Update: I made these again in a normal muffin pan. With two tablespoons of batter in each cup, they’ll need 10 minutes. With three tablespoons of batter, they’ll need 13 minutes. And if you want to make them as normal muffins (filled almost all the way to the top), they’ll need about 15 minutes.
Please don’t skip the glaze! The donuts won’t taste nearly as good without it. I only made 2/3 of the glaze today and that was enough.
It’s October! I made it all of September without posting a single pumpkin recipe. I think some people are already sick of pumpkin, but I’ve been dying to share these. I had never had pumpkin donuts before I made these, but now I don’t think I want to eat any other type ever again. The best part is that these don’t taste the least bit whole grain or olive oily.
Right before I made these, I was thinking that I didn’t like pumpkin so much. I love cakes and things with pumpkin in them, but I was thinking it’s the ginger and other spices that I like. I think I was wrong. Pumpkin is good.
That’s white chocolate hot chocolate with pumpkin pie spice right there. Is it normal that I have to dump extra sugar in there? And three times the recommended amount of powder? Maybe I should just drink some melted white chocolate.
Having had experienced several baking disasters in the previous days, I only made 5 of these. And now I’m very sad. I want more.
For a gluten-free version, try these Baked Pumpkin Donuts from Allergylicious!
100% Whole Grain Baked Pumpkin Donuts
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 24 donut holes or 10 normal sized donuts
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (225 grams) whole spelt, whole wheat pastry, or whole wheat
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil, I used extra-virgin
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) unrefined or brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (6.4 ounces / 180 grams) canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
- 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze:
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and spices.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix!
- Grease a donut or mini muffin pan very well. Divide the batter among the molds. Bake 12 – 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If making donut holes, bake for 10 – 12 minutes.
- While the donuts are baking, make the buttermilk glaze by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. The donuts should be able to fit in the bowl.
- Turn the donuts out onto a rack. When they’re completely cool, dip them into the glaze. Flip them over several times or until they’re completely coated. Do a test donut and if you like how the glaze is, glaze the rest of the donuts. If you’d like the glaze to be thicker, let the glaze sit longer and then glaze. Thanks to M in the comments for that tip. :)
- Eat immediately! They’re okay on the second day, but insanely delicious still warm from the oven.
Adapted from Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes - Craving Chronicles
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29 comments on “100% Whole Grain Baked Pumpkin Donuts” — Add one!
Yum!! I made these g-f d-f by substituting gluten-free one to one flour and coconut milk and they were fantastic! These are a new family favorite!
Yay! I’m happy they came out well. :) What GF baking flour did you use? I tried these with a 1 to 1 baking flour recently and they came out SO dense and heavy. Thanks for your comment!
Found your blog from Pinterest, and made these donuts this morning (used fresh ground soft white wheat). They were so unbelievably delicious!!! I couldn’t believe they actually tasted like a donut, and not just a muffin with a whole in the middle!! I made a half recipe, and it made 6 donuts – just right for my Wilton donut pan. I look forward to exploring the rest of your recipes!
I’m so happy that they came out well for you! :) I bet these are even more delicious with white whole wheat – I’ll have to try that! Thanks so much for your feedback and I hope that you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much. :)
Does anyone know the nutrional value of these?
Oh great! I'm so happy to hear that it turned out the way you wanted it to. I'll update the post with your tip.
I noticed that if I let the icing sit for awhile, let the donuts cool completely and then put the glaze on, it turned out just like in your picture! Thanks!
M – I'm guessing it was the buttermilk. Perhaps mine was thicker than yours? It's just a guess. You can always add more sugar and that'll make it thicker. If you want to make them again, I'd reduce your buttermilk, maybe by half, and then add more until it's a good consistency. Thanks for the feedback. :)
Mine turned out fine in a mini muffin pan but the glaze was so thin. In your picture you can actually see the glaze, mine turned out all clear and could not be seen on the donut, it just soaked right in. Any suggestions?
You can use a mini muffin pan. They're just as delicious that way. :)
What type of pan would you use for donut holes? So psyched to try these, absolutely love pumpkin!
Yay! I'm so happy you liked them, Champian! Thank you so much for your comment. It made my work day a little better. :)
i just made these and they are fantastic! great recipe! this is my first time visiting your blog and i'm so impressed! i love it!
Rose – I just made them again using a normal muffin pan. Some I filled with 2 tablespoons of batter and baked for 10 minutes. With 3 tablespoons of batter, I baked for 13 minutes. And filled all the way to the top, they need about 15 minutes. It's hard to say how many you'll get though because I did a lot of experimenting with different sizes. So you can definitely make them as full size muffins, but they'll still need the glaze because there's not that much sugar in the batter. I hope that helps!
Milaxx – Let me know if it works out! It sounds good.
Browyn – Thanks, and I really hope you like them! Happy pumpkin baking bonanza to you. :)
I found you through Glamour.com site as well, and it's serendipitous timing that you offered a tasty yet healthy version of pumpkin doughnuts! I've been itching to make goodies out of the three cans of mashed pumpkin I just purchased today. Thank you Erin, and Happy Eating!
I recently discovered Bob's red mill all purpose baking flour. I think I'll try my own gluten free version using that & almond milk. I'm also thinking I'd prefer topping them with candied pumpkin seeds.
I'm not really sure if a regular muffin pan will work but I'll do some experimenting for you! Check back on Friday morning and hopefully I'll have a better answer for you. :)
I just moved from California to the East Coast, where my love for all things pumpkin and autumn is so much more fitting. Found your recipe today and can't wait to try it out! What do you recommend in the absence of a doughnut OR mini muffin pan? I have a regular muffin pan …
Thanks Leslie Q.! I hope you like them. They're my favorite baked good at the moment. :)
Just found you via Glamour.com. These look SO good. I think I'll try them!
I think you need to make these too. :)
I love whole spelt! Things normally don't come out as heavy and healthy tasting as with whole wheat. But these doughnuts turned out wonderfully with whole wheat, so either way, they should be great. Let me know how they turn out! I hope you enjoy them.
These look delicious. I FINALLY bought a donut pan the other day and I think I might need to make these as soon as possible.
Love that you used whole grains! I would love to try them with spelt.
Thanks Peggy! They really are delicious. My favorite fall-y baked good for sure. :)
These doughnuts look awesome! I'm definitely not tiring of anything pumpkin yet =)
Oooh, peanut butter cheesecake! I hope you share your recipe.
These are much more exciting than the apple muffins! The muffins are really nice, but these are insanely delicious and don't taste healthy at all. But I'm happy you intend to make both. Thanks for the comment. :)
I just got a mini donut pan as well plus the regular donut pan I had and since it is fall time pumpkin sounds like a super good idea :-)
When I finish my peanut butter cheesecake I just baked I will venture on to make these, although I have to make the other apple muffins first :-)
Thank you! :) If you do get a doughnut pan, get the normal sized one and not the mini one. Mini doughnuts are cute but they're are a pain to fill. And if you're like me and think that because they're small you can eat more, you'll end up eating half the pan.
These are amazing! I love it! And, of course, absolutely beautiful Erin! :-) P.S. I really need to buy a doughnut pan….pronto. ;-)