Apple Cider Donuts Recipe (Baked with Cinnamon Sugar)

Warm, baked apple cider donuts bring the feeling of a fall orchard home with real apple cider, cozy cinnamon, and a simple cinnamon-sugar finish. This apple cider donuts recipe uses whole-wheat pastry flour, coconut sugar, applesauce, Greek yogurt, and coconut oil for soft, cakey donuts with big apple flavor.

There is no frying involved. Mix the batter in two bowls, fill the donut pans, and bake until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Then brush both sides with melted coconut oil or butter and dip them in cinnamon sugar while they are warm.

This recipe makes 12 donuts. Plan on 10 minutes of preparation and about 8 minutes of cooking for 18 minutes total. Once the batter is ready, the donuts are ready in about 10–12 minutes overall, with 6–8 minutes in the oven. They are done when they spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick comes out clean. Serve them for breakfast, dessert, brunch, or the holidays.

Why You Will Love This Apple Cider Donuts Recipe

These donuts have the classic apple cider flavor in a lighter baked format. Apple cider and cinnamon bring the seasonal flavor, and the baked donuts are soft and cakey with big apple flavor. Coconut sugar sweetens the batter, while Greek yogurt helps keep the crumb soft and tender. The warm cinnamon-sugar coating gives each donut an orchard-style finish.

• Quick and simple: Once the two mixtures are combined, spoon or pipe the batter into the pans and bake. The donuts are ready quickly, with no frying required.
• Make-ahead friendly: The donuts stay soft the next day and freeze well. Warm one for a few seconds when you want it to taste freshly baked.
• A lighter formula: Whole-wheat pastry flour, coconut sugar, and applesauce stand in for traditional white flour, brown sugar, and lots of butter. Greek yogurt adds moisture and helps keep the crumb soft and tender.
• Warm cinnamon sugar: Coat the donuts while they are still warm so the sugar sticks and the finish has that familiar fall feel.

Ingredients

Use apple cider here, not apple cider vinegar. Unfiltered cider from a local orchard is a good choice, and many grocery stores carry apple cider as well. Use unsweetened applesauce; any kind works, including homemade applesauce.

For the Donuts

• ½ cup unfiltered apple cider: This is cider, not vinegar.
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce: Homemade applesauce works too.
• 1¾ cups whole-wheat pastry flour: This flour has more fiber, protein, and other nutrients than traditional white flour. Bob’s Red Mill Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour is one option.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup coconut sugar: Use it in place of granulated sugar or brown sugar in the batter.
• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt adds protein and moisture. Fage 5% Greek yogurt and Stonyfield whole milk Greek yogurt are two dairy yogurt options.
• 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil: Coconut oil replaces butter in the batter.
• 1 egg: The egg binds the ingredients and adds a little protein.

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or melted butter: Use a light brush on both sides of the baked donuts before coating.
• ½ cup organic cane sugar
• ½ tablespoon cinnamon

The 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil are for the batter. For coating, use a light brush of melted coconut oil or butter. You will also need cooking spray for two six-cavity donut pans. A wire rack is used for cooling, and a shallow bowl is useful for the cinnamon sugar. A large icing piping tip can make filling the donut cavities neat and easy, but it is not required.

How to Make Baked Apple Cider Donuts

1. Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and sea salt.
3. Combine the wet ingredients. In another medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider, applesauce, coconut sugar, Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, and egg until combined and smooth.
4. Make the batter. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
5. Fill the pans. Spray two six-cavity donut pans with cooking spray. Spoon or pipe the batter evenly into all 12 cavities. If you spoon it in, shake the pan gently to even it out.
6. Bake and prepare the topping. Bake for 6–8 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick comes out clean. While the donuts are baking, mix the organic cane sugar and ½ tablespoon of cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Cool the donuts in the pan for 2 minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack.
7. Brush and coat. Brush each donut on both sides with melted coconut oil or butter. Dip the brushed donuts in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated. Repeat until all the donuts are coated, and enjoy them warm.

Tips for Success

Use the pan that gives you the classic shape. A donut pan is needed for the traditional ring shape. Two six-cavity pans provide the 12 cavities needed for this batch. Donut pans are inexpensive and easy to find; Wilton non-stick pans are one option described as costing less than $15 online. If you do not have a donut pan, you can make muffins instead; this alternative has been reported to turn out well, and you should double the cook time. Muffins will not have the traditional ring shape.

Choose spooning or piping. A large icing piping tip makes filling the cavities neat and easy, but you do not need one. Spoon the batter evenly into the greased pans instead, then shake the pan gently to level it.

Use both doneness cues. Start checking during the 6–8-minute bake. The donuts should spring back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted into one should come out clean.

Give the donuts time to release. Cool them in the pan for 2 minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack. If they seem delicate, let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them so they do not break apart.

Coat them warm. Have the cinnamon sugar mixed in a shallow bowl while the donuts bake. Once the donuts are warm and inverted, brush both sides with melted coconut oil or butter and dip them until fully coated.

Variations and Substitutions

The batter uses whole-wheat pastry flour and Greek yogurt, but the following options can help when you need to use a different ingredient.

• All-purpose flour: Use all-purpose flour in place of whole-wheat pastry flour if that is what you have on hand.
• Gluten-free flour: A 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour can be used to make these donuts gluten-free. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF baking blend is one example.
• Non-dairy yogurt: Readers have reported success swapping the Greek yogurt for non-dairy yogurt. Culina coconut yogurt is one option.
• Sour cream: A few readers have also used sour cream and said it worked well.

Keep the apple cider distinct from apple cider vinegar: cider is the intended ingredient for the batter.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Freezing

These donuts taste best the day they are baked, especially when served warm with their cinnamon-sugar coating. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. They stay soft the next day and freeze well.

To prepare them ahead for brunch or the holidays, bake the donuts the day before and store them plain. Brush and coat them in cinnamon sugar right before serving so they stay fresh and perfectly coated.

For a warm donut, heat one for a few seconds. A toaster oven is another way to reheat them and gives the outside a nice crisp finish.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these baked apple cider donuts warm after they have been brushed and dipped in cinnamon sugar. The 12-donut batch is suited to breakfast, dessert, brunch, or the holidays. For a make-ahead occasion, keep the donuts plain until close to serving time, then add the coating so the sugar is fresh and fully adhered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is apple cider the same as apple cider vinegar?

No. Use ½ cup of unfiltered apple cider. Apple cider vinegar is not the intended ingredient.

Can I use all-purpose flour?

Yes. All-purpose flour can replace the whole-wheat pastry flour. For a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF baking blend.

What can I use instead of Greek yogurt?

Readers have reported success with non-dairy yogurt, including Culina coconut yogurt. A few readers have also used sour cream and said it worked well.

Can I use butter for the cinnamon-sugar coating?

Yes. Use a light brush of melted butter or melted coconut oil on both sides of each warm donut before dipping it in the cinnamon sugar. The 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil are for the batter; the light brush of coconut oil or butter is for coating.

How do I fill the donut pans without a piping tip?

Spoon the batter evenly into the greased cavities, then shake the pan gently to even it out. A large icing piping tip is helpful for neat filling, but it is optional.

How long do baked apple cider donuts keep?

Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. They are best fresh, stay soft the next day, and freeze well. Warm one for a few seconds or use a toaster oven to reheat it. Without a donut pan, make muffins instead and double the cook time, but use a donut pan for the traditional ring shape.

Nutrition Information

Each donut contains approximately 186 calories, 33g carbohydrates, 3g protein, 5g fat, 177mg sodium, 3g fiber, and 19g sugar. Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used only as an approximation.