Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts

Made with a richly spiced batter, a delicate crumb, and rolled in cinnamon sugar, these Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts are the ultimate baked donut recipe!

Baked donuts are the EASIEST way to prepare donuts at home. There is no proofing or dough! No deep-frying is required!

My recipe for baked donuts is full of warm cinnamon flavor and features a delicate crumb. But the most irresistible part of this donut is the cinnamon sugar coating!

I suggest pairing one of these baked donuts with a cup of Mulled Apple Cider or a Homemade Latte and sit back and enjoy a little bite of heaven!

What You Need

• Donut Batter: The donut batter is made with flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, an egg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and melted butter.
• Cinnamon Sugar: These donuts are finished with a cinnamon sugar coating that is made with a combination of simply cinnamon and sugar.
• Donut Pan: To make baked donuts, you need a donut pan. See notes below on how to make mini donut muffins if you don't have a donut pan.
• Mini Cookie Scoop: This is not necessary, but it does make transferring the donut batter into the donut molds MUCH easier.

How to Make Baked Donuts

• Generously grease the donut pan with melted butter being sure to get every nook and cranny so that your donuts will not stick to the pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until evenly distributed.
• In a smaller mixing bowl, mix the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla until well combined.
• Gently fold the batter together until just combined. Be careful to not overmix, as this can cause your donuts to become tough.

• Use a small spoon or a mini cookie scoop to evenly distribute the batter around the mold. You want to mold to be about ¾th of the way full so that your donuts will puff up and form that classic cake donut shape.

• Bake the donuts until the batter is just set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Once the donuts are baked, place the donut pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

• After 10 minutes, carefully remove the donuts from the donut pan, by inverting the pan onto the cooking rack.
• Allow them to finish cooling for another 10 minutes before coating in the cinnamon-sugar coating.
• For the cinnamon sugar coating, mix the cinnamon and sugar into a small bowl. In a separate small bowl melt the butter. Dip each donut into the butter, then the cinnamon-sugar mixture, turning to coat each side of the donut. Place the donuts back on the cooling rack and once dry, brush off the excess cinnamon-sugar coating.

Storage Instructions

• Room Temperature: Once the donuts have cooled, store them in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Refrigerate: Transfer the cooled donuts to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freeze: To freeze, allow the donuts to fully cool after baking and coat with the cinnamon sugar as directed. Place them into a freezer-safe storage bag or container and seal tightly, removing as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or microwave for 45 seconds.

No Donut Pan?

If you don't have a donut pan, you CAN make donut holes instead, which are essentially just mini muffins.

• Prepare the batter as directed.
• Grease a mini muffin tin well and then fill each muffin cup with about 1 tablespoon of batter and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-13 minutes or until set.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then remove from muffin tin.
• Coat in cinnamon sugar mixture as directed.

More Delicious Brunch Baked Goods

• Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins
• Cranberry Orange Muffins
• Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake
• Gluten-Free Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
• Easy Cheese Danish

I would love for you to leave a comment and rating below, letting us know how you enjoyed these Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts.