Donuts are one of the best desserts for holiday hosting, and these Pumpkin Donuts with Vanilla Icing are perfect for the winter months! The sweetness of the vanilla perfectly complements the spice of the pumpkin batter. These donuts are simple to make at home using just a basic donut pan and a few easily-accessible ingredients, and the end result is so worth it! You can keep the basic vanilla icing, but could add things like sprinkled cinnamon or a maple drizzle. What’s your favorite donut flavor?
Pumpkin Donuts with Vanilla Icing
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (215g)
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (240ml)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (120ml)
- 1/4 cup whole milk (60ml)
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Vanilla Icing
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (150g)
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together until completely combined and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and the oil. Whisk together until mixed, then add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time. Whisk until the mix is smooth, thick, and yellow, it should only take a minute or two. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk until smooth.
- Sift half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the whole milk and whisk to combine. Finally, sift in the second half of the dry ingredients, and either gently whisk or switch to a spatula and fold in until completely smooth.
- Now warning, this next part can get a bit messy. Each donut will take about 1/3-1/2 cup of batter. I found piping to be the easiest way to do it, HOWEVER, the batter is relatively thin so it will run out the end of a piping bag if you're not careful. That being said, I still think it is a better way to do it than trying to spoon it into the wells of the donut pan. I highly recommend a piping tip like this one that really helps cut down on the mess.
- However you decide to do it, first liberally grease your donut pan with nonstick spray. Fill the molds up, leaving ~1-4"-1/8" of space to the rim, as they will rise quite a bit. Bake the donuts for 15-20 minutes, or until browned, springy, and just starting to pull away from the edges of the pan at the rim. When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for just a few minutes before removing them from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Icing
- When the donuts are done cooling (don't start this ahead of time as the icing can dry up while you wait for the donuts to cool) add the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to a bowl and whisk well to combine. The starting measurements are really just a starting point, as pinpointing the right thickness for icing can be very difficult to do on paper. Adjust the milk or the powdered sugar as necessary to get the icing to the right consistency. You're looking for very thick ribbons when you pull your whisk out of the icing; you want it to stick to the top of the donut, not run and thin out like a more traditional glaze.
- Once the icing is ready to go, carefully hold the donuts and dip the top half into the icing and gently pull it out and flip it over so the icing stays neatly on just the top. Repeat with the rest of the donuts. You can either serve them immediately, or let the donuts rest to allow the icing to set.
- Enjoy!
