A Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Donut? You might wonder how on earth I came up with that one. Well let me just tell you!
One of my many gluten free mantras is that anyone can make anything deliciously gluten free with the right ingredients … even doughnuts/donuts (who’s to know which to say and why?!). So when chatter started up about some new store-bought gluten free pumpkin donuts, I was excited for what I hoped would be a delicious reunion for me with donuts (having not had one in more than a baker’s dozen years!). Sadly, it was not so.
Let me start by saying that I grew up in The South where you learn early on that if you don’t have something nice to say, you don’t say anything at all. In this case my response to the hard, dense, manufactured gluten free pumpkin donut would have gone something like, “Bless his heart, he is such a cute little donut, isn’t he?” (See how I darted around the taste issue? Very Southern.)
At times like these, I’ve learned never to give up hope. Instead, I revisited my mantra and decided that since I do, in fact, seem to make everything gluten free, why not go ahead and make a pumpkin doughnut? It couldn’t be that hard … I mean, my dad used to make doughnuts on weekend mornings out of canned refrigerator biscuits for Pete’s sake … and even they tasted good!
Turns out, it was easy to make a darned delicious gluten free pumpkin pie donut! I say pumpkin PIE donut because this recipe ended up being a happy marriage between an awesome gluten free pumpkin donut and all the spices of pumpkin pie.
In fact, it was a little too easy to make these. It might look time consuming, but most of the time is just letting the batter chill so it’s not sticky. The MAKING part is pretty dang easy.
So easy that I’m not publishing it in my recipe newsletter because I don’t want folks everywhere to start making tons of these yummy puppies and blaming me for gaining weight BEFORE Thanksgiving! Oh no – this recipe is going to be buried on my website, for only those hard-core doughnut aficionados to find!
So do us all a favor and don’t tell anyone about this recipe. It will put pre-fab gluten free doughnuts to shame (no microwaving necessary!) and it’s too easy and delicious not to make again and again and again (as in, every weekend), and that could get really boring … at some point, years from now.
Bake these or fry them, top with a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar, a dusting of confectioner’s sugar or a heavenly donut glaze. Any way you make them, it’s true gluten free donut love.
You don’t even need a special donut pan (although you can use one) — just roll out in more of my light gfJules Flour and press the ends together. It’s like playing with playdough, only way more satisfying because you can eat it!
(P.S. If you’re hankerin’ for MORE great gluten free donut recipes, just use the search bar at the top of every page. I have 8 gluten free donut recipes on my site already … if you count gluten free beignets, gluten free churros and gluten free apple fritters!)
Gluten Free Pumpkin Donut Recipe
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Donut Recipe
These gluten free pumpkin pie donuts are the stuff fall baking dreams are made of! Yummy pumpkin pie spices, cake-like donuts, happy tasters!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs. butter or non-dairy alternative (Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- ½ cup granulated cane sugar
- ½ cup pumpkin purée (canned or fresh, roasted)
- 1/3 cup sour cream, dairy or non-dairy (Tofutti® or Follow Your Heart®) or coconut yogurt (So Delicious®)
- 1 egg (or egg substitute like 1 Tbs. vegetable oil + 2 Tbs. water + 2 tsp. baking powder OR 2 Tbs. aquafaba)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups gfJules™ Gluten Free All- Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 heaping tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- non-GMO canola or vegetable oil, if frying
topping:
- ½ cup granulated cane sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or ½ tsp. ginger + ½ tsp. nutmeg)
- confectioner’s sugar
glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups (150 grams) confectioners' sugar, whisked or sifted smooth
- 3 - 4 Tbs. milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy) - only add enough milk to make glaze thin enough to dip doughnuts
- gluten free sprinkles, optional
Instructions
Whip butter and sugar together with an electric mixer, if possible, until light. Add pumpkin, sour cream, egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, beating until there are no lumps.
Cover and refrigerate dough until cold and no longer sticky, at least 2 hours.
Lightly dust a pastry mat or clean counter with gfJules™All Purpose Flour. Scoop 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of dough out onto the dusted surface and gently roll into a 7-inch log to make doughnuts, or a heaping tablespoon to make a doughnut hole. Score the ends with a fork and dab with water, then press together to form a ring. Set aside and continue with remaining dough.
To Fry:
Prepare a large pot by filling at least 1 inch deep with oil. Heat to medium-high (no more than 350°F).
When the dough is heated, drop doughnuts or doughnut holes into the hot oil, boiling and flipping as necessary to cook until lightly browned on all sides – approximately 1 ½ minutes. Do not allow the donuts to get too browned. Once cooked, immediately remove with a skimmer or slotted spoon to a plate covered with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
Quickly transfer to a bowl containing the topping mixture and roll over the donuts to completely coat, or cool and dip in glaze. Remove to another plate and repeat with remaining dough.
To Bake:
Preheat oven to 325° F. Place doughnuts or doughnut holes onto parchment-lined baking sheets or simply scoop dough into doughnut pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture, if desired.
Bake for 10-14 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness (when inserted toothpick comes out clean, doughnuts are fully cooked). Remove to cool on wire racks for 5 minutes, then gently roll in confectioner’s sugar or sugar and cinnamon mixture, or allow to cool, then dip in glaze.
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How’s that for a recipe that keeps on giving?
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The doughnut recipe sounds seriously delicious. I intend to bake these soon and if I am very quiet, I can eat a lot of them before my husband discovers they exist. However, what really grabbed me, was you writing: “Bless his heart, he is such a cute little donut, isn’t he?” My relatives came to the Texas panhandle from Tennessee & Arkansas in the mid 1800’s and settled there. I grew up speaking Southern English, and at 75 and having lived all over, still find it scattered through my language, Thanks for the memories and future doughnuts. Sharon Taylor
Oh I love this so much, Sharon!! Thanks for sharing that tidbit of Southern sentimentality! I grew up in NC and that Southern never really leaves you, does it?!
I can’t wait to hear how you like these donuts, and how many you can sneak in before your hubby discovers them!!!! 😉
~jules
If I want to bake them, should I chill them for 2+ hours or just fill the donut pans with the batter?
Just bake ’em! Quick and easy!!!
~jules
Just wondered if you have tried them in the air fryer?
I haven’t yet, Penny, but they should work just fine since they’re baked! Even these gluten free doughnuts worked just fine in my air fryer.
~jules
I cannot wait to try them!
Yay! I’m so glad you’ll be making this recipe!
~jules
Well, you didn’t bury this recipe deep enough in your blog. I found it! And am I glad I did. These sound absolutely amazing! So perfect for an upcoming Halloween party.
LOL! Funny, but loads of folks don’t even realize there’s a search bar on my blog, for some reason. You’re lucky you found it! ENJOY!
~jules
Oh yes, please!! I bet the sour cream really gives these donuts a nice taste and texture. I’m all about homemade donuts now that I finally have a pan 🙂 Can’t wait to give these a try!
Wonderful to hear you have the pan and you’re ready to donut!!!
~jules
These look like they have the *perfect* texture for a doughnut! I cannot wait to try them!
Yes! My father (not gluten free) said they are the perfect cake donut and taste just like the donut shop!
~jules
Pumpkin donuts looks good! Cant wait to try it but what about a donut maker? Would recipe work with donut maker?
Yep – should work in a donut maker just fine! Enjoy!
~jules
Don’t be intimidated by the thought of making donuts. They were very easy. I’ve made them twice and everyone loves them ( the gluten free and non gluten free people). I also used your base recipe and exchanged the pumpkin for mashed bananas and left out the pumpkin spice. Then I used maple syrup to make the glaze.
Your modifications sounds delicious, Jennifer! Thanks so much for sharing, and for your words of donut-encouragement! 🙂
~jules
Is there a particular egg replacement you recommend for this one? EnrG? Flax steep? or ?
Was wondering if you have tried baking donuts yet. If just substituting pumpkin with applesause, should they taste like a regular cake donut? If so, could you add blueberries?
Hope, I haven’t tried baking them yet, because I don’t have a pan! I need to get one though … you should be able to use this batter in doughnut molds without difficulty, though. As long as the blueberries are inside the doughnuts, they should be fine. A lot of folks use dried berries in their doughnuts though, so you might want to think about that option. Let me know how it goes!
I made these on the fly so I had to make some adjustments. I did try baking them. While they were good, it didn’t satisfy my craving for a nice fattening fried donut.lol My husband and son could not get enough so don’t let me discourage you from baking them. I would bake them again. I didn’t have cinnamon so I added 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice. I also didn’t have cinnamon sugar so I just tossed them in a bag of powdered sugar. Also, I couldn’t wait to refrigerate them for 2 hours so I used a small ice cream scoop, put the blob in my wet hands and made them as round as possible.
Diana – hilarious! Maybe next time you’ll LOVE them when you have time to make them without adjustments! But then, you might have to double the recipe, since hubbie and son already loved them!
I decided to try these today as baked donut holes. I doubled the recipe and it made about 45 donut holes. They spread more than I thought, so they look like cookies, but the family is happy. Seriously, taste like a mini-cake and that’s ok.
So glad you went with it, Celeste! Sounds like it all worked out, so congrats! Happy you tried the recipe!!!
~jules
Hi Jules,
I made these for work brunch and totally messed up. The oil was 350 deg, 2 min each donut and the insides were raw… what did I do wrong?
Thanks
1st time donut fryer
The thing about frying is that the oil has to be just the right temp and often once it reaches the correct temp, it just keeps getting hotter, so it’s hard to keep it at the right temp. If the insides were raw, the donuts didn’t cook long enough, even though the outsides may have looked done — often happens when the oil is actually too hot. When you try it again, test with only one donut first and be sure it’s done all the way through, then you know the oil is just right.
I made these yesterday. I left the dough in for 2 hours and was still sticky, but I just put some flour down and on my hands and it was fine. I rolled some in the cinnamin & sugar and left some plain. They were both delicious and unlike most GF baked goods they were still good this morning(if not better) than they were yesterday. Jules – how do you make plain cake donuts? With applesauce?
Yes, applesauce would work nicely as a sub for pumpkin!
~jules
Wondering if these freeze up well?