Apple Cider Baked Donuts are perfect for portion control, containing only 74 calories per donut, and way less fat than fried donuts. They are quick and easy to make and super delish.
Fall is my favorite season... and nothing tastes like it as apple cider!
But instead of drinking it only, how about taking bites of it? 🙂
Yep! Have these apple cider donuts for both breakfast and a snack with a cup of coffee...
Baked Donut Recipe
The recipe for these baked donuts has been adapted from Apple Cider and Cinnamon Baked Donuts by We Heart Vegan.
Brittany makes her vegan baked donuts with coconut flour, egg replacer, and vegan butter but I replace them with all-purpose flour, real eggs, and unsalted butter respectively.
Instead of only tossing these baked donuts in a premixed mixture of cinnamon and sugar as Brittany did, I drizzled them with maple glaze.
Well, although my donuts are not vegan, they are guilt-free and let's say healthy too (small and baked which means they are both lower in calories and less fattening).
You can have them at home, or take them to school or work.
Enjoy the season and many of our fall goodies such as our Candied Sweet Potatoes Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Topping.
Happy Fall!!!
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make our baked donut recipe, you will need these simple ingredients:
For the Apple Cider Baked Donuts:
- 1 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, (for a gluten-free version, use an equal amount of gluten-free all-purpose flour and add ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum to the recipe)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup fresh apple cider, reduced or not. I didn't reduce mine which resulted in donuts with a more subtle flavor)
- ½ cup white sugar (do not replace with brown sugar)
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (For a dairy-free version, use an equal amount of dairy-free butter or vegetable oil)
For the Maple Glaze:
- 1¼ cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon dark corn syrup, or Karo syrup
- ½ tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon maple flavoring, optional
Or For the Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (Optional)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (It is optional, but without it, the sugar-cinnamon mixture won't stick on the donuts as much)
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
HOW TO MAKE APPLE CIDER BAKED DONUTS
- Preheat the oven to 350 º F (180º C). Lightly grease the donut pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside!
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon. PIC. 1 In a small separate bowl, whisk the egg. Set both aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the apple cider, sugar, and butter, stirring often until the butter has just melted. PIC. 2 Remove from heat, let cool for 2 minutes, and stir in the apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and whisked egg.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients; stir well with a whisker until combined and almost no lumps are visible. PIC. 3 & 4
- Using a piping bag (or a tablespoon or a cookie scooper), pipe (spoon/scoop) the batter into a donut pan (¾ full). PICS. 5 & 6
- Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes (standard-size, yielding about 10-13 donuts) or for 6-7 minutes (mini baked donuts, yielding about 26), or until light golden brown and cooked through.
- Let cool for 2-3 minutes on a rack. Then, remove baked donuts from the pan and place them directly on a rack to cool completely before dipping them into the glaze.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Maple Glaze: Whisk everything together in a small bowl until smooth. PICS. 7 & 8 Set a rack of donuts over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dip the top of the baked donuts into the maple glaze, turning to coat well. Let baked donuts rest on the rack until glaze sets. PICS. 9 & 10
- Alternatively, you can brush the apple cider donuts with melted butter and then coat them with cinnamon sugar.
How many calories are in baked donuts?
These mini-baked donuts have about 74 calories per donut and contain less fat than fried donuts. If you make them standard-size, they will contain the double calories.
What Type of Apple Cider Should I Use?
I use a fresh pressed apple cider, but you can use any brand you enjoy. However, make sure to buy plain cider, not spiced cider.
Do I have to reduce the apple cider?
No, you don't! If you decide to reduce it, your baked donuts will have a rich and more concentrated flavor of apple cider. Because I didn't reduce mine, they have a subtle apple cider flavor!
Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider?
Although you can technically replace apple cider with apple juice, these apple cider donuts won't have the same flavor for obvious reasons.
What's the difference between apple cider and apple juice?
Apple juice is apple cider that has been filtered. This means apple cider has a much more concentrated flavor.
Do I have to brush the baked apple cider donuts with melted butter?
No, but it will help the sugar-cinnamon mixture stick to the donuts. If you are trying to keep the fat content lower, you can simply dip the hot donuts right into the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Keep in mind the mixture won't stick on them as much as when you coat them in butter first.
Can these baked donuts be made dairy-free?
Yes! For this, replace regular butter with an equal amount of dairy-free butter or vegetable oil.
Can I make these healthy donuts gluten-free?
Yes! For this, replace the all-purpose flour with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour and add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum.
STORAGE
Store baked donuts in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature, or for u to 4 days in the fridge.
Freeze them in layers for up to 2 months without the glaze. Make sure to place a sheet of parchment paper in between each layer of donuts.
Thaw them over the counter and glaze them.
OTHER APPLE TREATS:
- Fried Apple Cobbler Bars
- Apple Baked Oatmeal
- Salted Caramel Apple Cider
- Apple Cider Coffee Cake
- Ruby Apple Pie
- Apple Almond Skillet Cake
- Apple Crumble Muffins
PIN & ENJOY!
Apple Cider Baked Donuts
Equipment
- 1 oven
- 1 Foyer
- 3 bowls
- 1 pan
Ingredients
For the Apple Cider Baked Donuts:
- 1 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for a gluten-free version, use an equal amount of gluten-free all-purpose flour and add ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum to the recipe)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ½ cup fresh apple cider reduced or not. I didn't reduce mine which resulted in donuts with a more subtle flavor)
- ½ cup white sugar do not replace with brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter For a dairy-free version, use an equal amount of dairy-free butter or vegetable oil
For the Maple Glaze:
- 1¼ cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon dark corn syrup or Karo syrup
- ½ tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon maple flavoring optional
For the Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (Optional)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted (It is optional, but without it, the sugar-cinnamon mixture won't stick on the donuts as much)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 º F (180º C). Lightly grease the donut pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside!
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon. In a small separate bowl, whisk the egg. Set both aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the apple cider, sugar, and butter, stirring often until the butter has just melted. Remove from heat, let cool for 2 minutes, and stir in the apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and whisked egg. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients; stir well with a whisker until combined and almost no lumps are visible.
- Using a piping bag (or a tablespoon or a cookie scooper), pipe (spoon/scoop) the batter into a donut pan (¾ full). Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes (standard-size, yielding about 10-13 donuts) or for 6-7 minutes (mini baked donuts, yielding about 26), or until light golden brown and cooked through.
- Let cool for 2-3 minutes on a rack. Then, remove baked donuts from the pan and place them directly on a rack to cool completely before dipping them into the glaze.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Maple Glaze: Whisk everything together in a small bowl until smooth. Set a rack of donuts over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dip the top of the baked donuts into the maple glaze, turning to coat well. Let baked donuts rest on the rack until glaze sets.
- Alternatively, you can brush the apple cider donuts with melted butter and then coat them with cinnamon sugar.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
Post first published on September 22, 2013.
Raymund says
Honestly I wanna grab those donuts out of my screen.
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Raymund!
Karen says
What a FAB autumn recipe and so delectable to look at! Hi! I am new to group C and am enjoying doing the rounds this morning! Karen
Denise Browning says
Welcome to group C!!! I am happy that you have enjoyed my treat, Karen!
Lynne @ 365 Days of Baking & More says
Perfect for a Fall morning. I so want these for breakfast now!
Denise Browning says
Oh, Lynne! They are great for breakfast -- and as an afternoon treat as well.
Heather says
Now that's what I call breakfast! 🙂 perhaps well have to make some of these this week.. My kids love their donuts and I usually make a lot to freeze for ahead of time as it is a great snack to quickly defrost and eat !
Denise Browning says
It sounds a great plan, Heather!
Rhonda says
I remember when I got We Heart Vegan, I was petrified because I'm a big carnivore. Ended up loving their recipes. The donuts look amazing, wish I had one for breakfast right now.
Denise Browning says
We Heart Vegan has great recipes. It was hard for me to decide for only one.
A Couple in the Kitchen says
The perfect recipe to welcome fall. And they're beautiful!
Denise Browning says
Thank you!!!! Enjoy!
Cate @ Chez CateyLou says
I just bought a donut pan and can't get enough donut recipes! This looks like a great one, I can't wait to try it!! So perfect for this fall weather!
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Cate, Please, try this recipe. You won't regret it.
Erin @ Making Memories says
Your donuts look heavenly! Perfect for fall. We just love anything maple so these sound perfect. Thanks!
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Erin!
Deanna Segrave-Daly says
I've held off on all the apple & pumpkin recipes because I'm a summer girl (plus 80 degree weather and still getting tomatoes and zucchini in my CSA share wanted me to enjoy summer to the very end.) But now I'm ready and this will probably be the very first apple recipe I make for the season - pinning right now!
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Deanna! I hope you make this recipe in a near future...It is a good one. Thanks also for sharing it!
Our Eating Habits says
What a perfect fall treat!
Denise Browning says
Thank you! My family and I really loved these donuts. They were gone in a blink of an eye.
Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com says
Loving the flavors of these baked donuts! And that maple glaze - I think I could drink it with a straw!
Denise Browning says
Oh, Shashi!Thanks so much...
chelsy says
These look ahhhhhhhmazing! I need one stat!
Denise Browning says
Thanks so much for stopping by, Chelsy!
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
I want one now!
Denise Browning says
I wish you could give you two, Abbe... 🙂
Ash-foodfashionparty says
I am getting on it asap. These are some delicious looking donuts.
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Ash!
Chris says
These look like irresistible bites of autumn goodness! I have peach cider in the fridge from a local orchard I believe I am going to try these with. Since the warm weather is not entertaining the whole "it's fall", I will have to try them twice....once with the peach and once with apple. Brilliant choice!
Denise Browning says
Thanks a lot, Chris, for both stopping by and your sweet words. I hope you try this recipe. It became a family favorite.
Nik@ABrownTable says
What pretty looking donuts, I love the cider glaze idea!
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Nik! They are a comfort treat for sure.
Beth says
Those donuts look amazing!
Lisa {AuthenticSuburbanGourmet} says
What a perfect donut to celebrate the entrance of the fall season! Glad to be part of SRC group C with you.
Karen - Cinnamon Freud says
Oh my this looks amazing. Apples and donuts- and a glaze? Perfect for fall.
cquek says
I should never have read this before lunch!!!