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
Fantastic! First time for me making donuts. I followed recipe as written. So delicious! I’m impressed with myself. Lol!
Hi! I’m wondering if this recipe would work in a little Dash donut maker?? I recently purchased one and really want to try your recipe with it .
Hi Suzanne, we haven’t tested it but can’t see why not!
Hi Sally!
Could I add fresh blueberries to this recipe?
Hi Devon, We haven’t tested this recipe with blueberries but you certainly can. We recommend making the recipe as written and adding about 1/2-1 cup of blueberries. If you try it out, let us know how it goes!
Adding blueberries~put blueberries in a plastic sealable bag with 2 teaspoons of flour. Shake gently to coat then add blueberries to your batter. Fold into batter gently and pipe into pans as directed. Hope this helps 🙂
Amazing donuts!! We just made them and I couldn’t resist a 2nd!
Has anyone tried this dairy free? I convert all of SBA recipes to gluten free and dairy free and they generally work great but I’m wondering if that amount of dairy free butter (I usually use Earth Balance) works well to keep the cinnamon sugar coating stay on, or if the taste isn’t quite right. Maybe I’ll try some with and some without and report back.
We made the donuts using dairy-free margarine and they turned out totally fine 🙂
I’ve used the Cronometer app to break down the nutritional analysis for this recipe.
*NOTE*: this analysis reflects that for the yogurt I used 0% fat Greek yogurt and I used 2% milk and I used Cake or Pastry flour (Robin Hood). The nutritional analysis below does NOT include brushing or dipping the donut with butter or dipping in sugar afterward (as the amount used is variable/up to you), so you’ll have to calculate and add that to the totals as you see fit.
Baked Cinnamon Donuts
Nutrition Facts
Per 1 donut
Calories 118
Fat 3.5 g
Carbohydrate 18.3 g
Fibre 0.5 g
Sugars 7.8 g
Protein 3 g
Cholesterol 28.3 mg
Sodium 382.4 mg
Potassium 45.7 mg
Calcium 62.7 mg
Iron 0.8 mg
loved this recipe just wondering if you can double it to make more than 8?
Hi Rebecca, yes, feel free to double this batter.
Another fantastic recipe! Every recipe I make from SBA turns out so well! Following recommendations in the comments from the SBA staff I used 1/2 c. of buttermilk because I had a carton to use up and it turned out nicely. I piped them into the pan as recommended and did, indeed, have enough for 3 more donuts (9 total). Thanks so much!
Such a wonderfully delicious recipe. Your measurements are precise (metric makes it so easy and perfect) suggestions for substitute and directions are also excellent. I can’t wait to try your other variations. Thank you
This was the first time I weighed my ingredients and I loved that the recipe was easy to follow! I used a dash of nutmeg and a dash of cloves. Mine only made 6 donuts but I think I over filled it…also it only had 6 cavities so it worked out well. Thanks so much!
Delicious! Donut itself is not too sweet, so when covered in sugar it was the perfect amount of sweetness. This being my first time using the donut pan, I did overfill it and many of the holes closed up, so if you want pretty donuts don’t overfill the pan! A+ recipe, will make again!
Hello Sally,
Thank you for this recipe. I have always wanted to make baked donuts and appreciate finding your/this well reviewed recipe. Are there any other baked donut recipes you can share? Also, will be baking in silicone pan. Is it still necessary and or better to first hit with non stick spray?
Thank you very much!
L
Hi Laura! You can find more of our donut recipes here. We don’t usually use a silicone pan, so can’t say for sure, but a light coating may still be helpful.
Thank you!!
I loved this recipe so much!
If I were to bake this dough in a giant silicone donut cake ring, how long would you suggest I bake it?
Hi Jill, we’re unsure of the exact bake time. It depends on the exact size/capacity of your pan. Keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Hi Jill,
Did you ever attempt to make this, if so; how did it come out? I hope to do the same with standard jumbo silicone donut pan.
Thanks much for any insight information you can provide RE cooking times!
L
This recipe is amazing! I thought they wouldn’t taste as good as fried donuts, but I enjoy them just as much, if not better. It is a quick and easy process. A real crowd pleaser!
When making the cinnamon sugar donut can u substitute the yogurt with sour cream and can regular milk work instead of butter milk?
Hi Evelyn, both of these substitution will work. Enjoy!
Could I use applesauce as a sub for yogurt here?
Great recipe ! Could I chill the dough, then cut out and bake the donuts on a lined cookie sheet?
Hi Dave, the donuts need the shape/structure of a donut pan or muffin tin. They would spread too much on a lined baking sheet, even if chilled.
Incredibly delicious and easy! I made them dairy free with butter substitute, soy milk and oat yogurt and they’re some of the best doughnuts I’ve ever had. Thanks for a great recipe!
Can I make the batter ahead of time? Store in the fridge and bake in the morning?
Hi Alison, we don’t recommend making the batter ahead of time – it’s best to bake right away!
what can i use instead of yogurt?
Hi Lexi, You can use sour cream instead. OR replace BOTH the milk and yogurt with a 1/2 cup buttermilk.
can I deep-fry small amounts of batter in hot oil to make donut holes?
Hi Hannah, this batter isn’t ideal for deep frying. You can use this homemade doughnuts batter to make doughnut holes and try sprinkling the glazed doughnuts with the cinnamon sugar topping from this recipe.
I love this recipe. I made them twice last fall and can’t wait to make them again this year. I was wondering – do you think I could sub some or all of the vanilla extract with maple extract instead or would it be overwhelming? I have made your maple glaze before but was looking to impart the maple flavor without the stickiness!
Hi Jaclynn, You can certainly try substituting some of the vanilla extract with maple (not all!). We haven’t tested it but start by substituting between one half and one quarter of a teaspoon of maple extract depending on how strong of a flavor you want. Let us know if you give it a try!
I swapped 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract for maple, and it turned out perfect. Thanks for the tip to not swap all of the vanilla though – it’s plenty potent at 1/2 a teaspoon!
Love these. I made them into smallish muffins, and instead of dipping them into the butter, I brushed it on. Recipe makes too much topping in my opinion, had lots of leftover cinnamon sugar + butter. I also added lots more cinnamon in the topping. Overall loved them.
Hi Sally, could I sub a veg oil for butter? My husband and I are helping with a small bakery start up in a low economic area of Bolivia, South America. Butter is very pricey here, so we are looking for alternatives to the reduce her costs and increase profit, but not sacrifice flavour. I know butter is a much more flavourful than oil!
A few notes from my experience…I brush my donuts with butter using a pastry brush and dip in the cinnamon sugar. It works well and is less messy – in case there are others out there like me who don’t like messy food.
I use mini donut pans, 12 donuts each, bake for 7-8 mins, they are bite size and very cute. My 12 year old daughter loves to make and sell them to our church and in our neigbourhood.
Hi Lisa! You can certainly try experimenting with oil, but the taste and texture will be a bit different. Great tip on brushing the donuts! Let us know if you do give them a try.
Omg I am in heaven! Loved these doughnuts! We used the chocolate glaze from one of your other doughnut recipes, subbing golden syrup for the corn syrup, as we don’t get corn syrup in UK, but it was totally sublime!!! Shall definitely be making again.
This taste so awesome, thank you Sally
Hi Sally, can I use sour cream in place of the yogurt?
Hi Bonnie, absolutely — same amount.
I loved this recipe but my donuts were rough in the middle maybe because I used a muffin pan?
So yummy – we love these amazing donuts!
If i dont have a donut pan. Can i make donuts without the hole in a muffin tin or so? Or wont that cook through before burning?
Hi Irma, See recipe note #3 for baking these in a muffin pan!
Hi!! Am I able to make little donut holes with this batter?? If so, how would the bake time differ? Thank you!!
Hi Rachel, You can use a mini muffin pan and bake for about 9-10 minutes. That’s how long it takes the spiced apple cider donut holes and the recipes are somewhat similar.
Exactly what I was looking for. Texture and taste wonderful. My son likes them
Sally, the taste is awessome. Though the measurements of all ingredients were exactly as mentioned but my batter was not as thick as yours. The doughnts did not rise enough, but i tried to make muffins with the same batter and the muffins turned out great. Can you suggest where did i go wrong ?
Hi Kukum, We are happy that you enjoyed the taste! If you are using the exact same batter, just in different pans, it’s possible that you simply didn’t use quite enough batter in the donut pan. If you try it again add just a little more batter to each donut to get them to rise a little higher.
Perfect donnut recipe
I made 1/2 cinnamon sugar as recommended by previous comments but still had leftovers.
I also 1/2 the butter.
I would prob use less sugar in donut sugar next time and 1/4 the entire batch of cinnamon ratio sugar other than that easy and delicious!! Thank you