Easy Baked Apple Donuts
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Fall is definitely on the radar with these lightly spiced, fresh Baked Apple Donuts sprinkled with a crunchy cinnamon sugar! Easy to make cake donuts with either applesauce or apple butter and an option to add apples if you want to!
Bring on all the fall vibes with apple spice aroma! So delicious for breakfast, brunches, fall party treats, snacking and when you’re craving cinnamon sugar and apple flavors! You’ll love these Delectable Glazed Blueberry Donuts too!
These apple cake donuts are super easy to whip up! To make Easy Baked Apple Donuts, all you need is a donut pan to make the donuts look like donuts, right?
This apple donut recipe makes 12 donuts, so you will need either a mini donut pan
with 24 cavities, or 2-6 cavity donut pans
for regular sized donuts, usually sold in sets.
Donut pans are fairly priced and you can use them over and over again! Then you can make these Fun Chocolate Sprinkle Donuts, these Baked Pumpkin Cake Donuts and these Red Velvet Cake Donuts, just to name a few!
Ingredients You Need
Apple Donut Recipe
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- baking powder
- baking soda
- ground cinnamon, can also omit cinnamon and nutmeg and substitute with apple pie spice, homemade recipe in notes
- ground nutmeg
- salt
- unsweetened applesauce or apple butter, make applesauce donuts or apple butter donuts by using either applesauce or apple butter
- oil of choice, like canola, olive, coconut, vegetable or butter
- pure vanilla extract
- milk of choice or buttermilk
- Optional: apple, grated or cubed
or 
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- granulated sugar
- ground cinnamon
How to Make Baked Apple Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Grease donut pan (s) with butter or baking spray by using 2-6 cavity pans or 2-12 mini donut pans or 24 mini donut cavity pans. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce/apple butter, oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth and combined.
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, until just mixed and no streaks of flour remain. Fold in grated or cubed apple if desired.
- Transfer the batter to a large piping bag (or a ziploc bag), snip off the corner, and pipe the batter into the donut pans. Fill each donut cavity almost to the top.
- Bake until golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center of each donut comes out clean, about 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes before transferring to a baking rack to cool.
- When the donuts are cool enough to handle (15 minutes or so), add the melted butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture to two small shallow bowls.
- Dip each donut in the melted butter followed by the sugar topping until well-coated. You can dip the donuts entirely or just do the tops! Enjoy!!
or 
or 
s. Set aside.
Apple Donut Ingredient Substitutions
Apple Donut Ingredient SubstitutionsMake easy applesauce donuts or apple butter donuts by using either applesauce
or apple butter
. Use unsweetened applesauce instead of applesauce is preferred. If using sweetened applesauce, cut down the sugar some, if you wish.
Oil and milk choices are easy to substitute as well.
- If you want to use melted butter, that is also an option. I love using olive oil, but canola, vegetable or melted and cooled coconut oil or butter are definitely interchangeable to use in this apple donut recipe!
- As for the milk, I prefer to use almond milk, but regular milk, oat milk, or buttermilk are great choices.
See how easy it is how to make Apple Pie Spice! Apple pie spice can be substituted for the cinnamon sugar in the donut batter mixture with store-bought apple pie spice
or you can make it homemade. This easy homemade version makes 3 tablespoons and it’s perfect when baking up any of your apple desserts! Place ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to combine. Store in a small airtight container.
- 1 & ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 & ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
Storing Apple Donuts
Storing Apple DonutsStore the apple cake donuts in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for up to two days. Donuts whether they are baked or fried will always taste best the same day you make them.
You can also store them in the fridge for several days. Just eat them straight from the fridge, or nuke them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or so.
If you need to store the apple donuts longer, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. Just warm them for about 15-25 seconds in the microwave before eating!
Freezing Apple Donuts
Freeze donuts in an airtight freezer container or ziplock bag for up to two months. Just thaw them overnight in the fridge and warm for 20-25 seconds in the microwave.
These delicious apple donuts are awesome for all your fall gatherings, whether it be Halloween, Thanksgiving and served with hot apple cider or cocoa on the side!
More Donut & Dessert Yumminess!
- Glazed Fluffy Chocolate Donuts
- Baked Pumpkin Cake Donuts
- Fun Chocolate Sprinkle Donuts
- Oreo Chocolate Cake Donuts
- 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Donut Muffins
- Easy Homemade Apple Crisp Recipe
Easy Baked Apple Donuts
Ingredients
Baked Apple Donuts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour measured by spooning and leveling flour correctly
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or use 1 & 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice and omit cinnamon and nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce or apple butter
- ¼ cup oil of choice or melted butter
- ¾ cup milk of choice or buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 small apple grated or cubed
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Baked Apple Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Grease donut pan (s) with butter or baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce/apple butter, oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth and combined.
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, until just mixed and no streaks of flour remain. Fold in grated or cubed apple if desired.
- Transfer the batter to a large piping bag (or a ziploc bag), snip off the corner, and pipe the batter into the donut pans. Fill each donut cavity almost to the top.
- Bake until golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center of each donut comes out clean, about 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes before transferring to a baking rack to cool.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- When the donuts are cool enough to handle (15 minutes or so), add the melted butter and cinnamon and sugar mixture to two small shallow bowls.
- Dip each donut in the melted butter followed by the sugar topping until well-coated. You can dip the donuts entirely or just do the tops! Enjoy!!
Notes
- Recipe makes 12 regular sized donuts or 24 mini donuts.
- See how easy it is how to make Apple Pie Spice! Apple pie spice can be substituted for the cinnamon sugar in the donut batter mixture with store-bought apple pie spice or you can make it homemade. This easy homemade version makes 3 tablespoons and it's perfect when baking up any of your apple desserts! Place ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to combine. Store in a small airtight container.
- 1 & ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 & ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
That’s wonderful Teresa! Thank you so much for trying them and sharing! xo
Kim, these donuts are fantastic! Loved them and so did our neighbors!
Yay! I love apples and fall baking! Thanks Valentina!
Definitely adding the apple chunks! Love this recipe and I’m totally ready for fall with this (and my coffee). 😉 ~Valentina