Pumpkin Spice Donuts

Pumpkin season has already been in full swing in this house as we almost reach the official start of fall. Call me basic, but I love every minute of it. I have a stack of canned pumpkin puree in my pantry and I’m not afraid to use it in endless ways. These pumpkin spice donuts are the latest in my pumpkin bonanza and oh my goodness were they a treat to recipe test. Donuts may seem intimidating to make, but I promise they are completely doable.

The dough came together really quickly and easily in my beloved stand mixer. Now, it was a really sticky dough, so I used a spatula and lots of flour to turn it out onto my sheet tray and press it out into a thin layer. It was about 1/2 inch thick and filled the whole sheet tray. It needed to freeze for an hour so that it was easy to cut out and handle.
Then I used my donut cutter to cut about 20 donuts and the yummy little holes that go with them out and laid them all back out on sheet trays. They needed to freeze again before I fried them. The waiting time was the hardest part of this recipe.
I used canola oil to fry them up, and it only took about a minute on each side. It worked better to fry the donuts in batches so that the pan wasn’t overcrowded. They because so gorgeously puffy and golden!
Then all I had to do was coat them all in a mixture of sugar and pumpkin pie spice. It added extra flavor and a great texture as well.

Oh my word, fresh out of the fryer these were sublime. Combined with a pumpkin coffee, it was my dream breakfast. You could serve these with my easy slow cooker pumpkin spiced lattes for a major fall pumpkin breakfast! If you don’t like pumpkin, my apple cider donuts are very similar and perfect for fall too. Hope you all enjoy this fun treat! xoxo

Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
5 from 2 votes
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Dough Chilling Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

These are such incredible and flavorful pumpkin spice donuts that make a fantastic fall treat for breakfast or dessert! They're so amazing with coffee.

Course: Dessert
Keyword: Donuts, Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Servings: 20 donuts
Calories: 111 kcal
Author: Jeanie and Lulu's Kitchen
Ingredients
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional as needed
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup jarred pumpkin butter
  • 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 whole eggs
  • canola oil as needed for frying
  • 1 cup granulated sugar for coating
Instructions
  1. First, make the dough. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice, and the cinnamon together in a bowl to aerate them and set it aside. Then get out a stand mixer and combine the brown sugar, butter, pumpkin butter, and pumpkin puree in its bowl. Beat it all together until fluffy with the paddle attachment. Then slowly add in the milk and each egg one at a time. Finally, turn the speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients until you have a soft, sticky dough. Line a sheet tray with a silicone mat and turn the dough out onto it. Flour the top of it with a generous sprinkle and also flour your hands. Use your hands to gently spread the dough out to be about 1/2 inch thick and pretty much fill the sheet tray. Set it in the freezer for an hour. This makes it much easier to cut out and handle. 

  2. When the hour is up, line another sheet tray with a silicone mat and get out a donut cutter. Cut out the donuts and the lovely holes that come with them, cutting them as close together as possible to yield as many as you can. You should get about 20 donuts and 20 holes. Line them all up on the sheet trays and return them to the freezer for another 30 minutes to firm up again. While that happens, get out a large skillet with deep sides and fill it with about 3 inches of canola oil. Heat it over medium high heat and use a deep fry thermometer to make sure the oil reaches and stays around 350 degrees. Fry the donuts in batches for about a minute on each side, removing them to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. While they cook, stir the remaining pumpkin pie spice and granulated sugar together. When the donuts are all fried, coat them all in the sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Serve immediately warm! They also keep well for a couple of days sealed in a container. 

Nutrition Facts
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Amount Per Serving (2 donuts)
Calories 111 Calories from Fat 16
% Daily Value*
Fat 1.8g3%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 83mg4%
Potassium 75mg2%
Carbohydrates 23.3g8%
Fiber 0.3g1%
Sugar 18.6g21%
Protein 1.3g3%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Pumpkin Spice Donuts

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10 thoughts on “Pumpkin Spice Donuts”

  1. 5 stars
    I can imagine hat the waiting time really was the hardest part about making these – that and trying not to gobble them all up immediately. These look absolutely fantastic and perfect to dunk in a big mug of milky tea for breakfast!

  2. These look absolutely delicious. I love donuts but have never tried to make them at home. This looks perfect to try this weekend for the first day of fall!

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5 from 2 votes