Pumpkin Donuts Recipe

These tender pumpkin donuts come together easily and are flavored with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. They’re deep-fried and rolled in crunchy spiced sugar. They are perfect for a cozy fall day.

Overview

• Skill Level: Intermediate
• Component Used: Pumpkin Pie Spice

After making apple cider donuts last fall, I knew I had to turn my attention over to pumpkin donuts! My pumpkin donuts recipe is flavored with wonderful pure pumpkin and that quintessential fall ingredient, pumpkin pie spice.

These donuts are fluffy, tender, and deep fried. They’re rolled in crunchy, spiced sugar and can be made in only 30 minutes! They smell incredible and are perfectly delicious. Enjoy for breakfast or as a fall afternoon treat.

Why you should make these pumpkin donuts

• Easy and delicious, pumpkin donuts are perfect for fall and especially Halloween.
• The texture is soft and fluffy on the inside with a fried crunchiness on the outside.
• These donuts are flavored with a fall essential – pumpkin spice!
• I love donuts that are covered in spiced sugar and I bet you do too!
• This quick recipe comes together in only about 30 minutes.

Ingredient List

Pumpkin Puree: Pumpkin is essential in this recipe! It not only gives the donuts it’s flavor but it adds moisture to the batter. It’s important that you use 100% pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling contains sugar and spices and that added to the other ingredients in this recipe would be too much. It would not work out well!

Frying Oil: You can’t fry donuts without oil. I recommend using a neutral oil like canola, vegetable, or peanut oil. I like to fry items in a dutch oven.

All-Purpose Flour: Flour is the structure for these donuts. While all-purpose flour is recommended, you can swap it for a gluten-free flour blend if desired.

Granulated Sugar: There is a small amount of sugar in the donut batter. It adds moisture and some sweetness but not too much since we also plan to toss the fried donuts in additional sugar.

Baking Powder: This chemical leavening agent is added to the dry ingredients. As the donuts hit the hot oil, they will rise and puff up. This ingredient is the difference in yeasted versus cake donuts. Yeasted donuts use yeast while cake donuts use a chemical leavener like baking powder.

Salt: Salt is a must-have in baked goods to help balance out the sweetness.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: This spice blend is a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, and ginger. You can use store-bought or make your own blend! If you prefer, you can simply swap the entire amount of spice blend listed in the recipe with cinnamon.

Milk: A small amount of milk is needed in this recipe for added moisture. Any kind of milk will work like whole milk, 2%, 1%, skim, or even dairy-fre.

Melted Butter: Butter adds richness and moisture to the batter. You can swap it for oil if preferred.

Egg: Only one egg is needed for this recipe. It adds moisture and binds the ingredients together in the dough.

Sugar Topping

After frying the donuts, you’ll toss them in either pumpkin pie spice mixed with sugar or cinnamon sugar. This topping adds crunch to the exterior and is quintessential for a pumpkin donut recipe.

How to make pumpkin donuts

These are cake-style donuts meaning the dough is very similar to a cake batter that is leavened with baking powder. Although similar in ingredients, donut dough is thicker than cake batter so the donut shape can be cut out.

These pumpkin donuts are also deep-fried, not baked like some recipes. After frying, we’ll roll them in spiced sugar for texture and additional flavor. Let’s get into it!

Setup a fry station

Pour frying oil in a shallow pot or skillet and heat up to 350-375°F (175-190°C). I highly recommend using a candy thermometer and keeping it in the oil while frying to ensure accuracy and so you can adjust if it gets too hot or cool. This will take several minutes to reach temperature so make the dough while you wait.

Place a wire cooling rack over the top of a sheet pan and set aside.

Make the dough

While the oil is heating, make the dough. In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, mix together the wet ingredients which includes the pumpkin puree, milk, and egg. Whisk together until fully mixed combined.

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. This includes the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the melted butter and switch to stirring with a large spoon. Stir until crumbly.

Add the wet ingredients to the large mixing bowl and mix until combined. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it a few times to bring the dough together. If it’s really sticky, you can add a sprinkle of flour to make it easier to handle.

Cut the donuts

Using a rolling pin or your hands, pat out the dough until it’s about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Using a donut cutter or a circle cutter cut out donut shapes from the dough. If using a circle cutter, use a smaller circle cutter to cut out the donut hole. For these donuts, I used a 2.5 inch (6.3 cm) size but any size will work.

Be careful not to twist the cutter when you are cutting the donuts or it will seal the edges and they will not rise as high. Place the donuts and donut holes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Combine the scrap pieces of dough and roll it out again and continue cutting shapes.

Fry the donuts

After all the donuts and donut holes have been cut and the oil is at the right temperature, fry them!

Gently slide the donuts into the heated oil (use a slotted spatula for this) and fry for 1 minute until lightly browned. Flip over and cook for another 1 – 1 ½ minutes. Use either a slotted spoon, tongs, or chopsticks to flip and remove from the oil. Be very gentle if using tongs so you do not deflate the donuts. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on the cooling rack.

Toss in Spiced Sugar

Toss the warm donuts in pumpkin pie spiced sugar (or you can use cinnamon sugar) until fully coated. Fried donuts are best enjoyed the day they are baked!

Storage

As with all fried foods, these donuts are best served hot and fresh the same day. Leftover donuts should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.

MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!

If you loved this recipe, you might like to try other delicious donut recipes!

• Apple Cider Donuts
• Glazed Yeast Donuts
• French Cruller Donuts