Pumpkin Donuts

It’s pumpkin season so I hope you are ready for a whole lot of pumpkin recipes! These delicious sweet pumpkin donuts with creamy pumpkin puree and warm spices are shaped like cute little pumpkins and are perfect for the fall season and Halloween or Thanksgiving table.

My pumpkin pie spice donuts are both fried and baked and they are not your regular donuts – they are the cutest pumpkin-shaped donuts covered in cinnamon sugar mix.

They look stunning like something you will get from a bakery or pastry shop but in fact, super doable at home! I’ll walk you through the whole process.

Why You’ll Like This Recipe

• No mixer is needed – all mixed by hand to make sure we don’t overmix the dough.
• Adorable donuts that look like a pumpkin and taste like fall. Much cooler than the regular donut recipes!
• Simple ingredients and instructions.

Ingredients Notes

We are going to make homemade donuts from scratch using simple ingredients, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree.

The beauty of this recipe is that it is very easy to make it completely vegan and dairy-free.

Dough

• Warm milk, regular or soy milk.
• Granulated sugar
• Active yeast. Active yeast usually doesn’t need to be activated again but double-check the instructions on the package.
• Pumpkin puree – not pumpkin pie filling as it always has added sugar and can also have some added flavors which don’t taste well in mixes usually. Stick to pure homemade pumpkin puree or canned version.
• One large egg or 2 medium eggs.
• Unsalted butter softened at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge 30 min to one hour before cooking or quickly soften it in the microwave if you forgot. Any vegan butter works great too.
• All-purpose flour or gluten-free flour.
• Pumpkin pie spice (usually has nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger). Homemade or store-bought whichever you have!
• Pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.
• Neutral oil for frying the donuts. Canola oil is a great option.

The dough doesn’t have any baking powder or baking soda in it.

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

• Granulated sugar or dark brown sugar for a more caramel-like flavor.
• Ground cinnamon
• Cinnamon Sticks to decorate and imitate pumpkin stems. If you want an edible stem use fruit leather strips.

Equipment

• 9×13 Baking Sheet. We don’t need a donut pan or silicone donut molds as we will first fry the donuts and then bake them.
• Parchment Paper
• Thick String to make pumpkin shape.
• Frying Pan or Dutch oven that you can fill with 2-3 inches of the oil to fry the donuts.
• Wire Cooling Rack
• Slotted spoon to remove the fried donuts from the pan.

Can I Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree?

Yes! And it is very easy.

Choose sweet pumpkin kinds like pumpkin pie, not the Jack’o’Lanterns type.

Wash, cut in half, remove the stems and seeds, and bake, cut side down at 350 F for 55-60 minutes until the pumpkin is fork tender.

Remove from the oven, cool completely, scoop from the skin, and puree in a blender.

It freezes well, for up to 6 months.

How To Make This Pumpkin Donuts Recipe

This pumpkin donut recipe requires minimal prep time and quick baking. The only part that makes us wait is when we let the dough for the donuts chill for one hour.

And my favorite part – making them look like tiny pumpkins!

1: Make The Donut Dough

1. Combine the warm milk with the sugar and yeast in a small bowl. Gently stir and then let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to proof.
2. Whisk the remaining wet ingredients – pumpkin puree, sugar, egg, and butter, in a large mixing bowl.
3. Once the yeast has been proofed, add it to the egg mixture. Mix until combined.
4. Add dry ingredients: the flour, pumpkin spice, and salt. Fold until a thick dough forms.
5. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2: Knead The Dough And Shape Donuts

1. Once the dough has chilled, transfer to a lightly floured surface.
2. Knead the dough for several minutes, until firm and stretchy. The dough is ready when it can pass the window pane test – when you stretch it, it doesn’t break. It has formed enough gluten to be baked/fried.
3. The dough will be slightly sticky and it is normal.
4. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. One portion = one donut. Roll each portion into a ball.
5. Wrap a piece of thick string around each ball of dough 4 times to create 8 indentations in the dough to give it the pumpkin shape. Don’t make the string too tight, the donuts will puff.
6. Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Don’t worry if the balls seem small, the donuts puff really well in the hot oil.

3: Fry The Donuts

1. Heat the oil on the stovetop to 375 degrees F over medium heat.
2. Once the oil has reached temperature, fry each dough pumpkin in the hot oil for 3 minutes on each side – or until golden brown. Flip when one side is lightly browned.
3. Remove and place on a wire rack. You can also prepare a tray lined with paper towels to soak the excess grease. Repeat until all of the doughnuts have been fried.

4: Coat The Fried Donuts With Cinnamon Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together cinnamon and sugar.
3. After the fried donuts have cooled for a couple of minutes, cut the string and remove.

5: Bake The Donuts

1. Place the donuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 5-8 minutes in a single layer. They should bounce back if you lightly press them.
2. Remove baked donuts from the oven and then carefully roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture while hot.
3. Once all donuts have been coated in the cinnamon sugar, press the cinnamon sticks in the center of each pumpkin for the stem to finish these festive treats.
4. It can be easier to coat the baked pumpkin donuts if you first dip them in melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar mix.
5. The freshly made donuts taste the best so serve immediately!

Storage

Storing. Store homemade pumpkin donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Freezing. Let the baked pumpkin doughnuts cool completely, then freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container for 3-4 months. Thaw on the counter.

Making ahead. You can make the dough a few hours ahead and let it chill in the fridge, then fry and bake it 30 minutes before the guests come.

Variations & Substitutions

• Make a vanilla glaze or maple glaze. To glaze the donuts do not let them cool. Simply mix together powdered sugar, a few tbsp of milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Really tasty!
• Apart from vanilla, you can make chocolate, cream cheese, buttercream, slated maple (very yummy!!), caramel frosting, and some chopped nuts. But it works better with regular-shaped donuts, these are beautiful without it.
• Prepare a dip for your donuts like melted chocolate or caramel. Or Nutella...
• Make cheesecake-filled donuts. The cheesecake is used in the filling and it makes a super creamy stuffed donut. You just combine cream cheese with pumpkin pie spice, puree, and some sugar and that’s it. Once the donuts are fried you can poke a hole and fill each of them with a piping bag. Don’t bake.
• Jams, curds, chocolate – all of the classic fillings work for donuts too.
• Regular donuts, not pumpkin-shaped, can follow the same recipe. The only difference is that we can either roll a 1/2-inch rope to shape them into rings or use a piping bag to pipe them directly into the donut or muffin pan. Using a muffin tin you will get mini donuts.
• Try these fluffy donuts with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup, maple cinnamon glaze, or a brown butter glaze.

Expert Tips To Make The Best Pumpkin Donuts

• The dough should always be chilled covered.
• You can prove the dough in the warm oven. First, preheat the oven to the lowest temp, and once it is heated turn it off and put the dough in it.
• If you don’t have a string to shape pumpkins, you can use kitchen scissors but the string methods make prettier pumpkins.
• Use a deep-fry thermometer to check the temp or stick a wooden spoon in the oil and see if the bubbles start forming around it – it means the oil is hot.
• You can skip eggs in the recipe as pumpkin puree plays a very similar role.
• Make sure to be precise with flour. If you use too much the donuts will not be tasty. They become dry and tough.
• A secret to having crispy skin on the donuts after frying them is to use buttermilk instead of regular milk. 

If you love this breakfast recipe, you’re going to love these other fall donuts too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Pumpkin Breakfast Recipes

Pumpkin Waffles Recipe

Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

Costco Pumpkin Muffins

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