Pumpkin Donuts Recipe – I do not care if it’s spring, summer or the middle of winter, this Pumpkin Donuts recipe is a staple in our house. The delicious pumpkin donuts paired with a “brown sugar” frosting and topped with toasted walnuts or pecans could not make me any happier.
- We Love Donuts – Easy Make Ahead Breakfast
- Let’s Talk About Fried Donuts — and Why We Choose Baked Donuts!
- Favorite Baking Pans for Donuts and Donut Holes
- How to Easily and Quickly Fill a Donut Pan for Baking
- How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Donuts Recipe
- Other Favorite Gluten Free, Dairy Free – Healthy and Delicious Donut Recipes
- Kitchen Favorites
We Love Donuts – Easy Make Ahead Breakfast
Making this Pumpkin Donut Recipe is truly a ‘hole’ lot easier to make than you might think. Sorry, but I just couldn’t resist the pun!
But seriously, is there anyone on this planet who would not love to eat pumpkin donuts for a special breakfast treat? This is one of those classic make-ahead breakfasts that you can make on the weekend. Then, come Monday morning when everyone is busy, just add a healthy pumpkin donut to their plate with a side of scrambled eggs and supergreen smoothie.
Let’s Talk About Fried Donuts — and Why We Choose Baked Donuts!
Not only is this Pumpkin Donut Recipe really healthy for you — no wheat, no dairy, no refined white sugar, but they are loaded with healthy substitutes. I love using King Arthur whole grain gluten free flour, made with brown rice. I also used coconut sugar as a natural sweetener.
Skip the Fry Daddy for This Pumpkin Donut Recipe
The absolute best way to make this healthy Pumpkin Donut Recipe is to bake them. Yes, avoid the fryer or the Fry Daddy or whatever you’re using these days. Skip it completely and just stick with donut pans in the oven.
Why? Because we don’t need fried food to enjoy a tasty donut. Baking this recipe will do the trick and you will be so happy you did. Plus, less mess, less stomach irritations and save your gall bladder!
Favorite Baking Pans for Donuts and Donut Holes
These donuts and donut hole pans make it easy to bake donuts versus fried donuts. And if you’re a clean, healthy family like we are then you will definitely appreciate having these pans handy when you’re craving donuts.
Check out this Donut Pan to make the perfect sized baked donuts every single time.
The best donut hole pan. Using the small scoop and slightly overfilling the holes makes perfect donut holes every time.
How to Easily and Quickly Fill a Donut Pan for Baking
One time, many years ago I used a spoon to fill the donut pan. What a total pain in the bum. It tooks forever and I made a huge mess everywhere. Then, I got remembered my mom using a sandwich bag to pipe frosting. It must work for batter too.
So, I got out a gallon sized bag, filled it with batter Then, trimmed the corner with a pair of sharp scissors. I love these kitchen scissors from Pampered Chef. Then, carefully piped the batter into the pan. It took less than 2 minutes and clean up was a breeze.
How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Donuts Recipe
Here are my 4 top healthy ingredients that make this pumpkin donut recipe even healthier.
#1: Choose Organic Pumpkin with No Other Ingredients!
Choose canned organic pumpkin puree with no added ingredients. Of course, you can make your with a pumpkin pie pumpkin – but canned works great.
#2: Whole Grain Gluten Free Flour is the Perfect Companion!
Sure, we can use gluten free flour, but the kind does matter. When I first started baking with gluten free flour, I made my own mixture. It was a mess. The recipe called for several ingredients and if any of them were out of date, they didn’t work the same. It took a lot of effort.
Enter – King Arthur Gluten Free Flour made with Brown Rice Flour!
#3: A Delightful Blend of Spices – Pumpkin Pie Spice
If you don’t keep this spice on hand, you can easily make it with just a few spices you might already have in the cupboard. Don’t be so quick to buy it — I actually prefer to make my own and sometimes adjust the amount of spice to make my have a stronger flavor.
Just combine the following into a small bowl:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
#4: Swapping Refined Sugar for Coconut Sugar
This delicious gluten free donut recipe is not only dairy free but also sweetened naturally. I used coconut sugar in the pumpkin donut recipe and then pure maple syrup in the frosting to get the sweetness just right.
By the way, did you know maple syrup is not an empty calorie sweetener? An analysis of pure maple syrup reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The study shows that this delicious natural sweetener also contains phytonutrients including lignans, coumarins, and other health-promoting antioxidants.
Other Favorite Gluten Free, Dairy Free – Healthy and Delicious Donut Recipes
Great for donuts or donut holes. Add scoops.
- Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Ganache
- Maple Bacon Donuts with Maple Frosting
- Strawberry Donuts with Strawberry-Coconut Toppings
- Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
Kitchen Favorites
Pumpkin Donuts Recipe
Pumpkin Donuts Recipe is loaded with fall flavor, but perfect anytime of year. Topped with maple syrup frosting and toasted walnuts.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 20–24 1x
Ingredients
PUMPKIN DONUTS RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2/3 cup coconut oil, softened
- 1/3 cup almond milk, try this recipe
- 1 pastured egg
- 1 pastured egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FROSTING INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped
Instructions
PUMPKIN PIE DONUTS INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil 2 doughnut pans with coconut oil and set aside.
- In a small batter bowl, combine with a whisk the dry ingredients: flour, coconut sugar, pumpkin pie spice, powder, soda and sea salt. Set aside.
- In a classic batter bowl, combine with a hand mixer: pumpkin, softened coconut oil, almond milk, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk (use the egg white for an omelet!) and vanilla. Mix until smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a hand mixer on low speed, mix until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Don’t overmix!
- To a large decorating bag or 1 gallon plastic bag (cut a small piece the size of your thumb off the corner when filled), add all of the donut batter to the bag and begin piping into the donut pan.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove donuts from pan and let cool on a wire rack.
- Once slightly cooled, frost the gluten free donuts with the pumpkin donut frosting.
FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS:
- To a small saucepan, add the coconut oil, coconut sugar, almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla. Turn on the saucepan to medium heat and stir constantly for about 1-2 minutes until well combined and starting to warm up.
- Then bring to a low boil and immediately reduce heat to low. Stir 2-3x every minute until a thick syrup is formed. If too runny, increase the heat back to medium and let the extra liquid burn off some.
- To a small skillet, we love this non-toxic 7″ skillet by Xtrema cookware, add the chopped walnuts or pecans and warm over medium heat, stirring frequently until toasted. The walnuts or pecans will be buttery and slightly darker. Do not over-cook or they will burn.
- On slightly cooled donuts, drizzle the frosting and sprinkle with the toasted nuts.
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