These baked apple cider donuts are healthier, made with pumpkin puree as one of 6 main ingredients. No eggs, no oil, no dairy. Light, fluffy and loaded with apple cider flavor! So sweet and spicy these will easily be your favorite homemade vegan apple cider donuts ever.
These apple cider donuts are healthier, easy to make with 5 main ingredients, spicy and sweet, vegan and gluten-free. Plus you get a veggie in your dessert.
It's one of the easiest apple cider donut recipes there is because you just mix, bake and coat! For donuts, you'll need a donut pan, but you can also make these in a muffin tin.
Why You'll Love These
Soft & Spicy Donuts. These apple cider donuts taste soft and spicy, and rich with the apple cider flavor, supported by apple pie spices. Although I used pumpkin puree instead of oil, you don't taste pumpkin flavor at all, only apple.
Donuts with nutrition. Each donut contains 6g of protein, and 3g of fiber, as well as iron, calcium and even vitamin C thanks to the veggie puree. And these donuts are lower in sugar than most apple cider donut recipes, and free of oil. I use pumpkin puree instead which gives the donut a delicious moist structure as well as tons of nutrition. My apple cider donuts are vegan, naturally gluten-free, eggless, dairy free, nut free. Adults and children alike will love these whether they are vegan or not.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Apple Cider: One of the most important ingredients in apple cider donuts. Use as fresh and pulpy and quality cider as you can. Do not reduce your apple cider (boil it down to remove some water) because the liquid balance in this recipe is perfect. In fact, if you reduce, you'll reduce the sweetness and apple flavor so I don't recommend it here.
Pumpkin puree: This is a wonderful instead of oil, and brings strong nutrition for the eyes. Use pumpkin puree from a can or puree down fresh steamed pumpkin. You can substitute sweet potato puree or even butternut squash puree for this recipe. Or even unsweetened apple sauce.
Flour: Use oat flour as it's naturally gluten-free and brings a lovely donut shop flavor to baked goods. You can buy oat flour or use a blender to grind rolled oats into flour. In this recipe, all purpose flour or 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour also work, just use ½ cup less flour than the recipe calls for.
Sugar: You can use coconut palm sugar or cane sugar.
Spices & Leaveners: Of course we need a spice blend. I've used both apple pie spice blend and pumpkin spice blend to make these donuts taste deliciously like fall. The leavener is baking powder. Don't forget vanilla and a pinch of salt.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating: A mix of cinnamon and finely granulated sugar is best here.
Step by Step Instructions
What sets these apple cider donuts apart from other recipes is using pumpkin puree instead of oil. It lightens the donut texture and even gives it a lovely fall color.
My full and detailed recipe with measurements is below, but you can read through the main steps here.
Step 1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 2. Combine wet ingredients and sugar in a smaller bowl. Stir until sugar appears fairly well dissolved.
Step 3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and use a hand mixer to combine until smooth.
Step 4. Add the mixture to a piping bag or ziplock bag with tip cut off. Use that to fill a donut pan. Fill wells to the top.
Step 5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Step 6. Stir together the sugar cinnamon mix. Spray donuts very lightly with coconut oil spray, dip both sides and spoon mix over to coat donuts.
Make Without a Donut Pan
To make these donuts without a donut pan, use a muffin pan lined with paper. I fill wells about half way, and dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture once done. Bake muffins at 350 F for 15 minutes.
How to Store
Baked apple cider donuts can be stored in an air-tight container for 2 days and then refrigerated for a week and microwaved for 15 seconds to warm them up. Apple cider donuts can be frozen for a month. Recoat them with cinnamon sugar once thawed.
FAQS
Why Are They Called Apple Cider Donuts?
They are called apple cider donuts because the liquid in the recipe is apple cider. If you don't have apple cider, apple juice concentrate also works in a pinch but the apple flavor won't be as strong.
Does Dunkin Donuts Have Apple Cider Donuts?
I'm not sure but it is so easy to make homemade apple cider donuts, it really doesn't matter, does it?
How Many Calories in a Baked Apple Cider Donut?
Less then 180 calories in my apple cider donuts. They are also high in fiber and low in carbs.
What Makes A Baked Apple Cider Donut?
My donuts are an easy donut recipe with apple cider as the liquid.
Do Baked Donuts That Taste like Fried Donuts?
Yes! My baked donuts definitely taste like your favorite fried donuts especially with the sugar cinnamon coating. But they are baked and have no oil! So much healthier and lighter. Feel great after eating more than one!
More Healthy Donuts
- Chocolate Mini Donuts
- Chocolate Frosted Donuts
- Powdered Sugar Donuts
- Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- Chocolate Baked Donuts
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📖 Recipe
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- 2 mixing bowls
- hander mixer or spoon
- donut pan or muffin pan
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 ¾ cup oat flour Or 1 ¼ cup all-purpose or GF baking 1 to 1 flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup fresh apple cider no reduction needed
- ½ cups pumpkin or sweet potato puree (I used canned but you can also use fresh. Do not use pumpkin PIE purée, I mean pure pumpkin.
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 6-well donut pan or cupcake pan.
Make Donuts
- In a medium bowl, mix up dry ingredients.1 ¾ cup oat flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, pinch of salt, 2 tablespoon cinnamon
- In a larger bowl, stir up wet ingredients and sugar. Mix with a hand mixer or spoon until just combined.½ cup fresh apple cider, ½ cups pumpkin or sweet potato puree, ½ cup organic cane sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ cup organic cane sugar
- Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and use a hand mixer to blend smooth.
- Pipe or use a spoon to fill the wells to the top.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
- Cool pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
To Make as Muffins
- To make these donuts without a donut pan, use a muffin pan lined with paper. I fill wells about half way, and dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture once done. Bake muffins at 350 F for 15 minutes.
Make Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Stir together the sugar cinnamon mix. Spray donuts with coconut oil spray, dip both sides and spoon mix over to coat whole donuts.
Store
- Baked apple cider donuts can be stored in an air-tight container for 2 days and then refrigerated for a week and microwaved for 15 seconds to warm them up. Apple cider donuts can be frozen for a month. Recoat them with cinnamon sugar once thawed.
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