The tender sweetness of scrumptious, pumpkin spice flavored gluten free pumpkin donuts! It doesn't get much better than these heavenly baked bites!
If the words 'pumpkin' and 'donut' make you swoon, then this is the recipe for you... add in some cinnamon, sugar and pumpkin pie spice and it's a plateful of delicious. Actually it's a plateful of Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts. They're tasty, easy to make and mixed in just one bowl. And they're baked not fried!
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Table of contents
Why these donuts are the best!
Besides being perfectly spice, these baked donuts have a short prep/bake time. They'll be ready to eat in about an hour so there's less waiting and more time for enjoying these popular, pumpkin spice flavored donuts. Here are more things to love about these yummy treats:
- Like these air fryer donuts and these cake donuts, they're baked, not fried.
- They are dairy free.
- They travel well, as do these lemon blueberry muffins!
- They taste great even without the topping.
Pro tips
Follow these tips for the best textured donuts:
Use room temperature ingredients
In order to mix the batter thoroughly, room temperature ingredients are a must. Our baking masterclass talks about this more, but warmer ingredients mix better, which results in the best rise and best texture in your baked goods, not just these donuts, but everything from yeast breadsticks to dinner rolls.
Measure by weight
A digital scale is one of the essential tools for gluten free baking. It is vitally important to measure your ingredients by weight. Cups can have huge variations in amounts, but weight is exact.
Use a gallon bag to portion the batter
If you're looking at that donut pan thinking that filling it is going to be a mess, here's a tip for mess-free filling: Take a gallon plastic bag and spoon all the batter into it. Then cut a ½ inch hole in one of the corners. Use that to pipe the batter into the pan.
Top with the pumpkin spice topping
The easiest way to top these donuts is to melt the vegan butter in a shallow bottom bowl. Then mix the sugar and spices in another shallow bottom bowl. Place the bowls right next to each other to avoid dripping the butter. Take the top of the donut and dip it in the butter, then move to the sugar and dip it in there. Place the topped donuts on a wire rack or plate to enjoy.
Helpful tools
These are the tools you'll need for making these donuts:
- Digital scale
- Whisk
- Large bowl
- Two 6 cavity donut pans
- Gallon plastic bag
- Cooking spray
Ingredients & substitutions
Oil - The recipe has been tested with both canola and vegetable oil, either one works well.
Eggs - There are 3 large eggs in the recipe. As a substitution (more in this guide), you could use a chia or flax egg.
Granulated sugar - Any brand of granulated sugar will work well in this recipe. For a sugar free donut, Swerve sweetener works well. Omit the topping if going for sugar-free.
Pumpkin puree - Make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
Gluten free flour mix - This is the gluten free flour mix used in the recipe. Other substitutes may work, but they have not been tested.
Baking powder - Baking powder works as a leavening agent in this recipe. There is no substitute for it.
Pumpkin pie spice - If you don't have pumpkin pie spice on hand, it's easy to make your own. Directions are in the next section below.
Salt - Salt can be omitted if following a low sodium diet.
Cinnamon - There is no substitute for the ground cinnamon.
Nutmeg - There is no substitute for the nutmeg.
How to make pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin pie spice isn't actually one spice - it's a combination of spices that's been bottled into it's own aroma-filled spice mix. Pumpkin pie spice is made of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice. That's it. And it works deliciously in all the pumpkin loving recipes like muffins, bread and even pumpkin waffles and pumpkin scones.
The measurements for making it are below:
- 3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves
Mixing
Mixing the batter just requires one bowl, a whisk, a spoon and a spatula. Mix the eggs and oil in a large bowl. Add in the pumpkin and sugar and mix thoroughly.
Then add in the flour and spices. Mix until completely combined.
Donut pan
After a 30 minute rest time, the batter is ready to bake. Filling a donut pan can be a tricky task, but here's donut pan filling tip to make this MUCH easier:
- Place the batter in a gallon size plastic bag
- Cut a ½ inch hole in one of the corners
- Use this to 'pipe' the batter into the donut pan
Baking and topping
These donuts will bake up to a beautiful golden shade in no time at all. After a quick, 17 minute bake time, they'll need some time to cool.
The mouthwatering, buttery cinnamon-pumpkin pie spice topping is the perfect finishing touch to these gluten free pumpkin donuts. But, as hard as it is, wait just a few minutes after baking to top them. Many breads, but especially gluten free breads, don't fully finish the baking process in the oven - they need those few minutes after baking to really come together and firm up.
And if you don't feel like a topping, these donuts taste delicious without it too.
FAQ's
Pumpkin is sold in so many different ways, it's tough to know which one to use sometimes! But the one used for this recipe and in these gluten free pumpkin muffins is the canned pumpkin without any added spices or seasonings. It's often called just 'canned pumpkin' or 'pumpkin puree'. Basically just the pumpkin, nothing added. Steer clear of pumpkin pie filling or anything labeled with the word pie - it often has spices and other ingredients added.
These donut pans by Wilton are absolutely wonderful for any baked donut recipe, but if you're looking at your amazing donut pan thinking how messy it will be to fill it up with batter, you're in luck - this donut-pan filling tip is coming to your rescue!
Once the batter is mixed and ready to be portioned in the donut pan, take a large, gallon size baggie and carefully add the batter to the bag. Use a large spoon to add it. Then cut a ½ inch size hole at the corner of one of the bottom ends of the bag. Then 'pipe' each donut pan cavity slowly with batter.
The gluten free flour mix used for these donuts is the one found here: Gluten Free Flour Mix. This recipe will make about 9 cups of flour mix, which is perfect to keep on hand for other recipes, like these gluten free biscuits. And a big bonus... it contains no xanthan gum!
Recipe
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Spiced Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts
Ingredients
Donuts
- ½ cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 180 grams granulated sugar about ⅔ cup
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 230 grams gluten free flour mix about 1 ¾ cup
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Topping
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons vegan butter melted
Instructions
For Donuts:
- Whisk together oil and eggs in a large bowl.
- Add in sugar and pumpkin puree. Combine thoroughly.
- Add in flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir with a spoon until smooth.
- Set batter aside to rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Fill a large, gallon size plastic bag with batter. Cut a ½ inch hole at a corner. Use the bag to ‘pipe’ batter into lightly greased donut pan. Fill the pan full with batter.
- Bake for about 17 minutes on the center rack. Let the donuts cool on a cooling rack before topping.
For topping:
- Place the melted butter into one bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and sugar. Dip the donuts into the butter, then dip them into the spice mixture.
Notes
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
- Measure by weight where weight is given.
- The flour mix is here.
- Cut off a corner of a large plastic bag for an easy way to fill a donut pan.
- Let the donuts cool slightly before topping them.
- Donuts are best served warm and the day they are made.
- Store any leftover donuts in a sealed plastic bag or container or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
Recipe was originally published 8/17/2013, updated 10/23/2019 with new pictures and better directions, then again on 10/17/2022.
Looking for more tasty pumpkin recipes?
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Yeast Bread
- Delicious Pumpkin Pancakes
And check out these helpful gluten free baking tips!
Chocoviv
I love this recipe.
Christine
Glad you enjoy it - Thanks so much! 🙂
Christine