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These Vegan Pumpkin Donuts are the perfect way to welcome fall! They're warm-spiced, pumpkiny, and frosted with a cinnamon-sugar coating. The ingredient list is simple and they'll be ready in a flash!
Pumpkin, Spice, and everything nice PUMPKIN! That's what I'm talking about! I've been waiting for this ALL.YEAR.LONG. So, I thought I'd kick off my favorite season with these Vegan Pumpkin Donuts!
It's just not fall without a warm-spiced treat in one hand and a Pumpkin Spice Latte in the other. Don't you agree? It's the best time of year to indulge and enjoy comforting food and festive vegan desserts.
These aren't your classic fried donuts like you remember from Krispy Kreme, (I know, they were good, but so bad for you, and totally not vegan either) these Vegan Donuts are baked to perfection and are just as delicious!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PUMPKIN DONUTS
(FULL PRINTABLE INSTRUCTIONS IN RECIPE CARD BELOW)
- (not pictured) In a Medium Bowl, add soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Combine and let it sit for 10 minutes to create vegan buttermilk. It will thicken and curdle slightly. Set aside.
- To a Large Mixing Bowl, add the Flour, Corn Starch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Pumpkin Spice, and Salt. Whisk to combine well. Set aside.
- To the Medium Bowl with the Buttermilk, add the Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar, Oil, Pumpkin, and Vanilla. Whisk to combine well.
- Now add the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients.
- Fold batter gently with a spatula until just combined. The batter should be thick. Don't overwork the batter or it can cause dense and chewy donut.
- Add your batter to a large Ziploc (or decorating bag). Twist top closed and snip off one corner leaving a ½ " hole. Pipe the batter into each slot about ¾ of the way full.
- Place in the oven on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes at 350 °F (177 °C). To check for doneness, lightly press the surface. If it springs back, they are ready.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before touching. Now gently remove the donuts and let them completely cool on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes before coating.
HOW TO COAT DONUTS WITH CINNAMON SUGAR
Besides the delicious pumpkiny flavor and fall-spiced goodness, I absolutely LOVE coating these donuts with cinnamon sugar. It's So easy to do! Just whisk sugar and cinnamon together, then lightly brush the donut tops with melted vegan butter and dip them into sugary heaven. You can add as much or as little as you'd like.
DO I NEED DONUT PANS TO MAKE DONUTS?
Well, technically, you don't need one and I found this article on How to Make Your Own Donut Pan using a standard muffin pan. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks like it works beautifully! So genius!
However, donut pans are easier, inexpensive, and quite fun to have. So, if you're down for easy donut making you'll need these fabulous donut pans or something similar. Most mainstream stores carry them or you may find them at a secondhand store, too.
If you don't have time to get donut pans and you want vegan pumpkin donuts right now, you can definitely turn these into muffins. Just bake them about 5-7 minutes longer. Check for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the center. If it's mostly clean, they're ready
CAN I FREEZE DONUTS?
Donuts taste the freshest on the same day of baking, but they will store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. I like to put a paper towel at the top to absorb any moisture. However, you can freeze them the same day after they have completely cooled.
Just make sure they are individually wrapped so they don't stick together or get freezer burn. You can store them in a Ziploc or an airtight container for 3-6 months. Just defrost it on the counter for 20 minutes and they'll be ready to enjoy!
CAN I MAKE THEM GLUTEN-FREE?
I haven't tried it yet, but I've had a few readers report back that they've made them successfully with a 1.1 gluten-free flour. Let me know if you try it too!
WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH VEGAN PUMPKIN DONUTS?
Well, they are delicious all on their own, but they go great with coffee, tea, non-dairy milk, whipped cream or even ice cream!
Success Tips
- Measure the flour by scooping it out of the container with a spoon and into a measuring cup. Don’t tap or pack the cup. Gently sweep a butter knife across the top to remove excess. If you have too much/little flour than the recipe calls for, it will yield different results.
- Make sure to measure all ingredients precisely or you could end up with undesirable results.
- Only use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling or your donuts will be overly sweet.
- Don’t overbake the donuts or they will be very dry inside and underbaking will yield a flat and gummy donut. My oven yields perfect golden muffins in 12 minutes. If your oven runs hot/cool, the time could vary slightly. To check for doneness, lightly press the top of the donut. If it springs back, they are ready.
- Don't overly coat the donut tops with butter or the cinnamon-sugar coating will be too wet. Just lightly brush the tops to coat.
- Make sure to let the donuts cool in the pan for 10 minutes before touching or they could fall apart. Don't leave them in there more than that or the moisture that collects will make them soggy. Let them cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before coating to avoid them breaking.
- Be very gentle with the donuts when removing from the pan and coating. They will be a little soft and could break. However, after 20 minutes, they start to firm up a bit.
More fall dessert recipes to try
If you're looking for more sweet treats, you may want to check out this Pumpkin Pie, Vegan Apple Crisp, my favorite Vegan Pumpkin Bread, or these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel. But, If you're looking for both sweet and savory pumpkin recipes, you'll find 45 delicious recipes to choose from here! They will satisfy your pumpkin craving, and give you that cozy fall feeling we all love.
So, are you ready to get baking? Your house is going to smell heavenly! Let's do this!
I’d love to hear from you
If you make these Vegan Pumpkin Donuts, I’d love to hear what you think in the comment section below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup soy milk (or any plant-based milk - *see note)
- 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar (sub white vinegar or lemon juice)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar , light
- ⅓ cup grapeseed oil or any neutral-flavored oil (avocado, sunflower, etc.)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour , sifted
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter , melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C) and lightly grease the slots of two donut pans.
- In a Medium Mixing Bowl, add the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Combine and let it sit for 10 minutes to create vegan buttermilk. It will thicken and curdle slightly. Set aside.
- To a Large Mixing Bowl, add the Flour, Corn Starch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Pumpkin Spice, and Salt. Whisk to combine well. Set aside.
- To the Medium Bowl with the Buttermilk, add the Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar, Oil, Pumpkin, and Vanilla. Whisk to combine well.
- Now add the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Fold batter gently with a spatula until just combined. The batter should be thick. Don't overwork the batter or it can cause dense and chewy donut.
- Using a spoon add your batter to a large Ziploc or decorating bag. Twist top closed and snip off one corner leaving a ½ " hole (*hold the bag upwards when cutting so the batter doesn't leak out). Pipe the batter into your greased donut pans. Fill about ¾ of the way full.
- Place in the oven on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes. To check for doneness, lightly press the surface. If it springs back, they are ready.
- Remove the pans from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before touching (but don't leave them longer than that). Now gently remove the donuts and let them completely cool on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes before coating.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine the sugar and cinnamon.
- Lightly brush the top of each donut with melted butter and dip into the cinnamon sugar. Gently twist to coat. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Karen
I made these last night for a party today. Always been intimidated by donuts ( what a joke right) anyway my daughter stole 2 of them she did give me a bite. Wow was I surprised thank you , they felt heavy but sure didn’t taste that way a nice light cake donut! The only change I had to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk for the whole city (. Except my neiborhood)lost electricity,go figure! Non the less it worked.
Nam
My first time making donuts and am in awe of how fluffy and perfectly sweetened this donut is. I made this exactly how it is…well minus the almond milk (Three Trees brand) instead of the preferred soy milk…and this recipe will be hard to beat.
Melissa Huggins
That is great Nam! Glad you liked the recipe.
Marti Little
Oh my goodness...I just made these. I followed your directions completely. I made them to bring to the office meeting today, but, the boss had to taste one before....she gave me a bite...they are so wonderfully delicious. Thanks for the recipe, I will make these again!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Marti! We are so happy that you loved the donuts and got to share them with your coworkers! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Sharon
I just made these, and they're amazing! It was my first time making donuts, and it was so easy. The consistency is fluffy and light. It's really a perfect cake donut. Next time, I think I'll add a bit more ginger and clove to my pumpkin spice. I just wanted there to be a little bit more depth to the flavor. I'll definitely use more of your recipes in the future. Thank you!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Sharon! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! We are so happy you loved the donuts 🙂
Marissa Mouse
Thank you for the lovely recipe- I must have read about a dozen gluten free or vegan recipes before I decided on this one as my base. I bought a can of pumpkin the other day knowing I would need it soon and I guess today ended up being the day. Boredom + back to school = it's basically Fall, right?
My process: I used macadamia nut milk because I'm avoiding soy at the moment, it didn't curdle but there was a sour smell from the vinegar so I went with it. I used King Arthur measure for measure flour and coconut sugar instead of brown. I used a quarter cup of maple sugar instead of the half cup of refined white. Also used coconut oil instead of avocado or grapeseed.
I only have one donut pan so I threw the rest of the batter in a muffin tin. I'm glad I did because I'm eating one right now out of respect for the donut wait time and it is so good! I love the clean taste of these as muffins and can only imagine how the donuts will taste once they're coated. I'm so happy they came out! Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Marissa, I'm so happy you liked them. Thank you for sharing your modifications and experience. It really helps a lot. 🙂
Donna Goldstein
Preparation well worth the final result! I made vegan hot fudge to put on top!
Melissa Huggins
So glad you liked them! Vegan hot fudge sounds amazing with them. That's on my to-do list now! Thank you 🙂
FJ Abraham
Excellent, best vegan donut I've found yet.
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad you liked them! Thank you so much! 🙂
Huong Nguyen
Gỗ recipe , Thank you
Ellen Fife
What. An be used to replace oil
Melissa Huggins
Usually, I use applesauce, but I haven't tried it in this recipe. I'm not sure if they will be too soft with the applesauce and pumpkin. I'll have to experiment. Let me know if you give them a try. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Hi Jo, Sorry for the late reply. Your message went into my spam folder. 🙁 Sure, you can use maple syrup or coconut sugar. You can do a combo of both too. Maybe 1/4 cup of maple and 1/2 cup of coconut sugar. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Nivida
Hi I just discovered your recipes. Can I fry them instead of baking?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Nivida, I haven't tried frying them. I wish I could be more help.
Jo
Thesooks amazing! Do you think I could do them without refined white sugar? Maybe maple syrup or coconut sugar?
Amby
I am currently overseas and missing out on pumpkin spice season since I'm in the southern hemisphere! These are perfection! 😀 I will make them soon and plant based for the win!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Amby, Thank you for stopping by. I hope these donuts bring a little pumpkin-season-feeling to your days.
I agree...plant based for the win!
Have a great week ahead 🙂
Kate
Just made these with my Grandaughter...delicious, easy to follow.
We will do this again ..she is so proud
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kate, this is so wonderful to hear! Thank you for making them. So nice that you made them with you Grandaughter. I made them with my son and he brought them to school. His classmates were very happy. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
anna
They look absolutely delicious! I really need to get one of these baking trays and start making my own! And that sugar coating... heaven!!!
Pinning that for sure!
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Anna! The donut pan is so worth it. Make perfectly shaped donuts.
Have a great weekend!
Melanie
Those donuts look amazing! I m also so excited that punmpkin season is finally here 😉
Melissa Huggins
Hi Melanie, thank you so much! I'm super excited too! Fall is definitely my favorite season. Have a great weekend!