Small Batch Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts

These small batch baked pumpkin spice donuts are perfectly moist and full of warm spices!  The easy recipe makes 6 baked donuts with different options for glazes and toppings. 

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts

Fall is here, and I am excited for my first official pumpkin recipe of the season!  What better way to welcome fall than with warm and moist donuts?  And when I say moist, I mean it.  For this recipe of pumpkin donuts, the extra pumpkin and milk help to keep these super moist.

Baking donuts rather than frying them also has its advantages.

• I’m not going to go overboard and say they are full-on ‘healthy’, but baking them in the oven rather than the fry oil will keep some calories and fat at bay.
• I love a good fried donut, however when you are whipping up a batch in your own kitchen, it can be a lot to take on with heating up a big pot of oil.  Then what do you do with the oil?!  Actually, you can re-use it once, but how often are you going to want to boil oil?  For me, not that often!

Tips For Making Pumpkin Spice Donuts

• Use pure pumpkin puree – Not pumpkin pie filling.  The filling has extra ingredients (sugar!) that we don’t need for this recipe.
• One bowl will work – I like to sift my dry ingredients over the wet ingredients.  I set a fine mesh strainer over the bowl, add all of the dry ingredients to the strainer, then sift over the wet ingredients.  One less bowl to clean up!
• Pumpkin pie spice makes it easy – You can make your own pumpkin pie spice, but why not just buy it already pre-made!
• Don’t overmix the batter – We don’t want the donuts to turn out dense and chewy.  Mixing the batter too long may cause this to happen.
• Top with cinnamon sugar while still warm – If you are going to top the donuts with Cinnamon Sugar, you want to do this while the donuts are still warm.  Transfer the warm donuts to a Ziploc bag with the cinnamon sugar and gently toss until they are coated.
• Get creative with your toppings – I have provided a few ideas on how to top these Pumpkin Spice Donuts, but you can try any topping or flavors you fancy!

Donut Topping Options And Flavors

There are many flavors that pair well with a pumpkin donut as a topping and glaze.  Though my favorite are the ones below, but you can certainly get creative with what to top your donut with!   

• Cinnamon and Sugar –  The great thing about this topping is that you can flavor it to your liking – either more sugar or more spice.  The key is the cinnamon sugar needs to go on while the donuts are still warm to help the sprinkle stick.  
• Maple Cream Cheese Glaze – I made a similar glaze for my Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls.  The tang in the cream cheese really elevates the flavor of this glaze and the maple syrup is a perfect flavor for fall.
• Nutella Glaze – Does this one really need explanation, because it is just that good!  Chocolate plus the warmth of hazelnuts is just screaming to go top of a pumpkin treat!

Small Batch Baked Pumpkin Donuts

5 from 2 reviews

These Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts are perfectly moist and full of Fall spices!  This is an easy small batch recipe for 6 baked donuts with a Nutella glaze, maple cream cheese glaze, or classic cinnamon sugar topping option.

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by Erin Cernich

Yield6 Donuts

Prep10 minutes minutes

Cook12 minutes minutes

Total Time22 minutes minutes

Equipment

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  6-Cup Donut Pan
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  Fine Mesh Strainer (optional)
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  Piping Bag (optional)

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 6 tablespoons pure canned pumpkin
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar, light or dark
• ▢ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg, room temperature
• ▢ ¼ cup milk, any kind
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

 

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  Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Spray each donut well with non-stick cooking spray.
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  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
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  In a small mixing bowl, add the pumpkin, both sugars, egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla, and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
  6 tablespoons pure canned pumpkin, 1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1/4 cup milk, any kind, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• ▢
  Make a large well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk the batter until no dry streaks or pockets remain. If there are any large flour lumps, use the whisk to break them up; otherwise, they will bake into dry clumps in the donuts.
• ▢
  Either spoon the batter into the prepared donut wells or transfer it to a piping bag to pipe it into the wells. Smooth the batter with the back of a spatula or spoon.
• ▢
  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops of the donuts spring back when lightly touched, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the donuts in the pan set on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool completely.
• ▢
  Store the donuts covered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Beyond that, and they'll start to dry out.

Notes

• Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe that can be doubled.
• Pumpkin – Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I like to use Libby’s because I find it doesn’t have as much moisture in it. 
• Leftover Pumpkin – You will have leftover pumpkin, regardless of the size can you use.  Check out my small batch pumpkin recipes to make another batch of pumpkin treats.
• Freezing – Place the donuts in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Nutrition Estimates

Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 2513IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.