🎄🍩❤️ Baked Gingerbread Donuts remind me of my favorite gingerbread cookies or molasses cookies, but in soft and fluffy donut form! Loaded with warming spices, molasses, and coated in cinnamon-sugar for the ultimate winning flavor and texture combo! With no mixer needed, they’re ready in 30 minutes and are perfect for holiday brunches, entertaining, or Christmas morning!
Easy Baked Gingerbread Donuts Recipe
- This is a quick and easy no-mixer recipe which I love, especially during the holiday season when we are all busy, busy, busy. You can be munching on your donut treat in just 30 minutes from start to finish!
- There is a rich yet subtle sweetness from the molasses, and a combination of warming spices, including cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg, that lend layers of fabulous flavor.
- To keep the donuts moist, soft, and fluffy, there’s both sour cream and applesauce.
- These donuts are baked rather than fried, so they’re healthier (and your house won’t smell for days like oil).
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Ingredients in Gingerbread Doughnuts
- All-purpose flour
- Warming spices: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves – If you don’t keep cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice on hand, you can get by with cinnamon and allspice. Use 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1 1/2 to 2 tsp allspice, and just omit all the individual spices
- Leaveners – Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Melted unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Molasses – I use Grandma’s Molasses, which is a medium, unsulphured molasses for baking when molasses is called for because it’s not overly bitter or pungent like blackstrap molasses can be. However, the taste of molasses varies a lot from brand to brand. Use whatever brand you’re comfortable with. Tip – Spray your measuring cup with a quick spritz of nonstick cooking spray, and the molasses will slide out effortlessly
- Applesauce – If you don’t have applesauce, add an additional 2 tablespoons of sour cream or Greek yogurt to the batter
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Milk – I recommend whole or 2% milk if using cow’s milk or a thicker plant-based milk such as cashew milk
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Gingerbread Baked Donuts
This is an easy recipe of mixing together the dry ingredients, whisking together the wet, combining, and adding the batter into donut molds before baking and coating with cinnamon and sugar.
- To a large mixing bowl, combine and whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- To a separate medium bowl, add the wet ingredients, including melted butter, sugars, molasses, applesauce, sour cream, vanilla, eggs, milk, and whisk well to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. Tip – For ease, I recommend adding the batter to a large gallon-sized ziptop plastic bag and then snipping off the corner to make it easier to get the batter neatly into the donut molds, but if you’re neat, you can do it with a spoon.
- Pipe or spoon the batter into the donut tin molds, filling only about 3/4 of the way full, and bake. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan briefly.
- For the cinnamon-sugar coating (optional but recommended), mix together cinnamon, sugar, and dip and dredge the warm donuts through the cinnamon sugar coating. Tip – If you want to add the cinnamon and sugar to a large zip-top plastic bag and place 3 or 4 donuts inside at a time, seal, and shake to coat, it’s an option.
Recipe FAQs
can i make mini donuts?
Yes, you can; however, mini donuts can be a pain to pipe into those tiny little donut molds. The recipe, as written, yields 12 standard-sized donuts. I imagine for every 1 full-size donut, you can make 3-4 mini donuts, depending on the size of your molds. So if you want to pipe out batter 48 times over into a mini donut pan, be my guest. I do not!
can i use a piping bag to pipe the batter?
Yes, of course. I am team ziplock bag rather than piping bag, but do whatever you have and prefer. Use a wide, open tip, of course.
can i glaze the donuts instead of coating them?
For sure. A simple powdered sugar glaze would be lovely!
can i fry the donuts?
Good question, and I am not sure. I personally fry almost nothing, ever, in my house because I dislike the smell of oil just lingering for days. But this recipe was developed as a baked donuts recipe, but if you want to experiment with hot oil and pipe the batter into it, you can give it a try.
how long will donuts stay fresh?
This is truly a case of the fresher the better. I don’t recommend making these very far in advance if you’re serving them for a holiday brunch or event. While they will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 2-3 days, they simply will taste better right after they’re made.
Baked Gingerbread Donuts
🎄🍩 EASY baked donuts that remind me of my favorite gingerbread or molasses cookies, but in soft and fluffy donut form! Loaded with warming spices, molasses, and coated in cinnamon-sugar for the ultimate winning flavor and texture combo! No mixer needed, ready in 30 minutes, and perfect for holiday brunches, entertaining, or Christmas morning!
Equipment
- 1 or 2 gallon sized ziptop plastic bags (or use a piping bag; or simply use a spoon for adding batter into molds; use 2nd bag for shaking the cinnamon-sugar coating or you can coat donuts in a bowl)
Ingredients
Donuts
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup molasses, (mild to medium molasses recommended; I do not advise blackstrap because it's very pungent and potent for baking)
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 3 tablespoons full fat sour cream, (full fat Greek yogurt may be substituted)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs,, at room temp preferred
- 1 cup milk, (at room temp preferred, 2% or whole recommended, or a thicker plant-based milk like cashew milk may be substituted)
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating (optional, but highly recommended)
- ⅓ to ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Donuts – Preheat oven to 375F and spray two 6-count donut pans with cooking spray; set aside. (Wondering if you can make mini donuts using mini donut pans? See the FAQs)
- To a large bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, salt, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and whisk well to combine. Set aside. Spice Notes and Tips – If you want to make the overall flavor bolder in the finished donuts, you can increase the spices that are listed as 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp. If you don't have ALL the spices, but you do have cinnamon and allspice, you can keep the cinnamon amount the same at 1 1/2 tsp and then simply use 1 1/2 to 2 tsp allspice rather than using all the individual spices.
- To a separate large bowl, add the melted butter, sugars, molasses, applesauce, sour cream or Greek yogurt (make sure it's Greek yogurt and not other yogurt which is too thin and runny), vanilla, and whisk well to combine.
- Add the eggs, milk, and whisk again to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir to combine. Mixing Tips – I find it easiest to actually use a soft-tipped spatula and fold-scrape, fold-scrape, the ingredients to combine them and make sure you don't accidentally miss any dry ingredients on the bottom. In recipes like this, it's easy to do. But if you're using a spatula, you can really scrape and see everything so no bits are hiding and stay dry. Make sure not to overmix after everything has been combined.
- At this point, you have one of 3 choices. 1.) If you're a neat cook and can foresee yourself using a small spoon and spooning the batter into the donut molds, that's what you will do. 2.) Otherwise, you can transfer the batter into a gallon-sized ziptop bag OR 3.) into a piping bag fitted with a large, wide, open tip. For me, it prefer the ziptop bag method.
- Fill each cavity of the donut mold 3/4 full. Tips – Do not overfill because you'll create quite a mess in the oven when the donuts rise. Wipe any batter blobs and messes using a paper towel that may have fallen around the edges of the pan or onto the center area.
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until donuts are set, soft and springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs. I like to rotate my pans once halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Allow the donuts to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. While they're cooling, make the cinnamon-sugar coating.
- Cinnamon-Sugar Coating – You can do this in two ways. 1.) Add the sugar and cinnamon to a shallow bowl, use a small spoon to lightly mix to combine, and add the donuts, one by one, to the bowl. Flip and toss in the cinnamon-sugar until nicely coated, place on a cooling rack, and repeat until all donuts have been coated. You may need to mix up more cinnamon-sugar coating depending on how thick you're coating your donuts. 2.) Alternatively, add the sugar and cinnamon to a new gallon-sized ziptop bag, drop in 3-4 donuts, seal the bag, and shake it around a bit to evenly coat the donuts. Remove the donuts, set on a cooling rack, and repeat the process until all the donuts have been coated. You may need to mix up more cinnamon-sugar coating depending on how thick you're coating your donuts. Serve immediately.
Notes
Storage: Donuts are always better when served warm and freshly made. They will keep airtight at room temp for up to 2-3 days, but if you’re serving them for an event, the closer you can make them to before you’re serving them, the better. Note that as they’re stored, the cinnamon-sugar coating will tend to “disappear” or seem almost moist, which is really just the sugar liquifying a bit as time passes. You can always re-dredge or re-coat leftover donuts in additional cinnamon-sugar, if desired. I do not recommend storing donuts in the fridge (they’ll dry out) or freezing them.
Nutrition
Serving: 1donut, Calories: 288cal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 245mg, Potassium: 241mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 361IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 109mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy gingerbread recipes
Good flavor but too heavy, not soft and fluffy as the description says.
Baked donuts do tend to be heavier than fried donuts although the donuts are still fluffy in my opinions but perhaps not as light as you prefer. Also it could have to do with your flour and/or over-flouring the dough at all will create a much heavier donut. Definitely make sure you use a light hand when measuring the flour if you try again.
I don2’t have donut pans, however, I have two 6 cavity mini (extra mini?) bundt pan trays. I’ve never tried them out but would these work for your donuts? Any special pan prep aside from spraying? Thx
I discuss your question in the FAQ section of the post. Enjoy!
I really want to try these but I don’t have the donut pans. I was wondering if I could put the batter in a bunt pan and bake it. I would probably just pour a glaze over it when done. what’s your take on this and how long should I bake it for?
I think a Bundt pan would be a great call here if you don’t have donut pans. I would do either a 350 or a 375F oven. While the donuts bake at 375, they’re going to bake quickly so the higher heat won’t burn them. However, a Bundt is going to need some time. This cake has similar ratios of milk, egs, flour https://www.averiecooks.com/easy-homemade-funfetti-bundt-cake/ and I indicate to bake it for 42-49 minutes. So I would go with 40-45 mins here, and maybe longer or maybe less. Please come back and let me know how this goes!