If you’re craving all the cozy fall flavors, these homemade pumpkin donuts are just the treat. Baked (not fried!) and topped with a rich brown sugar icing, they’re soft, moist, perfectly spiced, and ready in under 45 minutes. The icing sets beautifully so the donuts are easy to stack, store, and even transport—making them just as practical as they are delicious!
I originally published this recipe in 2019 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
There’s something about pumpkin season that makes baking feel extra special. These donuts capture all of that magical fall comfort with warm spices, a soft cake-like texture, and a rich brown sugar caramel-like icing. They’re simple enough for a weekday breakfast and impressive enough to serve at a fall gathering or holiday brunch.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Donuts
- Baked, not fried
- Makes a big batch, but can be halved
- Cake donut texture that’s still moist and soft
- No mixer needed
- Ready in less than 45 minutes
- Perfectly spiced and you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice
- Delicious plain, but even better with icing
By the way, these taste fantastic with a cup of coffee and homemade pumpkin coffee creamer. Fall breakfast doesn’t get much better than this!
Behind the Recipe
My mini pumpkin muffins are donut-like, but it wasn’t until I transformed these pumpkin cream cheese muffins into cake-like donuts that I was truly satisfied with a classic baked pumpkin donut recipe.
I love that muffin batter because it’s really easy to prepare and always impresses, even without the cheesecake filling and crumb topping. (And that says a lot!!) The batter is a lot like my pumpkin crumb cake muffins, but there’s baking powder for lift and we’ll sweeten the donuts exclusively with brown sugar.
How to Make Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Made with basic ingredients, these pumpkin donuts come together quickly. Here’s what you need for the batter:
Making them is extremely simple. Here’s the basic process:
- Mix the dry ingredients together.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients.
- Fill donut pan.
- Bake.
I have a handy trick for filling donut pans, and I swear by it if you’re looking for an easy shortcut. Add the batter to a large zipped-top bag, cut off a corner, then pipe the batter into the donut pan filling only about halfway. The bag makes transferring the batter easy, neat, and quick. I use the same trick when making the Baked Chocolate Donuts in Sally’s Baking 101 cookbook.
Bounce Back Trick
I have another trick for you and I do this with almost every cake, muffin, cupcake, and donut that I bake. When the donuts are looking just about done, lightly poke the top with your finger. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. If your finger leaves an indent, the donuts need a little longer in the oven. Testing with a toothpick works as well.
Brown Sugar Icing
After plenty of testing, I landed on this buttery brown sugar icing, which is adapted from my apple Bundt cake glaze. It’s smooth, creamy, and rich, and it sets into a glossy finish that makes these donuts easy to transport.
Here’s how it comes together: Simmer butter, brown sugar, and milk together. Stir in vanilla and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add a pinch of salt for balance (highly recommend!).
Dip the donuts while the icing is warm and let it set for a few minutes. The combination of spiced pumpkin donut + buttery brown sugar icing is truly next-level.
Let the icing thicken for a few minutes, then give those donuts a nice belly flop right into it. Brown sugared and buttery, this icing might just be better than the donuts themselves. And if you’re hooked on it, you’ll also love this icing drizzled on apple cinnamon bread.
The brown sugar icing sets, so these are convenient for stacking or transporting.
Alternate Pumpkin Donut Toppings
Before the icing sets, you can garnish the donuts with finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts), toffee pieces, coconut, or sprinkles. If you’re not into brown sugar icing, try any of these:
And, of course, don’t forget about pumpkin pie, the dessert that started it all!
Description
If you’re craving all the cozy fall flavors, these homemade pumpkin donuts are just the treat. Baked (not fried!) and topped with a rich brown sugar icing, they’re soft, moist, perfectly spiced, and ready in under 45 minutes. The icing sets beautifully so the donuts are easy to stack, store, and even transport—making them just as practical as they are delicious! See recipe notes about turning these into pumpkin muffins or mini pumpkin donuts.
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil or melted coconut oil)
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (227g) fresh or canned pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Brown Sugar Icing
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (175g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
- pinch of salt, to taste
- optional topping: crushed walnuts (see Note for other options)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Make the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, milk, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain.
- Spoon the batter into the donut cavities or for ease, I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about halfway.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. Cool donuts in the pan for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter. *For mini donuts, bake in a mini donut pan for 8-9 minutes. Cool donuts for at least 10 minutes before icing them.
- Make the icing: Combine the brown sugar, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 1 minute then remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and sifted confectioners’ sugar until smooth and combined. Taste, then add a pinch of salt if desired—I always add a tiny pinch. Let the icing cool for 5 minutes to slightly thicken. Dip the tops of the pumpkin donuts into the warm icing. If icing is getting too thick as you’re dipping, add a little more milk or warm back up in the microwave or on the stove to thin out. Place dipped donuts on a wire rack placed on a baking sheet so any excess icing can drip off. Top with chopped nuts or other toppings if desired. If applied lightly, the icing will eventually set in about 1 hour so you can stack or transport the donuts.
- Cover leftover donuts tightly and store at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can freeze the donuts, plain or topped with the icing, for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up to your liking in the microwave. I usually just microwave them for a couple seconds. If plain, top with icing before serving if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Donut Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Large Zip-Topped Bag | Saucepan | Cooling Rack
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. This is in addition to the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Milk: Any milk works for the donuts and icing. I’ve tested with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, whole milk, and skim milk. You can use any, dairy or non.
- Optional Toppings: After applying the icing, you can sprinkle toppings on top or dip the donuts into any the following: sprinkles, finely chopped walnuts (what I use) or pecans, toasted coconut, finely chopped toffee, or a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Instead of icing, you can add a cinnamon sugar topping. Follow the same topping instructions (including dipping in melted butter) found in my Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts recipe. Feel free to replace that cinnamon in the topping with pumpkin pie spice.
- No Donut Pan? Make donut muffins in your standard 12-cup muffin pan. Follow the baking instructions for my pumpkin crumb cake muffins, leaving off the crumb topping. Top warm muffins with the brown sugar icing before serving.
- Mini Donuts: Want to make mini donuts or mini donut holes in a mini muffin pan? Grease your pan, add the batter to the pan only about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 8-9 minutes.
