Easy Recipe for Baked Gluten-Free Pumpkin Doughnuts

These gluten-free pumpkin doughnuts are soft, warmly spiced, ridiculously easy to make, and coated in buttery cinnamon sugar while they’re still fresh from the oven. They’re basically pumpkin spice season in doughnut form.

And because these are baked donuts, there’s no yeast, no frying, and no pot of hot oil standing between you and breakfast. All you need is a donut pan, a couple of bowls, and about 30 minutes.

If you’re a pumpkin lover, make yourself a warm cup of coffee and prepare to be very happy.

Jump to Recipe

The Perfect Fall Treat

I am all in on things pumpkin once September rolls around. There is something about the first hint of cooler weather that suddenly makes pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and all those other warm spices feel absolutely necessary.

These baked gluten free pumpkin donuts are one of my favorite ways to lean into the season.

They’re soft and tender inside, lightly crisp around the edges, and finished with a generous coating of melted butter and cinnamon sugar. The real pumpkin keeps them moist, while the spices make the kitchen smell like every good thing about fall.

They’re also incredibly simple. Unlike yeast donuts, there’s no rising time or special technique. You whisk, pipe the donut batter into the pan, bake, coat, and eat.

The eating part is obviously the best part.

What You’ll Need

Pumpkin Puree

Use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. (Though if you wanted to here’s how to roast your own pumpkin.)

Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and seasoned, so it will change the balance of the recipe. Plain pumpkin puree gives you control over both sweetness and spice.

You can usually find it near the baking ingredients at the grocery store, especially once fall arrives.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

I use an all-purpose flour style gluten-free flour blend for these doughnuts. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour works very well.

If your flour blend already contains xanthan gum, you can omit the additional xanthan gum in the recipe.

I would not swap the blend for straight almond flour, oat flour, rice flour, or coconut flour. Those flours all behave differently, particularly when it comes to moisture and structure, and this donut recipe was developed for a cup-for-cup style gluten-free blend.

For the best texture, measure your flour carefully. A digital scale is always the most accurate option, but the spoon-and-level method works too.

Warm Spices

Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice give these gluten-free pumpkin spice donuts their cozy fall flavor.

If you already have a favorite store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice, you can certainly use that flavor profile as inspiration, though I love the balance of the individual spices in the recipe as written.

Oil

I use vegetable oil, which keeps these doughnuts beautifully tender even after they cool to room temperature.

A neutral avocado oil should also work well. I haven’t tested this recipe with coconut oil, so I prefer to stick with a liquid neutral oil for predictable results.

Egg, Milk, and Vanilla

You’ll need one egg, whole milk, and vanilla extract.

For even mixing, it helps if the egg and milk are closer to room temperature, though I confess I have made these with ingredients straight from the fridge plenty of times.

If you’re exploring dairy-free options, an unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk may work in place of whole milk, but keep in mind that I developed and tested the original recipe with dairy milk.

You Really Do Need a Donut Pan

A standard donut pan gives these their classic round donut shape, and this recipe makes about nine standard-size doughnuts.

I use two six-cavity pans so I can bake everything at once. Coat the pans well with gluten-free nonstick spray before adding the batter.

A metal doughnut pan gives me reliably golden brown edges and easy release. If you’re using a silicone pan, your baking time may vary slightly and the exterior may not brown quite as much.

No donut pan?

You can experiment with a muffin pan, but naturally you’ll end up with pumpkin muffins rather than doughnuts. You could also make mini donuts if you have a mini donut pan; just begin checking them earlier because they’ll bake more quickly.

How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Doughnuts

These are refreshingly low-maintenance.

• Start by heating the oven to 425°F and coating your donut pan with nonstick spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour blend, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and xanthan gum if your blend needs it.
• Then add the wet ingredients—oil, brown sugar, egg, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and milk—and whisk until the donut batter is smooth.
• You do not need a stand mixer or hand mixer for this recipe. A whisk and a large bowl are all you need.
• If you prefer to mix the wet ingredients separately, use a medium bowl, whisk them together, and then add them to the flour mixture. But I’m always in favor of fewer dishes.
• Transfer the batter to a pastry bag or large ziplock bag and snip off one corner.
• This is much easier and tidier than spooning batter into the pan, especially when you’re trying to keep the center donut hole clear.
• Pipe the batter into each cavity, filling it about three-quarters full.
• Bake for about 8 to 9 minutes, until the tops spring back lightly when touched and the edges are just golden brown.

The short baking time is one of the reasons I love this recipe. From craving to warm doughnut is dangerously fast.

Cool Them Before Coating

• Let the doughnuts sit briefly in the pan, then gently twist them to loosen.
• Transfer them to a wire rack or cooling rack and let them cool.
• If anything sticks, gently loosen the edges rather than forcing them out. With a well-greased pan, they should release pretty easily.
• You can set a sheet of parchment, foil, or even a few paper towels beneath the rack to make cleanup easier before adding the coating.

Cinnamon Sugar Makes Everything Better

The classic finish here is simple and very hard to improve upon.

Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Brush or dip the cooled doughnuts in melted butter, then roll them generously in the cinnamon sugar until every side is covered.

I like a good coating, including the top of the donut, because restraint is not really the point here.

Serve them right away if you can. The combination of tender pumpkin cake, buttery exterior, and sparkling cinnamon sugar is absolute fall bliss.

Can I Add a Glaze Instead?

Absolutely.

If you want to change things up, skip the cinnamon sugar and drizzle the doughnuts with a simple maple glaze made from powdered sugar, a little maple syrup, and enough milk to reach a pourable consistency.

A brown sugar glaze, brown sugar icing, or vanilla glaze would also be delicious.

I especially love the idea of maple glaze when you want these to feel a little more dessert-y or polished for brunch.

How to Store Gluten-Free Pumpkin Donuts

These really are best the day they’re made, especially once they’ve been coated in cinnamon sugar.

Store any leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two.

The coating will soften as the doughnuts sit, but the pumpkin helps the centers remain moist.

If you know you won’t be serving them immediately, I would store the uncoated doughnuts in an airtight container and add the melted butter and cinnamon sugar shortly before serving.

Can I Make These Refined-Sugar Free?

I haven’t tested this recipe with coconut sugar or another sugar substitute, so I can’t promise the same result.

The brown sugar contributes both sweetness and moisture, while the granulated sugar creates that classic crisp cinnamon-sugar finish. Changing or eliminating the refined sugar will affect both flavor and texture.

If that’s a priority, I’d look for a recipe specifically developed around those substitutions rather than risking a sad batch of pumpkin doughnuts.

Life is too short for sad doughnuts.

Why These Are One of My Favorite Gluten-Free Fall Recipes

When you have celiac disease, seasonal treats can sometimes feel like one more thing you have to recreate at home.

Thankfully, these don’t feel like a compromise.

They have that cozy bakery-style vibe I want from apple cider donuts and pumpkin doughnuts in the fall, but they’re completely gluten-free and easy enough to make before everyone else wakes up.

No deep frying. No complicated equipment. No waiting around for dough to rise.

Just pumpkin, spice, a trusty donut pan, and a slightly unreasonable amount of cinnamon sugar.

These gluten-free pumpkin doughnuts have become one of my favorite things to bake during pumpkin spice season, although I’d happily argue that pumpkin deserves to be a year-round favorite.

Whether you make them for breakfast, tuck them into a fall brunch spread, or eat one standing over the kitchen counter with coffee, they’re a pretty perfect little taste of autumn.

And if you’re looking for more gluten-free recipes to celebrate the season, try my baked gluten-free apple cider donuts next.

Happy pumpkin season.

Even More Gluten Free Doughnuts to Try

• Best Gluten Free Doughnuts for Fall
• Strawberry Shortcake Gluten Free Doughnuts
• Baked Gluten-Free Apple Cider Doughnuts

Thank you for helping support my small business! A Girl Defloured earns revenue in a few different ways; I have occasional sponsored post and I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there might be a few of those links in this post. The only items that I feature are those that I use on a regular basis and that I truly love. I earn a small commission on your purchase, but you don’t pay any more than retail price. This allows me to share my recipes with you (and keeps me well fed). THANK YOU!