Name: Pumpkin Spice Baked Donuts
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 37 min
Ingredients: Butter or baking spread (for greasing); 2 Eggs (large); 175 g Pumpkin puree; 175 g Caster sugar; 150 ml Milk (Cow's or plant milk will both work); 30 ml Vegetable Oil; 1 tsp Cinnamon; 1/2 tsp Mixed spice; 1/4 tsp Nutmeg; 1/4 tsp Ground ginger; 225 g Self raising flour; 100 g Icing sugar; 1 tsp Cinnamon

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

I absolutely love pumpkin spice, and baked donuts are one of my favourite things to make. They're also really easy to make! So Pumpkin Spice Baked Donuts are the perfect combination for me. They are packed with Autumn spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, they are deliciously moist and drizzled with a sweet cinnamon icing. Grab yourself some donut pans to make this recipe (check the recommended equipment section for a link) and you'll be surprised at how easy they are to put together!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure your ingredients, particularly the eggs, are at room temperature before you start baking.
You can use a different type of oil besides vegetable oil. I'd recommend one that doesn't have a strong flavour, canola and sunflower oil would both work well.
If you live in a place where pumpkin pie spice mix is easily available, then you can use 2 tsp of that instead of the mix of spices I've listed in the recipe. I live in the UK so pumpkin spice mix is not something that's commonly sold here.
You will need a 12 hole donut pan (or two 6 hole donut pans) to make this recipe. Check the recommend equipment section for a link to the one I use.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Pumpkin Spice Baked Donuts

To make the donuts, mix together eggs, pumpkin puree, caster sugar, vegetable oil and milk in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, stir self raising flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg and ginger together.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Then pour the batter into greased donut pans and bake for 12 minutes.

When they are baked, put them on a cooling rack to cool completely. Make the cinnamon icing for the donuts by adding water to icing sugar and cinnamon. Then drizzle it over the donuts.

Do I need a donut pan to make this recipe?

The simple answer is yes! I highly recommend investing in a donut pan* (or two!), they are not expensive and they’re easy to obtain from Amazon, plus there are so many yummy baked donut recipes on my website that you’ll be able to make with them!

Where can you buy pumpkin puree in the UK?

I've found tins of pumpkin puree in the American food section of large supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsburys (the two brands I know of are Libbys and Baking Buddy). I have also heard that Waitrose stock it. It's sometimes available all year round, or sometimes only from mid-August until December. It really does depend on the supermarket with this. Keep asking your local store, you may just bug them enough to get them to stock it! You can also buy it online, I have purchased it from Amazon before, and Sous Chef also sell it. It will be a little bit more pricey, but I've found good deals by buying several cans at once (and the best before dates are usually at least one year long).

Can you make pumpkin puree from scratch?

Yes! If you can’t get hold of the canned version (the two brands I known of are Libbys and Baking Buddy) then you can make pumpkin puree from scratch. A 2kg pumpkin will give you roughly 675g pumpkin puree. The good news is, if you have too much you can freeze pumpkin puree. What you need to do is slice up the pumpkin, deseed it and scoop out the stringy bits. Chop the pumpkin into chunks, you don't need to remove the skin. You can either roast or steam the chunk until soft – use a knife to check tenderness. Allow the pumpkin to cool. Remove the flesh from the skin using a spoon to scrape it off the skin, and then use a blender to puree the flesh. You now have pumpkin puree! It’s also great stirred into risottos or curries if you have leftovers.

Do you need a donut tin to make this recipe?

The simple answer is yes! I highly recommend investing in a donut tin* (or two!), they are not expensive and they’re easy to obtain from Amazon, plus there are so many yummy baked donut recipes on my website that you’ll be able to make with them!

Can you make the donuts with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 2 + ¼ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

How long do baked donuts last for and can they be frozen?

Although baked donuts will last for a few days if stored in an airtight container in a cool place, they are best the day they're made. You can freeze the donuts without any of the decoration. Wrap them up well, with a small square of baking paper between each donut so they don't stick together, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Can the donuts be made gluten or dairy free?

Yes, to make these donuts gluten free, replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 2 teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum for better texture. They can easily be made dairy free by using a plant based milk. Make sure to also grease the donut tins with a dairy free butter.

How do you remove the donuts from the tin?

I use a spoon to gently loosen them around the edges and prise them out of the tin. If you are using a non stick tin and you have greased it well with butter or baking spread, then they should just pop out with ease.

Do you need an electric mixer to make this recipe?

No, I actually never use an electric mixer to make this recipe as it's so quick and easy to do by hand. The dry ingredients and wet ingredients can be quickly combined with a hand whisk, and it is better to do it this way to avoid over mixing. If you are using an electric mixer, keep it on a low speed and only mix for a short time.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

More pumpkin recipes...