Baked Apple Cider Donuts are a classic fall treat that reminds me of visits to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch.
But you don’t have to be a professional baker to enjoy one of these scrumptious treats.
Sweet, tart apple cider is reduced to a concentrated burst of fall flavor and mixed into a spiced batter. These beauties are baked to fluffy perfection, dipped in melted butter, and coated with crunchy cinnamon sugar.
Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee or tea.
Why KJ Loves
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
I absolutely love these apple cider donuts! They are just loaded full of Fall flavor – plus they make your home smell wonderful as they are baking away!
Why You’ll Love These Apple Donuts
No frying.
While fried donuts taste delicious when someone else makes them, dealing with a vat of hot grease can be a pain…and super messy. These donuts are baked — making them easy and splatter-free!
Apple explosion.
Tis the season for everything apple. With the concentrated apple cider and applesauce, you’ll get an intense hit of apple — just how an apple donut should be.
Bakery quality.
These cinnamon sugar apple donuts taste like they were just lifted out of a bakery case onto your plate. You won’t believe how easy it is to make a treat that tastes so good.
Baked Apple Cider Donut Ingredients
Eggs
Vegetable Oil
The oil makes the apple donuts extra soft.
Unsweetened Apple Sauce
This adds more delicious apple flavor and helps make the donuts moist.
Apple Cider
Choose high-quality, fresh apple cider for the best results! (A good excuse to visit an apple orchard, in my opinion!) You’ll end up boiling it to reduce the cider and get a super concentrated, apple cider flavor in your donuts.
Baking Staples & Spices
Vanilla, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
Topping
Sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter
How To Make Baked Apple Cider Donuts
01) Reduce the apple cider.
Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, allow the cider to simmer, and reduce to ½ cup of apple cider. This will take roughly 5 minutes.
Transfer the concentrated apple cider to a separate bowl to cool.
02) Make the batter.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, apple sauce, condensed apple cider (cooled), vanilla, and brown sugar until smooth.
Then, add in the dry ingredients: baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until combined.
03) Fill the donut pan.
Spray a donut baking pan with cooking spray. Working in batches, evenly spoon the batter into the donut pan to fill each one.
Another option: Try piping the batter into your donut pans with a Ziplock bag, with the corner cut off.
04) Bake the donuts.
Bake the apple cider donuts until golden brown and cooked through.
Allow them to cool slightly before turning the donuts out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Repeat this process until all the batter has been used.
How To Make the Cinnamon Sugar Topping
01) Prep the ingredients.
Add the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix until combined. Add the melted butter to another bowl.
02) Dunk the donuts.
Working with one donut at a time, dunk both sides of the donut in the melted butter, allowing the extra butter to drip off. (Wherever the butter gets, the cinnamon sugar will stick!)
03) Coat the donuts.
Then transfer the apple donut over to the cinnamon sugar mixture. Heavily coat the donut on all sides. Transfer the donut back to the cooling rack.
04) Repeat.
Repeat until all the donuts have been coated. Enjoy!
How To Serve Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Serve as a dessert after a cozy dinner of Baked Cream Cheese Pasta. Or, balance things out with a healthy Harvest Apple Chopped Salad.
You can serve the donuts for breakfast or brunch along with a protein-filled side, like Sheet Pan Baked Eggs.
These would also be a fun party food at your next fall get-together!
Baked Apple Cider Donuts FAQ
Can you make these ahead of time?
These apple donuts are best fresh. But to speed things up, you can reduce the apple cider ahead of time. If you want to make the donuts the night before, warm them up in the morning in the microwave for the best results!
How do you store apple cider donuts?
Store your donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
Why do you reduce the apple cider down first?
Reducing the apple cider down to only ½ cup really concentrates the flavor and gives the donuts a full apple cider flavor!
Can you bake donuts instead of frying?
Absolutely! Baking offers a lighter alternative to frying while still allowing you to get a delightful texture and flavor.
What makes apple cider donuts different?
Apple cider donuts incorporate reduced apple cider, which adds a deep, intense flavor.
How long do apple cider donuts stay fresh?
Apple cider donuts are best enjoyed right away, but will keep for several days in an airtight container.
Other Baked Donut Recipes
- Another recipe full of fall flavors: Cinnamon Sugar Baked Pumpkin Donuts
- With a white chocolate topping, these Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts are next level.
- Baked Blueberry Lemon Donuts are bursting with sweet berries and zingy lemon zest.
- A classic dessert just got a makeover: Baked Churro Donuts with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 15 donuts 1x
Description
Baked Apple Cider Donuts are a classic fall treat that reminds me of visits to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch.
But you don’t have to be a professional baker to enjoy one of these scrumptious treats.
Sweet, tart apple cider is reduced to a concentrated burst of fall flavor and mixed into a spiced batter. These beauties are baked to fluffy perfection, dipped in melted butter, and coated with crunchy cinnamon sugar.
Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee or tea.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 ½ cups apple cider
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
Directions:
- Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and allow to boil and simmer and reduce down to ½ cup of apple cider, about 5 minutes. Transfer the condensed apple cider to a separate bowl to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, apple sauce, condensed apple cider (cooled), vanilla and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add in the four, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and whisk until combined.
- Spray a donut baking pan with cooking spray. Working in batches, evenly spoon the batter into the donut pan to fill each one. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool slightly before turning the donuts out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat until all the batter has been used.
For topping:
- Add the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and mix until combined. Add the melted butter to another bowl.
- Working with one donut at a time, dunk both sides of the donut in the melted butter (wherever the butter gets, the cinnamon sugar will stick!) allowing the extra butter to drip off. Then transfer over to the cinnamon sugar mixture and heavily coat the donut on all sides. Transfer the donut back to the cooling rack.
- Repeat until all the donuts have been coated. Enjoy!
Notes
- Reducing the apple cider down to only ½ cup really concentrates the flavor and helps the donuts have a full apple cider flavor!
- Here is the donut pan that I used.
- Store these an airtight container. I love to re-heat mine for a few seconds in the microwave to have a warm apple cider donut!
- Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast & Brunch
- Method: Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 308
- Sugar: 34.4g
- Sodium: 136mg
- Fat: 14.2g
- Carbohydrates: 45.1g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2.2g
- Cholesterol: 38mg
Keywords: Baked Apple Cider Donuts
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Hi, I’m KJ!
Here you’ll find simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. I strive to make wholesome meals with easy-to-find ingredients that you feel comfortable making in your own kitchen—but I won’t shy away from a few indulgences! (I see you: butter, bacon, cookies!)
