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These Pumpkin Spice Donuts are a flavor-filled, traditional fried cake donut. Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. They can be topped with a delicious cinnamon sugar mixture, or a scrumptious spice glaze! A Fall Treat that is both fun and easy to make!

I’ve been keeping these Pumpkin Spice donuts all to myself for years now! Being selfish. Not wanting to share. A girl has to keep a few secrets, right?

Not true! I actually lost the recipe. (Along with my mind!) It wasn’t until we recently purchased a new computer and I had to clean out the files in my old computer, that I found it. I can’t tell you how many places I looked for this recipe! I was overjoyed!

This is my FAVORITE doughnut recipe! Of. All. Time! They are light and fluffy. A cake donut loaded with the robust flavors of Fall. The tender moist pumpkin, the slight tang of the buttermilk, and the warm spices and delicious sweet glaze create the perfect homemade donut!

Everyone is about “baked donuts” when it comes to cake donuts. However, I love sticking with the tradition of deep-frying a cake donut. It creates a beautiful craggy top with hills and valleys that the glaze and sugary topping can nestle down into.

Follow my step-by-step instructions and making these Pumpkin Spice doughnuts will be a breeze! Like the gentle warm breezes of Fall.

What You’ll Need

• 3½ cups All-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Spices – 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ Cup buttermilk
• 1 Cup Pumpkin purée – Not Pumpkin Pie Mix
• Vegetable or Canola Oil for Frying
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon for sugar topping
• 1 cup of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. 2½ Tablespoons of milk for Spiced Glaze Topping.

How To Make Pumpkin Donut Dough

Combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend, and set aside.

TIP: Whisking helps break up any lumps and distribute the ingredients evenly when mixing. I always recommend whisking your dry ingredients to remove the lumps! Especially in your powder sugar recipes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and butter and beat until well blended. Scrape down the side of your bowl with a rubber or silicone spatula.

Now I know what you’re thinking! You’re thinking…”Norine is there cinnamon in that photo with your butter and sugar?!!” Sometimes cooks make mistakes. Not saying I made a mistake…but I might have. The good news is…it didn’t ruin the recipe! Just keeping things real friends!

Add the egg, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl to make sure all the ingredients are well combined. (That butter likes to cling to the sides of the bowl like a toddler to a mother’s leg who needs to use the restroom! Lawdy!)

Combine the buttermilk and pumpkin in a large liquid measuring cup and whisk together until creamy.

With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the pumpkin mixture. Begin and end with the dry ingredients.

Note the dough will be sticky! That is exactly how it should be. Scrape the dough into a ball. Place the dough into a smaller bowl, cover, and chill for at least 3 hours or until firm.

TIP: You can make this dough the night before. See my tips below in the Q & A for further instructions.

Rolling and Shaping Donuts

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a well-floured work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour and gently knead 2–3 times. Flour the top of the dough again and roll the dough to a 1/2-inch thick round.

TIP: I like to use my “dough disk”, I’ve placed the link in the recipe card below. It is one of my favorite kitchen “tools” and I use it all the time! The cover comes off and is washable.

Using a 2½ to 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out the rounds of dough. Use a smaller cutter (or a wide pastry tip) to cut a hole out of the center. You can also use an actual donut cutter. I’m just a country girl who uses a biscuit cutter.

Reroll and cut the dough scraps as necessary.

Frying Homemade Donuts Tips and Tricks

CAUTION: While deep-fried food is always popular, cooking using this method leaves a margin for error that can be disastrous! By following a few simple rules, you can deep-fry safely and confidently!

Tips for Frying Safely

• Use oil with a high smoke point. What does that mean? This is the temperature an oil can be heated to before it smokes and burns. Saturated and monounsaturated oils are the most stable for frying.
• Use a large, wide, sturdy pan. NEVER fill the pan more than two-thirds full of oil as it can bubble up when food is added, and could spill over, starting a fire! I recommend using a heavy enamel coated Dutch Oven when frying. It is safer than a standard sauce pan that is lightweight! Every kitchen should have at least ONE Dutch Oven if possible.
• Make sure you have a well-fitting lid close at hand in case the oil catches fire.
• Check the temperature of your oil. If you have a food thermometer, which I highly recommend, heat the oil to the recommended temperature.
• NEVER EVER put wet food in a fryer! Excess liquid will cause the oil to splatter, which can cause injuries.
• NEVER leave a pan of hot oil unattended!! EVER!!! It can take just a minute or two for the oil to overheat and catch fire. When frying, it requires your FULL ATTENTION!
• Turn the pan handles away from the front of the cooker to avoid knocking the pan off the stove top!
• Keep the kitchen a “child-free” zone while deep-frying. NO LITTLE HANDS need to be near hot oil!
• To dispose of the oil safely, carefully move it to the back of the stove top, leave it to cool completely! Once completely cool, pour into a jug. Never pour it down the sink.

Frying Donuts

Add oil to a large saucepan or Dutch oven to the depth of about 2–3 inches. Attach a thermometer to the side of the pan and carefully heat the oil to 365°-370°. Be careful not to overheat the oil!

The secret to perfect fried donuts is making sure that the oil is not too cool and not too hot. The oil will cool as you fry the donuts because the dough is chilled. If the oil is too hot, the donuts will cook too quickly and be doughy in the center.

CAREFULLY add the rings of dough to the hot oil, so they are in a single layer and not touching. (It’s like the kids…”Mom he’s touching me!!!”…we don’t need our donuts screaming at us too for the same reason!)

Fry, turning once, until both sides are golden brown and the doughnuts are cooked through, about 2–3 minutes total. Use a skimmer/strainer to remove from the oil and transfer to a paper towel-lined rack. Bring the oil temperature back up to the target range before repeating with the next batch of doughnuts.

Use the same process for the doughnut holes, frying for a shorter time.

Finishing the Donuts with Glaze or Cinnamon Sugar

To make the cinnamon-sugar, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and whisk to blend.

When the donuts are just cool enough to handle, dip half of the donuts in the cinnamon sugar to coat completely, shaking off the excess.

To make the Spice Glaze, which happens to be my favorite…combine the powder sugar and spices in a small bowl. Whisk to break up any lumps. Add the milk and whisk to combine, until a thick glaze is formed. You may need to add a titch more milk to get the consistency you want.

Dip top of donut in the glaze and place on a wire rack. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

This recipe yields about 16–20 donuts plus the holes.

They are delicious when served freshly made, but they can be stored in an airtight container up to two days. They will be softer without as much crisp, but still delicious!

Are you team “Glazed”? Or are you…

Team Cinnamon-Sugar?

We are a Nest divided! I’m a huge fan of the scrumptious spiced glaze and love the slight sweetness it adds to this tender cake donut without over-powering it.

My husband and the grandkids love the cinnamon sugar. I wouldn’t turn them down either! You’ll understand why the minute you bite into one. They’re heavenly!

Family Favorite Donut Recipes

• Easy Fried Apple Cider Donuts
• Crumb Baked Donuts
• Grands Quick and Easy Donuts
• Buttermilk Bar Doughnut Recipe
• Raspberry Filled Donuts
• Easy Cinnamon Cruffins
• Crispy and Creamy Donuts from Allrecipes.com

I look forward to making these every Fall! They melt in your mouth and bring a smile to your face! Enjoy!

Happy Nesting!

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