If you are looking for a quick and easy donut recipe, these 3-ingredient Pumpkin Donuts are perfect.
They only take 15 minutes to make, and you need just a few ingredients!
Grab the recipe down below.
3 Ingredient Pumpkin Donuts
Pumpkin season is officially here, and what better way to kickstart your seasonal baking than with a fresh batch of light and fluffy Pumpkin Donuts!
Donuts are one of my favorite Fall treats to enjoy with a cup of hot apple cider or mulled sangria.
These donuts taste delicious with or without the glaze, but if you want them sweeter, they have the perfect sweetness with just a touch of cinnamon sugar.
Your family will love this Autumn-inspired dessert that is also vegan. Happy Fall!
Thanks to the convenience of boxed cake mix, making your donut batter is as easy as 1-2-3 ingredients.
You also have delicious cake-like donuts, which can easily be modified using a different flavored cake mix or changing the frosting and adding some additional donut toppings.
Serve your pumpkin donuts as a sweet breakfast treat, snack, or dessert!
What You Will Need To Make Pumpkin Donuts
Cake Mix. We’re using a box cake mix to make this simple recipe simple.
Pumpkin Puree. To bring out the flavor, pumpkin puree works best for this recipe.
Pumpkin Pie Spice. For added pumpkin flavor, we’re using pumpkin pie spice seasoning.
3 Ingredients needed for pumpkin donuts
*makes about 20 donuts
- (1) 15.25 oz pkg yellow cake mix or white cake mix
- (1) 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
Ingredients for frosting
- 1 ½ c powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- ¾ c sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Directions for Pumpkin Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a donut pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice (the batter will be thick).
- Scoop the batter into a large resealable bag, seal it, and cut the tip-off of one corner.
- Squeeze the batter into the greased donut pan, filling each about ¾ full. (Can also bake in a mini muffin tin for donut holes)
- Bake for 10 minutes. (Or 8-9 minutes if making donut holes)
- Cool for two minutes, then turn the donuts onto a wire rack.
- Top the donuts with either frosting or a cinnamon-sugar coating.
How to make the frosting for the pumpkin donuts
- To make the frosting, combine powdered sugar, 3 tbsp milk, and vanilla. Add additional milk if needed. (The donuts are very tender and cake-like. Therefore it may be easier to drizzle the frosting on top rather than dip them)
- To make the cinnamon-sugar coating, combine the sugar and cinnamon and coat the donuts while still warm.
Can I Make These Pumpkin Donuts Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can!
I love the taste of freshly baked donuts, but if you’re planning for a party or want the convenience of grabbing a donut at the moment without a baking session, make a batch of these pumpkin donuts in advance and then store them in the following ways:
At Room Temperature
These donuts can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
In The Freezer
To extend the shelf life of your baked pumpkin donuts, store them in an airtight container (unfrosted) once completely cool.
They will last for 2-3 months in the freezer. Thaw on your counter or overnight in the refrigerator, then warm them up in the microwave for 10-15 minutes or in the oven.
Whip up your frosting and serve your reheated donuts with a fresh coating of vanilla frosting and cinnamon sugar sprinkle.
Can I Still Make These Donuts Without A Donut Pan?
Absolutely! There’s no need to miss out on these tasty fall-inspired pumpkin donuts just because you don’t have a donut pan!
Use a standard-sized muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes.
You can opt to cut out holes in the center of each donut or leave them as is.
What Changes Can I Make To These Pumpkin Donuts?
These homemade donuts are delicious as is but if you’d like to experiment with a few variations, then have a look at some fun suggestions below to get you inspired:
- Add some colored sprinkles in place of the cinnamon-sugar mixture or in addition to it. Orange and white sprinkles would be a great way to continue the pumpkin theme of these donuts.
- Toss some mini chocolate chips into the donut batter for chocolate chip pumpkin donuts!
- For convenience, use Pillsbury’s Creamy Supreme Cinnamon Bun Flavored Frosting instead of making your frosting and cinnamon sugar mix.
Can I Make These Donuts Gluten-Free?
Yes! Use a gluten-free cake mix, and you suddenly have a batch of gluten-free pumpkin donuts!
Since the other ingredients for these donuts are also gluten-free, it’s an easy substitution that’ll enable you to cater to gluten-free adults or children.
Keep an eye out when buying your pumpkin puree. Some brands include small amounts of added starch which you’ll want to avoid for gluten-free donuts.
Libby’s Canned Pumpkin Puree is an example of a brand free of any added starch.
Tips For Making Pumpkin Donuts
- If you don’t have access to pumpkin pie spice or can’t source it, you can easily make your own at home for this recipe. Combine ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and ground allspice.
- For dairy-free pumpkin donuts, use plant-based milk instead of regular milk in the frosting. Almond, soy, or coconut milk will all work well.
- Every oven differs in terms of heat, so it’s best to keep a close eye on the donuts while they bake. The last thing you want is dry or burnt donuts!
- Allow your donuts to cool before frosting them; otherwise, the frosting will spread to a thin consistency, and you’ll also end up with a bit of mess on your counter.
- The donut batter is going to be thick, which is normal. That’s why I opted to use a Ziplock bag (for a piping bag) with a corner cut off to “pipe” my batter in the donut pan – it’s so much easier this way!
- If you want spiced pumpkin donuts, use a box of spice cake mix.
- If you’re looking for vintage donut pans, go over to Etsy.
Additional pumpkin recipes to try:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Now that you have this easy three-ingredient recipe for delicious pumpkin donuts, you need to print out the recipe below and make them.
This is a fun way to jumpstart the baking season with warm donuts paired with a cup of apple cider.
The best part of this recipe is that you only need three ingredients from the pantry or grocery store.
Find more fall-inspired recipes below:
Pumpkin Spice Whipped Dalgona Coffee
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 oz pkg yellow or white cake mix
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin (pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie mix)
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ c powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¾ c sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a donut pan.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice (batter will be thick).
Scoop the batter into a large resealable bag, seal, and cut the tip-off of one corner.
Squeeze the batter into the greased donut pan, filling each about ¾ full. (Can also bake in a mini muffin tin for donut holes)
Bake for 10 minutes. (Or 8-9 minutes if making donut holes)
Let cool for two minutes, then turn donuts out onto a wire cooling rack.
Top the donuts with either frosting or a cinnamon-sugar coating.
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