Pumpkin Donuts

 If you’re craving soft, spiced donuts that taste like fall, you’ve just found your recipe. These Pumpkin Donuts fry up golden brown, stay soft inside, and have that perfect sweet glaze that sets just right. I tested this recipe until it nailed that fluffy-but-not-cakey texture we all want. Yes, in my neighborhood I am known for my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls and my Pumpkin Sugar Cookies, but I’m not mad about being the Pumpkin Donut lady too.

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My Secrets to Success With Cake Donuts

We’ve all had a dense and dry cake donut I am very particular about my cake donuts which is why 99% of the time, I choose a yeast-raised donut if I’m going to a donut shop. But through this process, I thought “surely, I can make a cake donut I LOVE” and so I did. Enter my Pumpkin Donut Recipe.

Cake donuts have a tendency to be quite dry, but, I figured out little ways here and there to make it work that all added up to an amazing finished product. Things like:

• not overworking the dough
• adding in an extra egg yolk
• using half & half
• using a stickier dough
• refrigerating for a few minutes to make it easier to handle
• rolling it out with lots of flour

Ingredient Notes + Variations

As with anything homemade, this recipe includes a lot of pantry ingredients you already have. Plus some not-so-common ingredients. Don’t worry though, I’ve listed helpful substitutions for this recipe down below.

• All Purpose Flour – I use unbleached all purpose, but the bleached kind is fine. Personal preference!
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger – lots of Fall season and pumpkin flavors here! Pumpkin Pie Spice is a great substitute for these, if preferred.
• Pure Pumpkin – obviously you need pumpkin for pumpkin donuts! Please don’t confuse this with pumpkin pie filling, you just want plain pumpkin purée.
• Half & Half – adds fat and therefore moisture to the dough! If you don’t have you can substitute 2 tablespoons milk and 2 tablespoons heavy cream to create your own half & half. In a pinch, you can use 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 2 tablespoons cold water OR 3 tablespoons milk.
• Vegetable Oil – for frying! You can also use canola, avocado or peanut oil here.

How to Make Pumpkin Donuts

While homemade donuts of any kind require lots of time, they aren’t *too* hard to pull off. I’d recommend taking this recipe step-by-step and before you know it, you’ll be pulling a bunch of hot pumpkin donuts out of your oil, too. For full recipe details, including ingredients and measurements needed, see the printable recipe card down below.

1. Heat the Oil

Preheat 2-3 inches of oil to 370° F. (I aim for 380° because, by the time you add your donuts in, the temperature will drop to the right where you want it at 370°.)

2. Make Donut Dough + Refrigerate

For best results, stir everything by hand! Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl: flour, salt, warm spices, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in the wet ingredients: melted butter, egg, egg yolk, pumpkin, and half & half. Stir until a thick dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for 10-20 minutes.

3. Roll + Cut Dough

Flour a board (or clean counter) and flour the dough as well. Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Use a donut cutter to create 3-inch donuts then brush off excess flour before frying.

4. Fry + Cool

Slide donuts into hot oil gently and fry 2-3 at a time. Fry 30 seconds per side (15-20 seconds for donut holes) or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels until cool enough to handle.

Pro Tip: Watch your thermometer as you fry and adjust as you go. If your oil gets too hot, don’t be afraid to throw in a few sacrificial dough scraps to bring that oil temperature down. Obviously, reduce the burner heat too.

5. Glaze

Whisk powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) together with melted butter, vanilla extract, and enough milk to create a glaze slightly thinner than white school glue.

Dip warm donuts into glaze and place on a wire rack in a single layer to drip and dry.

Pro Tip: The glaze won’t stay white on the donut if you dip them warm, so if you’d like a more obvious glaze, either re-dip them again into the glaze once completely cooled, or wait until they’re completely cooled, to begin with.

Tips for Success

• If you like extra glaze, double the recipe and dip twice once cooled.
• Keep an eye on the oil temperature and adjust heat as you fry to avoid greasy donuts.
• Chill the dough briefly — it makes rolling and cutting easier.
• Don’t overcrowd the pot; frying in small batches keeps the oil hot.

So, grab a cup of coffee and give these a whirl this pumpkin season because I’m confident you can make amazing pumpkin spiced donuts too! The printable recipe card is down below. Have a great day, friends!!

Pumpkin Donuts

Katie Cooksey

There is nothing better than homemade Pumpkin Donuts! These sweet donuts are light, airy, spiced with cinnamon, and covered in a simple glaze.

4.72 from 7 votes

 Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time50minutes mins

Cook Time10minutes mins

Total Time1hour hr

CourseDessert, Snack

CuisineAmerican

Servings10 donuts with lots of donut holes!

Calories303 kcal

Equipment

• donut cutter
• candy thermometer

Ingredients

 

 

• vegetable oil or canola oil*
• 2 cups all purpose unbleached flour or bleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter melted
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup pure pumpkin pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup half & half*

for the glaze-

• 1/2 lb powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• milk as needed

Instructions

 

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2-3 inches of oil to 370° F. (I aim for 380° because by the time you add your donuts in, the temperature will drop to the right where you want it at 370°.)
• For best results, stir everything by hand! In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and brown sugar together to combine.
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in remaining wet ingredients into the well and whisk together to break apart the eggs.
• Begin incorporating all the dry ingredients until a thick dough forms. It might take 2-3 minutes to incorporate all the dry ingredients.
• Cover and refrigerate dough for 10-20 minutes.
• Flour a board (or clean counter) and flour the dough well. Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Use a donut cutter to create 3-inch donuts.
• Fry 2-3 at a time: brush excess flour off of cut donuts and slide into hot oil gently.
• Fry 30 seconds per side (15-20 seconds for donut holes), and drain on paper towels until cool enough to handle. Watch your thermometer as you fry and adjust as you go.
• For the glaze- whisk powdered sugar together with vanilla extract, melted butter, and enough milk to create a glaze slightly thinner than white school glue.
• Dip warm donuts into glaze and place on a cooling rack to drip and dry. The glaze won't stay white on the donut if you dip them warm, so if you'd like a more obvious glaze, either re-dip them again into the glaze once completely cooled, or wait until they're completely cooled, to begin with.

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