Apple Cider Donuts
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There’s nothing truly better than biting into a warm, fresh donut coated in cinnamon sugar. It melts in your mouth with every bite!
Featured Comment
Definitely make these!
Are you a eat-the-entire-donut person or more of a donut hole person? I’m probably more of the latter since there’s generally an overall sense of less guilt consuming donut holes.
Although I think I probably consume more donut volume in donut holes. But it really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. They all get deep fried and coated, smothered and tossed in homemade cinnamon sugar while still piping hot.
So whole donuts vs. donut holes. We’re all winning and thriving here.
what Are apple cider donuts?
Apple cider donuts are an American treat, full of warm Fall spices, apple cider, and often times topped or coated in cinnamon sugar. They are typically sold at apple orchards, cider mills and farm stands.
why i love this recipe
- Bakery-quality. Although completely homemade, these warm cinnamon-sugar coated donuts taste just like the ones fresh from an apple orchard, if not even better.
- Mixer not required. The apple cider dough does not require any kind of hand mixer or kneading.
- Strong apple flavors. By using reduced apple cider and all of its concentrated syrupy goodness (the secret ingredient), we’re talking big apple flavors here.
tips and tricks for success
- Apple cider versus apple juice. Apple cider is not the same as apple juice. At times, apple juice can be substituted for apple cider but in a recipe like this where the apple cider is really the main hero, it is best not to substitute with apple juice.
- Use reduced apple cider. Reducing the apple cider will create more complex, concentrated, potent flavors. With its syrup-like consistency, this will help achieve that strong apple flavor.
- Use a heavy pot. A heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, is ideal here for even heat distribution for the hot oil.
- Use a candy thermometer for the most accurate results. The ideal temperature of the oil should be between 350° and 375°F.
- Fry in batches. If too many donuts are added at once, the oil temperature will drop and the donuts will absorb too much oil, resulting in soggy donuts.
- Reheat in the oven. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 325°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through – we want crispy on the outside, warm on the inside.
Apple Cider Donuts: Frequently Asked Questions
As apple cider is the main ingredient, we do not recommend substituting with apple juice.
Reducing the apple cider will result in concentrated flavors, adding big, prominent apple flavors to the donuts.
Yes! The apple cider can be reduced and stored in the fridge 1-2 days in advance.
Apple cider donuts are best eaten the same day but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, reheating at 325°F wrapped in aluminum foil until warmed through.
Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
- 3 cups apple cider
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups vegetable oil
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat apple cider in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1 cup, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely.
- In a small bowl, combine sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together butter, eggs and reduced apple cider.
- Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist; cover and place into the refrigerator until chilled, about 1 hour. Divide dough in half.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, roll dough into 1/2-inch thick rounds; cut out rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 to 375 degrees F.
- Working in batches, add donuts to the Dutch oven and cook until evenly golden and crispy, 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate for 30 seconds; then roll warm donuts in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
- Serve warm.
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Great recipe!
I’ve mad this before and loved it, and I’m wondering can I use apple juice instead of apple cider?
I have used apple juice concentrate instead of cider for this recipe and they turned out great! Also faster because it didn’t require the time it takes to reduce apple cider on the stove.
These were much easier than I expected and they puff up to a wonderful cake texture, don’t feel sad if they look sad before you fey them! A minute on each side is good, don’t worry if they come out looking very dark brown, they are crispy and not at all burnt. Would suggest sprinkling them in cinnamon sugar rather than rolling, they pick up a lot. This recipe was very easy to cut in half, six donuts and six holes was more than enough for three people. I also found it much easier to divide the dough into six pieces, roll them out individually and cut the holes, rather than trying to roll a sheet and having to reshape it every other donut.
Can these be piped into a donut pan and BAKED? Thank you.
It’s the first time I ever made apple cider donuts. These are right up there with the best I’ve ever bought at farmers markets . They are crisp but not greasy. Recipe made 2 dozen plus holes. The holes are way too easy to pop in your mouth!! I made one dozen and am freezing the second dozen raw. The only part I had trouble with was getting the oil to the proper temperature. I found 350 to be better than 375. Good luck everyone. It’s all worth the time and patience.
These were fantastic … I cheated a bit and used pre reduced cider from King Arthur Baking which made things a lot easier. Tender, crisp, and flavorful. I made them for a friend group who are mostly vegans so I can also second the other reviewer who mentioned veganizing these with aquafaba in place of eggs and earth balance for butter.
Can someone help me understand what this means: roll dough into 1/2-inch thick rounds. I can’t seem to visualize this. Is it just roll the dough out to 1/2” thick and then just cut out donuts? I think I’m getting hung up on the wording… rounds? Thank you!
You roll the dough out into disks (like you are making a pie crust) and cut the doughnuts from these “rounds”
These donuts were fantastic! Crispy, light and delectable. I didn’t find the dough difficult to work with. Just make sure your surface, rolling pin, and hands are well floured. My only (very small) complaint is that I could have used a bit more apple cider flavor. I may consider reducing 4 cups of cider and augmenting the amount of sugar in the dough next time. Other than that, we had a perfect fall morning without going to the orchard store, haha. Thank you for this recipe!
these donuts were great!! not as crispy as the ones from my local apple orchard but the flavor was spot on and overall really delicious. The recipe is super easy – I wonder if frying them in Crisco would make the difference? – also good to note we had some left over and they were equally delicious the next day!
…the “crispy trick” from when I worked at a VT apple farm + bakery…
after the first fry, keep the oil going and pop a few of them back in for just a FLASH— 15/20/30 secs MAX, take out and drain. the second fry makes the crispy bits. try 1-2 at first, to test time and determine desired texture.
Fantastic recipe! I accidentally over-reduced the apple cider by a smidge, so I added a tablespoon or two of apple butter, but I think it was unnecessary. The apple flavor was really great. The dough was very sticky, but having plenty of flour on hand and keeping the dough cold helped with rolling out and shaping. For getting the doughnuts into the fryer without messing up the shape, I used a trick I saw on the King Arthur Flour website and put each cut out on a square of parchment paper and lowered them into the oil with a slotted spoon. The only thing I would change next time would be to fry them in Crisco or other lard, which I’ve heard makes them not quite as soggy/oily and is better for frying. It wasn’t a problem when they were fresh the day of frying, but after a day or two you could definitely taste the vegetable oil.
This was a nice recipe. I followed the instructions for the first batch and found that 375 for the oil was too hot – the donuts fried very quickly but had a slightly burned taste and were dry. For the second batch I rolled the dough to 3/4”, used a larger cutter (3.5”) and fried them at 350 and they came out perfectly. I used both an infrared and instant read thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil.
We are big apple cider doughnut fans but have been reluctant to go get them due to COVID. This recipe is terrific! I followed it to the T, including step one (reducing the cider). They came out perfectly! I have eaten a lot of apple cider doughnuts in my time, but these may be better than the ones at the farmstands. Thank you for a great recipe.
Outstanding recipe! I also added a cinnamon stick (& nutmeg) to the cider as it reduced. After it cooled I added a couple dashes of Angustora bitters for some depth. As others have noted, the dough is sticky but nothing a well-floured surface and rolling pin couldn’t handle. We used our deep-fryer and they came out gorgeous and tasted fantastic. We will keep this recipe for next autumn! Thank you!
Thanks for a good recipe! I halved the recipe. After reading reviews, I was worried about soft dough, but it was sturdier than my normal cake doughnut dough and super easy to work with. The only riff I made was adding some spices to the cider while reducing.
This is an excellent recipe! They are delicious. I hoped they would taste as good as the donuts we had near Lake George. They are even better. I followed the recipe as listed, the only difference is I refrigerated overnight.
SO DELICIOUS, They were much easier to make than I thought they would be.
I added a cinnamon stick to the cider as it boiled down
This recipe was incredible, and just what I needed! I veganized it by using earth balance and chickpea-based egg replacer (Nice egg), and everything was a simple 1:1 swap. The timings were perfect so the donuts didn’t come out too greasy. The only item I had to buy in preparation was a thermometer so I didn’t have to mess around with super hot oil. I’ve already recommended this to friends!
Are these supposed to be cake like? or light and fluffy like doughnuts? Mine are kind of thick and dense- they did not rise in the fridge either, should they have?
Awesome , easy , and tasted great
TJ, these are cake donuts. There is no yeast in them so they will not rise. The texture will be more dense than your traditional yeasted donut.
Question; you said to chill dough, am I able to chill the dough for a couple days?
I have been looking for an apple cider donut recipe that didn’t require a donut baking pan because who needs clutter? And this was absolutely perfect! I halved the recipe since it’s just me and my husband and o.m.g! Suffice to say, my craving has been satieted. Definitely will be making this every Fall. Thank you!