Baked Pumpkin Donuts

These healthy baked pumpkin donuts are moist, fluffy, and easy to make in 30 minutes! Homemade pumpkin donuts are baked and not fried and made with whole wheat flour.

I love everything about October. The beauty brought about by the changing of the seasons, the delicious fall produce being harvested daily, and the eager anticipation for the holiday season.

And lets not forget pumpkin! Now is the time of the year that pumpkin reigns supreme. In soups, snacks, drinks, pies and of course...baked goods, like these Baked Pumpkin Donuts!

This healthy baked pumpkin donuts recipe is super easy to make and is ready in under 30 minutes! They are baked and not fried and made with whole wheat flour! Plus the cinnamon glaze makes them absolutely irresistible!

Pumpkin Donuts: Ingredients and Substitutions

As always, let's chat about the ingredients used in this pumpkin donut recipe, as well as the possible substitutions.

• All-purpose flour. I chose to use a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat flour for a lighter texture. Feel free to use your favorite flour (spelt, buckwheat, white whole wheat, etc), but be aware that it will effect the texture of the final product.
• Whole wheat flour. I love using whole wheat flour in baked good for the extra nutrition and fiber. You could skip it and simply use entirely all-purpose flour if you don't regularly keep whole wheat flour on hand. You can also use white whole wheat flour.
• Pumpkin puree. Please use 100% pure pumpkin puree. Not pumpkin pie filling! You can use homemade puree.
• Butter. You can use coconut oil or ghee for a dairy-free version.
• Milk. Whole milk, 2%, half and half, heavy cream, etc. all work well in this recipe. I don't recommend 1% or skim, as the higher the fat content, the richer the donuts will taste. You can also use a non-dairy milk to make this pumpkin donuts recipe dairy-free. I recommend full-fat coconut milk for the richest taste.
• Brown Sugar. Coconut sugar can be used in place of brown sugar for a refined-sugar free variety. You can also use granulated sugar or dark brown sugar.
• Powdered Sugar. For a refined sugar free version you can make your own powdered sugar. However the glaze will be darker in color
• Pumpkin Pie Spice. Use store bought or make this homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe!

How to make Baked Pumpkin Donuts

• Mix the wet ingredients. This is a super simple one-bowl pumpkin donut recipe. I recommend mixing all the wet ingredients together first until they are silky smooth.
• Add the brown sugar. Then add the brown sugar and stir really well. Sometimes brown sugar can clump and leave hard sugary lumps in your baked goods. We do not want that! So make sure it's fully dissolved into the batter before adding the rest of the dry ingredients.
• Add the dry ingredients. For the sake of filming this recipe I simply dumped all the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients and then made sure to mix them really well. If you prefer, you can mix the dry ingredients first in a separate small bowl, and then add them to the wet ingredients.

After a good mix, your batter is done and you're reading to move onto the next step...

Baked Pumpkin Donuts - tips

I have made my fair share of baked donuts around here, so I implore you to learn from my experience and use some of these helpful tricks!

How to fill a donut pan

I have tried filling a donut pan in numerous different ways, but by FAR the easiest is pictured below. You don't need any fancy equipment, simply put the batter into a quart-sized plastic bag and cut off the tip.

Then evenly squeeze the batter into the wells of the greased donut pan and bake! This is so much easier than trying to use a spatula or spoon to evenly spread the batter into the wells. The final product is so much prettier and the process is neater!

If you prefer, use a decorator bag with a large, circular tip, or leave the tip off all together!

Bake & Cool

Next bake the healthy pumpkin donuts until the tops spring back when touched and they are slightly browned around the edges.

Let the baked pumpkin donuts cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  This will ensure that they hold their shape when transferred. I recommend using a metal spoon to release the edges of the donuts from the pan before removing!

While the donuts are cooling, it's time to move on to the next step...

Make the cinnamon glaze

Sure you could leave the glaze off these pumpkin donuts...but I do NOT recommend doing that! The cinnamon glaze takes this recipe from great to WOW.

And it's so easy to make! Simply mix together the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Then add milk and vanilla and stir until smooth. At first it won't seem like the amount of milk is sufficient to make a smooth glaze, but just keep stirring and it'll all work out!

However, you can add more milk ½ tsp at a time if you notice the glaze isn't smooth or spreadable enough. Just be careful because a little milk goes a LONG way.

Glaze the donuts

There are two ways to glaze the donuts:

1. Spoon the glaze on each pumpkin donut. I attempted this method first, and while it works, it's not my favorite because a lot of glaze drips off the donut onto the surface below. So if this is your method of choice, I recommend placing the cooling rack on top of a large plate or baking sheet to catch the glaze so you can collect the extra and use it!
2. Dip the tops of the pumpkin donuts into the glaze. I found this method much easier and less messy. I also like the look of the top of the donuts better when they are dipped once and left to set.

Let the glaze set. Once the donuts are glazed, they need to sit at room temperature until the glaze is hardened. To speed up this process feel free to pop them in the refrigerator!

Store/freeze

If you plan on eating them the day they are made, simply leave them out on the cooling rack or on a serving dish at room temperature.

To keep them fresher longer, store the pumpkin glazed donuts in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. I recommend putting them in a single layer in an airtight container. Stacking them can cause the glaze to crack!

Recipe FAQs

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What can I make with pumpkin? 

I have lots of delicious ideas for you if you're looking to make something with pumpkin, besides these baked pumpkin donuts of course!

• Make a loaf of the BEST pumpkin bread ever! 
• This pumpkin pie is the best and it's made completely from scratch. Or try this dairy-free pumpkin pie which is equally delicious! 
• This pumpkin smoothie tastes like a liquid pumpkin pie but it's so much healthier and only takes 5 minutes to make!
• This literally the best pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting I've ever had - ever. 
• Pumpkin baked oatmeal is one of our favorite fall breakfasts, or try these pumpkin overnight oats.
• This no-bake vegan pumpkin cheesecake is great if you have people in your family with food allergies! Also this paleo pumpkin bread, these paleo pumpkin muffins, and these mini vegan pumpkin pies!
• Make a batch of this pumpkin coffee creamer. It's healthy and delicious! 

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