Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts

Baked apple cinnamon donuts are easy to make at home, and your house will smell amazing as they bake! Perfect fall breakfast or treat.

This post was originally published on September 28, 2012. It was updated with new photos, updated (and totally upgraded!) recipe, and additional helpful cooking instructions to help you make the best homemade donuts ever!

Donuts are all delicious, but there's something extra special about donuts that are full of aromatic fall spices.

We've been making homemade donuts for years, and this is a recipe that I've had since 2012. It was definitely time for an upgrade!

This updated recipe is baked instead of fried. And honestly? I LOVE baked donuts. They're so fluffy and I definitely don't miss all the calories and fat missing compared to fried donuts.

Jump to:

• 🌟 What makes this a winning donut recipe
• 🍏 Ingredient notes
• How to Make Apple Cinnamon Donuts
• Kitchen tools and equipment
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs
• More donut recipes
• Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts
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🌟 What makes this a winning donut recipe

This donut recipe is packed with some of the season's most delicious spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, all spice... and then some applesauce to help celebrate the season's star fruit. Your house will smell AMAZING while these are baking!

I've included some of the spices in the batter. Then the donuts are finished with a warm hug of a sugar spice mix.

These donuts are perfect with your morning coffee!

🍏 Ingredient notes

First: please don't be intimidated by the ingredient list. Many of the ingredients are used in both the batter and the sugar spice mix. You will essentially be creating three separate bowls of ingredients, but mixing two of them together for the batter.

Ingredients for outer coating

For the cinnamon sugar coating, you'll need:

• granulated sugar
• cinnamon
• cloves
• nutmeg
• salt

Wet Ingredients for Donut Batter

For the wet ingredients for the batter, you'll need:

• large eggs
• brown sugar
• melted butter
• milk
• applesauce
• vanilla (not pictured)

Dry Ingredients for Donut Batter

Finally, for the dry ingredients of the donut batter, you'll need:

• all-purpose flour
• baking soda
• baking powder
• salt
• all-spice
• cinnamon
• nutmeg

Once you've measured and gathered your ingredients, it's time to make the donuts!

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Donuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two donut pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced sugar coating. Whisk together until well combined. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients for the batter.

Then in a stand mixer, or a separate large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the brown sugar, eggs, applesauce, milk, and melted butter.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together until combined.

Using a spoon or a cookie/ice cream scoop, spoon enough batter into each donut space. Fill with a little bit of room at the top, because these will rise.

Bake at 350°F for 15 to 17 minutes, just until the tops of the donuts are golden brown.

When the donuts have a few minutes left in the bake time, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Set aside next to the bowl of cinnamon sugar spice mix.

When the apple cinnamon donuts are done baking, remove them from the oven. Brush each donut with melted butter then immediately dip into the cinnamon sugar spice coating mix. Place on a cooling rack while you continue to butter and coat the remaining donuts.

Kitchen tools and equipment

To make these delicious donuts at home, you just need:

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment OR a hand mixer and mixing bowls
• 2 donut pans - these are the donut pans I've had for several years and they come in a pack of two!

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

More donut recipes

Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!

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This post was originally published on September 28, 2012. It was updated with new photos, updated recipe, and additional helpful cooking instructions to help you make the best homemade donuts ever!