The fluffiest vegan pumpkin donuts that are baked, not fried. Coated in an irresistible cinnamon maple glaze, these easy donuts are ready to enjoy in just 30 minutes!
Treat yourself to more fluffy vegan fall baked goods, like these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, and Apple Fritter Bread.
Vegan or not, everyone will love these Vegan Pumpkin Donuts! They’re fluffy, sweet, and loaded with warm spices and plenty of pumpkin. And feast your eyes on the shimmering cinnamon maple glaze… it’s the perfect finishing touch to these bakery-style donuts.
What I really love about these pumpkin donuts is that they’re baked, not fried. Just like my Vegan Apple Cider Donuts, there’s no messy deep fryer oil to worry about or fancy tools needed. Simply pipe the batter into a donut pan, then bake until fluffy!
Why these baked pumpkin donuts are the best
- Big and fluffy baked donuts – The simple batter bakes into huge, fluffy, and bountiful donuts, just like what you’d find at a bakery!
- Cinnamon maple goodness – The donuts only get better with a shiny, inviting layer of cinnamon maple glaze.
- They’re surprisingly easy to make – Simply mix the batter in one bowl, bake the donuts, then dip them in the 4-ingredient glaze. That’s all there is to it!
How to make vegan pumpkin donuts
Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Next, pour the melted vegan butter, pumpkin puree, oat milk, and vanilla into the bowl. Stir to combine.
Use a piping bag or a spoon to fill the donut pan with the batter. Bake until the donuts are fluffy and the edges are slightly browned.
Checking for doneness: You’ll know the donuts are baked perfectly when they’ve puffed up, the edges are golden brown, and they spring back when touched. Keep in mind that these results may vary depending on the donut pan ( <– the ones I use) you’re using.
Meanwhile, make the maple glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and oat milk together in a bowl.
Making perfect donut glaze: I think that the perfect consistency of the donut glaze is runny, just like corn syrup. For a thicker consistency, only use 2 tablespoons of oat milk, then spoon the glaze over top of the donuts.
After baking, dip the slightly cooled donuts in the glaze, then transfer them to a wire rack. Enjoy right away or let the glaze harden for 15 minutes or so.
Frequently asked questions
First of all, I highly recommend investing in a donut pan! It’s the only tool you need to make baked fluffy donuts, like Vegan Chocolate Donuts, at home.
But if you don’t have one, you can make a DIY donut pan using a muffin tin and aluminum foil. Check out this tutorial from Bigger Bolder Baking to help you make your own.
Not if you don’t want to. The donuts are delicious even without the maple glaze or with other decorations. Try coating them in the vanilla glaze from my Chocolate Glazed Donuts instead or swap it for a cinnamon sugar coating, just like in my Cinnamon Sugar Vegan Donuts.
Yes! Instead of all purpose flour, use a quality gluten free flour instead.
You can easily replace the melted butter in the recipe with the same amount of applesauce or vegan yogurt to make them oil free.
Transfer the baked and glazed donuts to an airtight container, keeping them in a single layer to avoid smushing the glaze. They’ll keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. They freeze well, too!
Vegan Pumpkin Donuts
Ingredients
Pumpkin donuts
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup melted vegan butter
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup oat milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon maple glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2-4 tablespoons oat milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a donut pan with non-stick spray.
- Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a large bowl.
- Pour in the melted vegan butter, pumpkin puree, oat milk and vanilla. Mix well with a large spoon until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the donut pan to the top of each cavity(or use a piping bag for less mess).
- Place into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned and the donuts spring back when touched. This will largely depend on the size of your donut pan.
- Make the maple glaze – In a medium bowl, whisk all glaze ingredients together until a glaze is formed. If it's too thick, add a teaspoon of oat milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency. I think the perfect consistency is runny like corn syrup, but you can make it thicker and spoon it on top if desired.
- Dip the slightly cooled donuts in the glaze, then place on a wire rack (with parchment paper underneath to catch drippings). Enjoy right away or let the glaze harden for 15 minutes or so.
Notes
- Gluten free – Substitute gluten free all purpose mix for the flour.
- May use any neutral flavored oil instead of vegan butter, or applesauce/plain vegan yogurt for oil free.
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
Mine aren’t as pretty as yours but I’m sure they must taste just as good! We LOVE these! My son, who doesn’t love pumpkin, ate two! My girls and I demolished the rest. Thanks Nora!
That’s wonderful to hear, Jessica! I’m thrilled the donuts were a hit 🙂 Thank you for your terrific review and feedback!
wow!!! amazing donuts!!! i don’t usually like pumpkin baked goods, but i made these for my mom, and they were SO GOOD!! moist and delicious. 🍂
Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback, Birdie! I’m thrilled you and your mom loved the donuts!
Hi Nora,
I don’t use refined sugars in any baked goods that I make. Can I substitute maple syrup or date syrup for the processed sugar in the donut recipe?
Thank you,
Kimberly
I haven’t tried it with a liquid sweetener, so I can’t be sure. I’d probably try using just 1/2 cup or less and see how that goes.
Hi Nora. I’m planning on making these donuts but I was wondering if I can substitute pea protein milk for the oat milk. Thanks!
Sure, that will work. Enjoy!
This looks great! Can I make them as muffins instead and does that change the estimated time?
You can make them as muffins, yes, but they will likely take a bit longer to bake, perhaps around 20 minutes.
Delicious!! Made them into mini Bundt cakes!!!
Yum!! Thanks for your review, Angela!
These were a HIT for My Halloween party. I made them in mini muffin tins to make them into “munchkins”. Excellent!
I am so thrilled the donuts were a hit! That’s so fun! Thanks for your ‘spooktacular’ review and feedback!
This is by far my FAVORITE donut recipe I’ve tried. Most are bland, couldn’t be eaten w/o glaze. These are so tasty even before glaze. Quite literally a perfect donut with exemplary flavor.
I let them bake extra so they wouldn’t be mushy (I used GF all purpose flour and typically I have to bake vegan GF treats longer) and it didn’t need that, but the crispy sides were delicious anyways. The bake time, instructions, everything was perfectly explained. I can’t express enough how perfect this recipe is, and that this will be in my recipe box eternally. It feels like a secret weapon. I am overjoyed that I finally found a tasty donut recipe. These were amazing fresh and warm, after being in the fridge, and heated up. Can’t go wrong w these. Almost impossible to mess up. Thank yooooouuuuu gorgeous Queen Nora for the recipe.
I thought 16 donuts was a lot, but my bf and I went thru them in about 48 hrs.
Hi Sunny! Your amazing feedback made my day! Thank you for your positive words and review! I am thrilled you loved the donuts! I appreciate you sharing your GF baking experience! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I start work at 6am tomorrow morning but I’m going to wake up early to make a batch of these. They look so good! Ill come back to report on my findings after I eat one.
Have fun, and enjoy!
I made these (double batch!!) this morning. They are absolutely fantastic. I had to substitute soy milk for oat milk, since I didn’t have any oat milk in the house. Everyone devoured them, and we have enough for tomorrow and to share with neighbors.
How wonderful the donuts were a hit! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and feedback! Happy fall!
Saw this on instagram and instantly made them. Simply and delicious. I should have doubled the recipe because they aren’t going to last long.