Easy Baked Vegan Pumpkin Donuts
These incredibly soft and moist vegan pumpkin donuts are one of the best recipes for fall! Packed full of pumpkin spice, perfectly sweet, and rolled in cinnamon sugar for a donut that tastes like it just came from the cider mill – only it was baked in your kitchen!
If you are as much of a pumpkin spice lover as me, you are gonna love these vegan doughnuts. Just like my vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls and vegan pumpkin spice latte, they are a fall classic recipe.
These vegan pumpkin donuts are baked until they’re golden brown in a donut pan which makes them quicker and easier than frying.
Why You’ll Love these Vegan Pumpkin Donuts
- Baked and not fried
- Perfect fall treat
- Cake donut texture
- Easy recipe without a stand mixer
- Ready in less than an hour
- Rolled in cinnamon sugar, what could be better?
- Dairy free and egg free recipe!
Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make these delicious vegan pumpkin donuts. All of them can be found at your local grocery store; no weird ingredients required!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Your favorite pumpkin pie spice will work in this recipe. If you don’t have any, you can make your own with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of allspice, ¼ teaspoon of cloves, and a pinch of nutmeg. Check out my homemade pumpkin pie spice for my favorite flavor combination.
- Plant Milk: Any non-dairy milk will work in this recipe. For this batch and these photos I used unsweetened rice milk. Make sure that it is room temperature for it to better incorporate into the ingredients.
- Pumpkin: Use a pure pumpkin puree and not a pumpkin pie mix. That way you are in total control over the spices used.
- Other ingredients you’ll need: All purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
Variations
- Chocolate: Add mini chocolate chips to the donut batter and bake as directed for a pumpkin chocolate baked donut!
- Chocolate Glaze: Melt 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips with a tablespoon of dairy free milk in the microwave or over the stove top on low heat. Drizzle over the cooled donuts.
- Vanilla Glaze: Mix powdered sugar with some soy milk (or any plant based milk) and add a splash of vanilla extract. Drizzle over the cooled donuts.
Instructions
These pumpkin donuts come together pretty quickly and easily!
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
- First, mix the cinnamon and sugar coating together in a small bowl.
- Then, mix the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
- Next, whisk the wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- Fill the donut pan and bake.
- Coat with cinnamon sugar right away after baking!
Pro tip! Now, the best way to fill these donut pans is to use a piping bag or a large zip-top bag. Fill the bag with batter, cut off a corner, and then pipe the batter directly into the donut pan, filling them about ¾ of the way full. Easy peasy!
Equipment
Since these donuts are baked and not fried, you will need a donut pan. This is my favorite one from Wilton.
Filling the donut mold is a lot easier when you use a piping bag.
FAQ
When this happens, it is because the donuts have cooled down too much. You need to coat them in cinnamon sugar right as they come out of the oven. To cover them after they have cooled, melt a tablespoon of vegan butter and brush the donut tops with the melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar again.
How to Store
Countertop: Cover the donuts in an airtight container and store on the countertop for 1-2 days.
Fridge: Cover the donuts in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. Note, the cinnamon sugar may melt into the donut if kept in the fridge but they still taste amazing!
Freezer: Freeze the fully baked and cooled donuts before coating in cinnamon sugar. They will keep in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Allow them to come to room temperature and brush with melted vegan butter before coating in cinnamon sugar.
More Pumpkin Recipes
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Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing spoons
- Whisk
- measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Donut pan
- Pastry bag
- Wire rack
Ingredients
Pumpkin Donuts
- ¼ cup oil
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin
- ½ cup dairy free milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray your donut pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Make the vegan buttermilk. In a small bowl, stir together the non-dairy milk of your choice and the apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, milk mixture, and vanilla until they are combined.
- Combine. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and then fold them together gently until just combined.
- Transfer to donut pan. Carefully spoon the batter into the donut pan. Or, fill a piping bag with the batter and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about ¾ of the way full.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the donuts have pulled away from the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven and immediately remove them from the pan and coat with cinnamon sugar.
- Cool and enjoy! Let the donuts cool slightly on a wire rack before enjoying. Cover leftover donuts tightly and store at room temperature for 1-2 days or up to a week in the fridge. Enjoy!
Notes
- How to Store
- Countertop: Cover the donuts in an airtight container and store on the countertop for 1-2 days.
- Fridge: Cover the donuts in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. Note, the cinnamon sugar may melt into the donut if kept in the fridge but they still taste amazing!
- Freezer: Freeze the fully baked and cooled donuts before coating in cinnamon sugar. They will keep in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Allow them to come to room temperature and brush with melted vegan butter before coating in cinnamon sugar.
- Variations
- Chocolate: Add mini chocolate chips to the donut batter and bake as directed for a pumpkin chocolate baked donut!
- Chocolate Glaze: Melt 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips with a tablespoon of dairy free milk in the microwave or over the stove top on low heat. Drizzle over the cooled donuts.
- Vanilla Glaze: Mix powdered sugar with some soy milk (or any plant based milk) and add a splash of vanilla extract. Drizzle over the cooled donuts.
