Completely, irresistibly delicious Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts. Baked to perfection, dipped in sweet & sticky chocolate frosting then sprinkled with nuts or chocolate chips! Gluten-free option included.
Am I too late for a pumpkin recipe? I hope not because these Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts are far too good to miss.
I am a baked donut lover but it's been a while. I know not everyone has a donut pan so I try to limit my donut recipes. Don't stop here if you don't own a donut pan though, because you can easily make these as muffins instead.
Baked donuts, which are basically just muffins with holes in the middle, taste better though. Fact. It must be a psychological, donut obsessed, brain thing.
These Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts are seriously the best thing you can whip up, start to finish, in under 30 minutes. They are so quick to make and bake, and is there anything better than a soft, warm, pumpkin spiced donut with smooth, chocolatey frosting?
Not at this minute my friends. I could seriously eat the whole batch.
These Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts are a healthier alternative to traditional fried donuts as they are baked not fried.
The sponge is light, fluffy and infused with pumpkin and pumpkin spice. It's colour is a beautiful autumnal orange which looks so pretty against the dark brown and chocolatey exterior.
Once baked to perfection, they are dipped head first into rich, fudgy, chocolatey frosting then topped with whatever toppings you fancy. I used pecans and chocolate chips.
I actually surprised myself with this recipe. I tested them with wholewheat flour first and that was great, then I tried them with Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-free Flour and I actually preferred the flavour of the donuts when made with the Bob's flour, so if you have some in your pantry, I highly recommend you use it.
These donuts would be just perfect for a lazy brunch at the weekend, or make them in advance to enjoy throughout the week.
WHAT IS THE BEST DONUT PAN FOR BAKING?
For those of you who don't own one, you should treat yourself to a donut pan because everything tastes better when it's donut shaped. FACT!
I've tried a few and my absolute favourite is this USA Pan one:
The donuts cook evenly, they don't brown too much and stay nice and soft. Most importantly though, they never stick. 
I do always grease it a little just in case, but the donuts slip out so easily. With other pans, I've had that awful battle while trying to get them out, which is just awful, especially when they end up ruined. SO although this pan costs a little more (it's still less than $20), it's so worth it to get perfect little donuts every time.
If you don't have a donut pan right now and want to make this recipe I have included instructions for making them as muffins.
These Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts are:
- Quick and easy to make
- Healthier than regular fried donuts
- Nicely (pumpkin) spiced
- Sweet & indulgent
- Perfectly soft, fluffy and tender
- Waiting for you to bake them!
A NOTE ON MEASURING FLOUR FOR BEST RESULTS
As always with any of my recipes involving flour, I highly recommend that you weigh it. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best results.
If you do need to use cups, spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without compacting it or shaking it down. By doing it like this you will get roughly the correct amount. If you scoop the flour up into the cup, you will end up with much more than is needed and it will affect the outcome of the recipe. Digital scales are available at most grocery stores now for around $10 to $15. O they are easy to purchase from online stores like Amazon. They are a great investment and are so worth having!
I have the one shown in the picture above.
CAN I FREEZE PUMPKIN DONUTS?
These donuts freeze really well as long as you don’t frost them first. Cook them and allow them to cool down completely before placing them in the freezer in a sealed container or freezer bag. They defrost in less than one hour and can then be frosted.
And if you love this recipe, please do check out my cookbook, and subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too!
Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ground flax seeds , it must be ground and not whole seeds
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 150 g / 1¼ cup whole-wheat flour or gluten free all purpose baking flour , or regular all purpose flour ,(Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose flour gives excellent results)
- 80 g / ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar , any sugar, white, brown, coconut etc is fine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda , (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil , measured in liquid form or mild olive oil (not extra-virgin)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba ,liquid from a can of chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 75g / ⅓ cup pumpkin puree , (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 120 mls / ½ cup unsweetened plant-based milk if using whole-wheat flour or ¼ cup non-dairy milk if using gluten-free all purpose flour
For the frosting:
- 98 g / ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ - 2½ tablespoons plant-based milk , the amount needed will vary
INSTRUCTIONS
- Grease a donut pan and preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- In a small bowl or cup mix the ground flax and hot water. Set aside.
- Put the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin spice into a bowl and stir well to combine.
- Put the coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, aquafaba, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree and milk into another bowl along with the flax mixture and whisk them together really well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until you can no longer see any dry flour and everything is well combined. Do not over mix.
- Spoon carefully into the donut pan. Fill to the top with batter and use the back of a teaspon to smooth it around evenly.
- Bake for 15 - 17 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. I found the gluten-free ones cooked a little more quickly than the wholewheat ones.
- Turn them out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting by combining the cocoa with the powdered sugar. Then add the milk very gradually, starting with 1 tablespoon then with a teaspoon at a time until you get a good, thick dropping consistency for dipping the donuts. Not too thick and not too thin. It will hardly take any milk to get it that way.
- Dip each donut into the frosting then transfer back to the cooling rack, sprinkle with desired toppings like nuts or chocolate chips while the frosting i still wet, then allow to set a little before enjoying.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Lana says
I now have a donut pan, so will try this wonderful recipe again!
P.S. I received my Vegan Comfort Cooking book! Can't wait to get started on the recipes.
Melanie McDonald says
Awesome! I highly recommend the cinnamon donuts in the book!
Lana Anderson says
Fantastic! I do not have a donut pan, so made mini-muffins. They were so delicious, I immediately made three more batches!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed them!
Angie says
Is there anything I could use to replace the oil? These look delicious!!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tested them oil-free but I have other oil-free donuts on my site including some pumpkin ones. https://avirtualvegan.com/pumpkin-orange-donuts/ If you want the chocolate coating just use that instead of the sugar in that recipe!
Uma says
I liked your Donut recipe. So very delicious.
Sandy says
Sounds delicious! Can I try using maple syrup instead of the powdered sugar for the icing. I don't use that type of sugar.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. It won't work with maple syrup. The powdered sugar is what thickens and sets it and creates the frosting. You could just use melted chocolate instead if you prefer.
Tazim Damji says
I've never made donuts before, but these are calling my name!
A Virtual Vegan says
You need to do it Tazim! You won't regret it :O)
A Virtual Vegan says
I totally agree!
Linda @ Veganosity says
I could eat the entire batch of these delicious doughnuts. YUM!
A Virtual Vegan says
Not if I get there first! ;O)
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
I haven't had a donut in years! Thanks for making a gluten-free version!
A Virtual Vegan says
You're welcome. More gluten-free recipes are to come!