Homemade apple cider donuts are cakey, dense, and intensely flavored. Baked, not fried, these fall treats come together quickly and easily—a convenient recipe with no mixer required. The trick for big flavor is to use concentrated apple cider. Make the morning less hectic by reducing the apple cider the night before. Read on for all the tips you need to make this Fall favorite!
I love those delicious donuts that you get at the bakery…they’re rich, dense, and smell absolutely amazing. If you’ve ever tried my chai spice donuts, pumpkin donuts, or cinnamon sugar donuts, you know that those bakery beauties definitely inspired my donut recipes. They are somewhat dense and very muffin-like. These baked apple cider donuts are no exception, though they are a little heavier with a more substantial and moister crumb.
Tell Me About these Apple Cider Donuts
- Texture: If you like cakey, moist, and dense donuts with a crumbly cinnamon-sugar coating, then look no further than this recipe.
- Flavor: Flavor-wise, they’re APPLE and CINNAMON and SPICE all over. They taste like they’re straight from the bakery!
- Ease: A simple mix of wet and dry ingredients plus the apple cider concentrate makes these a snap to prepare for crisp fall mornings. No mixer, rolling pin, or donut cutter required! Simply add the batter to a donut pan—I use and love this one. If you only have 1 pan, just bake a batch at a time.
- Time: In less than an hour, you’ll have an entire plate stacked high with homemade apple cider donuts.
This Trick Changes Everything
The trick to apple cider donuts is to flavor them with concentrated apple cider. Apple cider that has been reduced down on the stove is thick and potent, adding big flavor without excess liquid. Apple cider, either store-bought or this homemade apple cider, is certainly delicious to drink but it won’t add enough flavor to baked goods. Taking 20 minutes to reduce the cider down transforms regular donuts into amazing apple cider donuts. If you like to keep things simple in the morning, reduce the cider the night before. That will save you cooling time, too, because the cider must cool for a few minutes before you add it to the batter.
To reduce your apple cider, simply follow these simple steps:
- Pour 1½ cups apple cider into a small saucepan. We will reduce this to ½ cup.
- Place on low heat and set a timer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Begin checking at 10 minutes, and then every 3-5 minutes after that until you have ½ cup of cider reduction (approximately 20 minutes).
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before using in the batter.
It’s that easy! If you have leftover apple cider, use it in my honeycrisp apple sangria or apple cider sangria—or drink it plain.
Here’s my reduced down apple cider:
Choosing the Right Ingredients: Melted Butter & Apple Pie Spice
- Melted butter. The crown jewel of these donuts is the dip in melted butter, then a dunk in granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Not only is it delicious, but the melted butter helps the sweet coating stick to the donut.
- Apple pie spice. If you don’t have access to store-bought apple pie spice, you can make your own with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
By the way, if you’re a fall baking fanatic like me and love pumpkin treats, you might try making your own pumpkin pie spice blend, too! Use it in pumpkin-inspired favorites like pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin bars, mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins, and of course, pumpkin pie.
Overview: How to Make Baked Apple Cider Donuts
These couldn’t be easier to make—no mixer required. Leave yourself enough time (at least a half hour) to reduce down the apple cider before beginning. I like to do this step the night before so it’s ready to go in the morning.
- Reduce the apple cider. In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer the apple cider until you’re left with about 1/2 cup. Begin checking at 10 minutes, then every 3-5 minutes after that until you have 1/2 cup of cider reduction. Mine takes about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes (or complete this step ahead of time).
- Combine the dry ingredients together.
- Combine the wet ingredients together, except for the apple cider.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Add the apple cider. Whisk everything together until smooth and combined. You’ll notice the batter will be slightly thick. We want thick batter for cakey and dense donuts.
- Fill the donut pan. Fill each donut cup about halfway. My trick for this? Use a zipped-top bag. Add the batter to the bag, cut off a corner, and pipe it into the donut pan filling only about halfway. This trick makes transferring the batter neat, quick, and easy.
- Bake. Only about 10 minutes of bake time—told you they were quick. To test doneness, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. Once they are out of the oven, let them cool for 2 minutes, then invert the pan to release the donuts. You can then re-grease the donut pan and bake the remaining donut batter. (If you have 2 donut pans, go ahead and bake both trays at once.)
- Coat the donuts. Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. Once cool enough to handle, dunk both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then coat generously in the apple spice topping.
Look at this beautiful caramel-colored batter! So much apple flavor hiding in here:
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 donuts
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Baked, cakey, and delicious apple cider donuts are made with apple cider reduction to intensify its flavor. Warm and dipped in cinnamon sugar and apple pie spices, this fall treat will become your new favorite too.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) apple cider
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice*
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Reduce the apple cider: Stirring occasionally, simmer the apple cider in a small saucepan over low heat until you’re left with about 1/2 cup. Start checking at 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc until you have 1/2 cup (120ml). Mine takes about 20 minutes. If there are any spices or solids on top of your reduced apple cider, leave them. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Make the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together. Pour into the dry ingredients, add the reduced apple cider, and whisk everything together until smooth and combined. Batter will be slightly thick.
- Spoon the batter into the donut cavities—for ease, I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about halfway.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. Cool donuts for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter.
- Coat the donuts: Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. Once cool enough to handle, dunk both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then generously in the apple spice topping.
- Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can freeze the donuts, coated or not coated in the toppings, for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up to your liking in the microwave. I usually just zap ’em for a couple seconds.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Saucepan | Donut Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Large Zipped-Top Bag | Cooling Rack
- Apple Pie Spice: Do you have apple pie spice where you live? It’s pretty standard here in the US. If you don’t have access to store-bought apple pie spice, you can make your own with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
- Milk: I usually use buttermilk, but I’ve found that any milk (dairy or nondairy) works pretty well. For a denser crumb, you can use 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream instead.
- No Donut Pan? Make donut muffins in your standard 12-cup muffin pan. Grease your pan or use muffin liners, fill each 3/4 full, then bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes about 10-12 apple cider donut muffins.
- Minis: Want to make mini donuts or mini apple cider donut holes in a mini muffin pan? Grease your pan, add the batter to the pan only about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 8-9 minutes.
Love these doughnuts!
Can the batter be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator?
Hi Deb, we’re so glad these are a favorite! We do not recommend making the batter ahead of time and storing in the refrigerator. The leaveners are activated once wet and dry ingredients are combined, so it’s best to bake the batter shortly thereafter. You could make the apple cider reduction ahead of time to cut down on a step in the morning.
I love this recipe so much. I am up early making it for my neighbors in my development to say Happy Halloween.
Last week I made mini muffins following the recipe exactly for my Ladies’ Bible Study, and they were scoffed up. My s-i-l just gifted me with a doughnut pan, so I’m making them again this week. After reading some comments about increasing the apple taste, I’m going to use 1/2 cup of the juice from the homemade apple butter I made on Saturday. It has the consistency of a light to medium “syrup” with spices, so I think it just might do the trick. I’ll let you know if it is successful; I also will only add the light brown sugar as the liquid is sweeter than the cider reduction. Wish me success!!
Added 1/2 tsp salt to the apple cider reduction and that flavour came out bang on!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Could I use mini donut pans and bake for half the time?
See recipe Notes for details on mini donuts!
I was so excited to make this recipe however they were flat as a pancake when done stuck to the pans terribly…these were brand new non stick pans I am an advanced baker I don’t know what happened and yes all my ingredients were fresh
Hi Angela, did you grease the pans? We always recommend greasing pans, even when using nonstick pans.
This turned out perfect! I didn’t use the butter for the topping, I just coated with the dry mix.
Oh my goodness! They tasted just like the ones from the apple festival that you could smell before getting in the bldg.! Fabulous!
Hi Sally, I love your recipes! Can’t wait to try this apple cider donut recipe! Can I make the donuts & then dip in butter and topping the next day?
Hi Michele, that should work. Let us know if you give it a try!
I just made these (read and re-read, and watched the video for the umpteenth time). However, I ran into a few things. They would not rise, eventually becoming flat looking like I cut the donut in half. They were gummy and dense, not fluffy like your typical cake donut. The taste however, was there! I liked how they tasted, maybe next time I’ll use buttermilk, instead of whole, and let the batter sit and rise a bit.
For those who used 2 cups of cider for extra flavor, did you reduce the 2 cups down to 1 cup called for in the recipe?
Made these today but reduced 2 cups of apple cider instead as I noticed some people said it didn’t have enough apple flavor. They turned out amazing. I had to substitute for whole wheat flower as that’s all I had on hand, 1:1 ratio and from what I can tell it made no difference. I also opted to brush on the butter after trying the dipping method which I think did a better job.
Will make again for sure!
These donuts rule.First time making donuts and I scored with this. They came out just like the pic and taste Delicious. Mo more store bought for us.
I made this to take to a Boy Scout event. I had no trouble reducing the cider but I agree with those who said the final taste of cider in the baked product is minimal. I reduced additional cider for the topping and melted only half the butter in it. I used a pastry brush to apply the liquid and then tossed the sugar mix over the top. The donut itself is fluffy and sweet, but not a lot of any specific flavor. I may use the recipe again but with a different flavor profile because they did bake nicely.
I am thinking I’ll use applesauce instead of reducing the apple cider.
These were super easy to make and the texture was amazing. Very soft and light. It has a hint of some cider flavor, not an explosion, but definitely there. I’m not a person that likes cake donuts but I’d make and eat these again. I did however only melt 2.5 Tbsp butter and brushed the donuts before topping them with the sugar topping to avoid the mess and unnecessary fat calories. Still had sufficient adherence with the sugar topping . Not sure why all the negatives with this recipe. As with all baking, I use a scale. It’s amazing if you don’t spoon flour into chips how much extra flour you are using, which could be the dense quality done people had?
Really great recipe, although I ended up brushing the donuts with butter rather than dipping because they just got so cakey and greasy dipping them in butter.
Can I use bottled boiled cider I bought from King Arthur flour instead of reducing apple cider?
I can’t see why not.
Every fall I buy apple cider donuts from different shops. The last couple of years I’ve noticed an after taste. So I decided to make my own and armed with my donut pan this was the first recipe I tried and the first baked donut made. Overall, I enjoyed the texture. It’s cakey, fluffy and moist. I didn’t get a lot of apple cider flavor; it was more like a spiced donut. However, I think that could be my fault because of the reduction. I will definitely try this recipe again because it tastes so good! So whether apple cider or not it doesn’t matter; this is a great donut. My mom tried one and said she is not buying another donut again.
Glad you enjoyed these! Definitely a favorite around here.
Do you think this would cook well in a waffle iron? I don’t have a donut pan.
Hi Kristen, we’re unsure as we haven’t tested it ourselves. You could make them in a muffin pan instead. See recipe Notes for details!
Absolutely loved these!
Light, fluffy, and delicious. My husband and I are such big fans of these baked donuts.
I used a silicone mold and it cooked in 10 minutes. Cannot recommend more!
So tender and so good. The melted butter bath took them over the top. I did not have apple pie spice, so I sunstuted Penzeys pie spice. Otherwise, I followed recipe as written.
These were delicious! I baked them in a muffin pan and just dipped the tops. I ended up using salted butter instead of unsalted, and I might even add a touch more salt the next time I make them.
Very easy to make, but I had to increase the heat to a boil to reduce down the cider. Could be my stove, but there was no way at a low heat it would reduce down in 20 minutes…it didn’t until I brought it to a boil then it took, probably, 45 minutes. The other change I made after trying one dipped in butter was to eliminate that step. My sister, niece and I thought that taking them from over to roll in cinnasugar mix was delicious, no butter needed. I would make again when I feel the need.
Susan, the exact same thing is happening with me. I am starting the simmer process all over again because it took way too long and the cider got all cloudy. Definitely need to start out with a higher heat to get it going IMO.
After 45 minutes my cider was reduced to 3/4 cups. The texture of these is terrific. I was hoping for more intense flavor. I guess I should have been more patient. Maybe more salt would also help? I made 14 in muffin pan.
These were gone before I could get a photo! Reducing the apple cider really makes a difference. My mini donut maker broke halfway through baking so finished off the rest of the batter in a muffin tin; delicious this way too so don’t let lack of donut pan/maker keep you from trying this recipe.
I’m trying these right now! My question is for silicone baking molds, does the temperature change at all and the baking time? Thank you! Making the caramel soon too!
Hi Nina! We’ve never tried these in silicone baking molds before, so we’re unsure of the exact bake time. It should be pretty close to the recipe. Same temperature!
Great recipe. Donut very flavourful. I don’t like so much sugar on a donut so I dipped just one side and sprinkled the sugar on that side. Could really taste the donut with just a touch of sweetness. Will definitely make again.
I want to make these so much. Can I use my mini bunt cake pans ? I don’t have a donut pan
Hi Toni, mini Bundt pans will work. Bake time may vary just slightly and depending on how much you fill the pans. Hope they’re a hit!
I followed the recipe but am disappointed by the lack of apple flavor- also the finished product was “chewy”. I will not make this again