Baked cinnamon sugar donuts are soft, cake-style donuts made in a donut pan instead of deep frying. They’re quick and easy to make, and coated in melted butter and cinnamon sugar for classic bakery-style flavor. Ready in about 45 minutes, this simple from-scratch recipe yields perfectly spiced and ultra moist donuts.
I originally published this recipe in 2015, and I’ve since updated it with new photos and extra success tips for consistently excellent results.
Who doesn’t love fresh, warm, homemade donuts—especially when they’re coated in buttery cinnamon sugar? These baked cinnamon sugar donuts are soft, cakey, and packed with cozy spice flavor. They’re baked instead of fried, so they’re quick, easy, and perfect for beginner bakers.
You can mix the batter by hand, bake them in about 10 minutes, and finish them with a dunk in melted butter and cinnamon sugar. If you love classic cake donuts from a bakery, you’ll adore this homemade version.
We’ve been making them this way for years!
Why You’ll Love These Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts:
- No mixer needed—just a couple bowls and a whisk
- Baked, not fried—no standing over the stove or hot oil required
- Soft, cakey texture—like a classic cake donut
- Warm cinnamon and nutmeg flavor in every bite
- Ready in about 45 minutes
- Coated in buttery, crunchy cinnamon sugar for that irresistible finish
Why Bake Donuts Instead of Frying?
Baked donuts are easier to make at home because they don’t require hot oil or special equipment. Instead of frying, the batter is baked in a donut pan, which creates a soft cake-style donut with a lighter texture. Baked donuts are also wonderful if you have young bakers helping in the kitchen because they’re quicker and less fussy than traditional fried donuts!
Most of my donut recipes are baked, not fried, so you have many delicious ways to use your donut pan. Think chocolate frosted donuts… maple glazed donuts… pumpkin donuts… apple cider donuts… you get the idea!
That said, if you’d like to try making traditional yeasted and fried donuts, I have a recipe for homemade glazed doughnuts that’s a great place to start.
Don’t have a donut pan? You can use a muffin pan instead. See the Notes section beneath the recipe below for instructions.
Ingredients You Need for Baked Donuts & Why
We’re using my standard baked donut recipe as the base. It’s what I use for my chocolate frosted donuts, lemon poppy seed donuts, chai spice donuts, and banana donuts.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best for baked donuts.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: Lifts up the donuts as they bake.
- Salt: Key for flavor balance.
- Cinnamon + Nutmeg: Truly gives these donuts that special bakery taste and aroma; don’t skip!
- Egg: To bind the ingredients together.
- Brown Sugar: Sweetened and adds moisture.
- Milk: Thins out the thick batter *just* right.
- Yogurt or Sour Cream: Adds flavorless moisture that won’t weigh the crumb down.
- Butter: For texture as well as that irresistible buttery flavor.
- Vanilla: Another key flavor for cinnamon sugar donuts.
The Process is Super Simple
You only need a couple bowls and a silicone spatula—no mixer required!
Make the donut batter: Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another, then combine until just mixed. So easy! The batter is thicker than most cake batters—that’s exactly what you want for structured, tender, cakey donuts.
Fill the donut cavities: Because the batter is thick, it’s easiest to transfer it to the pan using a piping bag or a large zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Just spoon the batter into the bag, trim off a bottom corner, and squeeze the batter into the donut cavities.
Just like this:
The donuts bake up VERY quickly. Let them cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then an additional few minutes on a cooling rack.
The Best Cinnamon Sugar Coating for Donuts
This finishing touch is what really makes these freshly baked donuts shine. Each warm donut gets:
- A quick dip in melted butter
- A generous roll in cinnamon sugar
The butter helps the coating stick and gives the donuts that irresistible old-fashioned donut shop flavor. Every bite is soft inside with a lightly crunchy, sweet exterior.
Prefer icing on your donuts instead? Try my strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla donut frostings instead.
Baked Donuts Success Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. For soft and springy donuts, mix just until the ingredients are combined.
- Pipe the batter into the pan. For the neatest donut shape, pipe the batter into the donut pan using a zipped-top bag with the corner snipped (or use a piping bag). Because the batter is thick, spooning it into the pan can be messy.
- Enjoy them fresh. These donuts are best enjoyed the same day, but leftovers keep well for about 2 days, or you can freeze them.
These baked cinnamon sugar donuts are one of those recipes that feels special but couldn’t be easier to make. They’re soft, buttery, warmly spiced, and coated in just the right amount of cinnamon sugar. Serve them warm with coffee, add them to a weekend brunch spread, or bake a batch just because you’re craving donuts!
And if you’re baking for a crowd, go ahead and double the recipe—they disappear fast!
P.S. Looking for a baked chocolate cake-style donut recipe? You can find one on page 205 of my NYT best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101!
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 donuts
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These baked cinnamon sugar donuts are soft, moist cake-style donuts made in a donut pan instead of fried. Ready in about 45 minutes, this easy homemade donut recipe is coated in melted butter and cinnamon sugar for classic bakery-style flavor. The recipe yields just 8 donuts, so be sure to double the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (65g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g/ml) milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease donut pan(s) with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Make the donuts: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar, milk, and sour cream together until smooth. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be very thick.
- Spoon the batter into the donut cavities or, for ease, I recommend transferring the batter into a large zip-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cavity, filling each about halfway.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. To test, lightly press the top of a donut. If it springs back, they’re done.
- Cool donuts in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter.
- Top the donuts: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Dip the donuts in the melted butter, then dunk into the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating all sides.
- These donuts taste best served shortly after coating. Cover leftover donuts tightly and store at room temperature for 1–2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the baked donuts for up to 2–3 months. For best results, freeze them before adding the butter and cinnamon sugar coating. Let the donuts cool completely, then place them in a freezer-friendly container or zip-top bag with parchment between layers to prevent sticking. Thaw the donuts overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for a couple hours. Warm them briefly in the microwave for about 10–15 seconds, if desired. Once thawed and slightly warm, dip each donut in melted butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar coating before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Donut Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Muffins: You can bake this batter in a standard 12-count muffin pan instead of a donut pan. The recipe yields around 8 muffins. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full and bake at the same temperature for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes, then dip the tops and sides in melted butter and coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Milk: For the donut batter, any milk works, dairy or non-dairy. I’ve tested with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, whole milk, and skim milk.
- Can I Double This Recipe? Yes, absolutely. The recipe yields just 8 donuts. To double for 16 donuts, simply double all of the ingredients.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Absolutely LOVE this recipe! So quick and easy, and yields a perfect amount of donuts for my partner and I I jazzed it up with your apple pie spice in the donut and in the sugar – the only thing missing (but not really!) was the cider. I brush the melted butter onto to the donut and the sugar holds as well as if I’d done the dunk. I so appreciate your recipes and the work that goes into crafting a recipe. You’re a treasure!
I have made these several times and every time I do people RAVE! I should print the source on a place card to save me emailing everyone the recipe.
I know that the form of butter matters a lot in a recipe, so I wanted to ask: why does this recipe call for melted butter and not softened butter?
Hi Ward, in this light baked donuts recipe, we don’t need the structure that creaming room temperature butter with sugar provides – butter is adding moisture and flavor here.
These were as advertised: soft, moist , lots of cinnamon flavor. Reading comments that some bakers just got 6 donuts, I made a double recipe to make 12 donuts. Had a little extra batter which I tossed. Your donut recipes really should be revised to make 12. Most donut pans are 6, so why proportion your recipe for 8?
I made this recipe and the donuts by themselves were delicious and fluffy; however, I found when I added the topping according to the instructions, there was just too much sugar on them and the donuts were also falling apart. Perhaps next time I will leave the topping off, or try brushing the donuts with butter and then sprinkling the topping instead?
Do you have high altitude baking adjustments? (About 6000-6500’ elevation)
Hi Meg, We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. We know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html .
These were amazing! I loved them a lot and the taste was beautiful, I could really taste the brown sugar and vanilla. Something I’d like to say is that your recipes are not good, but fantastic! They always turn out amazing and I love your ideas.
I did not like the taste, at all. I tried making bagels once, too. I’ve decided that bagels and donuts are better left to the experts…the franchises. 😉
First time trying baked doughnuts and this recipe is a winner!
These donuts turned out great! I used a piping bag and it filled a whole pan of mini donuts, so 12 donuts. I had no issue with the topping, because I followed the directions and waited 10 mins for them to cool before dipping them. I used lactose free Activia vanilla yogurt. The donuts were moist and the cinnamon/nutmeg flavoring was perfect. Hubby did his happy dance while eating them, so will definitely be making these again!
Hi sally!
This is more of a general question as it’s the ONE issue I have following your recipes (this one is a repeat for when we have company or I need a treat to take somewhere)
The edges of my baked goods (banana bread, donuts, cakes) always have a chewy, hard ridge. Is there a trick to preventing this.
Hi Kirst, this could be a few things. Do you have an oven thermometer? You oven may be running hotter than it reads, which is causing it to bake faster and along the edges first. When you do see this happening, you can use aluminum foil to tent the edges of your baked goods so that they don’t brown too fast, while allowing the middles to continue to cook. Finally, use a toothpick to test for doneness. It’s possible that your baked goods are just slightly overdone, leading to the hardened edges. Hope these tips help for your next bake!
This recipe tastes like pancake. Even my five year old commented, ” Are we making pancake? ” While we were mixing the ingredients. The original donut recipe (fried donuts) on this website is waaaaay better.
now this is the first time i have ever made BAKED donuts.. i thought they wouldn’t be as good as fried. i was so wrong!! these are the best donuts i have had in a long time! they were finished in a single day! thank you so much 🙂
I made these as directed, but didn’t have yogurt so I substituted whole milk ricotta. My wife and I were both BLOWN AWAY with these donuts! The mouth-feel is so rich and decadent, despite the low fat content. Absolutely a keeper, and I’m looking forward to trying some with different flavor profiles.
Good taste. We’re allergic to eggs so use ener-g egg replacer and it worked well. The butter and cinnamon sugar mixture at the end was FAR too much. I was slightly irritated at wasting half of it. I’ve mad the apple cider donuts and wasn’t expecting this recipe to be so small. I BARELY got 7 regular size donuts. It’s a bit of a hassle to make for such a small yield, especially when you have a family of 5 without doubling it. Definitely halve the butter and cinnamon sugar at the end and wait until your donuts are cool before dipping.
Amazing! I subbed Pillsbury Gluten free flour 1:1 ratio. I went ahead and filled the pans to use the batter on one 6 count with none left over. They turned out perfect. We have a problem with gf items being dry but not these. Favorite gluten free donut ever!! I doubled the recipe and froze some with no problems. Thank you!
These are amazing, they turned out perfectly just as described and pictured. They also freeze and heat up really well. I can’t wait to branch out and try the glazed donuts and the Nutella cinnnamon sugar muffins. Thanks so much for the fantastic recipe!
Wonderfully delicious, so easy to make, and taste just as good as any fried doughnut,
Thank you for the recipe
Mine came out fine, but I a bit dry. I substituted for a low carb flour (which claims to be 1:1 usable for AP. It’s King Arthur Keto flour). It still came out edible though. Any suggestions on making it more moist though? Thanks!
Hi Lynn! We’ve never tried the low carb flour you mention, so we can’t say for sure, but it might be impacting the final taste and texture of your donuts. Also, be sure to 1) spoon and level your flour and 2) not over bake, both of which can contribute to dryness. Thanks so much for giving these donuts a try!
Mmm…SO good! The first time I made these, I used a pan with heart-shaped donut rings but I think I over-filled them and they were a bit too large, but so tasty. The next time, I used a mini-muffin pan and filled the cavities about 2/3 to 3/4 full, baked for 9 mins, and they came out like perfect donut holes. They are sensational! My picky son said we HAVE to make these again. Thank you Sally – you and your recipes are simply the BEST!
I was interrupted at about two minutes before these would have been done (9 minutes wasn’t long enough) so I turned the oven off and let them sit in there. They were still fluffy and delicious, despite being more browned on one side. I used 1/4 c (4 Tbsp) butter to dip and it was enough for 6 tall donuts.
These are great. I make them every two weeks or so and they are a hit at home. I usually double the recipe and end up with 20 doughnuts. They are versatile and stand the test of substitutions (I sometimes sub the butter for olive oil or the eggs for skyr and typically use an AP and whole wheat flour mix ). I personally prefer these without the cinnamon sugar icing and opt instead to up the spice by adding ground clove, ginger and cardamom to the cinnamon and nutmeg. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m doubling the recipe or if it’s because of the moulds I use (silicone which I place onto a large sheet pan) but the cooking time is off for me. Mine usually need to stay into the oven for a good 20 minutes before they’re ready.
Excellent recipe! Enough batter for 8 donuts. Baked well. After I waited for the 2 minutes after coming out of the oven, they dipped well in the butter and cinnamon-sugar…not soggy. Delicious with a light texture. Definitely will make this recipe again
These were not good at all. I followed the recipe exactly and they tasted like there was too much baking powder – kind of like a sour/zesty taste. If I did make them again I’d cut back on the baking powder but I probably would not makes these again.
Hi Dani! Usually when we can taste baking powder in baked goods it indicates that our baking powder may not be fresh anymore. Also make sure to whisk the dry ingredients together before mixing all the batter to ensure there are no clumps. Thanks for giving these a try!
I’m sorry to say this was a very bad recipe. First of all it only fills one standard donut pan (6 donuts) with a little left over. The taste was horrid. The instruction to dip the donut in melted butter when hot was not a good one, the donut soaked up the butter like a sponge, and then when it was dipped in cinnamon sugar it got all glunky. I know you won’t publish this review since you only publish the positive reviews, but I do hope you take this feedback to heart. I thought this was a good website, but don’t think I’ll be trying a recipe from here again.
I disagree. I use this recipe all of the time. Dipping them in butter and the donut soaking them up is the whole point. It ensures they’re moist. Hold the donuts over the bowl and sprinkle them with the sugar or give them a minute to settle after dipping then roll them.
You should try this recipe again. I have made it many many times and they always make 8 donuts which are light and tasty. Let the donuts cool before you dip the tops in meted butter and dip in the cinnamon sugar
To make these diabetic friendly, I used whole spelt flour, 1/6 cup Truvia brown sugar blend for the brown sugar, 1/4 cup Truvia baking blend mixed with cinnamon for the topping (you can blend it in the blender beforehand if you like powdered sugar), and Skyr Icelandic yogurt 0%. The recipe made six donut-muffins in the muffin pan, so by my calculations that’s about 30g carbohydrate and 9 grams of fat per donut. Not too bad!
Can you use Splenda instead of sugar?
Hi Jorja! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for Splenda. Thank you!
Hi! We love this recipe! Just one little suggestion- in the ingredients list you might want to note that the milk and yogurt should be at room temperature, not in the notes in case someone doesn’t scroll down to read the notes about which milk/yogurt you can use! (Might have just happened to me since I’ve made this recipe before and knew which milk and yogurt to use but forgot that it should be room temperature!)
Excellent recipe, thank you Sally! I bought some donut pans from Aldi last Xmas & used them for the first time today. Simple & easy.
These were a big win with my family. I have been a skeptic for years about trying out baked donuts. I grew up with homemade fried donut recipes and did not think baking would bring a reasonable result. I love many of your recipes so finally broke down and bought the pans after reading through your recipes and comments. I was not disappointed. Thanks for bringing another amazing treat, especially one so simple to make, to my kitchen! I won’t toss my fried raised donut recipes, but I love that I can make these without the mess of hot oil.
What kind of yogurt is best for the donuts? Greek yogurt?
Hi Anadil, nonfat, low fat, vanilla, plain, Greek or regular yogurt are all OK. We like to use low fat plain Greek yogurt.
Absolutely delicious. I made half the topping which was a perfect amount. Will definitely make again.
Quick question. If I don’t have yogurt can I just double the milk??
Hi Diane, You can use sour cream instead. OR replace BOTH the milk and yogurt with a 1/2 cup buttermilk.
I tried this. It was amazing taste so delicious. I wish I could share the result. I made this recipe and made my own ganache using butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips.