This easy recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts makes soft and tender donuts packed with pumpkin flavor. The tasty topping of cinnamon, sugar, and pumpkin spice adds just the right amount of sweetness and spice. Once baked, they’ll disappear quickly!
If you’re a pumpkin fan, you’ll also like my pumpkin snickerdoodles, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin bars. And if you like chocolate with your pumpkin, try my chocolate chip pumpkin bread, pumpkin brownies, and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. All of these recipes are easy to make and gluten free.
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Fall is just around the corner, and with it comes the chance to bake with pumpkin. Although canned pumpkin is available year-round, I bake more pumpkin treats in the fall than any other season.
My latest pumpkin creation is this recipe for easy baked donuts. There’s nothing fancy about this recipe, but the pure pumpkin flavor really shines through.
Baking donuts is so much easier than frying them. The clean-up is a breeze, and a baked donut can be healthier than a fried donut if the ingredients in the batters are the same.
My number one tip for this recipe is to use pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin pie mix. Pumpkin puree doesn’t have any spices or sweetener added to it.
Why this Recipe Works
- Using melted butter instead of oil adds a buttery richness to the donuts.
- Pumpkin pie spice in the batter and topping adds another level of pumpkin flavor.
- These donuts are delicious served warm and equally good at room temperature.
Recommended Tools for Making Baked Donuts
Donut pan – If you don’t own a donut pan, consider buying a set. This donut pan set is perfect. You only need one pan to make these pumpkin donuts but having two pans is great when you want to double the recipe.
Reusable piping bag – The piping bag makes it really easy to get the batter into the donut pan. You can also use a disposable piping bag, or a sealable plastic bag if you prefer.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Butter - Unsalted butter is my preference so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. For dairy free use a non-dairy butter like Earth Balance.
- Pumpkin - Canned pumpkin, also known as pumpkin puree. Be careful when buying pumpkin because a can of pumpkin pie filling looks a lot like a can of pure pumpkin.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - Not only does this fall spice add extra flavor it also gives the donuts a wonderful scent.
- Gluten free flour blend - I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour to make these donuts. If you don’t have a problem with gluten, you can use all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder - The baking powder gives lift to the donuts. Check the expiration date to be sure your baking powder is fresh.
How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts
- Beat together the butter, egg, sugar, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder and stir until combined.
- Using a piping bag, pipe the batter into the wells of a greased donut pan.
- Bake at 350° for 16 minutes.
- Cool the donuts in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Dip the tops of the donuts in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Serve and enjoy!
Step By Step Instructions
(For ingredient amounts see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Lightly grease one standard donut pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, egg, sugar, canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, until well combined.
Add the flour and baking powder and stir until combined.
Scoop the batter into a piping bag or sealable plastic bag. Cut off the bottom tip of the plastic bag with scissors.
Pipe the batter into the wells of the prepared donut pan.
Bake the donuts for 16-18 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean.
Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the topping.
While the donuts are still warm, dip them in the topping and place on a plate or wire rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
More Gluten Free Donuts
Gluten Free Flour Blend
Make sure to use a good quality all-purpose gluten free flour blend when making these gluten free baked donuts. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 which contains xanthan gum.
Xanthan gum helps to hold baked goods together. In traditional baking, gluten in all-purpose flour acts as the binding agent for the baked good. Gluten free baking requires a replacement for the binding agent and that’s where xanthan gum comes in.
Your results may vary depending on the gluten free flour you use. I haven’t tried using almond flour or coconut flour with this recipe.
Remember to use the “spoon and level” method when measuring your gluten free flour. Simply use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then use the back of a table knife to level off the top. Using the measuring cup to scoop the flour directly from the canister or bag can give you more flour than needed in the recipe.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- Be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices and will be too sweet for this recipe.
- Check your gluten free flour blend for xanthan gum. If your brand doesn’t contain xanthan gum, try adding ¼ teaspoon.
- Grease the donut pan to prevent any part of the donut from sticking. Even though the donut pans I use are non-stick, I still take the time to lightly grease them.
- Use a piping bag to add your batter to the pan. The bag makes filling the wells a breeze.
- Allow the donuts to cool slightly before dipping them in the topping. The donuts are still fragile when they first come out of the oven and may crumble and break if dipped too soon.
Yes. You can swap out the gluten free flour blend with all-purpose flour if you prefer.
These donuts are best served on the same day they’re baked. However, they will last for 2-3 days, stored in a tightly sealed container.
If you store them, you’ll notice the donuts absorb most of the topping and don’t look like they did when you first made them. A simple fix is to whisk up more of the topping and dip the leftover donuts again.
When you want to change up your breakfast routine, give these baked pumpkin donuts a try. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does. Happy Baking!
More Gluten Free Breakfast Recipes to Try!
- Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- Chocolate Chip Scones
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Easy Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Banana Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Scones
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Recipe
Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts
Ingredients
For the Donuts:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the Topping:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
For the Donuts:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease one standard donut pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, egg, sugar, canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, until well combined.
- Add the gluten free flour blend and baking powder and stir until combined.
- Scoop the batter into a piping bag or resealable plastic bag. Cut off the bottom tip of the plastic bag with scissors.
- Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan.
- Bake the donuts for 16-18 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean.
- Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the topping.
- While the donuts are still warm, dip them in the topping and place on a plate or wire rack.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices and will be too sweet for this recipe.
- Check your gluten free flour blend for xanthan gum. If your brand doesn’t contain xanthan gum, try adding ¼ teaspoon.
- Grease the donut pan to prevent any part of the donut from sticking. Even though the donut pans I use are non-stick, I still take the time to lightly grease them.
- Use a piping bag to add your batter to the pan. The bag makes filling the wells a breeze.
- Allow the donuts to cool slightly before dipping them in the topping. The donuts are still fragile when they first come out of the oven and may crumble and break if dipped too soon.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information provided is an estimate and will vary based on products and brands you use. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the ingredients you are using with your preferred nutrition calculator.
This post was originally published in 2020. It was republished in 2022 with updated images, additional text, and FAQs.
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