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    Home / Breakfast and Brunch Recipes / Breads and Muffins / Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze

    Oct 18, 2015 · Last Updated: Aug 4, 2018

    Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

    Sharing is caring!

    These melt-in-your-mouth Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze make the fall season one of the most spectacular time of the year. These donuts are a real crowd pleaser, though I just about finished the entire batch myself. 

    Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze - so comforting for fall! | The Worktop

    It's pumpkin time! Pumpkin is such a good ingredient to use for a breakfast recipes. Pumpkin breakfast recipes are delicious, and you get the extra nutrients from the pumpkin.

    You can find several pumpkin breakfast recipes on The Worktop, and my previous post for Farinata with Red Kuri Squash and Kale was little tease. The red kuri squash looked almost exactly like a pumpkin!

    These baked pumpkin donuts are super soft and tender, and packed full of favorite fall flavors

    But today, I want to talk about these Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts.

    Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze - so comforting for fall! | The Worktop

    These baked pumpkin donuts are super soft and tender and packed full of flavor. The pumpkin puree makes these donuts incredibly moist. Unlike yeast donuts, these baked pumpkin donuts aren't chewy or stretchy inside. Instead, once you bite into it, it will melt in your mouth.

    The brown butter glaze is a perfect finishing touch to this baked pumpkin donut recipe

    And oh, the glaze. The brown butter glaze adds a layer of sweet nuttiness that will make you lick your fingers and lips after each bite. You might actually even lick everything that the brown butter glaze touched - the spatula, the bowl used for dipping the donuts, the cooling rack or parchment paper it dripped on...

    Might as well just make a second batch of the brown butter glaze and drizzle it on everything you eat.

    Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze - so comforting for fall! | The Worktop

    This recipe calls for pumpkin spice mix. Don't fret if you don't have it! It's one of those spice mixes that I find hard to buy outside of the US. I used to bring jars of pumpkin spice mix from the US to London, but now I just always use a homemade pumpkin spice mix recipe.

    Are you looking for a pumpkin breakfast idea? These baked pumpkin donuts will hit the spot!

    Pumpkin spice mix is so easy to make on your own (and you don't even need pumpkin for it). If you have a stocked spice cupboard, then you'll likely have all of these spices at home already. You'll need: ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and ground cloves.

    The full recipe for the homemade pumpkin spice mix is below, but essentially you just mix all the spices together. I tend to make a big jar and save it, but I've given you the recipe for the smallest portion that is easy to make (ie. the smallest quantity that you'll need to measure is ¼ teaspoon).

    The recipe for the pumpkin spice mix will still make double the amount of pumpkin spice mix that this Pumpkin Donut recipe requires, but you can easily use any leftover pumpkin spice mix up - in your yogurt, oatmeal, or even smoothie.

    Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze - so comforting for fall! | The Worktop

    Pumpkin is a great ingredient to use for breakfast recipes. Pumpkin is naturally mildly sweet, so this Baked Pumpkin Donut recipe has a bit less sugar that it otherwise would have needed. Pumpkin is also full of vitamins and nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and carotenoids. And, it is also a good source of fiber.

    Pumpkin is full of vitamins and minerals, so it is a healthy ingredient to use in a breakfast recipe

    So all this goodness of the pumpkin is hidden in this Baked Pumpkin Donut recipe. Makes you feel a bit good about eating donuts.

    Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze - so comforting for fall! | The Worktop

    It's things like these melt-in-your-mouth Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze that makes the fall season one of the most spectacular time of the year. Though come winter, spring and summer, I think I'll still be making these Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts.

    Mini Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze - so comforting for fall! | The Worktop

    Baked Mini Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze

    4.55 from 24 votes
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Serves: 24 mini donuts
    Prep: 20 mins
    Cook: 15 mins
    Total: 35 mins
    These melt-in-your-mouth Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze make the fall season one of the most spectacular time of the year. It's made with pumpkin puree, so you get the health benefits of pumpkin in this breakfast recipe. 

    Ingredients

    Pumpkin Donuts

    • ⅓ cup sunflower oil
    • 2 large eggs
    • ⅔ cups granulated sugar
    • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
    • 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice mix
    • 1 teaspoon quality vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

    Pumpkin Spice Mix (see note 1)

    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon all spice
    • ¼ teaspoon cloves

    For the browned butter glaze

    • 1 stick unsalted butter
    • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
    • ¼ cup whole milk
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Lightly grease mini donut pans with a bit of oil.
    • In a large bowl using a hand mixer on low speed, beat everything together except for the flour until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add in the flour and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds.
    • Carefully spoon the batter into the donut pans, filling each donut cavity about half full. If you prefer, you can use a piping bag, or a plastic ziplock bag with one corner cut off to pipe the batter into the donut pan. (see note 2).
    • Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the donuts are lightly golden. Let the donuts cool in the donut pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool.

    Make the glaze

    • In a small saucepan over medium to medium-hight heat, melt the butter and cook, stirring often, until the butter becomes a light brown color, 5-8 minutes. Stir the butter often so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Pour into a medium bowl and allow to slightly cool.
    • Mix in powdered sugar to make a paste. Slowly whisk in milk. Let sit for 5 minutes, occasionally whisking, to allow the glaze to slightly set.

    To serve

    • Place a cooling rack on top of paper towels or parchment paper for easy clean up.
    • Dip one side of the donut into the glaze. Flip the donut over using a fork. Carefully transfer the glazed donut to the prepared cooking rack. The glaze will slowly drip off the donuts as it sets. Repeat with remaining donuts. Lightly sprinkle on additional pumpkin pie spice.
    • If glaze thickens too much while you are dipping donuts, simply pop the glaze the microwave for about 5-10 seconds to melt it a bit. The thicker the glaze is when dipping, the thicker the glaze will be on the donut (you'll get a sweeter donut).

    Notes

    1. Pumpkin Spice Mix: You can use this recipe for pumpkin spice mix if you don't have any store bought pumpkin pie spice. This will make roughly double the amount that you need for this recipe.  You can scale down, or as I prefer, save the rest for another recipe. It is a bit tricky to scale down because you will need a ⅛ teaspoon measuring spoon. 
    2. Since it can be a bit tricky to neatly spoon the batter into a mini donut pan, my secret is to use a piping bag. You can either use a proper piping bag with a small round tip, or simply fill up a ziplock bag and cut off a small corner. Its much quicker than trying to spoon the batter into the donut pan, even including the time it would take you to wash the piping bag and tip (if you're not using a disposable bag).
    Baked Pumpkin Donuts adapted from King Arthur Flour.
     
    Course: Breads and Muffins, Breakfast, Donuts
    Author: The Worktop
    Cal : 147kcal
    Note: Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
    Love this?I would appreciate a star review! Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using #theworktop and tagging me @theworktop.

    Looking for more pumpkin breakfast recipes?

    Pumpkin Greek Yogurt with Banana and Toasted Pecans | The Worktop

    Pumpkin Greek Yogurt with Banana and Toasted Pecans (GF)

    Roasted Pumpkin on Toast for a fall breakfast | The Worktop

    Roasted Pumpkin on Toast

    Hot Pumpkin Spice Drink - warming, comforting and so delicious! | The Worktop

    Hot Pumpkin Spice Drink

    Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles

    Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles

    Baked Pumpkin Donut | Healthy Pumpkin Recipe | The Worktop

    « Farinata with Red Kuri Squash and Kale (Vegan, GF)
    Hot Pumpkin Spice Drink for Ultimate Coziness (GF, Vegan option) »

    By Tina Jui
    Filed Under: Breads and Muffins, Breakfast and Brunch Recipes, Collections, Cooking Style, Fall Breakfast Recipes, Kid Friendly, Lifestyle, Oven, Quick and Easy Brunches, Seasonal, Thanksgiving Breakfast Recipes, VegetarianTags: cinnamon, donuts, minis, pumpkin

    About Tina Jui

    A breakfast lover and food blogger. Tina develops everyday breakfast recipes on The Worktop, and writes about all things related to breakfast and brunch. Read more about Tina Jui or drop an email to say hi.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lea says

      October 15, 2022 at 3:52 pm

      Unfortunately, my oven is out right now so I'm trying to get creative with my instant pot since there are so many yummy fall recipes I would love to make this year. How would you adapt this recipe for an IP and would a silicone donut mold be the best option for shaping?

      Reply
    2. Penny says

      October 10, 2019 at 4:20 pm

      Hi Tina,
      Would love to try these; they sound delish. Could you tell me what size can of Pumpkin did you use.

      Reply
      • Tina Jui says

        October 10, 2019 at 10:49 pm

        Hi Penny, You need 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree for this recipe. I buy a normal can size, which is 15 ounce / 425 grams, but that's more than enough. Measure out 1 cup from the can and save the rest.

        Reply
    3. Nicole says

      September 26, 2017 at 12:27 am

      5 stars
      These turned out so good - great recipe! I did use vegetable oil instead of sunflower oil, and I made a dozen regular donuts instead of 24 mini donuts. I left off the glaze and am using them for breakfasts (with eggs). I had to try one tonight though (of course!) and they were moist and delicious! Perfect!!

      Reply
      • Tina Jui says

        September 26, 2017 at 8:31 am

        Hi Nicole, I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to share :)

        Reply
    4. Jewels says

      October 15, 2016 at 9:53 pm

      Going to try this for my Halloween party. I'd like to add some sprinkles for a festive look. I assume I would add them right after the glaze? Also, how are these made a day ahead? How should they be stored?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Tina Jui says

        October 18, 2016 at 11:01 am

        Hi - Yes, sprinkles on these would be fab! What a great idea! You got it right - the best time to add them is just after the glaze. These are best the day they are baked, but would last overnight. Store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator, and let them come fully to room temperature before serving them. Enjoy!

        Reply
        • Jewels says

          October 18, 2016 at 6:53 pm

          Thanks! I tested them and they were a little dense. I think I over mixed (new baker) and need to work on the right amount of filling so they round up better. Making another batch. Going to try not glazing them until the next day to see if they'll hold up better. They tasted yummy!

          Reply
          • Tina Jui says

            October 19, 2016 at 10:50 am

            Hi Jewels, I'm glad they tasted yummy, but I'm sorry to hear that you thought they were a bit dense. The pumpkin puree should make it very moist, but will add some weight to the donuts. If you can, try to shorten the mixing time after you add in the flour, so you mix it until it is just combined. That should help. That's a great idea re: glazing them the next day!

            Reply
    5. Véronique Cartier says

      October 09, 2016 at 6:55 am

      5 stars
      Thanks Tina, they look amazing! I'm going to pin this!

      Reply
      • Tina Jui says

        October 09, 2016 at 8:22 pm

        Thanks for the pin!

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Tina and a lover of breakfast! The Worktop is where I share my everyday breakfast recipes. You can find lots of breakfasts and brunch ideas on my site. Many of the recipes are easy to make and healthy, but of course, you'll also find big brunch indulgences.

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