Vegan Pumpkin Donuts with Spiced Glaze
Fall into fall with these delicious vegan pumpkin donuts. Sweetened with maple syrup and topped with cinnamon-spiced glaze, these vegan pastries are the perfect fall sweet treat!
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This post was originally published 10/01/2012. Last updated on 9/16/2019
It’s (nearly) fall and you know what that means?
It’s time to grab your whisk, don your apron, and get baking! I wait all year for these few short months of autumn baking and I cannot wait to get started. This year, I’m starting with one of my favorite fall pastries of all times – vegan pumpkin donuts!
These Maple Pumpkin Donuts are a dream come true. Made with pumpkin purée, maple syrup, and the perfect spice blend then dipped into a cinnamon-spiced glaze, these sweet treats are like biting into a piece of autumn.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Making baked donuts is incredibly easy and satisfying. Who doesn’t love a soft and warm sweet pastry filled with herbs and dipped in the glaze? And better yet, they are so simple to master.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour – For a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Baking Powder
- Spices – You will need cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt
- Pumpkin Puree – Make sure to use canned pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Maple Syrup
- Oil – This recipe calls for coconut oil because it doesn’t add flavor. You can also use avocado, olive, or canola oil. If you want to eliminate the oil altogether, swap it out for the same amount of applesauce.
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
- Non-Dairy Milk – Any non-dairy milk will do. Note: You only need this if you are making the cinnamon glaze.
Recommended Equipment
Most importantly, you will need a couple of donuts pans. With a donut pan you can make all the baked donuts you want this fall.
It’s also nice to have is a good piping bag. When baking donuts (rather than frying) the batter is soft like cake and will need to be piped in the donut pans. You can get reusable piping bags or one-use plastic bags. Either way, they are super cheap and nice to have on hand.
In addition, you’ll need basic kitchen equipment such as a mixing bowl, utensils, and a wire cooling rack. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Baked Donuts
Step One – Make the batter
First, mix your dry ingredients together. That’s your flour, salt, and spices.
In a separate bowl whisk together your wet ingredients. That’s the pumpkin, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. You don’t want to over mix or your doughnut will become tough and gummy.
Don’t worry about lumps – a few lumps are just fine.
Step Two – Bake the Donuts
The batter will be soft, so a piping bag is the best option here. If you don’t have one, you can make a makeshift piping bag by pouring your batter into a ziplock bag, cutting off the tip, and piping from there.
Fill your donut molds mostly to the top.
Bake the donuts for just about 15-18 minutes. When done the dough should spring back when gently pressed. You can also check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the donut. A clean toothpick means you’re good to go!
Once the donuts are ready, pull them out of the oven. Let them rest 5 minutes before flipping them onto a wire cooling rack. Let the donuts cool completely before dipping them into your glaze or sprinkling them with cinnamon sugar.
This cooling time is necessary otherwise the donuts might crumble and the glaze will definitely melt off.
Serving And Storing
Serve donuts immediately as a morning pastry or afternoon snack. Serve with a homemade Chai Latte.
Store leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Tips and Tricks
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Generously spray the donut pan before piping in the batter to ensure the donuts do not stick to the pan.
- Take care not to overmix the batter. Overmixed batter becomes tough and gummy.
- For cleanest results, pipe in the batter with a piping bag.
- Let the donuts rest in the pan for 5 minutes before flipping them onto a wire cooling rack. Let donuts cool completely before dipping them in the glaze to prevent the glaze from melting or donuts from falling apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure. If you would like to make any of these recipes oil-free, simply swap out the oil for applesauce at a 1:1 ratio.
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
For sure! For gluten-free doughnuts, I recommend using a 1:1 baking blend.
I don’t have a doughnut pan. Would these work as muffins?
Yes! When making muffins, I prefer using a mini-muffin pan (<<affiliate link) for these as they do tend to be a bit sweeter than muffins.
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten-free Pumpkin Date Bars
More Vegan Donut Recipes
- Vegan Maple Bacon Donuts
- Orange Poppy Seed Donuts with Chocolate Ganache
- Double Chocolate Pistachio Donuts
- Cinnamon Spice Donuts
Fall into fall with these delicious vegan pumpkin donuts. Sweetened with maple syrup and topped with cinnamon-spiced glaze, these vegan pastries are the perfect fall sweet treat!
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and rate it below.
If you made any substitutions, let us know how it turned out!
Cuisine: Vegan
Servings: 6 donuts
Calories: 330 kcal
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. allspice
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a donut pan and set aside.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spice. In a separate bowl whisk together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and melted coconut oil. Add wet to dry and mix together until the batter is evenly hydrated. Do not overmix.
Pipe the batter into your donut pan, filling the donut molds to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let sit for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to let them cool completely.
Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the spiced glaze. Dip cooled donuts, tops only, into the glaze and return to a cooling rack to let glaze set up. Alternatively, dip the donuts into cinnamon sugar.
Serving and Storing – Serve donuts immediately as a morning pastry or afternoon snack. Serve with a homemade Chai Latte. Store leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Recipe Tips
- Generously spray the donut pan before piping in the batter to ensure the donuts do not stick to the pan.
- Take care not to overmix the batter. Overmixed batter becomes tough and gummy.
- For cleanest results, pipe in the batter with a piping bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I omit the oil? Sure. If you would like to make any of these recipes oil-free, simply swap out the oil for applesauce at a 1:1 ratio.
- Can I make this recipe gluten-free? For sure! For gluten-free doughnuts, I recommend using a 1:1 baking blend.
Variations – If you don’t have a donut pan, you can turn these into mini muffins. Bake them for about the same amount of time before checking for doneness.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the 
Mike says
How would you recommend storing these?
Sarah says
In an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days
Julie says
Hello! This sounds wonderful, but I don’t have a doughnut pan. Do you think I can shape them into doughnuts and bake them on a sheet pan?
Sarah says
No, unfortunately it’s more like a cake batter so it’s shape-able. You could make muffins with this recipe though.
SRH says
I have a soy allergy, can we substitute the soy milk for coconut milk without compromising icing recipe? BTW Thank you so much for all the vegan recipes! I have seven food allergies, and I have missed baked goods! Your recipes are so easy! Can’t wait to try these donuts.
Sarah says
That should be fine.
Linda Burnett says
This is a great new recepie. Cinanamon glaze, vegan, never thought of this. I am going to try it, but it looks delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Nina Simon says
Wow this looks yummy! My mouth is watering already. Can’t wait to try this!
Shelley M says
Have you tried to make these donuts gluten free?
If so, which flour did you use
Sarah says
I’ve made them with Bob’s 1:1 Gluten-free flour mix and they turned out good.
Sara K says
I made these for the first time just now. They were easy to make and delicious!!!!!!
Christy says
I’ve made these several times, always in a mini-muffin tin because I don’t have a donut pan 🙁 They’ve always turned out really yummy. Today was the first time I made the glaze (usually I shake in a paper bag with cinnamon and sugar). The amount of nutmeg in the glaze is extremely over powering. I would suggest a pinch instead of leaving it out altogether. Or, maybe trading for a pinch of cardamom.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I made these yesterday with a few changes and they’re SO good! I was a little doubtful when they came out of the oven, just because the texture looked weird but I was happy to be very wrong on that one. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks Erin! Glad you like them.
Miranda says
omg they were SO DELICIOUS! I ate the whole batch!!
Sarah says
I’m so glad you liked them! I have a hard time controlling myself with those doughnut too.
Stephanie says
These look awesome! Do you think almond milk would work in place of soy milk?
Sarah says
oh yeah, that would be fine.
Lance says
Made them for Valenties day. When it’s cold and rainy in BC, it’s always autum. They were a hit. Thanks
Sarah says
Glad you liked them, Lance! It’s true, here in Portland it feels like fall about 8 months out of the year too.
stephanie says
Are the donuts still good on the second and third day? Obviously they are best the day they are baked, but I’m making them for a friend and was wondering if i could get by baking them the night before.
Sarah says
They should be fine if you make them the night before. And your friend can always pop them in the oven for a couple minutes for a warm up if she wants it to taste ‘just-out-of-the-oven’
Kati says
These. Are. EVERYTHING. They are unbelievably delicious and I’d like to eat them all the time. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I’ll be making them for all my family and friends throughout the fall. Also, that GLAZE. Seriously yummy stuff.
Sarah says
Thanks Kati! I’m so glad you loved them. Stay tuned because I’m making more donuts later this week!
Rachael says
Any advice on making these gluten free?
Sarah says
I would look for an all purpose gluten-free flour mix (Bob’s Red Mill has one) and substitute it 1:1. When it comes to making my own gf flour mixes, I’m no expert. Let me know how they turn out!
Jenn says
Made them. Loved them!
Kristi says
These are so delicious! I use unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil and it works great.
Sarah says
Great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Rebecca says
Well, I have made your recipe quite a few times now! 🙂
Since my family and I like it so much, we’ve decided I should double the recipe and made a dozen at a time. I went and bought a second donut tray. But I had some doubts as I was getting around to doubling the recipe. Would I double ALL of the ingredients?
Thank you for the recipe and for your time!
Sarah says
Yes, you would double all the ingredients. Good luck!
jan says
this person is using your material for her own personal gain
http://www.listia.com/auction/8000936-baked-maple-pumpkin-donuts-w-cinnamon
Sarah says
thank you for letting me know.
Rebecca says
Everyone in my family loves these!
Healthy and tasty!
Question…
Did you modify the glaze ingredients a little?
My glaze always looks brown. Still delicious though! 🙂
Sarah says
I’m not sure why yours is turning brown. I haven’t had that problem. You can try reducing the cinnamon and see if that makes a difference. Also, if you are making a thinner glaze than I, it would make sense to be darker. You could try adding a bit more powdered sugar. When I make glaze, I often do some adjusting a long the way to get the desired consistency, so that could play a part. Good luck!
Anya says
I’ve been dreaming about these for a month. I can’t find a donut pan but I think I’ll break down and make them as muffins tonight! I’ll be making them GF as I have Celiac. Can’t wait!
Michelle says
With this recipe, you inspired me to finally buy a donut pan, and bake my first batch of donuts. The family loved them! Thanks Sarah!
Sarah says
It was a recipe on another blog that inspired me to do the same 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Nadège says
what a pity! I made a mistake in the weight of flour (I don’t usually use cup but grammes)… the donuts are not “dry” enough, but the taste is wonderful! Next tim I’ll do them with the right quantity of flour.
Thanks for this good receipe.
Nadège from France
Sarah says
Someday I hope to get a bakers scale and weigh my ingredients. It’s so much more accurate!
Peter @Feed Your Soul says
I did a breakfast themed Friday Five over at Feed Your Soul this morning. I loved these donuts so much. I featured them but I could not decide if this is a breakfast or a dessert, so I think we should have these for both breakfast and dessert. The post is http://chefpeterskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/friday-five-breakfast.html
Lisa says
I think maybe the soy milk in the glaze should be in TABLESPOONS instead of teaspoons. That’s what I had to do in order for the glaze to actually become a glaze.
Delicious recipe though! 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks for catching that and letting me know! I definitely meant to say tbsp.
I’m glad you like the donuts.
Stiine says
Hi there! This recipe is awesome:) Made these as muffins yesterday, tried to sweeten them with dates, turned out perfect! But I have to ask, why is it that you want the gluten to stay inactivated in this recipe?
Sarah says
That’s great they worked well with dates as the sweetener. I’ll have to try that. You don’t want the gluten to develop yoo much because it will make the donut/muffin tough and chewy and a tender/melt in your mouth texture is better for this kind of pastry.
Glad you tried them!
Agnès says
Hello Sarah, thank you for this amazing recipe ! I just made a batch, tampering it a bit, and I blogged it (in French & English) I hope you won’t mind… You’re credited alright 😉
Sarah says
Thank you for crediting me. Yours look amazing! As does the rest of your food.
Tammy VW says
I want to try these with coconut oil.
Sarah says
I’m going to try making these Gluten-free this weekend. I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Sunita says
This is my desktop picture at work. It reminds me of the goods things in life 🙂
Jaiden says
This recipe is wonderful and the donuts are delicious! 😀
When I made the glaze though it got clumpy/ not spreadable, any way to avoid this?
Sarah says
I’m glad you like them! it’s possible you just needed to add a little more liquid to the glaze. If your powdered sugar was packed tighter, that might explain it. Also you can always heat up the glaze a little over the stove or the microwave. (like 30 seconds) which allows the sugar to melt a little and the entire glaze will feel looser.
let me know if you still have problems!
Linda Liis says
I had an appetite for donuts a long time and I tried a store-bought donut, but that left a guilty feeling. So I wanted to make a healthy donut and I’m so happy I came across your recipe! This seems so delicious and I will definetly make these in the weekend 😛
Sarah says
Great! I’m glad you found me and I hope you enjoy the donuts.
Lynda says
Is there a way to print this recipe in printer friendly format? I would ove to try it! These donuts look delicious!
Sarah says
Thanks. I will look into that!
Sarah says
Lynda, I added a printer friendly button to the bottom of each of my posts (right next to the share buttons)
If you click on it you’ll get a new screen, and if you click on the pictures, you can delete them so that you are just printing out the recipe.
Thanks for the suggestion! This is a great tool to have.
Stef says
These look devine! Could I sub out the oil for something without fat? Maybe applesauce? We try to do no oil around here… ?? Thanks!!!
Sarah says
You should try it with applesauce! Or you could you molasses, which would of course alter the flavor but in a delicious way! Unfortunately I’m not too familiar with fat free baking but if you try it I would love to know how it turns out.
Jade says
These sound amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, looking forward to giving these ago. I love Autumn and these are getting me all excited and cosy for this season 🙂
Sarah says
I love autumn too! There is nothing quite like it.
Richa says
these are sooo perfect!!