Spiced Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts

Name: Spiced Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 62 min
Ingredients: ½ cup canola oil; 3 large eggs; 180 grams granulated sugar (about 2/3 cup); 1 cup canned pumpkin puree; 230 grams gluten free flour mix (about 1 3/4 cup); 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon nutmeg; 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice; 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon; ½ cup granulated sugar; 4 Tablespoons vegan butter (melted)

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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!

pumpkin spice donuts recipe for fall baking

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:

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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. Or pick up one of these recommendations:

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.

You can buy pumpkin spice blend, or make it yourself. 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

adding pumpkin to gluten free pumpkin donuts batter.

gluten free pumpkin donuts mixed in a glass bowl

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

gluten free pumpkin donuts batter in a plastic bag

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

gluten free pumpkin donuts in a baking 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.

gluten free pumpkin donuts dipped in sugar in a glass bowl

FAQ's

What kind of pumpkin is used for these gluten free pumpkin donuts?

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.

What flour mix is best in this recipe?

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!

What's the best way to fill a donut pan without making a huge mess?

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.

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Christine