Make donuts from the coziness of your own kitchen with this simple, absolutely delicious recipe for apple cider donuts. These cake donuts are baked with the warm flavors of apple cider, brown sugar, and vanilla, they have a tender cake donut crumb and a sandy, cinnamon sugar coating.
Warm and flavorful apple cider donuts are such a fun way to ring in falltime. With the loveliness of fall gardens, cooler mornings, and warm afternoons of apple orchard and pumpkin patch visits, autumn is busy with so many wonderful things.
With warm spices that give bold flavor while also filling your home with delicious fragrance, our favorite fall recipes could easily go on and on. Breakfasts like sourdough French toast casserole, sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and apple cake with caramel glaze are all decadent enough to double as dessert. Dinner recipes like one-pan pork chops with apples, slow-cooker French onion soup, and easy stuffed shells with ricotta reinforce this season of deep flavors and comfort foods.
And while we’re no strangers to homemade donuts – brioche donuts with vanilla custard and sourdough donuts with vanilla glaze are some big favorites – these homemade apple cider donuts are perfectly fitting for the fall season. They have a crackling, cinnamon-sugared outside, with a cakey, fluffy interior and the spicy-sweet flavors of reduced apple cider.
Serve them warm with a pot of coffee for breakfast, with a scoop of homemade pumpkin ice cream for dessert, or heaped on a platter for get-togethers. They won’t last long!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Delicious fall flavors – Sweet and spicy apple flavor make these the perfect cider donuts.
Fluffy, cakey texture – These delicious fall treats have a delightfully tender crumb and the fun crunch of cinnamon sugar.
Easy homemade donuts – Made with pantry staples and uncomplicated steps, this recipe is not only simple, but it comes together quickly. Since they are baked, there is no dealing with hot oil, waiting for the yeast to rise, or checking the oil temperature, They can be whipped together in little time.
Ingredients
Apple cider – I think fresh, unfiltered apple cider tastes best in this recipe. You can find it seasonally in grocery stores or at your local orchard or farmer’s market.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Donut pan (or a muffin tin)
How to Make Apple Cider Donuts
Step 1: Pour apple cider into a saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until it has reduced to 1/2 cup of cider. Remove from the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 2: Stir the flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in a large bowl.
Step 3: Add the cooled cider, melted butter, vanilla extract, milk, and egg to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Step 4: Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit and grease the donut pan. Pour the donut batter into your prepared pans. You can also use gallon bags with the corner cut out to pipe the batter in.
Step 5: Bake for 12 – 13 minutes or until golden brown. Once baked, let them cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Step 6: Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a shallow bowl or plate. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate shallow bowl or plate. Dip the donuts in the butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar until coated. Enjoy warm apple cider donuts right away.
Tips
- Reducing the cider gives the donuts a heightened flavor.
- Pipe the batter into the donut pans with a gallon bag or piping bag.
- Donuts are done when they are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Dip in butter and sugar while still slightly warm for the best results.
Recipe FAQs
Muffin tins work well as a substitute for a donut pan. Even though you won’t have the classic donut shape, it’ll still be a similar size.
Fresh donuts are the best, so I recommend eating them the same day. If there are leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. They’re best if you warm them up before eating.
Apple juice doesn’t have as much flavor, so I still recommend reducing it. You can add some apple pie spice to the apple juice to kick the flavor up a notch, too!
You could try using a gluten-free 1:1 flour. I expect the texture will be a bit denser, but they should still be delicious!
The difference is in the concentrated apple cider, which adds so much flavor to the batter.
More Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Ricotta Cheese Pancakes
- Homemade Pop Tarts
- Sourdough Cinnamon Crunch Bagels
- Easy Sourdough Puff Pastry
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Equipment
- 1 donut pan
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Pour apple cider into a small saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until it has reduced to 1/2 cup of cider. Remove from the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Stir the flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Add the cooled cider, melted butter, vanilla extract, milk, and egg to a medium bowl. Whisk until well combined. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Mix well.
- Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit and grease the donut pan. Pour the donut batter into your prepared pans. You can also use gallon bags with the corner cut out to pipe the batter in.
- Bake for 12 – 13 minutes or until golden brown. To tell if they are done, gently press the donuts. They should spring back. Once baked, let them cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a shallow bowl or plate. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate shallow bowl or plate. Dip the donuts in the butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar until coated. Enjoy these delicious donuts right away.
Notes
- Reducing the cider gives the donuts a heightened cider flavor.
- Pipe the batter into the donut pans with a gallon bag or piping bag.
- Donuts are done when they are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Dip in butter and sugar while still slightly warm for the best results.
- Please double-check amounts when using the multiplying feature in the recipe card.
- If you are looking for gram measurements, toggle to the “metric” version in the recipe card.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
