Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes

These homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes are sugar, spice, and absolutely nice! Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes are such a quick and easy fall dessert, and would make a perfect fall breakfast recipe.

Homemade Pumpkin Donut Holes are pretty much the best thing about fall breakfast. Of course, what would a baked donut hole be without it being rolled in cinnamon sugar?? So, obviously, these had to be Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes… 

Somehow we’re closing in on October and I’m not sure where this year went. Granted, it’s about a thousand degrees in California so it’s no wonder it still feels like we’re smack dab in the middle of summer rather than a few days away from fall. 

As per usual, I always want to wait to dive into the pumpkin recipes until the weather cooperates… But, I could possibly be waiting until next year for that to happen, so, like this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, I’ve got to share this recipe now or else I’ll be sharing pumpkin in January and that’s weird. 

Technically, these Pumpkin Donut Holes are not a brand new recipe. I shared these a few years ago, loved them with my whole heart, and decided it was time to give the photos a bit of a makeover (and to draw everyone’s attention back to these little bites of heaven).

You’re welcome (because you’re going to love these–I’m that confident about it).

I have a thing for donut holes. It goes way back to kindergarten and a sweet older lady, Dottie, who would occasionally take me and my neighbor home from school. Despite the fact we lived about five minutes away from the school, she’d always have fresh donut holes in her purse for us to share. 

While these pumpkin donut holes are baked (not fried like the one’s from a donut shop), they still remind me of her and what a sweetheart she was. 

Why You’re Going to Love this Recipe:

• It’s super easy! The recipe requires simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. 
• It’s a one bowl recipe, meaning less cleanup.
• It makes exactly 24 donut holes, so it’s perfect for breakfast, brunch or as a midnight snack.
• This recipe only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Hole Ingredients:

• all purpose flour
• granulated sugar
• baking powder and salt
• cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves
• egg
• buttermilk
• vanilla extract
• melted butter (unsalted–I ALWAYS use unsalted butter in every baking recipe so I can control the salt content)
• pumpkin puree 

As mentioned above, all ingredients are mixed in one bowl and then spooned into a mini muffin tin. It’s one of the easiest pumpkin recipes I’ve ever made and it’s such a fun recipe for the fall season. 

Let’s talk about baked donut holes and how to make them from scratch. 

• These are baked donut holes, meaning they are baked in the oven rather than fried in oil. 
• I use a mini muffin tin to bake these into donut holes, so they do have a bit of a mini muffin shape rather than being perfectly circular. 
• If you do not have a mini muffin tin, you can make these in a regular muffin tin (obviously they will be bigger in size), or you can make them in a donut pan (or you can try out these Buttermilk Pumpkin Donuts and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Donuts).
• While fried donuts require a bit more tools and precision, it’s nearly impossible to mess up donuts baked in the oven. The ingredients are forgiving, and you simply spoon the batter into your mini muffin tin. The oven does the rest of the work.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Can I Make These Ahead of Time?
  • Yes, you can make these a day or two beforehand. While I do think they taste the absolute best the day of, they still taste great a few days later. I would suggest storing them in the fridge (unless your house is fairly cool inside). You can eat them cold or let them sit out a few minutes until they reach room temperature.

• Can You Freeze Pumpkin Donut Holes?
  • While you can’t freeze the batter, you can freeze them after they’re baked. I suggest freezing them before you coat them in cinnamon sugar. When you’re ready to eat them, let them thaw in the fridge overnight. (You can microwave them too.) Right before serving, dip in melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar.

• Can I Use Pumpkin Pie Spice Instead of My Own?
  • Yes, you can! I suggest using 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. 

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes Tips & Tricks:

• Definitely use buttermilk in this recipe. Because these are baked pumpkin donuts, they need buttermilk to not only give them the texture of a fried pumpkin donut hole, but also to give them the flavor. Don’t have buttermilk? Mix lemon juice and milk together and let it sit for a few minutes.
• To coat each donut hole in cinnamon sugar, you need to roll the donut holes in melted butter first. Then, immediately roll them in your cinnamon sugar mixture.
• This recipe makes exactly 24 pumpkin donut holes. Each donut hole is 1 Tbsp of batter. My suggestion is to use a Tablespoon to measure out the batter. I spray the Tablespoon with baking spray so that the batter slides right out and into the muffin tin. 
• If you don’t want to coat these in cinnamon sugar, you can coat them in powdered sugar or dunk them in a glaze. 

These Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes are so easy to make! Try them out for a cozy fall breakfast recipe, or enjoy them as a midnight snack! I may or may not have had experience with both…

5 from 6 votes

Print

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

These homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes are sugar, spice, and absolutely nice! Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes are such a quick and easy fall dessert, and would make a perfect fall breakfast recipe! 

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin donut holes

Servings: 24 Donut Holes

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

Pumpkin Donut Holes

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon*
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg*
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger*
• 1/4 tsp ground all spice*
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves*
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Topping

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin well.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, all spice, and cloves.

3. Add in the egg, and mix until combined.

4. Add in buttermilk, vanilla extract and melted butter. Mix until just combined.

5. Lastly, add in the pumpkin puree and mix until just combined.

6. Drop about 1 Tbsp of batter into each mini muffin cup.

7. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the pumpkin donut holes ‘spring’ back when touched.
8. Once the donuts have cooled, roll each donut hole in the melted butter, and then immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
9. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*Alternatively, you could substitute pumpkin pie spice for these spices. If substituting, I suggest using 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice.

Post originally published in 2017; updated in 2020.

Here are some other easy pumpkin recipes you might love!

Pumpkin Crumb Bread

Vanilla Pumpkin Bundt Cake