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Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts

October 28, 2019 by Nicole 67 Comments

Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts and Doughnut Holes | pinchmysalt.com

Filled with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and even a hint of cardamom, these doughnuts will warm your soul on a crisp autumn morning.

This post was first published ten years ago, but it has stood the test of time and has now been updated with a video slideshow and printable recipe. Enjoy!

Have you ever made doughnuts from scratch?  The closest I had ever come to making doughnuts was back in my college days when I learned how to make faux doughnuts (fauxnuts?) by poking holes in refrigerated biscuit dough rounds and frying them up in a skillet. 

They were pretty good if you dipped them in sugar and ate them warm, but not quite the real thing. 

Ok, not even close.

I do have memories of the real thing, though. You see, my mom made homemade doughnuts for us once. They were yeast-raised doughnuts, the kind which are lightly glazed or sugar-crusted on the outside, but only slightly sweet and impossibly soft and fluffy on the inside. 

Though I was small, and the recollection is a bit fuzzy, I know in my heart that they were the best doughnuts I’ve ever tasted. While the “hot now” sign at Krispy-Kreme may make your heart flutter, I’m telling you that nothing compares to a doughnut fried up in your own kitchen. 

My mom only made doughnuts once that I can recall, but that one memory fills me with so much warmth, I know that I have to make doughnuts from scratch one day for my daughter. Yes, food memories are powerful.

My favorite doughnuts are yeast-raised and glazed, and rarely do I stray from that standard when visiting a local doughnut shop. But after deciding to make doughnuts at home, I thought it would be best to start with a simple cake doughnut on my first go-round. 

While I generally prefer plain cake doughnuts to flavored ones, I decided to give pumpkin doughnuts a try when I noticed that the leaning tower of organic canned pumpkin that had been perched precariously on my counter since that last trip to Trader Joe’s (when rumors of canned pumpkin shortages briefly got the best of me), was finally threatening to topple and, perhaps, hurt someone.

After looking through several pumpkin doughnut recipes, I chose to use one from Bon Appetit found on Epicurious. And since I can never leave a perfectly good recipe alone, I made a few changes like doubling all the spices and adding a touch of molasses. 

I also chose not to add the white glaze, and instead dusted the finished doughnuts lightly with powdered sugar mixed with a bit of pumpkin pie spice. They were absolutely delicious!

The dough is very sticky when it’s first mixed, so you need to chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours before you can work with it.

Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Batter | pinchmysalt.com

The next step reminded me a lot of making biscuits, and in fact I did use a biscuit cutter.

Chilled Pumpkin Spice Doughnut dough | pinchmysalt.com

Just dump some of the dough out onto a lightly floured surface,  then pat it out lightly with your hands.

Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Dough Ready to Cut | pinchmysalt.com

Since the dough is still rather sticky, even after refrigeration, I dipped the cutter in flour before cutting each round.

Cutting Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts with Biscuit Cutter | pinchmysalt.com

Try to cut as many circles as you can and then you can re-roll the scraps to make an extra donut or two.

Cutting Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts | pinchmysalt.com

After you cut out some rounds, it’s time to cut the holes.  I wasn’t sure what to use, since I don’t have a one-inch round cutter like the recipe specified. 

But I do have an apple corer! It worked well, even though the holes were a bit smaller than one inch. Again, I made sure to dip the apple corer in flour before cutting each hole.

Cutting Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Holes | pinchmysalt.com
Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts cut and ready for frying | pinchmysalt.com

When deep-frying, you need to make sure you control the temperature of the oil. Although it’s hard to keep it at the same exact temperature all the time, you should adjust the heat to try to keep the oil between 365 and 370 degrees as much as possible. 

If it’s too cool, the doughnuts will absorb too much oil and if it’s too hot, the doughnuts will brown too fast and the middles won’t be fully cooked. Make sure you have a thermometer clipped to side of your pan to make it easy to monitor the temperature of the oil.

Deep Frying Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Holes | pinchmysalt.com

Cook the doughnuts in batches, without overcrowding the pot. Adding too many doughnuts at once will cause the oil temperature to drop rapidly, resulting in greasy doughnuts.

Frying the Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Holes | pinchmysalt.com

Cook the doughnuts until they are golden brown, then remove with a slotted spoon to a tray lined with paper towels.

Frying Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts | pinchmysalt.com
Removing Pumpkin Doughnut Holes from Oil | pinchmysalt.com

After the doughnut holes have cooled, they can be rolled in cinnamon sugar, or whatever topping you decide to create.

Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Holes rolled in cinnamon sugar | pinchmysalt.com

I decided that I really like these pumpkin doughnuts plain, but I did sprinkle a few with powdered sugar and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.  Perfect!

Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts sprinkled with powdered sugar | pinchmysalt.com

This post may include Amazon affiliate links. Making purchases through these links won’t affect the amount you pay and I may earn a small commission.

Special kitchen equipment used in this recipe:
the following are Amazon Affiliate links

  • 11-Piece Round Cutter Set
  • Deep Fry Thermometer 
  • Shakers for Flour and Powdered Sugar

Related Recipes:

  • Pumpkin Pancakes
  • Pumpkin Scones
  • Pumpkin Spice Cake
  • Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll
  • Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Around the Web:

  • Pumpkin Doughnuts from A Mingling of Tastes
  • Pumpkin Donuts with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting from Pete Bakes!
  • Baked Pumpkin Donuts from Culinary Cory
  • Pumpkin and Hazelnut Doughnuts from Canelle et Vanille
  • Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts from Recipe Girl
Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts

Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts

Yield: 24 donuts and 24 donut holes
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Additional Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 cup canned pure pumpkin
  • Canola or Peanut Oil (for deep-frying)

Toppings:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Whisk first 9 ingredients (flour through cardamom) in a medium bowl to blend well; set aside.
  2. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended (mixture will be a bit grainy). Beat in egg, then yolks, then vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk and molasses, then beat in pumpkin, in four additions.
  3. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture in 4 additions, blending gently after each. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least three hours.
  4. Lightly flour two baking sheets. When dough is well-chilled, lightly flour a work surface. Starting with about 1/3 of dough, gently press it out to a round that is 1/2- to 2/3-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch-diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Using 1-inch-diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes. Arrange doughnuts and holes on the baking sheets as you go. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used. If dough is very sticky, dip the round cutters into flour before cutting each doughnut.
  5. Line two baking sheets with several layers of paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet or dutch oven to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F. Fry doughnut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool completely.
  6. While doughnuts are cooling, mix sugar and cinnamon. Roll doughnut holes in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Lightly dust doughnuts with powdered sugar, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 216mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 3g
© Nicole Cross
Category: Desserts
How to make homemade pumpkin spice donuts and donut holes. A perfect fall dessert! pinchmysalt.com

Filed Under: Adventures in Baking, Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Holiday

Previous Post: « Treat Yourself!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Megan Gordon says

    October 29, 2009 at 3:43 pm

    Oh my...these look wonderful. I've been wanting to try donuts at home for some time now. Bookmarked the recipe!
    Reply
  2. Amber says

    October 29, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    Woman, you're killing me. I'm off to London, where they just don't do *anything* pumpkin, and it'll be at least 3 weeks before I can attempt this. I teared up a bit just looking at your photos. They're so gorgeous, and you're gorgeous for sharing your take on the recipe.
    Reply
  3. Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction says

    October 29, 2009 at 3:56 pm

    Yum... These donuts look amazing. Your step-by-step pictures are absolutely beautiful!
    Reply
  4. Phoo-D says

    October 29, 2009 at 3:57 pm

    Those tiny donut holes are absolutely adorable! Making a pumpkin variation sounds delicious.
    Reply
  5. amanda says

    October 29, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    mmmmmm being one of the lucky ones who actually got to eat these donuts i can attest that they were DEEELICIOUS! i would have loved to have gotten my hands on some of those donut holes but beggers can't be chooser's, right? ;-)
    Reply
  6. Sassy Molassy says

    October 29, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    whoa, this looks amazing. makes you think you could almost get away with eating a donut or five if they have something great for you in them like pumpkin.
    Reply
  7. The Teacher Cooks says

    October 29, 2009 at 4:04 pm

    I have been waiting for these since you were on Twitter about how good they were. They look fantastic. So you know about the Krispy Kreme "hot" sign. My husband has a Krispy Kreme shirt that he works out in. I have missed reading your blog. Don't stay away so long. Thanks
    Reply
  8. Lemony Renee' says

    October 29, 2009 at 4:10 pm

    Oh, my, these look wonderful and your narrative is wonderful. I have a huge phobia about boiling oil. More power to you, though!
    Reply
  9. Hänni says

    October 29, 2009 at 4:11 pm

    Oh my sweet lord. These are perfection. And its neat how you used your le crueset as a fryer--I hadn't seen that before.
    Reply
  10. Alicia says

    October 29, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    My god - they look and sound delicious. For some reason frying really scares me - perhaps I need to face my fears and get my doughnut groove on.
    Reply
  11. The Duo Dishes says

    October 29, 2009 at 5:23 pm

    Nope, never made doughnuts. They always looks so good when others make them. Maybe it'd be worth it to investigate a baked version that tastes 100% like the fried ones! :)
    Reply
  12. Laura says

    October 29, 2009 at 5:41 pm

    They look delicious! You inspired me to try them!
    Reply
  13. Inspired 2 Cook says

    October 29, 2009 at 5:50 pm

    These look awesome!
    Reply
  14. arugulove says

    October 29, 2009 at 7:22 pm

    Oh my god, these look delicious. I'm thinking these and some hot cider would be divine.
    Reply
  15. kickpleat says

    October 29, 2009 at 11:09 pm

    These look waaaaaaayyyy too good.
    Reply
  16. Bellini Valli says

    October 30, 2009 at 4:45 am

    These are my new favourite!!! Tim Hortons makes a pumpkin cake doughnut too but I am sure homemade is much better!!!
    Reply
  17. Alta says

    October 30, 2009 at 5:11 am

    Donuts are not my #1 favorite thing in the world, but my-oh-my these look delicious! I think I need to make some. Right now.
    Reply
  18. Conor @ HoldtheBeef says

    October 30, 2009 at 5:11 am

    Wow. I'm not normally a donut person but these are making my heart go a-flutter! (with either joy, or anticipating impending heart issues from eating too many donuts)
    Reply
  19. Andy says

    October 30, 2009 at 7:43 am

    They do look delicious. Never even crossed my mind to try making dohnuts - they look really good. Thanks for the step by step instructions too. Cheers Andy - http://onceuponathyme.wordpress.com
    Reply
  20. Jacqueline says

    October 30, 2009 at 11:18 am

    I have never in my life made doughnuts, only consumed far too many from other establishments. This posting and the feel-like-I'm-there photos have tipped me over the edge and I'm making these bad boys tomorrow! Thank you for your versatility, adept hands, and creativity. YUM!
    Reply
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