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    Home » Recipes » Breads and Doughnuts » Pumpkin Donuts

    Pumpkin Donuts

    Published: Oct 17, 2020 · Modified: Sep 4, 2023 by Jessica Robinson · This post may contain affiliate links

    7.3K shares
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    pumpkin donuts on top of each other on cutting board

    Pumpkin donuts are incredibly moist, have plenty of pumpkin flavor and rolled in a delicious cinnamon sugar mixture. These homemade donuts can be prepped ahead of time and refrigerated overnight.

    Homemade Pumpkin Doughnuts are so flavorful and perfect on a crisp fall day. Pumpkin donuts are made with canned pumpkin and a handful of basic ingredients.

    Pumpkin donuts with cinnamon sugar stacked on each other, one with bite.

    Roll these pumpkin doughnuts in sugar and cinnamon while they are warm, they are the perfect autumn treat.

    The aroma of sweet pumpkin, cinnamon and spices will fill your kitchen! And if you love Pumpkin Doughnuts, you’ll love Apple Cider Donuts, Apple Hand Pies, Caramel Apple Pie, and Apple Fritters!

    You’ll need a rolling pin and a doughnut cutter. Order a doughnut cutter on Amazon. Unless you have a small, independently owned kitchen store, a doughnut cutter is a bit hard to find.

    Pumpkin donuts stacked on each other with top one with bite out of it.

    How to make Pumpkin Donuts

    • Combine dry ingredients – Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices into a medium bowl and set aside.
    • Cream butter and sugar – In a large bowl, use a stand mixer to cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
    • Mix wet and dry ingredients together – Add the eggs one at a time and continue to mix until incorporated. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg to the mixing bowl. Alternate adding the buttermilk and dry ingredients until everything is combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl occasionally.
    • Roll out donut dough – Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. This dough will be sticky. Use a plastic bench scraper to fold the dough over and flour before cutting donuts. Flour the dough well.
    • Cut out donuts – Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ½-inch thickness. Cut out donuts using a 3.5-inch donut cutter. Place on half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
    pumpkin doughnut dough on floured work surface.
    doughnuts on a half sheet pan before frying
    • Fry the donuts – Line a half sheet pan with several layers of paper towels. Set aside.
    • Heat the oil – In a large pot, heat about 3-inches of canola oil to 375 degrees F. Use a thermometer to test the temperature. Gently drop about 4 donuts into the hot oil, do not over crowd the pot. Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Flipping the doughnut once. 
    • Let donuts drain – Remove the doughnuts from the oil and let drain on the paper towels. While doughnuts are hot roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
    Pumpkin donuts glazed on a wooden cutting board.

    This dough is sticky! Use a plastic bench scraper (the curved side) to remove the dough from the mixing bowl. Use the flat side of the bench scraper to move flour around on your work surface.

    Donuts rolled in cinnamon sugar stacked on top of each other.
    Can you make donuts ahead of time?

    You can make these doughnuts the night before. Cover the sheet pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the next day. Fry straight from the fridge.

    Also try Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Waffles, and Easy Pumpkin Pie.

    Use a digital thermometer to accurately measure the oil temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can put a pinch of flour in hot oil to see if it is the correct temperature. The flour will quickly bubble to the edges of the pan if the oil is hot enough.

    frying doughnuts in a cast iron skillet

    Roll pumpkin doughnuts into cinnamon sugar mixture while they are still warm. I use a disposable aluminum pan to coat the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar. It makes clean up easy and gives you plenty of room to work.

    old fashioned doughnuts being rolled in cinnamon sugar mixture

    They are simple enough to make. Just fry in a little pot of canola oil on your stovetop and set on paper towels for a few minutes. While they are still warm, roll in a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and a touch of nutmeg.

    pumpkin doughnuts stacked on top of each other on a wooden cutting board. Wooden rolling pin in background

    For more great donut recipes, check out Apple Cider Donuts, Blueberry Cake Donuts, Old-Fashioned Donuts, and Red Velvet Donuts.

    Did you make one of my recipes? Please take a moment to leave a star rating. Also, if you are on Pinterest, please feel free to leave a comment there! Follow A Farmgirl’s Kitchen on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and YouTube and subscribe my mailing list for ALL the latest recipes!

    4.94 from 16 votes
    pumpkin donuts stacked on each other on wooden cutting board lined with white parchment paper, bite out of one donut
    Print Rate this Recipe

    Homemade Pumpkin Donuts

    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time5 minutes mins
    Total Time20 minutes mins
    These old-fashioned pumpkin donuts will leave you wanting more. Perfect for the autumn!
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 18 doughnuts
    Calories: 278kcal
    Author: Jessica Robinson

    Equipment

    • Lodge Cast Iron Skillet (12-inch)
    • Half Sheet Pans
    • Parchment Paper (Half Sheet pan)
    • Plastic Bench Scraper
    • Doughnut Cutter (3 ½-inches)

    Ingredients

    Pumpkin Donuts

    • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
    • 2 large eggs room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1 cup mashed pumpkin
    • ½ cup buttermilk
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
    • 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    Instructions

    Pumpkin Donuts

    • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder and soda into a medium bowl.
    • Add the pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg to the mixing bowl. Alternate adding the buttermilk and dry ingredients until everything is combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl occasionally.
    • Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll out to about ½-inch thick and use a doughnut cutter to cut out the doughnuts. Place the doughnuts and doughnut holes on sheet pans lined with parchment paper.
    • Line a sheet pan with several layers of paper towels and set aside.
    • In a large pot, heat about 3-inches of canola oil to 375 degrees F. Use a thermometer to test the temperature. Gently drop about 4 doughnuts into the hot oil, do not over crowd the pot. Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Flipping the doughnut once.
    • Remove the doughnuts from the oil and let drain on the paper towels.
    • While the doughnuts are still warm, coat with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

    Recipe Notes

    Pumpkin Donuts:
    These donuts can be made ahead of time. Cut into donuts, place on half sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. You do not need to warm up prior to frying!
    Canned pumpkin is great in this recipe. Be sure to buy canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 208mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 2276IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @AFarmgirlsKitchen or tag #afarmgirlskitchen!

    Disclosure: As an Affiliate Marketer, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click a product affiliate link on A Farmgirl’s Kitchen and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you!  I own every cooking product I recommend and love how they perform.

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    Comments

    1. Anna farley says

      December 24, 2023 at 9:02 pm

      5 stars
      Awesome donuts!

      Reply
      • Jessica Robinson says

        December 25, 2023 at 4:51 pm

        Thank you Anna!

        Reply
    2. Nancy says

      December 07, 2021 at 12:51 pm

      This dough is very sticky. I had to put a lot of flour on my board and let them sit for a while before I could cut them. Taste is good and texture was good. Just hard to handle

      Reply
      • Jessica Robinson says

        December 07, 2021 at 6:22 pm

        Hello Nancy,
        Yes, as stated in the recipe it is a very sticky dough. I prefer to have the dough sticky and roll in flour as to not make an overworked dough (which will make the gluten overwork and be tough.) Glad to hear you enjoyed the taste! I also show how I use a rubber bench scraper to easily work with the sticky dough.

        Reply
    3. nonna box says

      October 28, 2020 at 2:12 pm

      5 stars
      They look great, and I am sure they are delicious too! I will try to make them this weekend for my kids, it’s the perfect recipe for this time of the year. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jessica Robinson says

        October 28, 2020 at 3:23 pm

        Thanks so much! Happy to hear you are loving this recipe!

        Reply
    4. Mommy Sigrid says

      August 30, 2018 at 1:11 am

      5 stars
      I love pumpkin and cinnamon flavors and aroma! Just wanna ask though, is the donut soft and moist? Also, how long will it last?

      Reply
    5. Melani says

      August 25, 2018 at 1:32 pm

      5 stars
      I never tried making pumpkin donuts. I’ve tried making it from potato. Pinned this recipe. Looks very delicious.

      Reply
    6. blair villanueva says

      August 24, 2018 at 8:07 am

      5 stars
      wow doughnuts! Something that doesn’t need more convincing! I love doughnuts 😀

      Reply
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    Jessica Robinson from A Farmgirl's Kitchen

    Welcome!

    I am a home cook who creates wholesome family meals, homemade pies, baked goods and preserves foods using easy to find ingredients. All of my recipes use simple and readily available ingredients.

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