Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
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These easy baked pumpkin donuts with maple glaze are so soft, moist, and fluffy! Made in less than 1 hour with the most irresistible glaze!
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I made these for a treat for my daughter to bring in for her birthday one year, and her classmates talk about them all the time! She turned 13 today, and this is her third year bringing them in. Huge hit with everyone!
Why you’ll love these Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
- Completely baked. Skip the deep fryer! These irresistible crowd-favorite pumpkin donuts are completely baked start to finish, making them slightly healthier. And there’s absolutely no need to deal with hot oil or a messy clean up here.
- So moist, so soft. The pumpkin puree adds moisture and structure, keeping the donuts incredibly soft, tender, and fluffy for days.
- Quick and simple fall treat. The easy donut batter mixes in just minutes with an electric mixer, baking in about 10-12 minutes. And the maple glaze is pure gold, offering all the cozy, warm fall spices right at home.
What are pumpkin donuts?
Pumpkin donuts (or doughnuts) are ring-shaped pastries made with pumpkin puree and warm fall spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice (pumpkin pie spice). When baked, the donuts are soft and cake-y rather than chewy and airy like yeast donuts.
How to make Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
- Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer. Beat the butter and sugar until smooth, light, and fluffy.
- Add the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Then add the pumpkin puree and vanilla until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Combine. Slowly add the dry mixture, mixing just until the flour disappears. Avoid overmixing as this will result in dry, rubbery donuts.
- Fill the donut pan. Preheat the oven to 400°F and coat a donut pan with nonstick spray to prevent sticking. Pipe the batter evenly into the donut pan.
- Bake. Bake until the donuts are golden and are springy to the touch, about 10-12 minutes.
- Make the maple glaze. Reduce the maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat to 1/2 cup, then stir in the butter, vanilla, and salt. Finally, whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Pro tip: the glaze should be thin enough to drip off a spoon but thick enough to coat the donut without completely running off.
- Glaze. Let the donuts cool for 10 minutes, then dip the tops into the glaze, letting the excess glaze drip back into the bowl. Place the donuts on a wire rack to set. Pro tip: if preparing for leftovers, hold off on the glaze just before serving.
- Serve. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Topping variations
- Plain: serve the donuts plain without a glaze, letting the pure pumpkin flavor stand out
- Classic glaze: swap out the maple glaze for this classic version
- Cinnamon sugar: brush the donuts with melted butter, then roll or press the donuts gently in cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon) until evenly coated
Tools For This Recipe
Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pumpkin pie mix?
Unfortunately no. It is best to use 100% pure pumpkin puree as pumpkin pie mix contains added sugars and spices.
Can I make donut holes instead?
Absolutely! You can use a donut hole pan instead, reducing the bake time to 7-8 minutes.
Do they taste like fried donuts?
Baked pumpkin donuts are more soft and cake-like whereas fried donuts are crispy on the outside, airy on the inside.
How can I store leftovers?
Store leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, adding the maple glaze just before serving.
Can I freeze the donuts?
Yes, the unglazed donuts can be kept in the freezer for at least 2 months!
Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
These easy baked pumpkin donuts with maple glaze are so soft, moist, and fluffy! Made in less than 1 hour with the most irresistible glaze!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the maple glaze
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a donut pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
- Beat in pumpkin and vanilla until just combined.
- Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture at low speed, beating just until incorporated.
- Pipe the batter evenly into the donut pan, filling each cavity two-thirds full.
- Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until donuts are slightly browned and spring back when touched.
For the maple glaze
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat maple syrup until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Whisk in butter, vanilla and salt until the butter has melted.
- Whisk in confectioners' sugar until smooth.
- When the donuts are done, cool for 10 minutes and dip the tops into the glaze. Allow glaze to set on a wire rack before serving.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Equipment
Notes
- Use 100% pure pumpkin puree. Canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not the same, and are not interchangeable. Pumpkin pie filling comes pre-mixed with sweeteners and spices.
- Pipe the batter. Spooning the batter can be difficult and messy. Use a piping bag or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off to easily pipe the batter into the donut pan.
- Avoid overcooking the donuts. Check the donuts around the 8 minute mark. Overbaked donuts will be dry.
- Glaze while warm. Dip the donuts in the maple glaze while they are still warm – this will melt the sugar slightly, creating an even coating into a classic, glossy, shiny shell as it cools.
- Freeze without the glaze. Let the donuts cool completely, then wrap each donut tightly in plastic wrap before transferring to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date, and freeze up to 2 months.
- Thaw, warm, and glaze. To reheat the donuts from frozen, thaw 1-2 hours at room temperature, then warm in a microwave for 15-30 seconds, glazing the donuts while they are still warm.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made these this morning and they are stellar! So yummy!
I made these for a treat for my daughter to bring in for her birthday one year, and her classmates talk about them all the time! She turned 13 today, and this is her third year bringing them in. Huge hit with everyone!
I want to make these donuts but I am not familiar with a donut pan. Do you have any recommendations for a good donut pan that I can purchase? I truly love all your recipes!
These are indeed VERY good donuts! They’re relatively easy to put together and taste awesome. I made them for some family members that came over and served them warm from the oven with some hot mulled Apple Cider – they were a huge hit with everyone and none of them refused when asked if they’d like to take some home! I had 3 silicone donut pans (6 count each that made 3” donuts) and the recipe made 18 donuts. I just rolled them in powdered sugar and served them warm. Our grandson drove over to see us the next day and I made a batch for him and he loved them as well. Took some home for him & his Dad. These are a KEEPER.
Everything about these were delicious. I didn’t have a donut pan and tried to makeshift donuts with foil and a muffin tin, but it just ended up being donut muffins with foil cones inside haha. But, that didn’t stop them from still being the absolute perfect fall flavored breakfast accompaniment. Guess I’m gonna have to get a donut pan haha.
Love. Tastes great and we used our own pumpkin that we grew for the purer so I’m partial to mine of course. However, mine look exactly like the picture and I only got 8 and a half donuts out of the dough instead of a dozen using my Nordic ware donut pan. I didn’t fill them up all the way either. Oh well, next time I will do a double batch.
The dough ended up runny so I made cupcakes. Not a total loss
Oh my gosh, these are delicious!!!! I made 1 1/2 recipes so I could use the entire can of pumpkin (15 oz) and it made 30 donuts. 5 stars from the kids too!
Do you have a similar recipe for muffins?
Can I use a silacone pan
These donuts were tasty. The maple glaze was a little too sweet for me.
These are absolutely delicious! My family devoured these. Highly recommend
Very good! I didn’t use the maple glaze, because I didn’t want to give up that much of my good maple syrup. I brushed with a little butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. It was the perfect compliment to the donuts. I really enjoyed the donuts! I also used fresh pumpkin purée…nothing beats that! It’s true once you try the fresh…you won’t want the can pumpkin! (Unless fresh pumpkins are not available). I like the idea of the fresh…no potential for manufacturing issues. The more we make homemade, the healthier we will be!
Made these the other night to test for Thanksgiving dessert. Followed recipe to a T and OMG, biggest hit. Can’t wait to make them again. Thank you!
Would a silicone donut baking pan work as well?
Oh my gosh!! Just make them! So delicious.
What an amazing recipe!!!!
So easy and really delicious! And maple glaze is to die for. Really soft and airy and fluffy and moist donuts- way better than Dunkin!!!!!!!!
Thank you for all great recipe!
Anyone made these with gluten free flour?
Turned out delish! Didn’t have a donut machine but used my Baby Cakes cake pops machine. Baked for 3-1/2 minutes and made 60 pops. Great receipe!
Oh my word these are SO good! They are so moist. Can’t wait to have another with my coffee in the morning! My family agrees, best baked doughnut recipe we’ve made!