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These homemade apple cider donuts have the same consistency as fried donuts and are jam-packed with fall’s flavors – just like the ones sold at apple orchards alongside caramel apples. They are baked rather than fried and can be made as standard donuts, donut holes, or apple cider donut muffins!
My aunt says that these baked donuts might be the best dessert she’s ever had. I don’t really play favorites, but this is a winner for sure. They smell SO good coming out of the oven!
Best of all, these are no yeast donuts that require very little fuss!
Table of Contentsshow
What Makes These Apple Cider Donuts Special
Reduced Apple Cider
I cook the apple cider down on the stovetop until it’s reduced by half. This makes it more of a concentrate and gives it a stronger apple flavor.
Fall Spices
Not only do these no yeast donuts have apple cider in the recipe, but they are loaded with fall spices:
- ginger
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- allspice
- clove
I use the spices in two ways in this recipe:
- There are spices mixed into the batter.
- The donuts are dusted in a blend of the spices and brown sugar instead of powdered sugar.
Oven baked donuts never excited me in the past. “A donut isn’t a donut unless it is fried,” I thought.
Well, I’m officially a baked donut convert! Don’t get me wrong, I still love the fried version, but these taste just as good as the fried ones and you don’t need to mess with a deep fryer! This recipe is also great if you want to make no yeast donuts, as yeast can be a bit of a pain to deal with.
To make these apple cider doughnuts, you’ll need a donut pan [paid link] or a donut hole pan [paid link].
I love how both of these pans make really small treats! I’ve even used donuts made in the donut pan to top my coffee cupcakes.
Wouldn’t these apple donuts be really cute on top of apple cupcakes?
Once you have these pans, they can come in handy for all kinds of donuts!
Like the pans you use for making madeleines, and specialty bundt cake pans, donut pans are not essential baking tools and you may not want to invest in them. You could use a mini muffin pan [paid link] in a pinch.
Donuts made in a mini muffin pan are technically called apple cider donut muffins. They end up less round than they would in a donut hole pan when using a mini muffin pan – that’s the only difference.
Tips for Baking Apple Cider Donuts
- Make sure to grease the pan well so that the donuts easily pop out. You can use a non-stick cooking spray or melted butter or oil.
- Roll the donuts in the spices while they are still hot. The spices stick better to warm donuts.
Can You Use Apple Juice Instead of Apple Cider?
You may wonder if you can use apple juice in an apple cider donut. Apple cider is raw apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process to remove coarse particles of pulp or sediment. Because of this, it generally has a stronger apple taste than apple juice.
Raw unfiltered apple juice is a good substitution as it is essentially the same thing as cider.
You could also make these with frozen apple juice concentrate. Let the concentrate come to room temperature before using it, just use 1/2 cup, and skip the step of reducing it.
Are baked donuts healthier than fried ones?
Yes, as there’s a much smaller amount of oil used to make them! When made correctly, they still have that classic donut feel with a slightly cakier texture, and aren’t as unhealthy as donuts deep fried in oil.
What’s so special about apple cider donuts?
This New England fall classic treat takes the classic buttermilk doughnut and adds a twist of autumnal flavor by adding apple cider. These baked donuts have a notably apple-y flavor, and are often coated in a mixture of granulated sugar/light brown sugar and cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices.
Freezing Apple Cider Donuts
If you aren’t eating your no yeast donuts right away, loosely cover them and eat them within 24 hours.
Baked donuts freeze SO well!I pop a huge pile of them into my freezer in an airtight container and take them out whenever I want a taste of fall – just microwave them in 10 second bursts to heat them up!
Other Must-Try Apple Desserts
- Apple butter caramel icing goes on everything! I love it on my pumpkin bundt cake!
- Apple crumble pie (sometimes called Dutch apple pie)
- Apple cider ice cream
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!
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4.67 from 6 votes
Apple Cider Donuts
These spiced apple cider donuts made with brown sugar have the same consistency as fried donuts and are jam-packed with fall’s flavors – just like the ones sold at apple orchards. They are baked rather than fried and can be made as standard donuts, donut holes, or apple cider donut muffins!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 20 minutesminutes
Servings 30mini donuts
Calories 113kcal
Author Stefani
Ingredients
Apple Cider Spice Mix Ingredients
- 1teaspoonground ginger
- 1teaspoonground cinnamon
- 1teaspoonground nutmeg
- 1teaspoonground allspice
- 1/2teaspoonground cloves
Donut Ingredients
- 1cupapple cider
- 2cupsall-purpose flour
- 3/4cupbrown sugar
- 1 1/2teaspoonsbaking powder
- 1/4teaspoonbaking soda
- 1/2teaspoonsalt
- 1teaspoonspice mix from above
- 2large eggsroom temperature
- 1/4cupbuttermilk
- 3tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted
- 1teaspoonvanilla extract
Donut Topping Ingredients
- 3/4cupbrown sugar
- remaining spice mix from above
- 6tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Apple Cider Spice Mix Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Donut Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a small saucepan on high heat, bring apple cider to a boil and reduce by half. It's OK to cheat and pour the apple cider out into a heat resistant liquid measuring cup periodically to see if the cider is down to a half cup; you could also use a pot with internal markings.
Remove cider from heat and cool until warm to the touch.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture from above.
In another medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and the reduced cider.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.
Grease wells of a mini donut or donut hole pan with non-stick baking spray. Fill wells 3/4 full.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the donuts bounce back when lightly touched.
Remove donuts from pan.
Donut Topping Instructions
Mix brown sugar into the remaining apple cider spice blend from above.
Dip each donut hole into melted butter and roll in spice blend to coat.
Serve warm.
Notes
If you don’t have a donut or donut hole pan, you can make these in a mini-muffin pan. They just won’t be as round.
If not eating right away, loosely cover and eat within 24 hours or freeze for months and microwave in 10 second bursts until warm.
Nutrition
Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
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