Soft and fluffy gluten-free pumpkin donuts are the perfect sweet way to start fall mornings. These donuts are delicious plain, or topped with cinnamon sugar or brown sugar glaze!
Gluten-free donuts? Yes please! These donuts can be prepared in less than 45 minutes. See the note in the recipe card for how to make them into mini donut muffins as well!
These gluten-free pumpkin donuts are one of my all-time favorite things to make when the weather cools down.
I’m always looking for more ways to bake with pumpkin (see these gluten-free pumpkin bars, gluten-free pumpkin muffins, gluten-free pumpkin pancakes, gluten-free pumpkin bread and gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip bread.
These gluten-free apple cider donuts have become one of my go-to’s! For a year-round favorite, try this gluten-free baked donut recipe!
Why You’ll Love these Gluten-Free Donuts!
- EASY to make! All you need is a donut pan (no frier involved)
- Soft, fluffy texture
- No mixer needed
- Ready in less than 45 minutes
- Delicious plain, but awesome with icing
- Will satisfy any donut craving!
Ingredients You’ll Need
These pumpkin donuts are made with easy-to-find pantry staples. Here are a few more notes on the key ingredients. If you have any additional questions feel free to leave me a comment below!
- Gluten-free 1:1 Baking Flour: I like to use a high quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend like King Arthur Flour in my baked goods. Look for a blend that contains xanthan gum for best results.
- Canned Pumpkin: Be sure to select 100% pumpkin puree rather than canned pumpkin pie filling.
- Oil: You can use vegetable oil or coconut oil. Either works great!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can use pumpkin pie spice or 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg + 1/4 teaspoon ginger.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Donuts
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk to combine.
- Fill the donut pans with the batter.
- Bake the donuts for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean. Empty the donuts out onto a wire cooling rack.
TIP: The easiest way I’ve found to fill the donut pans is to place a large Ziploc bag in a measuring cup then fill it with the batter (see the video). Then cut the end of the bag and pipe the batter into the donut pans.
Topping Ideas
These gluten-free pumpkin donuts are absolutely delicious on their own! You can also top them with cinnamon sugar, a simple donut glaze or brown sugar glaze if you like.
For cinnamon sugar topping but sure to top the donuts when they’re still slightly warm. For the brown sugar glaze you’ll want the donuts to cool completely before glazing.
Mini Pumpkin Donuts? You can also use a mini muffin pan to make these into mini donut bites. You’ll just need to decrease the baking time to 15-20 minutes. Roll them in cinnamon sugar or dip the tops in glaze. They’re irresistible!
Storage/Make-Ahead
STORAGE: Cover leftover donuts tightly and store at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
MAKE-AHEAD: You can freeze the donuts plain for up to 2-3 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then warm up in the microwave for 10 seconds. Add glaze before serving if you like.
More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Desserts
If you love this recipe you also might like one of these recipes. Check out my full collection of gluten-free pumpkin recipes!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Donuts
Video
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour 230g
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
Other:
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée 340g
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil 100g
- ½ cup brown sugar 100g
- ½ cup white sugar 100g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Sugar:
- 1/4 cup white sugar 50g
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the Brown Sugar Glaze:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar 150g
- 1/4 cup milk or almond milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 175g (sifted)
- nuts or sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease two 6-cavity non-stick donut pans with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk to combine.
- Fill the donut pans with the batter. The easiest way I've found to do this is to place a large Ziploc bag in a measuring cup then fill it with the batter (see the video). Then cut the end of the bag and pipe the batter into the donut pans.
- Bake the donuts for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean. Empty the donuts out onto a wire cooling rack.
For Cinnamon Sugar Donuts:
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon. While the doughnuts are still warm (but no longer fragile), gently shake them in a bag with the cinnamon-sugar.
For Brown Sugar Glazed Donuts:
- Combine the brown sugar, milk, butter and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 1 minute then remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and sifted confectioners’ sugar until smooth and combined. Let the icing cool for 5 minutes to slightly thicken. Dip the tops of the pumpkin donuts into the warm icing. If icing is getting too thick as you’re dipping, add a little more milk or warm back up in the microwave or on the stove to thin out. Place dipped donuts on a wire rack placed on a baking sheet so any excess icing can drip off. Top with chopped nuts or sprinkles before the glaze sets.
Notes
- Gluten-free 1:1 Baking Flour: I like to use a high quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend like King Arthur Flour in my baked goods. Look for a blend that contains xanthan gum for best results.
- Canned Pumpkin: Be sure to select 100% pumpkin puree rather than canned pumpkin pie filling.
- Oil: You can use vegetable oil or coconut oil. Either works great!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can use pumpkin pie spice or 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg + 1/4 teaspoon ginger.
I just started baking gluten free out of a personal need and my goodness these are really amazing. Moist, tasty and the stayed fresh.
I’m a pastry chef and had my own bakery for 15 years, now I’m gluten sensitive.
I’m glad the donuts are pastry-chef approved! Happy you enjoyed them.
Do you think i can substitute applesauce for the eggs? My granddaughter has egg allergies too. She’s 11 and never even tasted pumpkin.
I haven’t tried this recipe with applesauce so I’m not sure how that would work! I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer for best results. Let me know if you try it!
These are awesome and so EZ to make- I did not know that baking donuts was so easy- I would have made them sooner. I took Erin G.’s recommendation and prepped both wet and dry the night before- just stored the wet in the fridge overnight- combined the wet and dry the next morning and baked them. Really, really, sooo EZ. Also, we didn’t have powder sugar at my daughter’s home- so I tried to make the glaze with regular sugar- my daughter did not like the combination with the regular white sugar, we dumped it, ran to Target and purchased powdered sugar- MUCH better!
Word of caution- make sure to have powder sugar on hand! Thanks for this recipe ; )
Made these today.
They are absolutely delicious!!!
Love pumpkin
Thank you Erin for posting this great recipe.
I’m glad you like them! 🙂 They are some of our very favorites too!
This recipe looks really good. Could I make it in mini bundt pans as I do not have a doughnut pan?
Thanks
Gretchen
Made these as my first attempt at a GF donut. Loved them, more so when they are fresh! No glazing, but a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar. Great recipe, will surely make again.
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
These donuts are super good. I tried separately the cinnamon sugar and glaze for the toppings and definitely preferred the glaze. As another person commented I too was able to get 18 donuts from the recipe. It seems next day the pumpkin spice flavor is a little more pronounced than first day which is great. This recipe is a keeper and I will definitely make again. Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked the donuts! Good to know you were able to get 18 donuts out of it. Thanks for the comment!
I tried them and was amazed at just how good they are!! Thanks for a great recipe, I’ll be making them many times again.
I’m so glad they turned out for you! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Can the glaze be made ahead of time and stored? I will he freezing the majority of the donuts don’t want to waste the rest of the glaze
You can definitely make the donuts ahead of time and freeze them! Unfortunately the glaze doesn’t work well when made in advance.
These are so light and fluffy. I didn’t have any powdered sugar on hand so couldn’t try the icing recipe but I saved some donuts and will be making some icing tomorrow for those. Can’t wait! This is a really good website for gluten free recipes. I can’t tell too how many times Ives tried GF recipes on other websites and they were so dense and not good. Everything I’ve tried so far from here has been good.
I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the recipes! Glad the donuts turned out for you too!
Easy to make and delicious!
I think the brown sugar glaze is delicious but very sweet so just use a little bit.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the donuts! 🙂
Before bed last night I prepped and wet and dry ingredients so assembly would be quicker in the AM when I had three kids staring at me wanting doughnuts. The batter mixes up nice and smooth and I used a disposable piping bag to fill our doughnut pans. I was able to get 18 doughnuts from the recipe using my 3.5” Wilton doughnut pan.
They baked up fluffy and tender. The pumpkin flavor is strong. I loved it but I might try the individual seasonings next time instead of the pumpkin pie seasoning blend I had on hand.
We used the glaze recipe and it was quite thick so I kept my pan on low heat while glazing to keep the consistency easy to work with.
I froze the extra 6 plain doughnuts for a sweet treat on a school morning in a couple weeks time.
Fabulous recipe. Thanks!
Loved these so much! Simple to make and so full of flavor! A coworker thought they were store bought they looked so good!
I think the recipe for the glaze is missing the measurement for the vanilla extract.
Thank you for the great recipe! Happy Fall!
These sound delicious I’m going to have give try
Ok j I’m am obsessed with these! They were the perfect recipe to usher in fall even though it’s still hot here. The brown sugar icing is literally the icing on the cake! So good…