I burned my tongue on my first bite of an apple cider doughnut at a tiny orchard outside Asheville and I regret nothing.
Silas still brings it up. Apparently I made a sound.
There’s a very specific kind of doughnut that only shows up in October. Warm, a little dense, coated in cinnamon sugar, and tasting like someone bottled the smell of a farm stand. That’s what we’re making today.
And the good news? You don’t need an orchard, a fryer, or a road trip to get there. Just a mixing bowl and about 45 minutes.
Side Note: If you’re on a fall baking kick, you’ll probably also love my pumpkin bread recipe once you’re done here.
Why This Recipe Works
Most apple cider doughnut recipes ask you to fry them, which is delicious but also a mess I don’t need on a Tuesday.
This version bakes in a doughnut pan instead. Same warm spice, same soft crumb, way less oil splatter on your stove.
The real trick? Reducing the apple cider. You simmer it down until it’s syrupy and concentrated, which packs a ton of apple flavor into a small amount of liquid. Skip this step and your doughnuts will taste like flour with a hint of apple. Do this step and they taste like fall itself. 🍂
What You’ll Need
For the doughnuts:
- 1 cup apple cider (reduced to about 1/3 cup)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Tools You’ll Need
- Two doughnut pans (or one, baked in batches)
- Small saucepan for reducing the cider
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Piping bag or a large zip-top bag with the corner snipped off
- Wire cooling rack
- Shallow bowl for the cinnamon sugar coating
Pro Tips
Before you start mixing, here’s what I’ve learned from making these more times than I’ll admit.
- Don’t skip the cider reduction. I said it above, but it matters that much. Give yourself 15 minutes for this step alone.
- Let the reduced cider cool before adding it to the batter. Hot cider will start cooking your eggs, and nobody wants scrambled egg doughnuts.
- Don’t overfill the doughnut pan. Two-thirds full is the sweet spot. Any more and they’ll bake into weird lopsided shapes instead of that classic ring.
- Coat them while they’re still warm. The melted butter needs warmth to stick properly, and cold doughnuts just end up with patchy sugar coverage.
- Use a piping bag, not a spoon. I fought this for years out of stubbornness. The batter is thick and a spoon makes a mess. A piping bag takes 30 extra seconds and saves you a headache.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Reduce the cider
Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil over medium heat. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until it reduces down to about 1/3 cup. This takes roughly 15 minutes. Set it aside to cool completely.
2. Prep your pan and oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease your doughnut pan really well, including the center posts. This step gets skipped more than it should and it’s the reason doughnuts stick.
3. Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set this aside.
4. Cream the butter and sugars
In a stand mixer, beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t rush it, this is where the texture starts.
5. Add the wet ingredients
Beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add the buttermilk, vanilla, and your cooled reduced cider. The mixture might look a little separated at this point. That’s normal.
6. Combine
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, mixing on low just until combined. Overmixing here leads to tough doughnuts, so stop as soon as you don’t see streaks of flour.
7. Pipe the batter
Transfer the batter to a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into the doughnut pan cavities, filling each about two-thirds full.
8. Bake
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the doughnuts spring back when touched. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before moving on.
9. Coat in cinnamon sugar
While the doughnuts cool slightly, mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Brush each warm doughnut with melted butter, then dunk it into the cinnamon sugar, coating both sides.
10. Repeat and enjoy
Repeat with the remaining batter, regreasing your pan between batches. Eat at least one while it’s still warm. This is non-negotiable.
Substitutions and Variations
| Original | Swap | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 1:1 gluten-free flour blend | Texture is slightly denser but still good |
| Buttermilk | 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tsp lemon juice | Let sit 5 minutes before using |
| Butter (in dough) | Coconut oil | Adds a very faint coconut note |
| Apple cider | Apple juice, reduced the same way | Slightly less complex flavor, still works |
| Baked in a pan | Fried in oil at 350°F | Classic texture, drop as rings for 90 seconds per side |
| Cinnamon sugar coating | Maple glaze | 1 cup powdered sugar + 2 tbsp maple syrup + splash of milk |
Make Ahead Tips
You can reduce the apple cider up to 3 days ahead and store it in the fridge in a sealed container. Just bring it to room temperature before mixing it into the batter.
The dry ingredients can also be measured and mixed together the night before if you want to save yourself some morning steps.
I don’t recommend mixing the full wet batter ahead of time though. The leavening starts working the moment it hits the wet ingredients, and you’ll lose some of that rise.
Nutritional Breakdown (Per Doughnut, Estimated)
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 245 |
| Total Fat | 10g |
| Saturated Fat | 6g |
| Carbohydrates | 35g |
| Sugar | 20g |
| Protein | 3g |
| Sodium | 190mg |
Based on a batch of 12 doughnuts. Numbers will shift depending on your exact ingredients.
Meal Pairing Suggestions
These are built for morning coffee, but they show up well in a few other spots too.
- Breakfast: Pair with a hot latte or a mug of, well, more apple cider
- Brunch spread: Serve alongside scrambled eggs and crispy bacon for contrast
- Fall dessert table: Add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side
- Afternoon snack: Just the doughnut and a good book, honestly
Storage and Leftovers
Store leftover doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, the cinnamon sugar coating starts to get a little tacky.
For longer storage, keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days, though the texture firms up a bit.
To freeze, skip the cinnamon sugar coating and freeze the plain doughnuts in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then brush with melted butter and coat fresh. They taste almost like day one this way.
A few seconds in the microwave brings back that just-baked warmth if you’re eating them cold from the fridge.
FAQ
Can I make these without a doughnut pan?
Yes. Bake the batter in a mini muffin tin instead and you’ll get doughnut holes rather than rings. Reduce the bake time to about 7 minutes.
Why did my doughnuts turn out dense?
This usually comes down to overmixing the batter once the flour is added, or using cider that wasn’t fully cooled before mixing. Both affect how well the batter rises.
Can I use fresh apples instead of cider?
Not directly in this recipe. The cider adds moisture and flavor in liquid form, while fresh apple chunks would throw off the texture. Stick with cider or apple juice here.
Is there a way to make these less sweet?
Cut the granulated sugar in the batter down to 1/3 cup and skip the butter dunk for the coating, using a light dusting of cinnamon sugar instead.
Can kids help make these?
Definitely. The piping and coating steps are especially fun for little hands, just watch the hot doughnuts fresh out of the oven.
Wrapping Up
Apple cider doughnuts are one of those things that taste like a specific memory even if you’ve never actually had one before.
Silas ate four of these standing at the kitchen counter before I even got the rest coated, so consider that the real review.
Give this recipe a try this weekend and let me know how yours turned out in the comments below. I’d love to hear if you went the classic cinnamon sugar route or tried the maple glaze instead.
