Tender, cakey, and perfectly spiced, these Homemade Pumpkin Donuts are baked until golden and dipped in a sweet vanilla glaze for a cozy fall TREAT you’ll want to make again and again. Made with real pumpkin and warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, they’re the ultimate bite of autumn comfort, no frying needed!
Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert (YES, even with your second cup of coffee). These donuts come together in one bowl and are ready in about 30 minutes! No fancy ingredients, just simple pantry staples and big pumpkin flavor.
Other fall treats we love? Try our Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins or these gooey Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls next!
Easy Homemade Pumpkin Donuts
Never made donuts before? NO problem, this recipe’s a total no-brainer! You don’t need yeast, you don’t need to fry anything, and you definitely don’t need to stress! Just grab a bowl, a whisk, and a donut pan, and you’re already halfway there.
These baked pumpkin donuts are soft, cozy, and full of that warm fall flavor everyone goes nuts for this time of year. Honestly, they’re just as easy as muffins but they look like you tried harder. And starting your morning with a freshly baked donut?! It’s an instant MOOD booster!
Ingredients
For the pumpkin donuts:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- ¼ cup buttermilk (or regular milk works too)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk (plus a splash more if needed)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg for extra fall flavor
How to Make Easy Homemade Pumpkin Donuts
Step 1: Preheat the oven and make your batter
Set your oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease your donut pan so the donuts pop out easily later. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, white sugar, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Add the dry mix to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, don’t overmix! The batter will be thick, and that’s what you want…
Step 2: Fill the pan and bake
Spoon or pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling each one about ¾ full. A zip-top bag with the corner snipped makes this easy if you don’t have a piping bag!
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the tops spring back when gently pressed. Let the donuts COOL in the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack! Give them another 5 to 10 minutes to cool before glazing.
Step 3: Make the glaze and dip
Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add a tiny splash more milk if it’s too thick. For extra fall vibes, you can mix in a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg!
Dip the top of each donut into the glaze, let the extra drip off, and place them back on the rack to set. The glaze will firm up in about 10 to 15 minutes, or go ahead and sneak one while it’s still warm and gooey. No shame!
Tips & FAQs
● Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin purée?
Nope… stick with 100% pumpkin purée. Pumpkin pie filling has sugar and spices already added, and it’ll throw off the texture and sweetness of the donuts.
● I don’t have buttermilk, what can I use instead?
No worries! You can use regular milk, or make a quick substitute: just add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to your ¼ cup of milk, stir, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
● Can I use a muffin pan instead of a donut pan?
You can, just know they’ll be pumpkin donut muffin bites! The texture is the same, but the shape (and bake time) will be a little different. Start checking them around the 14-minute mark.
● How do I get the glaze to stick?
Let the donuts cool a bit first, warm is fine, hot is not… If they’re too HOT, the glaze will melt right off. Give them 5–10 minutes on a cooling rack and you’re good to go!
● Where can I get a donut pan?
Most big stores carry them now, or you can grab one online. They’re inexpensive and totally worth it if you’re into baked donuts (and you will be after this)!
We hope you LOVE these baked pumpkin donuts as much as we do! They’re easy, cozy, and honestly… kind of dangerous (because one is never enough). If you try them, be sure to leave a rating and review below, it helps more than you know and we’d love to hear how they turned out!
And for more feel-good recipes you’ll actually want to make, follow Panfetti here: Pinterest | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook.
Easy Homemade Pumpkin Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée not pie filling
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup buttermilk or milk + 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 12-cavity donut pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will be thick — that’s normal. Don’t overmix.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling each cavity about ¾ full. Use a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off if you don’t have a piping bag.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the tops spring back when gently pressed. Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- While the donuts are cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add a splash more milk if needed to thin it out.
- Dip the tops of each donut into the glaze, let the excess drip off, and place back on the rack. Let the glaze set for 10 to 15 minutes or enjoy one while it’s still warm and gooey.
Notes
- No donut pan? Use a muffin pan instead, just reduce the fill level and check a few minutes early.
- Add a pinch of spice to the glaze for extra fall flavor.
- These donuts taste great warm, but the glaze sets best once they cool slightly.
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