Baked Apple Cider Donuts
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Want to know a special trick to make the best apple cider donuts? Baking. This baked apple cider donuts recipe makes the fluffiest, most amazing apple cider donuts with absolutely no frying required! Enjoy your warm donuts without having to clean up a hot, oily mess.
Donuts are a big deal here in the Northeast, especially when fall rolls around. I just got back from the orchard, and I’ll admit my first stop was immediately to the farm kitchen for a warm apple cider donut.
If you’ve never gone apple picking, or couldn’t make it to the orchard this year, don’t fret. I’ve spent a lot of time in my kitchen testing and tweaking this recipe until it was just right–just like the donuts at my local orchard–so that you could share this experience with me!
The best part of this recipe is that you won’t have to deal with the hassle of frying. These donuts are completely baked, yet still have that crunchy cinnamon sugar exterior we crave, along with an incredibly soft center.
One bite of these nostalgic, homemade apple cider donuts, and you’ll think you’re standing in an apple orchard instead of your kitchen. I hope you love these as much as I do!
For more donut recipes, make sure to try my air fryer biscuit donuts too or my applesauce donut muffins!
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Donut Recipe
- No frying required! No big pots of oil, no mess, and no stinky kitchen!
- The super soft and fluffy texture! Like obsessive level fluffy and delicious.
- Not too sweet. Most of the sweetness and flavor comes from the concentrated reduced apple cider and the cinnamon sugar coating.
- Nostalgic fall recipe. These apple cider donuts take you right back to the local apple orchard. These baked donuts look and taste just like the fried version.
- The kids will love these!
Ingredients for Classic Apple Cider Doughnuts
This baked apple cider donuts recipe yields super soft, fluffy, and amazingly delicious without a bunch of excess sugar. Their sweetness comes from boiling the apple cider to concentrate the natural apple flavor and sugars.
- Apple Cider – Get fresh apple cider in season without any added sugars. The cider is the primary sweetener for these donuts. We boil it down to concentrate the flavor and to also pack as much sugar in, without adding extra liquid.
- All-purpose Flour – You can use gluten-free flour for this recipe if needed.
- Baking Powder – Make sure your rising agents are fresh for the fluffiest results.
- Baking Soda – The baking soda reacts with the acidity in the cider to help with browning and make an incredibly tender crumb.
- Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg– for flavoring the donuts and making them extra cozy. The touch of nutmeg gives these doughnuts that essential “doughnutty” flavor.
- Salt– I use Morton’s coarse Kosher salt.
- Vegetable Oil – not for frying! But to keep the inside of the baked donuts moist.
- Granulated Sugar– Most of the sweetness will come from the apple cider, but we use a little granulated sugar for extra sweetness inside the donuts.
- Egg– just one large egg binds everything together.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by combining 1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar with enough milk to equal 1/2 cup. Let the combo sit for a couple of minutes to curdle before adding it to the batter.
- Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Unsalted Butter – melted. This is for the dunking the donuts after baking.
- Granulated Sugar and Ground Cinnamon– mix these two together and we’ve got a tasty cinnamon sugar coating for the warm doughnuts!
Equipment Needed
- Baked Donut Pan – I use two Wilton 6 cavity donut pans, and they bake up the perfect size and the donuts never stick!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
In a wide saucepan, heat the apple cider over medium high to high heat until boiling.
Boil until reduced to ½ cup and is a little syrupy. *It takes about 18-20 minutes on my stove. Remove from the heat and cool the reduced cider slightly while you prep the other ingredients.
Tip: If you boil the cider too much, just add more fresh cider to get it up to 1/2 a cup. This is a trick I do all the time!
Step 2
Spray the doughnut pans with cooking spray, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and Kosher salt. Whisk to mix and set the flour mixture aside.
Step 4
In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine the oil, sugar, egg and buttermilk.
Whisk until fully combined. Slowly stream in the hot cider so that the eggs don’t scramble. Stir in the vanilla last.
PRO TIP: If you boil the cider the night before, bring your egg and buttermilk up to room temperature for easy mixing. But if your cider is hot at the time of mixing, you can use the egg and buttermilk straight from the fridge.
Step 5
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold until the mixture is just combined and has made a thick batter.
Step 6
Fill each of the donut cavities in the donut pan about 2/3rds full. You should have exactly 12 donuts. Do not overfill. I like to use a piping bag for this.
Step 7
Bake at 400 degrees F for 7-8 minutes until risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Step 8
Remove the donuts from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool.
Time To Coat!
Step 9
Melt the butter in a small bowl until just melted, but not too hot.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a separate dish. Choose dishes deep enough to dunk donuts and flip them easily.
Step 10
Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, but still warm, dip both sides of the donut in melted butter, letting any excess drip off back into the dish.
Move the buttered donut to the cinnamon sugar bowl and flip the donut until it is well coated in the cinnamon sugar mixture, shaking off the excess.
Step 11
Transfer the coated donuts to a wire rack to sit and repeat the dunking process until all the donuts are coated with butter and cinnamon sugar. Enjoy immediately.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own by adding ½ a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup and adding enough milk to equal ½ a cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes to curdle.
- You can purchase boiled cider online if you don’t want to make your own.
- Use apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice mix, or granulated sugar for the coating.
Tips & Tricks
I have made these homemade baked apple cider donuts numerous times. Follow my best tips and tricks to get the best results.
- Boil the cider first so that it has time to cool a little before adding to the other wet ingredients. You can even make the boiled cider the day before.
- Boiling the cider will add natural sugar and a ton of flavor to the doughnuts!
- Mix the donut batter until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Do not overfill the donut pans or else the hole will fill in.
- Choose cider when it’s in season for the most flavorful apple cider donuts.
How to Serve Apple Cider Doughnuts
Serve these donuts on their own with crispy maple bacon or as part of a breakfast pastry platter along with blueberry sour cream coffee cake, banana chocolate chunk muffins, and apple cinnamon rolls.
I also love these apple infused donuts as a dessert treat with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream or pumpkin ice cream.
How to Store Leftover Donuts
Store leftover doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature. Eat within 1-2 days.
Freezing Instructions:
You can also freeze baked donuts for up to a month. I usually like to freeze them before adding the cinnamon sugar, but both ways work.
Allow the cider donuts to cool completely after baking. Then freeze donuts in a single layer on a parchment lined sheet pan. Once they are frozen, you can place them in a large, freezer safe storage bag. Allow to thaw at room temperature before eating.
FAQs
These donuts are best the day they’re made but will last up to 2 days after baking when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Warm them in the microwave or air fyer to soften.
Yes! The doughnuts can be stored in an airtight freezer safe container for up to a month, with or without the cinnamon sugar coating. See above freezing instructions.
Apple juice is filtered, pasteurized, and depending on the brand, has a lot of added sugar and water. Apple cider is typically just pressed apples, unfiltered and depending on the facility, unpasteurized.
If you make this recipe, give it a 5 STAR Rating and Leave a Comment!
More Apple Breakfast Recipes
If you love apple cider donut recipes, I know you’ll love these too!
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Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a wide saucepan, heat the apple cider until boiling over medium-high to high heat. Boil until the cider is reduced to ½ cup and is a little syrupy. Remove from the heat to let cool slightly. It takes about 18-20 minutes on my stove.
- While the cider cools, spray each donut pan cavity with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and Kosher salt. Whisk to mix.
- Combine the buttermilk, vegetable oil, sugar, and egg in a medium-sized bowl or large measuring cup. Whisk until fully mixed. Slowly stream in the hot cider so that the eggs don’t scramble. Once that's mixed, add the vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Gently fold until the mixture is just combined and has made a thick batter.
- Fill each of the cavities in the donut pan about halfway to 2/3rds full. You should have exactly 12 donuts. Do not overfill. I like using a pastry bag for this.
- Bake the donuts at 400 degrees F for 7-8 minutes until risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove the pans from the oven and allow the cider donuts to cool for 5 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove top and transfer to a small bowl. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a separate dish. Choose dishes deep enough to dunk donuts and flip them easily.
- Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, but still warm, dunk both sides of each donut in melted butter, letting any excess drip off back into the dish. Move the buttered donut to the cinnamon sugar bowl and generously sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, flipping to cover both sides. Repeat until the donut is well coated in cinnamon sugar, shaking off the excess.
- Transfer the coated cider donuts to a wire rack to sit and repeat the process until all the donuts are coated with butter and cinnamon sugar. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Boiled cider can be prepped the night before. Make sure to bring buttermilk and egg up to room temperature if you're using cold boiled cider.
- If the cider is still very hot, slowly drizzle it into the buttermilk and egg mixture. This will temper the eggs and prevent curdling.
- Applesauce can be swapped for the vegetable oil.
