An easy recipe for baked pumpkin donuts topped with a maple cinnamon glaze. Perfect for an easy and delicious fall breakfast!

A stack of two pumpkin donuts. Additional donuts surround the stack.

These baked pumpkin donuts were the very first donut recipe I posted to my blog back in 2014. They’re still one of my favorite recipes to date, so I wanted to update the pictures and recipe to share with you again.

I love baked donuts because they’re so easy to make and taste delicious. These donuts only take about 10 minutes to mix up, 10 minutes to bake, and then just a few minutes to cool while you make the maple cinnamon glaze.

That means you can be enjoying a delicious and easy fall breakfast in about 30 to 40 minutes. It doesn’t get much better than that, right?

Recipe Ingredients 

This pumpkin donut recipe comes together much like a cake batter does. Here’s what you’ll need to make the donuts and the maple glaze: 

  • All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it, otherwise you’ll wind up with dense donuts. 
  • Baking soda: Helps the donuts rise in the oven. 
  • Spices: I incorporated some pumpkin pie spice along with a little extra ground nutmeg in these donuts because I love extra spices in pumpkin treats. 
  • Salt: Balances out the flavor of the batter. 
  • Pumpkin puree: When it comes to the pumpkin in this recipe, just be sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
  • Brown sugar: Sweetens the donuts and adds a subtle molasses flavor. 
  • Milk: You can use any milk you have on hand. 
  • Egg: Should be room temperature before being mixed into the batter. 
  • Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands.
  • Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. 
  • Powdered sugar: For the glaze. You may need to sift the powdered sugar before making the glaze (if it’s been sitting in your pantry for a while, it may have lots of little lumps in it). 
  • Maple syrup: For the best flavor, I suggest using pure maple syrup in the glaze. If you don’t have any maple syrup, you can simply leave it out and just use more milk.

Three pumpkin donuts topped with maple glaze on a white plate.

How to Make Baked Pumpkin Donuts 

To make these baked pumpkin donuts start out by whisking together your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, spices, and a little bit of salt. 

For the wet ingredients, you’ll mix together some pumpkin, brown sugar, milk, an egg, butter, and vanilla. You’ll only need 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree for these donuts, so you’ll have some left over. You can use the extra pumpkin in any of these recipes.

The maple glaze for the donuts is just a simple mixture of powdered sugar and milk with some maple syrup and cinnamon mixed in. I really love how well the glaze sets up with the maple syrup and the flavor pairs beautifully with these donuts. 

A stack of two baked pumpkin donuts. Additional donuts surround the stack.

Where Do I Find Pumpkin Pie Spice? 

Pumpkin pie spice is a common spice blend found at grocery stores in the US. If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice on hand, here’s my recipe for an easy homemade version.

Can I Make This Recipe Without a Donut Pan? 

You could use a mini muffin pan and make donuts holes, the baking time would be about 10 to 12 minutes. Or you could use a regular muffin pan, the baking time should be 15 to 20 minutes.

Baking Tips 

  • When measuring your flour, don’t scoop it out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
  • Make sure to use pumpkin puree in these donuts and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree will have pumpkin listed as the only ingredient on the back of the can.
  • To make getting the batter into your donut pan easier, try using a piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut off.

More Easy Donut Recipes to Try! 

Baked Pumpkin Donuts With Maple Cinnamon Glaze

5 from 14 ratings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
An easy recipe for baked pumpkin donuts topped with a maple cinnamon glaze. Perfect for an easy and delicious fall breakfast!
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Ingredients

Servings: 6 donuts

For the pumpkin donuts:

  • 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup (85 grams) pumpkin puree
  • ⅓ cup (65 grams) brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
  • 1 egg , room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk , use more as needed

Instructions
 

To make the pumpkin donuts:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 6-count donut pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, and salt.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, brown sugar, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
  • Pipe or spoon the batter evenly between all 6 donut cavities. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the donuts comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the donuts from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the glaze:

  • Meanwhile, mix together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, and milk until well combined. If the glaze is a little too thick, add a splash of milk to thin it out.
  • Dip the tops of each cooled donut into the glaze and transfer back to the wire rack to let the glaze harden for about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Storage instructions: Donuts are best eaten the same day they are prepared, but can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for 1 to 2 days.
Pumpkin Puree: Make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and has spices added to it.
Milk: I typically use whole milk in these donuts, but 2%, 1%, skim, or even almond milk work just fine.
Maple Syrup: Don't have any on hand? You can just replace it with a little extra milk.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Danielle
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.

Originally adapted from Pumpkin ‘n Spice.

*Photos updated October 2017*