Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
These cinnamon donuts are super simple and easy to make, packed full of cinnamon flavor. They’re baked and then dipped in melted butter and cinnamon sugar.
Sometimes you just want a simple fall-inspired donut but maybe a little more simple without having to reduce apple cider or go buy pumpkin puree.
Why you’ll love these cinnamon donuts
- SUPER quick and easy to make (I know I say that a lot but I’m honest when they’re not simple recipes haha)
- The cinnamon sugar coating gives it a nice texture and also keeps the inside of the donuts nice and moist for days!
- It counts as breakfast so idk who would complain about that…besides my husband lol.
If you’re a donut lover, I have some fabulous other recipes for you. I think you’ll love my apple cider donuts (that actually taste like apple). I also have an apple crumb donut, my FAVORITE s’mores donuts and everyone else’s favorite Brioche donuts.
Ingredients
- Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes and I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
- Baking Powder I like to use just baking powder for leavening. I have not tested this recipe with baking soda so I don’t recommend swapping.
- Sugar: I used just light brown sugar. Dark brown or granulated sugar also works but a combo of those would be best if you don’t have light brown sugar.
- I used granulated sugar with a little bit of light brown sugar for the coating. The light brown sugar here just gives it a little bit of flavor and volume.
- Oil: In my head I always felt simple donuts should be made with butter but trust. The oil keeps them sooo soft and moist and they get dipped in butter before the cinnamon sugar coating so they still have plenty of flavor.
- Butter: You’ll need to dip or brush the donuts with melted butter so the cinnamon sugar can stick to it. I prefer salted butter because it balances the sweetness a little but unsalted works fine too.
- Eggs: use room temperature, large eggs.
- Place them in hot water for a few minutes if they’re cold.
- Sour Cream: I love sour cream in cakes, cupcakes and baked donuts. You can also sub for plain yogurt or greek yogurt – just make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste is fine here.
- Cinnamon: I kept it simple and just used ground cinnamon in this recipe. A little nutmeg would also be great!
How to make Cinnamon Donuts
- Combine the oil with the sugars, then add the eggs and whisk until they’re well combined and have lightened in color.
- Add the vanilla and sour cream and whisk until they’re well combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients, folding just until the last streak of flour is combined.
- Pipe the batter into greased donut molds. If you only have one pan with 6 molds, you can just do one pan at a time and wait for those to finish.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, til they spring back when you press on them.
- Flip onto a cool rack and cool for a few minutes.
- Melt the butter and mix the cinnamon with the sugars. Dip one donut in the melted butter then roll generously in the cinnamon sugar and repeat with all the donuts.
Expert Tips On Getting Perfect Donuts
- Don’t swap ingredients unless I mentioned them in the ingredient section above.
- Don’t reduce the sugar. I know a lot of people do that for recipes but it alters the texture not just the flavor…Skip the sugar on the outside if you want I guess? Lol
- Weigh your ingredients with a digital scale
- Fill each donut mold about ¾ full – it should look full but not to the brim cuz if they’re over-filled they’ll get a little muffin top action going.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yup! Just swap the butter for dairy free butter and the sour cream for a dairy free sour cream or yogurt.
I have not tested this recipe specifically but all of my cake recipes work with a 1:1 substitute of gluten-free flour so I don’t see why this wouldn’t work. I recommend King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill.
Once they no longer look wet on top, gently press your finger into them and if they spring back they’re done, if it leaves an indent they need a few more minutes.
Yup! I recommend weighing your ingredients for the most accurate measurements though.
How to store cinnamon donuts
These donuts store well at room temperature for 3-4 days. It’s best to keep them covered so they keep their moisture.
How to freeze donuts
Bakes stay way more fresh when they’re frozen. You can place them tightly in an airtight container or you can wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap. Then place them in a freezer bag so you can easily remove one at a time.
Freeze for up to a couple of months. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. If you make these cinnamon donuts, I would love it if you left a star rating or a review!
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
These were super easy to put together and I had all the ingredients on hand. I didn’t get 18 out of the batch (I guess my piping was a little heavy handed) but they didn’t last long anyway. Will definitely make these again.