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Salted Caramel-Glazed Pumpkin Donuts

Baked Pumpkin Donuts glazed in Salted Caramel and spiced with the flavors of fall. You’ll love these easy Salted Caramel-Glazed Pumpkin Donuts alongside your morning cup of joe!

Baked Pumpkin Donuts glazed with salted caramel in a doughnut pan

Easy Homemade Pumpkin Donuts

Hey, hey! Are you guys as thrilled as I am that fall is finally here? Join me as I entertain my forever-obsession: PUMPKIN. 

Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Pie. You name it, I have a roster of recipes on rotation that star my most favorite of all savory veggies. Like, I really can’t get enough. Any season, all the time, pumpkin-everything lives rent-free in my kitchen.

I’ve also been feeling a weee bit indulgent recently. We have to embrace it when we can, amiright? Which is why today calls for DONUTS. Pumpkin Donuts of the Salted Caramel Glazed sort, to be exact. I repeat: Salted Caramel-Glazed Pumpkin Donuts. The stuff of dreams!

Baked salted caramel-glazed donuts in a pan

Why You’ll Love these Baked Donuts

It’s been a hot second since I’ve made homemade donuts. Though, to be honest, homemade is really the only way I like them! A few years ago, I made these Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts with Vanilla Glaze, and my infatuation with baked donuts was ignited. 

Which brings me to these Glazed Pumpkin Donuts. Fellow Pumpkin fans, this one’s for you. You’ll love these because they are: 

  • Baked, not fried
  • Bringing the perfect touch of Pumpkin to the mix
  • Spiced with the flavors of Fall
  • Able to be kept longer than your average deep-fried donuts
  • Drizzled with salted caramel for good measure – but also great plain!

Seriously, these Pumpkin Donuts are wildly delicious. Just try to stop yourself from having two, or three, or four, but good luck to ya’. I wasn’t so lucky, I had ‘em all. Good thing I only made six.

Glazed donuts cooling on a rack

What You’ll Need

To make these Glazed Pumpkin Donuts, you really only need a short list of basic ingredients for the donuts themselves and the salted caramel glaze.

For the Pumpkin Donuts

  • All-Purpose Flour: A classic. Meanwhile, for gluten-free donuts I’d recommend a finely ground oat or almond flour since these are some of the least coarse options.
  • Salt: Balances the sugar a bit.
  • Baking Powder: To give your donut dough that tangy flavor and some bounce.
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice: The best spice of all time, IMO. Find it in the spice aisle of your supermarket.
  • Vegetable Oil: Canola oil will also work, without changing the flavor.
  • Eggs: For that doughy texture.
  • Sugar: For the sugar rush, obvs! You can use granulated sugar, or a sugar alternative like coconut sugar should do the trick without needing to adjust the ratio.
  • Pumpkin Puree: Please, whatever you do, make sure you get the real deal and not Pumpkin Pie filling! 100% pure pumpkin puree, canned or mashed from scratch. You can even make your own using my crazy easy recipe for Slow Cooker Pumpkin Puree.

For the Glaze

  • Powdered Sugar: Helps the glaze to “set” and gives it a smooth, semi-opaque colour.
  • Caramel Sauce: No shame in store bought to keep things simple!
  • Sea Salt: Slightly coarser than regular salt and less intense in flavor. In a pinch you can use regular salt, but I’d advise adding a little less at first and then to taste, so the caramel doesn’t become overly salty!
  • Milk: A splash for some extra creamy richness, and to help thin the caramel sauce a bit for dipping. Dairy or non-dairy, including Oat or Almond Milk, all work just fine.
Baked Pumpkin Donuts in a pan, glazed with Salted Caramel

How to Make Baked Pumpkin Donuts

Salted Caramel-Glazed Pumpkin Donuts. Yeah, there’s a lot going on. However, that’s what is absolutely b-e-a-u-tiful about these babies: so much going on, yet so simple to make at home! If you don’t have a doughnut pan, dough-not worry 😉 (I crack myself up sometimes) – you can easily make these using a standard muffin tin.

Here’s how you make the Pumpkin Donuts:

  • Mix the Dry & Wet Ingredients Separately: Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice in one bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together vegetable oil, eggs, sugar and pumpkin puree.
  • Make the Batter: Combine your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients until everything is smooth.
  • Prep the Pans: Lightly grease 2 doughnut pans (or a 12-muffin tray) with cooking spray.
  • Fill the Pans & Bake: Since these aren’t going to “puff up” like deep fried donuts would, I’ve found filling the doughnut or muffin tray to about 2/3 full is the sweet spot. Also, if you’re using a muffin tray, keep in mind that you’ll need to bake the donuts in the oven slightly longer!

See, did I not promise these would be, like, the easiest baked donuts EVER? I’m a woman of my word!

Making and Adding the Glaze

While your donuts are baking, you can whip up the Salted Caramel Glaze. To do this, just add all the ingredients together in a bowl and whisk until the glaze is smooth. 

Finally, when your donuts have baked until they pass the toothpick test (if it comes out clean, they’re ready!) and they’ve cooled a bit, dip them into the caramel glaze and serve! Quick, where’s my coffee?

Close up of the Salted Caramel glaze

Tips for Success

  • Fill Your Doughnut Pan Easily: Fill a piping bag or, even easier, a Ziploc bag with your doughnut batter. Snip the corner off, then just pipe it into the pan, no mess involved!
  • Dress It Up: Before the glaze completely sets, you can garnish your donuts with different toppings of your choice. Crushed nuts, sprinkles, cinnamon sugar, even an extra dusting of sea salt; the sky’s the limit.
  • Spice It Up: You can find prepared Pumpkin Pie Spice at your local supermarket, or you can make it yourself! To do so, combine 1/4 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, and allspice and there you have it.

How to Store Glazed Donuts

You can store your cooled donuts either glazed or plain, in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature. Otherwise, they’ll keep for up to a week if stored in the fridge.

Can I Freeze These?

You can! With these, I find it best to use the pre-freeze method, and lay the donuts out (plain or glazed) on a lined cookie sheet before putting them in the freezer. This way, once frozen, you can store them all together in a freezer bag afterwards and grab-and-go! They can be kept in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.

To reheat, all you need to do is thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, or pop them in the microwave for a couple seconds at a time. Bam! Instant Pumpkin Donut. Even though they were pre-frozen, some of the glaze may come off, so once they’re thawed you can re-glaze them or give them a dusting of powdered sugar as needed.

More Pumpkin Recipes to Try

Salted Caramel-Glazed Pumpkin Donuts | www.diethood.com | Baked Pumpkin Donuts dipped in Salted Caramel Sauce.

Salted Caramel-Glazed Pumpkin Donuts

Katerina | Diethood
Baked Pumpkin Donuts dipped in Salted Caramel Sauce.
No ratings yet
Servings : 12
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

DONUTS
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
SALTED CARAMEL GLAZE
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3/4- cup caramel sauce (you can use store bought or you can use my recipe for Homemade Caramel Sauce)
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Lightly grease two doughnut pans with cooking spray. If you don’t have a doughnut pan, you can use a standard muffin pan, instead. Set aside.
  • Combine flour, salt, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice in a mixing bowl; whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
  • In your mixer’s bowl beat together vegetable oil, eggs, sugar and pumpkin puree.
  • Add flour mixture and continue to beat until well combined.
  • Fill the cavities of the doughnut pans 3/4 full.
  • Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If you are using a muffin pan, bake for 25 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
  • Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In the meantime, prepare the Salted Caramel Glaze
  • Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until completely combined and smooth.
  • Dip the cooled donuts in the glaze and serve.

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: DIETHOOD Pumpkin Donuts Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
 

Nutrition

Calories: 322 kcal | Carbohydrates: 54 g | Protein: 3 g | Fat: 10 g | Saturated Fat: 7 g | Cholesterol: 41 mg | Sodium: 552 mg | Potassium: 92 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 28 g | Vitamin A: 1665 IU | Vitamin C: 0.5 mg | Calcium: 33 mg | Iron: 1.4 mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

Keyword: baked donuts, easy pumpkin recipe, pumpkin dessert
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