Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts
These gluten free pumpkin donuts are the ultimate Fall treat. They’re baked until fluffy, topped with a simple maple glaze and made with pantry staple ingredients. Dairy free friendly and so easy to make!
We have quite a few donut recipes on the blog at this point, but these gluten free pumpkin donuts might just be my favorite. They’re so fun and easy to make, bake up perfectly moist and fluffy and are finished with a simple maple glaze.
They’re made in one bowl too and are loaded up with all the best fall spices. We’ll be doing a DYI pumpkin spice mix which consists of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. I find it much better than a store bought pumpkin spice because those can differ quite a bit brand by brand so we want to be consistent here! If you love this recipe, try my pumpkin cupcakes or apple cider donuts next!
Quick tips!
- Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices added, so we just want pure pumpkin puree here.
- Don’t skip the step of letting the batter rest! This is really key in a lot of gluten free baked goods. It gives the flour a chance to absorb some of the wet ingredients and yields a much better texture in the final donut.
How to make gluten free pumpkin donuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease two, 6 cavity donut pans and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
Whisk in the flour, baking powder, spices and salt, making sure to spoon and level the flour to measure, don’t scoop from the bag. Whisk until smooth, then set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
Scoop the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each donut to the top. Wipe off the center part as needed to ensure a proper hole forms.
Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Prep the maple glaze by whisking all ingredients together. If you aren’t feeling the maple glaze, you can do a butter/cinnamon sugar topping instead like in my cinnamon sugar donuts.
Once the donuts have cooled, tip the bottom of each donut (the part that was in the donut pan not the part that rose- this tends to be a more evenly round shape) into the maple glaze. Sprinkle on crushed pecans or walnuts if desired. Enjoy and try my gluten free pumpkin cake next!
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How to store and freeze
Once prepared, these gluten free pumpkin donuts will keep for about 3 days at room temperature, or 5 days in the fridge. They can get a bit soggy if put in an air tight container because of the pumpkin and fresh ingredients, so I suggest leaving them in a container with the lid slightly ajar or covered loosely with foil on a plate.
You can freeze these donuts after they bake. Be sure to let them cool completely, then transfer to a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to one month. Let them defrost in the fridge overnight, then warm up in the oven or microwave and then add the glaze. I don’t recommend freezing with the glaze!
Ingredient swaps
Flour. This recipe calls for gluten free all purpose 1:1 baking flour, which you cannot sub for almond, coconut, oat or another type of flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur 1:1 flour here!
Sugar. I used a mix of white granulated sugar and brown sugar to get the best texture and flavor. You can swap for coconut sugar if you prefer a refined sugar free option, but the texture may be a bit less fluffy. I do not recommend any liquid sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup.
Eggs. You need three whole eggs for these donuts, so I do not recommend any substitutions. The texture will be a bit gummy, the eggs are key to help the donuts rise and give a fluffier texture.
Milk. I like using whole milk in both the donuts and the glaze, but you can swap with light canned coconut milk if you need a dairy free option. It’s such a small amount so it won’t add a coconut flavor.
More Fall sweets!
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Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts
by: claire cary
Equipment
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup oil
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups gluten free all purpose 1:1 baking flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Maple Glaze
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 2-3 tablespoons milk start with 2
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract optional
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease two, 6 cavity donut pans and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
- Whisk in the flour, baking powder, spices and salt, making sure to spoon and level the flour to measure, don’t scoop from the bag. Whisk until smooth, then set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each donut to the top. Wipe off the center part as needed to ensure a proper hole forms.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Prep the maple glaze by whisking all ingredients together. If you aren’t feeling the maple glaze, you can do a butter/cinnamon sugar topping instead like in my cinnamon sugar donuts.
- Once the donuts have cooled, tip the bottom of each donut (the part that was in the donut pan not the part that rose- this tends to be a more evenly round shape) into the maple glaze. Sprinkle on crushed pecans or walnuts if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
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