventures, especially if you tried any fun variations.