These soft, perfectly sweet and apple packed homemade cinnamon sugar baked apple donuts are a perfect fall bake. They have so much apple flavor from the grated apples, apple juice and apple sauce. And when you combine that with the cinnamon sugar, it is a dreamy baked donut!
If you have been around here for some time, you might have noticed that I love to grate my apples into baked goods. My oatmeal apple bread, apple coffee cake, and apple bread all have freshly grated apples baked right into them. I find that the grated apples provide all that apple flavor, without having big chunks of apple. You also do not have to peel the apples, so it saves so much time!
If you have never tried baked donuts, you need to! I love that they are a little healthier alternative to fried donuts and are so much easier to make! Of course, baked donuts do offer a little different texture compared to the fried ones. These apple donuts are similar to a muffin in texture. They are fluffy, soft and so additive. These apple donuts are perfect for brunch, breakfast or just dessert. They are packed with cinnamon and fall flavors that compliments the apple perfectly.
What’s to love about these homemade cinnamon sugar baked apple donuts
Easy: No complicated ingredients needed to make these donuts. They take only about 25 minutes to make from start to finish!
Homemade: Nothing beats homemade food, especially these donuts. And they smell AMAZING when they are baking! There is something so cozy about apple treats baking in the oven.
Delicious: As any recipe should be, these apple donuts with cinnamon sugar taste so dang good! They are packed with fall flavors and are not too sweet. It is hard to not eat the whole batch at once!
Tips and tricks to making these apple baked donuts
- No need to peel your apple before grating it! And you do not need to squeeze out any extra liquid before adding the grated apples to the batter! So easy and saves so much time!
- Do not overmix the batter. Once you add the dry ingredients, mix together until just combined. And just gently fold in the grated apples. It is OK if you see some lumps in the batter. Overmixing can cause the donuts to be denser.
- Do not forget to grease your donut pan before adding the batter! I have done this, and trust me, it is a pain to get those baked donuts out. Whelp.
- You do not need piping bags for this recipe to place the batter into the donut pan! If you do not have piping bags, just use a gallon sized zip lock bag. Add half of the batter to it and snip off just a little in one corner. Squeeze the bag, pushing the down batter, like a piping bag, out of the cut corner into the pans!
- Watch your bake time so your donut goodness does not get over baked! They do not take long to bake, so start low and check on them. The batter will be set, and toothpick will come out clean when they are ready to come out of the oven.
- Leave the donuts in the pan for a few minutes to cool down before trying to get them out of the pan. I know it’s hard to wait, but if you try when they are still super-hot, they will likely fall apart on you.
- These apple baked donuts are best enjoyed right after being dipped into the cinnamon sugar or within a few hours of baking them. I wish they held up better in the long term, but they just do not. If you cannot eat all these donuts the same day, just bake half of the batter, and store the rest in the fridge until the following day. Bake up the remaining batter the next day to have fresh donuts again!
Ingredient substitutions and variations
Ideally, you won’t need to change out any of the ingredients, as following the recipe will give you the best results. But in a pinch, here are some things can swap if needed.
Unfiltered apple juice: You can use regular apple juice or apple cider (non-sparkling) in place of the unfiltered apple juice.
Maple Syrup: Honey works as a great swap for the maple syrup to sweeten up these donuts.
Milk: You can use almond milk or oat milk instead of regular milk.
All-Purpose Flour: Make these donuts gluten-free by using a 1:1 ratio gluten-free flour.
Melted butter: Melted coconut oil can be used instead of the butter. If you do not want the coconut oil to impact the flavor, use refined coconut oil.
If you give this homemade cinnamon sugar baked apple donuts a try, let me know your thoughts in the comments below! I really appreciate your feedback!
And be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
From my kitchen to yours, happy baking! I hope you love these apple donuts as much as I do!
Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Baked Apple Donuts
Ingredients
- 1/2 C. Unfiltered apple juice
- 2 egg
- 1/2 C. Maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp. Melted butter
- 1/2 C. Milk
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1/4 C. Apple sauce
- 2 1/2 C. All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. Baking soda
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 C grated apple about 1 apple
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 Tbsp. Butter melted
- 1/3 C. Sugar
- 2 tsp. Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a donut pan with oil and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, apple juice, maple syrup, melted butter, apple sauce, vanilla, and milk together until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Slowly mix the dry into the wet, and stir until just combined. Fold in the grated apple.
- Place about 1/2 of the batter into a piping bag or zip lock bag with one corner cut open. Carefully pipe the batter into the donut pan. Bake 13-16 minutes or until the donuts are cooked through.
- To make the cinnamon sugar, combine the cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl and set aside.
- Let the donuts cool slightly before removing from the donut pan. Brush melted butter onto the donuts, then dip into cinnamon sugar, making sure to cover the entire donut. Enjoy immediately!
