Baked Pumpkin Mini Donuts (with 2 ingredient batter)
If you think homemade donuts are out of your wheelhouse…think again, you little bakers. These are incredibly easy to make with only 2 main ingredients: boxed spice cake and pumpkin puree. Add the optional cinnamon sugar topping or a pumpkin spice glaze and you have a donut that rivals your local donut shop.
These easy homemade baked mini pumpkin donuts are a blend of cake and donuts; think, cake donuts. Very light and fluffy but still moist and donut-ey. Because they’re baked and not fried, they’re way healthier for you with about half the fat, calories and sugar than a regular mini donut.
If you love this sweet breakfast treat, try my High Protein French Toast Sticks, Banana Cream Cottage Cheese Waffles or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- No deep frying – only 62 calories per donut.
- Perfect mini treat for the fall season.
- Half the fat, calories and sugar then a normal mini donut.
Ingredients and Substitutes:
These are the main ingredients for pumpkin mini donuts. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions.
- Spice Cake Mix: I am using Duncan Hines® Signature Spice Cake Mix, but any spice cake will work.
- Pure Pumpkin Puree: the second of the main ingredients, used for texture and flavor. Make sure to use a can of pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Save the extra puree and make pumpkin cottage cheese pasta sauce.
- Glaze topping: powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice and milk.
- Sugar coating: pumpkin pie spice, butter and brown sugar.
Variations
- You can substitute either sugar with a sugar substitute but it will change the taste.
- Add mini chocolate chips to the batter prior to baking. Only do a few so they don’t sink to the bottom.
Dietary Modifications
- I used a box cake mix for the donut batter. For a gluten-free version, make sure your boxed mix is certified gluten-free.
- For dairy-free, use coconut oil in place of butter in the sugar coating (if using) and a plant-based milk for the glaze.
How to make these mini pumpkin donuts (a visual step-by-step guide):
Step 1: Prep the batter
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and pumpkin puree. Mix until fully combined and no powdered cake mix remains (image 1).
Step 2: scoop batter into donut pan
In a 6 or 12-mini donut baking pan, evenly scoop the donut dough into the pan approximately ¾ the way full (image 2). A great trick is to fill a ziplock with the batter, cut a hole at the corner, and use it as a piping bag to add the batter to the pan. The dough will be sticky.
Step 3: bake
Place the donuts in the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes or until cooked through and browned. Remove and let cook in the pan for 5 minutes prior to transferring to a wire rack to completely cool (image 3).
Step 4: add your topping
For sugar-dusted donuts
Mix the brown sugar and pumpkin spice in a small bowl wide enough to dip the donuts in (image 4). Brush the tops of the donuts with the melted butter (image 5). Dip the donuts into the bowl of sugar to get the sugar to coat the donuts (image 6). Repeat with all desired donuts (image 7).
For glazed donuts
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl (image 8). Whisk together until a frosting-like consistency (image 9). Place the tops of the donuts in the glaze and pull out in a circular motion so the glaze coats the entire top and set aside to set and harden (image 10). Repeat with all desired donuts (image 11).
Expert Tip!
You need a donut pan for these mini donuts. Using a mini donut pan makes the perfect rounded donut shape. You can also use a mini donut maker or a mini muffin pan for pumpkin muffins. Follow the same directions as this pumpkin donut recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Store any leftover donuts in an airtight container or large ziplock bag on the counter for up to 4-5 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days. Freeze these donuts without the toppings and enjoy them within three months of freezing. Remove from the freezer, defrost, and top with toppings.
No! That’s what I love about these. Because they’re baked, they have significantly lower fat and calories than a normal donut, but taste just as delicious!
Check out some other favorite fall recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Pumpkin Mini Donuts
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Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 box Spice Cake Mix Duncan Hines®
- 1 can 100% pure pumpkin puree
Sugar Coating
- 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar or sugar substitute
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Tbsp. butter melted
Pumpkin Spice Glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar or sugar substitute
- 1 1/2-2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 3-4 Tbsp. milk any kind works
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl combine the cake mix and pumpkin puree. Mix until fully combined and no powdered cake mix remains.
- In a 12-mini donut baking pan, evenly scoop the donut dough into the pan approximately ¾ the way full. A great trick is to fill a ziplock with the batter, cut a hole at the corner and use it as a piping bag to add the batter to the pan. The dough will be sticky, you can use a rubber spatula to smooth out or wet your fingers.
- Place the donuts in the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes or until cooked through and browned. Remove and let cook in the pan for 5 minutes prior to transferring to a wire rack to completely cool.
- While the donuts bake decide if you want sugar coated, glazed of a mixture of both.
- To make sugar coated donuts, simply mix the brown sugar and pumpkin spice in a small bowl wide enough to dip the donuts in.Brush the tops of the donuts with the melted butter before dipping into the bowl of sugar to get the sugar to coat to the donuts. If coating with glaze be sure to let them completely cool first so the glaze doesn’t melt off.
- To make pumpkin spice glaze donuts, whisk together the powdered sugar, pumpkin spice and milk until a frosting like consistency. Use 1 ½-2 tsp. Of pumpkin spice to your preferred taste and 3-4 Tbsp. of milk to the desired sticky frosting consistency. Let the donuts fully cool to room temperature and then place the tops in the glaze and pull out in a circular motion so the glaze coats the entire top. Place back on the cooling rack to set.
Notes
- All nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with subsittiotiosn
- Nutrition facts are for donuts ONLY! See below for nutrition facts with glaze or sugar coatings.
- Let the donuts cool completely before glazing or it will melt off the tops!
- You CAN use nonstick cooking spray in place of butter but it does not work as well!
Nutrition
Photos by Marie-Catherine Dube
is there a specific brand of pumpkin spice cake mix you recommended to keep track of calories correctly?
Duncan Hines® Signature Spice Cake Mix.
Simple, easy recipe! I added a little water and they came out perfect in my new mini donut maker!
Just did these as muffins, the best fall treat!
These were delicious and easy!
Awesome, thank you!!