You'll fall in love with these delicious Baked Apple Cider Donuts! These tasty treats are baked in the oven instead of fried, and then dusted in cinnamon sugar. They’re the perfect fall treat!
Few ingredients evoke feelings of fall as much as apples. I love using apples in dishes like my Spiced Apple Muffins, Air Fryer Apple Chips, and Slow Cooker Apple Crisp.
I grew up in New York and I have fond memories of going apple picking once summer ended and the weather cooled down.
Now that I live in South Florida, I don’t really get to experience the change of seasons anymore and there’s definitely no apple picking down here. But when autumn rolls around, I still crave those typical fall foods and flavors.
We have a lot of local farms down here and I love taking my kids to pick fresh strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and even sunflowers. There’s one farm in particular we love to visit because they sell the most delicious apple cider donuts.
You can smell their irresistible scent as soon as you walk in the front gate. They’re incredibly soft and warm and dusted in cinnamon sugar. That donut stand always has the longest line but it’s definitely worth the wait!
I decided to try my hand at making some apple cider donuts at home and the result was amazing! These donuts are fluffy and moist with a cake-like crumb and are full of apple and cinnamon spice flavor.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love These Donuts
- They're sooooo good! These donuts taste like fall!
- They're easy to make. The hardest part about making these donuts was trying not to eat them all before we were done photographing them!
- They're healthier than traditional donuts- they're baked instead of fried plus I incorporate healthy whole grains by using a mixture of white whole wheat flour and all purpose flour.
Ingredients
The Secret Ingredient
Apple cider reduction is the secret ingredient that gives these donuts their rich apple taste. When you simmer apple cider on the stove, it thickens and becomes syrupy with a concentrated apple flavor. It’s like a flavor bomb- don't skip this step! Be sure to use apple cider, not apple cider vinegar.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Step 1- Pour apple cider into a saucepan. Simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes until it thickens and becomes syrupy.
- Step 2- Pour the apple cider reduction into a large bowl.
- Step 3- Whisk the dry ingredients together in another bowl.
- Step 4- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the apple cider reduction and whisk to combine.
- Step 5- Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Step 6- Spoon or pipe the batter into a greased donut pan.
- Step 7- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until puffed up and lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes.
- Step 8- Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a shallow bowl. Brush the tops of the donuts with a little melted butter and then dip them in the cinnamon sugar, coating them well. Devour!
Expert Tips
- When reducing the apple cider, keep an eye on the saucepan. Simmer the cider over medium heat and check it often, stirring it occasionally so that it doesn’t’ scorch. The process takes about 20 minutes so you may want to do this step the night before.
- As with most baking recipes, you should use room temperature ingredients like eggs and buttermilk.
- Don’t overmix the batter. The batter will have some small lumps in it- that’s ok. You want the donuts to have a delicate crumb and if you mix the batter too much, they will be dense and heavy.
- If you don’t have a donut pan, you can make donut holes instead. Use a 24-cup mini muffin tin and fill the wells about halfway full with the batter.
Apple Cider vs. Apple Cider Vinegar
It's important to use apple cider in this recipe, not apple cider vinegar. The two are very different products.
Apple cider is a drink similar to apple juice and is made from the juice of whole, crushed apples. It has a richer flavor than apple juice because the whole apple is used (as opposed to just the flesh) and it’s minimally filtered. It can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.
Apple cider vinegar, on the the hand, is a type of vinegar made from apples, yeast, and sugar. It's made in a two-step fermentation process that produces alcohol, which is then converted to acetic acid. Like other types of vinegar, apple cider vinegar has a tangy flavor. It's also shelf stable.
Recipe FAQs
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own buttermilk! Simply stir 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice into ½ cup of milk (any type). Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it thickens slightly and small curds form. Then use it as directed in the recipe.
These donuts are best when served immediately. However, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Be sure the donuts are completely cool before storing them in containers. This will help prevent them from getting soggy.
Try my popular Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew recipe with these tasty donuts. It's a healthier take on the Starbucks drink and it's dairy-free.
Dairy-Free Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew (Starbucks Copycat)
More Tasty Apple Recipes
Looking for even more apple recipes? Check out my Best Apple Recipe Round Up!
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Recipe
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups apple cider
- 2 cups flour (I use a mixture of all purpose and white whole wheat flour)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ¾ light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cinnamon sugar topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Brush two 6-cavity donut baking pans with melted butter or spray with cooking spray. If making donut holes, use two 24-cup mini muffin pans.
- Heat the apple cider in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until it has reduced to ½ cup, stirring occasionally. This will take about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let the reduced cider cool. This step can be done ahead of time and the cider can be refrigerated.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and salt together in a large bowl.
- Whisk the reduced apple cider, buttermilk, sugar, egg, vanilla and melted butter together in a large bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined (the batter will have some small lumps). Do not overmix.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared donut pans, filling the wells about ¾ full. You can make a piping bag by taking a large zipped-top bag and cutting one of the corners off. If making donut holes, spoon or pipe the batter into a mini muffin pan, filling the wells about ½ full.
- Bake donuts in the oven for 10-12 minutes until puffed up and lightly browned. Bake donut holes for 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Transfer donuts to a wire rack.
- To make the cinnamon sugar topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl. Brush the tops of the donuts with a little melted butter and then dip them in the cinnamon sugar, coating them well.
- The donuts are best when served immediately. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Be sure to use apple cider in this recipe, not apple cider vinegar.
- When reducing the apple cider, keep an eye on the saucepan. Simmer the cider over medium heat and check it often, stirring it occasionally so that it doesn’t’ scorch. The process takes about 20 minutes so you may want to do this step the night before.
- As with most baking recipes, you should use room temperature ingredients like eggs and buttermilk.
- Don’t overmix the batter. The batter will have some small lumps in it- that’s ok. You want the donuts to have a delicate crumb and if you mix the batter too much, they will be dense and heavy.
- If you don’t have a donut pan, you can make donut holes instead. Use a 24-cup mini muffin tin and fill the wells about halfway full with the batter.
Nutrition
About the author
Dr. Sonali Ruder
Meet Dr. Sonali Ruder aka The Foodie Physician- ER doctor, chef, culinary creator & mom.
Tasha says
It was like eating a sour apple different some of my family said they are like sour patch candy 😂 some liked them some were not to happy with sour taste. It was worth making trying them interesting they were.
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
Sour? These donuts should be very sweet from the apple cider, not sour at all. Did you use apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider, by any chance? 😂
Kel M. says
Can you make the batter in advance and store in the fridge?
sonaliruder says
Great question- I've never made the batter in advance. I think it should be fine but the donuts may not rise as well. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
RIFAT says
THE INFORMATIONS ARE VERY HELPFUL AND INFORMATIVE.