Pumpkin Donut Holes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
These irresistible baked pumpkin donut holes (mini pumpkin muffins) are super soft, cakey, and coated in cinnamon sugar! The best fall treat.
Featured Comment
Why you’ll love these baked pumpkin donut holes
- Cozy fall treat. These quintessential fall treats are packed with real pumpkin flavor and warm spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
- Completely baked, not fried. So moist and so fluffy, these donut holes deliver in all avenues without any of the fried, oily, greasy mess.
- Comes together fast. The donut holes come take only about 10-15 minutes to prep, tasting even better than your local bakery.
- Great for sharing. Made in a mini muffin tin yielding 12 bite-sized donuts, these are perfect for sharing at potlucks, school parties, family get-togethers, and holiday gathering. And they are guaranteed crowd-pleasers!
mini muffins or donut holes?
Technically, these are mini muffins as they are baked in a mini muffin tin. But they look and taste exactly like donut holes, donut holes that are super soft and cakey with all the warm, fall spices, completely baked start to finish.
Key Ingredients
Muffin batter
- Flour: all-purpose flour
- Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves (or substitute pumpkin pie spice)
- Leavening: baking powder and salt
- Pumpkin: pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- Wet ingredients: milk, brown sugar, canola oil, egg, and vanilla
Cinnamon-sugar topping
- Butter: melted to brush or roll the warm donut holes
- Cinnamon: ground cinnamon
- Sugar: granulated sugar (substitute brown sugar for richer, caramel-like flavors)
How to make baked pumpkin donut holes
- Preheat and prep. Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and lightly grease a mini muffin pan.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk together the pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar, canola oil, egg, and vanilla.
- Combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture just until moist, working carefully not to overwork the batter.
- Bake. Using a small cookie scoop, transfer the batter into the mini muffin pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Make the cinnamon sugar topping. Whisk together the ground cinnamon and granulated sugar until well combined.
- Roll and coat. Roll or brush each warm muffin with melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar until evenly coated.
- Let cool. Let the donut holes cool on a wire rack.
Tools For This Recipe
Pumpkin Donut Holes: Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, no. Pumpkin puree contains 100% unsweetened cooked pumpkin whereas pumpkin pie filling contains pumpkin and various additives such as sugar, water, and spices.
Another neutral oil such as vegetable, grapeseed or sunflower oil can be used in place of canola oil.
A small cookie scoop should work very well here without making a mess.
This is best served immediately but you can prep the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, baking powder and salt) as well as the cinnamon sugar topping ahead of time.
The donut holes (before they are dipped in melted butter and coated with cinnamon sugar) can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days at room temperature, adding the butter and cinnamon sugar just before serving.
Pumpkin Donut Holes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the cinnamon sugar topping
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a mini muffin pan or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, baking powder and salt.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar, canola oil, egg and vanilla.
- Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray.
- Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- When the muffins are done, cool for 2 minutes and dip each muffin into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar topping.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
For the cinnamon sugar topping
- In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.
Equipment
Notes
- Use a small cookie scoop. Using a small cookie scoop is a convenient way to transfer the batter to the mini muffin tin with ease and less mess.
- Avoid pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not the same, and are not interchangeable. Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin as pumpkin pie filling comes pre-mixed with sweeteners and spices.
- Combine just until moist. Using a rubber spatula, stir the batter until everything is just combined and moistened with a few lumps here and there. Over-mixing will lead to dense, tough donut holes.
- Fill 3/4 full. Fill each cavity in the mini muffin pan about 3/4 full to give the batter room to rise without spilling over the edges.
- Dip and roll just before serving. To avoid soggy donuts, coat the donut holes in butter and cinnamon sugar just before serving. Plain, uncoated donuts will store much better.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
These are SO good! It was easy to swap to make vegan as well.
I made these last night and OMG they are amazing!!!!! I ❤️ Your website!!!
Damn girl! These delicious! Even without the cinnamon sugar but esp with! Love your recipes! Thanks!
WOW! These are so delicious! They are by far the best home-baked treat I have ever made. Perfect for a cool fall morning. Thanks, Chungah! Damn Delicious never disappoints.
I made these tonight and they are delicious!!! It’s hard to stop eating them!! Chungah – I am so happy that I stumbled upon your site. This is the 3rd recipe of yours that I have tried and they have ALL been excellent! Thank you!! You have given me inspiration to try new things to cook and bake! Keep up the awesome awesome work! You should have your own cooking show!!
Hi I just made these mini pumpkin muffins I will say first they are very delicious although I didn’t pick up as much pumpkin flavor as I thought I would, however, I didn’t have unsalted butter so maybe that makes a difference. Will definitely try out your other recipes with anticipation .
So easy to make!!
And they are delicious!
They turned out exactly like mini muffins but I don’t mind because they’re delicious! Love the recipe and I’ll definitely be using this recipe often!
I also made them right after receiving the email. Quick and easy and very addictive. I’m planning a second batch today. Yum!!!!!
Oh. My. God.
Do not make these if you live alone because you will eat every last one.
Made this as soon as I got the email yesterday morning…so good!!! My kids loved them 🙂
These were absolutely delicious, and so easy to make!! I wanted something “festive/Halloween-y” for my girls to take as a snack for school. I made a batch with the cinnamon sugar and another without because that’s how tasty and moist these are — they are perfectly yummy on their own. First one of your recipes I make, Chungah, and am inspired to make more! Thank you!
WOW these are delicious!! They won’t last long in this house!
Got the recipe this morning and made them this afternoon! I had the exact amount of leftover pumpkin. They took about 15 minutes to bake, but that’s probably an oven issue. Damn good and an easy recipe! Thank you!
I’ve made these every Thanksgiving for the last 5+ years. They are always a hit and I’m constantly being asked for the recipe. SO delicious, and SO easy to make!
I would like to try these but live in Australia. I would like to cook a butternut pumpkin and puree it. What is the consistency of the puree?
many thanks
Lynda
I’ve used butternut squash, crookneck, and Hubbard in place of pumpkin and all work fine. Just roast the butternut and purée. Hope that helps.
Are these donut holes (rounded by hand) or mini muffins (made in a mini muffin pan)? The photos look like donut holes but the directions to make sound like they are simply mini muffins and therefore, not a round globe. ?????
Chungah, You’re the best!! There is nothing that I have made from your recipes that isn’t always oustanding, delicious & amazing 🙂 Thanks so much!
I teach a cooking class to developmentally handicapped adults. I thought this would be a fun and festive dessert to make today. These little donut holes were delicious. They were fun and easy to make. I will definitely be making these again in the very near future.
These were amazing. They are so tender and practically melt in your mouth. Thanks for sharing!
These were delicious!