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With a perfectly spiced batter, delicate crumb, and irresistible cinnamon sugar coating, these Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts are easy to make and deliver the ultimate crowd-pleasing treat!
If you love the idea of homemade donuts, but don't want to juggle hot oil or yeast, this the recipe for you! These baked donuts come together fast, use basic pantry staples, and yet taste like a cozy bakery treat.
Kristen's Keys for Baked Donuts
While baked donuts are the EASIEST way to prepare donuts at home, I have a few tips that ensure your baked donuts turn out soft, moist, and delicious.
- You don't have to have a donut pan to make this recipe. While a donut mold will yield that classic donut shape, I have provided instructions for making donut bites using a mini muffin tin.
- Grease the pan well. Baked donuts have a delicate, soft texture (much like a cake) so you want to make sure you grease your pan really well so the donuts pop right out without tearing.
- Don't overmix the batter. Cake donuts, like cake, needs to be mixed gently to keep them tender.
- Let cool before coating. If you tried to coat the donuts while warm, the cinnamon sugar coating would melt into the donut rather than giving the donut that perfect sugary crunch.
5-Star Reader Review
I love this recipe. Easy and simple. I've made it probably a dozen times now. My kids and I approve! -Sam ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts
This step-by-step section is provided to help ensure you have the very best baked donuts--with ease and less mess!
Step One: Prepare Donut Mold
Generously grease your donut pan with melted butter, using a pastry brush to get into every nook. It matters!
Step Two: Prepare Donut Batter
In order to not overwork the batter, it is best to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately and then quickly combine. This ensures perfectly mixed batter and light and fluffy baked donuts.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, egg, vanilla, and melted butter.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and gently fold until the batter just comes together.
Step Three: Fill Donut Mold
Fill molds about ¾ full. This gives the donuts room to puff while still keeping that classic donut shape.
👉🏻Kristen's Tip: Use a mini cookie scoop to transfer the batter into the mold for less mess and even distribution.
Step Four: Bake Donuts
Bake for 10-12 until the donuts spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick comes out clean. Once baked, let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove the donuts from the mold and let cool for another 10 minutes before coating.
Step Five: Dip in Cinnamon Sugar
To coat the donuts in their signature cinnamon sugar coating, first dip into melted butter then into a bowl with cinnamon sugar, turning gently to coat.
Recipe Modifications
- No Donut Pan? You can still get the cinnamon-sugar magic! Grease a mini muffin tin, scoop in about 1 tablespoon of batter per cup, and bake at 350°F for 10-13 minutes. Cool, then roll in cinnamon sugar for mini donut hole muffins.
- Dairy-Free: Use non-dairy milk and butter.
- Whole Grain: Swap out the all-purpose flour for whole white wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
More Delicious Brunch Baked Goods
- Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
- Easy Cheese Danish
Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Donuts
- 1 cup all purpose flour, or whole white wheat flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup milk, any variety
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for greasing donut mold
For the Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃). Grease the donut pan well with butter.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate smaller mixing bowl, mix together the egg, butter, milk, and vanilla together.
- Gently fold the wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between 6 donut molds. It helps to use a mini cookie scoop to evenly distribute the batter between the donut molds.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the donuts are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the donut comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then remove donuts from the pan and cool for an additional 10-15 minutes on a cooling rack.
- Place the butter into a bowl and melt. In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar.
- Dip the cooled donuts into the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar., coating on both sides. Dust off excess sugar mixture and serve.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love cinnamon donuts and these were delicious.
I just bought a donut pan and tried this. so good!
I just bought a donut pan and I can't wait to try these out! Thanks for the great recipe!
I don't have a donut pan; would this recipe work if I made donut holes? Rolled them into balls?
Hi Karen! The batter can not be rolled into balls, as it is much too thin. HOWEVER, you can use a mini-muffin tin and grease well and bake for 8 to 11 minutes. Then roll the muffins in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. It will be very similar to donut holes.
What if you use regular flour over whole-wheat flour??
It works perfectly
Yummy!! I love making homemade donuts, although I'm also a sucker for the real thing, too. These sound delicious and will be on my list to make next 🙂
Carly, you will love these donuts! They are the perfect treat any time of the day!
OMFG!!! Your photos of these PERFECT DONUTS make me want to jump into my computer screen and gobble up like 10! No joke.
Ha Ha!! If ONLY that was possible!