These baked pumpkin donuts are soft, fluffy, and full of warm pumpkin spice, then dipped in a delicious brown sugar maple glaze. They're easy to make with simple ingredients and ready in about 30 minutes, making them the perfect fall breakfast or treat.
Looking for more pumpkin inspiration? I've rounded up my favorite 21 Best Pumpkin Recipes for Fall →, including pumpkin cookies, muffins, breads, pies, and more.
These pumpkin donuts are baked rather than fried, so they're incredibly easy to make at home. The pumpkin makes them soft and tender, while cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger give them classic fall flavor.
The best part is the maple glaze. It's made with brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, and a little maple extract for a rich glaze that sets beautifully on the cooled donuts.
Why You'll Love These Baked Pumpkin Donuts
- Ready in about 30 minutes. They're quick enough for a weekend breakfast or afternoon treat.
- No frying required. Bake the donuts in a donut pan instead of dealing with hot oil.
- Soft and pumpkin-filled. Pumpkin puree keeps the donuts moist and tender.
- Warm fall spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger give these donuts plenty of pumpkin spice flavor.
- The maple glaze is amazing. Brown sugar and maple syrup make a rich, sweet glaze that pairs perfectly with pumpkin.
- Easy to customize. You can glaze them, roll them in cinnamon sugar, or add chocolate chips or nuts to the batter.
- Great for fall and Thanksgiving. These make a fun alternative to traditional pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread.
What Makes These Pumpkin Donuts So Good?
The batter is actually a variation of my favorite pumpkin bread recipe, which gives these donuts their soft, moist texture. Instead of frying the dough, you simply pipe the batter into a donut pan and bake it for about 10 minutes.
Then comes the best part: the maple glaze. The combination of brown sugar, maple syrup, and pumpkin spice makes these taste like fall in donut form.
What Others Are Saying
These were loved by my lunch group ladies! I got 14 donuts out of the batter. I double dunked them in the glaze for extra flavor and because there was so much glaze. Extra glaze worked to dunk apple slices in it! ---CC
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🍩 Tips for Making Baked Pumpkin Donuts
- Use two donut pans. This recipe makes 12 donuts, and most donut pans only make 6 at a time. Using two pans lets you bake the entire batch at once.
- Pipe the batter into the pans. Spoon the batter into a large plastic bag, snip off one corner, and pipe it evenly into the donut cavities. This is much easier than trying to spoon the batter into the small spaces.
- Don't overfill the donut pans. Fill each cavity about ¾ full so the donuts have room to rise.
- Let the donuts cool before glazing. The maple glaze will slide off warm donuts. Let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before dipping.
- Thin the glaze if needed. If the glaze starts getting too thick while you're dipping the donuts, whisk in a small splash of milk.
- Want a different topping? Instead of maple glaze, brush the warm donuts with melted butter and roll them in cinnamon sugar.
🥣 Recipe Ingredients
- Brown sugar: I prefer brown sugar to white sugar as it gives the donuts great flavor and a moist texture. It is also the base for the delicious maple glaze.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Ginger: if you'd rather use a pumpkin spice mix you totally can.
- Pumpkin puree: NOT pumpkin pie filling. Just pureed pumpkin from a can.
- Maple Syrup and Extract: If you don't have maple extract on hand, you can leave it out. I only use ½ teaspoon. It won't have as much maple flavoring, but the brown sugar and maple syrup give the glaze an amazing flavor on their own.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🍳 How To Make Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together.
Step 2: Add pumpkin, oil, eggs, vanilla and water. Mix thoroughly.
Step 3: Pipe the batter into the donut pans. Bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
Step 4: Heat butter, brown sugar, and syrup in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until butter has melted. Stir. Add maple extract and milk. Stir. Whisk in powdered sugar.
Step 5: Dip donuts into glaze, allowing excess to drip off. If the glaze begins to thicken while dipping the donuts, you can add a splash of milk to the glaze.The glaze will set up within 5-10 minutes, making the donuts easier to pick up and eat.
Pumpkin Donut FAQs
For this recipe, yes. The batter is not sturdy enough to roll out and cut with a donut cutter like I do when making apple cider donuts. You'll need to use a metal donut pan to create the perfect shape when baked.
Fried raised donuts will always have a classic texture and taste that cannot be completely replicated. That said, baked donuts are delicious in their own right.
Pumpkin pie filling is a mixture of pumpkin puree, thickeners, sugar, and spices. Using it would affect the flavor and texture of the donuts. 100% pumpkin puree should be used for this recipe.
Baked donuts don't require the oil used for deep-frying, but they're still a sweet baked treat. The main advantage of this recipe is how easy it is to make at home without dealing with hot frying oil.
Store glazed pumpkin donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They're especially good when warmed in the microwave for a few seconds.
Absolutely. These donuts are delicious with the maple glaze, but you can also brush them with melted butter and roll them in cinnamon sugar.
Yes! Mini chocolate chips or finely chopped walnuts or pecans can be folded into the batter before baking.
Yes. You can bake the donuts a day ahead and store them in an airtight container. For the best texture, glaze them shortly before serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes To Make
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Pumpkin Donuts With Maple Glaze
Equipment
- donut pan
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 ¾ cups white flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin
- ½ cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup water
Maple Glaze
- ¼ cup butter
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon maple extract
- 3 Tbsp. milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
- Spray donut pan with non stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together. Add pumpkin, oil, eggs, vanilla and water. Mix thoroughly.
- Spoon batter into a large plastic bag. Cut the tip off of the corner the bag, using a pair of scissors, and pipe the batter into the donut pans.
- Bake donuts for 10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes before dipping into maple glaze.
- Heat butter, brown sugar and syrup in microwave for 30 seconds, or until butter has melted. Stir. Add maple extract and milk. Stir. Whisk in powdered sugar. Dip donuts into glaze, allowing excess to drip off.If glaze begins to thicken while dipping the donuts you can add a splash of milk to the glaze.Glaze will set up within 5-10 minutes, making the donuts easier to pick up and eat.
Notes
- Use 2 pans. Most donut pans will make 6 donuts. This recipe makes 12, so you can make them in batches or grab two pans. These pans are so easy to use and make perfect-looking donuts every time. I've had this set of 2 for a few years and love them.
- Donuts can be dipped warm or cooled, depending on what you are dipping them in. If rolling in cinnamon and sugar, do that while they are warm. If dipping in glaze, allow the donuts to cool.
- If you notice the glaze thickening while dipping, you can add a splash of milk, whisk, and keep dipping.
Brandy says
I love how simple this recipe is. They are just as easy to make as muffins, but are DONUTS!
CC says
These were loved by my lunch group ladies! I got 14 donuts out of the batter. I have silicone molds and still spray with nonstick as they can be tricky to release. It really does help to let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. I double dunked them in the glaze, for extra flavor and because there was so much glaze. Extra glaze worked to dunk apple slices in it!
Brandy says
Yay! So glad you liked them and that your friends liked them too!