Apple Cider Donuts (Baked, Not Fried)

A toddler demanding autumn vibes at seven on a Tuesday morning is exactly what led to these apple cider donuts, since driving to the bakery felt entirely out of reach on that little sleep. Wearing mismatched socks while aggressively boiling down juice raised some real questions about how the morning got here, but pulling these baked apple cider donuts out of the oven brought an instant sense of domestic triumph.

A deep fryer and a fire extinguisher on standby always felt like the price of admission for homemade donuts, which explains years of avoidance. This fall donut recipe turns out to be nothing more than muffin batter poured into a cuter pan. Here is exactly how I do it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No frying panic. These baked not fried apple donuts mean no oil splatters or lingering fast-food smells in your kitchen.
• Intense apple flavor. Taking the time to reduce the apple cider donuts liquid makes them taste like a real orchard.
• Incredibly fast. You can go from measuring flour to eating a warm donut in under an hour.
• Zero fancy equipment. Just two bowls, a whisk, and a complete lack of a stand mixer.

Tools You’ll Need

Nothing fancy, I promise.

• donut pan You kind of need this unless you want muffins.
• Small saucepan. This handles reducing the cider down to a syrup.
• Zip-top bag. This pipes the batter cleanly into the pan without a mess.

Ingredients

For the Donuts

• 1 1/2 cups apple cider – The fresh drinkable kind, not hard cider or vinegar. You can read up on real apple cider if you are curious about the difference.
• 2 cups all-purpose flour – Spoon and level this so your donuts do not turn into heavy bricks.
• 1 teaspoon baking soda – For lift.
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder – Also for lift, because dense donuts are sad.
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon – Mandatory for any fall baking situation.
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice – You can make your own if you do not have a jar in the pantry.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt – Balances the sweet.
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter – Melted and slightly cooled.
• 1 large egg – Room temperature if you remember, straight from the fridge if you are me.
• 1/2 cup brown sugar – Packed tightly.
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar – Yes, we are using two kinds of sugar here.
• 1/2 cup milk – Any kind works, even almond or oat.
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract – The good stuff, always.

For the Topping

• 1 cup granulated sugar – For that classic crunchy exterior.
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon – More spice.
• 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice – Even more spice.
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter – Melted, acting as the delicious glue for the sugar.

How To Make Apple Cider Donuts

Do not let the cider-reducing step intimidate you; it is literally just boiling juice while you stare at your phone.

1. Reduce the apple cider: Simmer the cider in a small saucepan over low heat until you have about 1/2 cup, which takes roughly 20 minutes. Set it aside to cool for 10 minutes – if you skip the cooling step, you will scramble the egg in the batter, and apple-egg donuts are a tragedy.
2. Prep the oven and pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and spray your donut pan with non-stick spray. Be generous with the spray; prying a stuck donut out of the pan with a butter knife ruins the aesthetic.
3. Mix dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Nothing complicated here, just dump and stir.
4. Mix wet ingredients and combine: Whisk the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and vanilla together, then pour into the dry ingredients along with the cooled cider. Whisk until just combined – the batter will be thick, and a few lumps are totally fine, so do not overmix unless you want chewy donuts.
5. Fill the pan: Spoon the batter into the donut cavities, filling them about halfway. Use a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off to pipe the batter; I once tried to spoon it in and ended up with something resembling a lumpy amoeba.
6. Bake: Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are lightly browned and they bounce back when poked. Let them cool in the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack – patience here prevents them from breaking in half when you flip them.
7. Coat the donuts: Combine the topping sugar and spices, then dunk each donut in the melted butter and generously roll in the sugar mixture. Do this while they are still slightly warm, or the butter just pools on top and looks sad.

Make it yours

• Maple glaze version. You swap the melted butter coating for a maple glaze drizzle for a different finish on these apple cider donuts.
• Nutmeg boost version. You add an extra pinch of nutmeg to the batter for a warmer, spicier fall donut recipe.

Perfect Pairings

These apple cider donuts suit two specific pairings particularly well.

• A giant mug of black coffee offsets the aggressive sugar rush from the cinnamon coating.
• A crisp Saturday morning calls for exactly this kind of bake that looks impressive with minimal effort.

Apple Cider Donuts

These apple cider donuts prove that a genuinely impressive fall treat can come from a saucepan of reduced juice and a donut pan instead of a deep fryer. This baked apple cider donuts recipe layers a rich, reduced cider flavor under a buttery cinnamon sugar coating, delivering everything a proper fall donut recipe should offer. Whether served on a crisp Saturday morning or shared as baked not fried apple donuts for a cozy autumn breakfast, this cinnamon sugar apple cider donuts recipe earns a permanent spot in the regular rotation.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) apple cider
• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter melted
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk at room temperature*
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice*
• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter melted

Equipment

• Donut pan
• Small saucepan
• Zip-top bag

Method

 

1. Stirring occasionally, simmer the apple cider in a small saucepan over low heat until you’re left with about 1/2 cup. Start checking at 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc until you have 1/2 cup (120ml). Mine takes about 20 minutes. If there are any spices or solids on top of your reduced apple cider, leave them. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Whisk the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together. Pour into the dry ingredients, add the reduced apple cider, and whisk everything together until smooth and combined. Batter will be slightly thick.
5. Spoon the batter into the donut cavities for ease, I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about halfway.
6. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. Cool donuts for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter.
7. Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. Once cool enough to handle, dunk both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then generously in the apple spice topping.
8. Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipe Notes

Apple cider: I always use the fresh, drinkable kind, never hard cider or vinegar, since those change the flavor entirely.

Apple pie spice: I use a store-bought jar most of the time, though a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom substitutes easily.

Butter: I use melted for both the batter and the topping, since it coats the donuts more evenly than a dip in oil.

Milk: I use whatever sits in the fridge, since almond or oat milk both work fine here.

Egg: I always let the cider cool before mixing, since hot cider scrambles the egg on contact.